Chapter: 48 : Father. (b)
The glow of the rising light washed everything in a haunting red as if preparing the small solemn group for the tribulations they were about to face. Smoothing down the front of her knee length pale green acrylic jersey dress, Sarah sighed. It felt strange to be wearing an artificial material against her skin as opposed to the silk, leather and furs that she had worn while here in their private refuge. But there was also a familiar comfort in the worn material as she prepared to leave their safe haven.
A warm hand enveloped hers as Jareth stepped up behind her, and used their hands to pull her in against his leather clad chest as he spoke in a soft voice: "It is time my love, you know that as well as I."
Using his free hand he conjured a shimmering crystal and held it out in front of her, letting it catch the red light and turn into a ruby, like the one she had carried into the centre of the Labyrinth, to bind them to it by blood and magic.
"Come precious, guide us back to your world so we can end this war before it destroys everything we hold dear. "
Nodding mutely, Sarah glanced quickly at the three others. Lilly stood between the two knights holding both their hands, while looking more like an oddly dressed porcelain doll than a real person, as her oversized hoodie and baggy jeans swallowed her petite frame. Shiver on the other hand, looked perfectly natural in his leather jeans worn black hoodie and ripped and stained leather patch with a white skull resting on pistons like a pirate crossbones, adorning the back. Above it stood the word , Outlaws. And below the skull, ADIOS all done in white capital letters, flanked by a small 1% patches.
On the front there was just two marks one stating: Warrior. And one with a clenched fist holding a bloodstained angel wing done in what had once been bright Americana style colours. But which had now become dull and muted through dirt and fading.
Didymus who stood on the other side looked misplaced in comparison as he wore the soft cream set of slashed cream leather jacket, puffed breeches, long boots of golden brown and the long luxurious cloak he had been given. It was like looking at the 1980's and 1680's at once, and the sight of it made Sarah smile. A smile that only wavered a little as she reached out and laid her hand on the smooth, warm and lightly pulsing crystal. They were as ready as they were going to get and she was just stalling.
The magic within the crystal pulsed and reached for her, wrapping around her cores, as it absorbed her strength and expanded until it covered the entire group in a web that only she and Didymus could feel.
Closing her eyes, Sarah envisioned the room that they had left behind so many months ago. She saw the pile of dirty laundry that inhabited the corner below the window, and the stacks of books that habitually lived on the desk she had brought with her as the only piece of furniture she had owned. She saw the tangled sheets of Lilly's bed with its tread bare bedding. And she saw... The image of her own bed, with it's rumpled blood stained sheets that stood out so clearly that she could touch it, if she reached for it... It...
The world spun and tumbled yet nothing moved.
Letting out a soft sigh Sarah let the now dull and crackled crystal pop like a bubble, while Lilly and Didymus tried to adjust to the sudden shift in their perception of reality.
Wrapping his arm around her narrow waist, Jareth kissed the crown of her hair, as he gently drew her attention away from the painful reminder of how close they had come to losing everything: "It does not matter any longer precious. It is done and we have emerged stronger than before from that crucible."
Waving his hand in a dismissive movement he aimed a short burst of magic at the bed, vanishing the soiled sheets and replacing them with crisp white silk bedding.
"Yeah I know, but I can still feel the fear and sorrow, that lingers here.. It was after all only a minute ago, Hell I can still smell the blood and iron ": Fighting the thickness in her voice Sarah, suddenly realized that even though Jareth was right and they had survived to become stronger, she never wanted to see this room again... In fact.
Turning away from Jareth's warm arms to look out at the moonlit compound outside, Sarah licked her lips as she tried to make sense of the voice in her mind that whispered "Leave, go home and never return. This was never your world, you know that. Stop kidding yourself and accept that you belong in the Labyrinth. You belong with him. Not here."
The voice was right she didn't belong here anymore, truth be told she never really had. Sure her grades had been good and she had many new acquaintances, but she had never felt truly at home in this realm. Not like Lilly. And that was what gave her pause as she watched Lilly pull slowly away from Shiver to stand on weak legs, as she looked around their room as if seeing it for the first time: "Wow I never thought of this room as small, but Damn this is tiny! It's a good thing that we won't have to return here anymore... Cause we don't ... Do we?"
Turning huge worried eyes on Sarah, Lilly obviously looked for confirmation from her, that neither of them would have to return. She was just giving voice to the same thoughts that Sarah herself had just had. But somehow hearing it from Lilly seemed different, more final in some strange way, as if the decision would be even more irreversible because Lilly was the one to utter it. And that fact had Sarah hesitating long enough that Jareth spoke first: "Are you certain of this Lilly? Are you utterly certain that you never wish to return here, are you truly decided not to continue your academic pursuits?"
Holding out his left hand, Jareth continued softly: "You do have a most magnificent talent, and it would be a criminal waste not to use it and allow it grow..."
"Yeah, but couldn't I do that in the Labyrinth... with the gnomes or something? Or what about the dwarfs couldn't they teach me?"
Lilly's voice was caught between hope and fear as she turned those silver and azure starburst eyes on him: "And you yourself told me about the healers and their anatomical knowledge... Look what I did for you, I can't do that for anyone without magic. So since what I have a talent for, needs magic then it would stand to reason that I go where the magic is! Besides.."
Her tiny hand shot out to grip Shiver's, as she straightened and levelled an impressively calm and sure gaze at Jareth: "It's my choice so that's that! I'm going with you and I am not going back here under any circumstances! So just give me a few minutes to gather the few things that I want to bring. And then we can go... Unless we gotta stay to show that raven lady that there is nothing here that can't live..."
Nodding Jareth found that he couldn't suppress the smile that quirked at the corner of his mouth, as he digested her brazen words. Yes it was her choice and she certainly appeared quite sure of her decision. And that only left Sarah and her decision...
"Very well, Young Lilly gather your things.. Sarah Precious what of you, do you wish to return here to this place of learning once the war has ended?... Sarah?"
She stood looking out of the window with her back turned to the room as she spoke in a voice that shook with emotions: "No I never want to return, I want to forget everything about this place and what happened here... I want to just take my things, leave and never look back, I want to go home... Jareth, please take me home."
"Nothing would make me happier ": Stepping up behind her he wrapped his strong arms around her, wrapping her in the safety she only felt when he held her, as he continued speaking: "Is there anything you wish to bring with you? "
Turning in his arms to that they were chest to chest and she could rest her chin on his chest Sarah nodded: "Yeah there is a purple box under my bed, the desk and my books, other than that there is nothing else I want that I can't conjure up or replace. "
"Very well, let it be done ": Holding up a crystal behind her back, Jareth drawled: "You heard her go fetch..": At the inanimate orb as he threw it into the air.
Once released the orb shot forward, darting in under the bed, and then over to grace the worn Labyrinth drawing and finally to roll across the books that lay scattered all over, leaving a faint glittering trail behind. Before returning to Jareth's hand like a well trained pet. Rolling it from his palm to the back of his hand and back, Jareth nodded in a obviously satisfied way as he made the crystal vanish in a sudden burst of blue light
"There I have the items stored away safely and there are perfect copies left behind. Now no one will be blamed for stealing from you."
"I don't care ": Sarah sighed softly as she looked up into Jareth's warm bicoloured eyes: "I am not coming back not as Sarah anyway. This Sarah..."
Letting go of him with one hand, she gestured vaguely at the things that were now magically created copies and odds and ends of the kind that was found in and left in any dorm room, Sarah continued with a slowly building confidence in her voice, as she conjured a crystal: "Is dead."
The crystal lifted from her fingers to float over her now made bed, hovering there while a thick mist formed on the sheets below it. The mist churned and billowed but stayed on the blankets slowly taking on a familiar shape.
"I will never return and there is no reason for anyone to use badly needed resources trying to find me, when it will be impossible... No it is better that the world sees me as ... dead."
The word reverberated around the room as the fog vanished leaving behind a pale unmoving and very obviously dead body.
Gasping as he saw the perfect simulacrum, Jareth gasped the copy was perfect, except for the total stillness with which it lay on its side as if merely sleeping with a faint smile creasing the full, slightly parted lips that he had kissed so often. He knew it was just meat, stray strands of protein given the form of his beloved. He knew it was sensible, a way for her to escape the world she did no longer wish to belong to, a way to leave no loose strings... And yet the sight still caused an almost panicking agony to flare in his chest, as he stared at the embodiment of his most virulent fear. And it cost him more self control than he would ever care to admit, not to let the horror that constricted his chest and put an unbearable crushing pressure on his furiously pounding and sorely tried heart, show in his voice as he spoke: "A wise decision precious... But a terrible finite one, that will undoubtedly cause much pain when this... This..."
Pain shone from his eyes as dark greys surrounded them and his voice grew gravely as he forced himself to finish his sentence: "Body is found... "
"Naah it'll just be another pair of depressed and lonely college girls who commit suicide because they can't deal with their own pathetic failure. Nothing big.. Nothing unusual in a college as big as this one... Sad yes, but nothing that will disrupt lives."
Setting her rucksack on the floor, Lilly sighed as she met Jareth's pain glazed gaze: "Sure I know that it is a very finite solution, but it is the only one... Sarah, could you do a meat puppet for me too?"
Nodding as she shifted her grip on Jareth from her tight embrace to holding his hand, Sarah conjured another crystal: "Here open your pack and let it touch the things inside. ... So how do you wanna, you know... go?"
Pulling the pack open, Lilly looked up and answered surely: "Barbiturates in combination with those bad boy sleeping pills that you got in the bathroom, washed down with vodka... How does that sound? "
Shrugging as she tried to digest the utter strangeness of the conversation, Sarah said: "Okay sounds fine, but where did we get the..."
Pointing to a locked box that was always on her nightstand, Lilly said: "That's not a problem, and don't ask, it's over and done with, okay..."
Sarah's eyes turned soft with understanding as her control over her markings slipped and a dark grey similar to the shadows darkening Jareth's face covered her eyes, as she shared a moment of painful understanding with Lilly, before saying: "Very well..."
Recalling the crystal, Sarah released Jareth's hand to let the orb roll over her fingers and hands in a series of hypnotic spinning moves: "Okay boys leave, all three of you, and Lilly come over here, I need you closer."
Reaching out, Sarah and Lilly locked hands while the three men filed out slowly to wait in the conspicuously empty and silent corridor, casting worried sidelong glazes as they went.
Waiting until they were alone, Sarah turned to look straight into Lilly's eyes as she spoke in a voice made rough by the multitude of emotions churning through her: "I just wanted to tell you, that you will never be alone again, you have us now and we will never leave you... But I cannot promise that you will not leave us... It is a weakened Labyrinth that we are returning to, and I cannot promise that it will have the strength to transform you into a denizen of the underground. ... Not right away, and we have no way to know when if ever he will be strong enough to transform you... And if he can't then you will age and die as you would have in the aboveground... Knowing this are you still certain that you want to go through with this? Even if you are transformed there is no way to know what you will become, you could be a goblin, a fey or even a monster there is no way to know..."
Shrugging Lilly didn't seem to disconcerted by the prospect of becoming a monster, or possibly only getting to live a normal life time with Shiver as she said: "Look if I can't be transformed then I'll have lost nothing, but gained a life of love with my literal knight in shining armour. And hell even if I become a monster like that Ludo dude you talked about, then well, I'll still be me and I doubt that Shiver would abandon me. Besides weren't monsters really, really rare? So it's a gamble that I'm willing to take since the benefits far outweigh the potential complications... So yeah I still wanna do this. Please Sarah let's just get this over with, so we can go win that war and get our happily ever after okay..."
"Okay...": With that single word the crystal soared up to hover in the centre of the room as replicas of the things that Lilly had decided to bring flickered into being with small sharp pops, and a heavy fog formed covering the still simulacrum on the bed, slowly growing until it had taken on the size of roughly two people, one sitting and one laying down, with her head in the others lap. Then it solidified leaving behind two still bodies both cold and pale in death as they held onto each other.
The dead Sarah lay on the bed much as she had before, only change being that her head was now resting on Lilly's lap as Lilly's hand rested on her shoulder. Beside them lay a neatly folded letter, addressed to their Deacon. Both of them were smiling as if they were seeing something or someone good as they died.
Swallowing slowly Lilly was taken aback by the strange emotions that the sight of their faked suicide evoked. Sure she never expected not to feel anything about seeing her own corpse after an apparent suicide, but she sure as hell wasn't prepared for the instant flare of guilt and pain that constricted her chest and stole her breath away, in a flood of tears.
"Oh god..."
"Yeah... Come on lets go before we lose our nerve."
Laying a cold arm around Lilly's shoulders, Sarah turned them both away from their doppelgangers. It was not that she wasn't affected by the sight, because she was. The utter finality of this deed was very clear to her and it left her with a strange burning in her chest. A burning that left her unable to answer when Jareth asked gently: "Is it done?"
A nod was all she could manage as she released her hold on Lilly in exchange for being held by Jareth.
"Good then let us leave": Holding her tight against his side, Jareth produced a crystal that pulsed softly as it shrouded them from the eyes of any students they might encounter.
They moved in silence through the night darkened hallways of the dorm building. Didymus leading the way, followed by Shiver who held Lilly tight with one arm and had her bag slung over the shoulder of the other. And rounding up the end was Jareth who moved silently as a ghost as he both lead and held Sarah.
And it was not until they had left the college compound behind and were walking down a dark silent street that Sarah managed to free herself from the moroseness which enveloped her and ask: "So why are we not just slipping through the veil? Where are we going?"
It was Didymus who replied as he continued to lead them down the sidewalk, with all the confidence of one who knew exactly where he was going: "Verily mine Lady that wouldst have greatly for shortened our sojourn, but as it stands we didst not appear through a mirror as one normally wouldst. Nay we did indeed appear in the midst of the forest not two miles from thy previous abode. And thus we were by fate forced to seek out alternative transportation, if we were to reach thee in time..."
"Soooo": Sarah prompted: "You did what?"
"We stole a car from a family out on a hike": Came Shivers laconic and highly unapologetic answer:" And since it contains quite a bit of iron we are going to have to drive it back to them ... Also we left Stain and Ambrosius in the woods with strict orders to only hunt game animals and keep the family safe... Thus we have to retrieve them... I mean it's not the best of ideas to leave two massive apex predators alone in an ecosystem where they have no enemies and are surrounded by prey animals..."
The image of a massive Draegor followed by a horse sized wolf creeping about in her childhood forest, terrifying the hikers made Sarah smile and lifted her gloomy spirits.
"Well that answered my question, and gave rise to more so... Where is this car and Shiver why the Hell are you wearing a biker Cut? "
Smirking at her over his shoulder Shiver winked as his skin faded to the tone of a pale human, making him look like a pale slightly odd human: "I earned it of course, by blood and loyalty. And since I plan to ride my bike, I thought it fitting that I wear it. ... "
"Huh you earned It?": Turning within the solid circle of his arm, Lilly looked up at him with her eyebrows raised in question as curiosity replaced the darkness in her eyes with the inquisitive light that he so loved: "How did you earn It? "
His eyes turned serious as he met her gaze: "I took the lives of four bikers who raped and killed a girl who belonged to one of the outlaws. And I did it in a way that made it clear that we would not allow the murder of our dependents... And I was rewarded for it..."
"Oh.. ": Nodding once, Lilly turned her attention back to the direction they were going. Seemingly uninterested in further explanation. Unsure what to say, Shiver did the same, while quietly promising himself to one day sit down and tell her what he had done during what he and Jareth affectionately called his lost years... But later, he decided as he spotted the car. Much later.
"Wait...": Lilly's voice cut through the nights silence: "You drive a bike? "
"Yes..": Amused Shiver nodded:" And I have a license as well for both car and truck. I also know how to drive a tank, fly a fighter plane and most jobs required to sail a ship... I have followed Jareth through many an adventure aboveground. And we have learned much during those. If you want I'll take you for a ride one day. And show you my favourite places, would you like that? "
Grinning Lilly exclaimed: "Sure, that sounds cool. Let's do a road trip as a honeymoon... How does that sound?"
"That sounds wonderful darling... But returning to more present concerns, do either of you ladies have a licence? "
" Yeah": Nodding Sarah answered for them both: "We both do..."
Turning towards Jareth, Sarah's voice only quivered a little as she asked: "So are you not going with us in the car either? Then how?"
A coy almost boyish grin lit up his face, as he said: "No I too plan to ride my bike... I haven't had a chance to ride it since the mid seventies... Can you blame me for wanting to take advantage of the paved roads of your realm, Goblins may be prolific fighters but they are dismal at paving roads..."
"Well ": Shiver drawled: "We could learn if we weren't so busy, keeping our high and mighty king's ass out of danger... But one only has so many hours in a day."
Rounding of his stinging words with a playful wink, Shiver turned to the car which Didymus had lead them to and slid the key into the passenger side door, unlocking the entire car, before dropping said key into Sarah's outstretched hand: "Okay then let's get this show on the road... follow us a closely as you can we have a long drive ahead of us. "
Nodding grimly Sarah turned to press a quick kiss against Jareth's lips, before walking around the large boxy car, and pausing with her hand on the handle Sarah turned to watch Jareth and Shiver produce two perfect crystals. Holding the orbs up, both men grinned like expectant children before dropping them simultaneously to pop on the ground. This time there was no dust or shimmer. One second there was nothing in front of them, and the next the men stood in front of two cool looking bikes.
Shiver's was a classic Harley with a tallboy seat, extended front fork and monkey bar handle that raised his hands to about shoulder height and allowed him to lean back to accommodate his long legs. It was perfect with its skull logo and clean black paint job, accented by the bright chrome work on the shocks, fork and wheels. And Shiver looked utterly at home as he mounted it, and grabbed the handle with a satisfied sigh.
Jareth's on the other side was WW2 Messenger Harley that looked to have seen it's fair share of action, if the peeling paint and scorched marks were any indication. It looked more or less original except for the seat which was more padded and looked more like something one would find on a seventies racing bike. In short the bike was nice, but Jareth was magnificent.
The fitted leather pants and loose cream peasants shirt, he had worn, had become a pair of tight fitted leather jeans and a fitted scuffed biker jacket that hung open over a white t-shirt with a large red print of Ziggy Stardust, which clung to his lean chiselled chest like a second skin. And no the likeness was not lost on Sarah, and she couldn't keep from commenting: "Sooo Ziggy Stardust?"
His boyish grin turned wicked as he mounted his bike and zipped, his jacket: "Well my precious there are still things that you do not know about me...But luckily we now have plenty of time to remedy that... So are we ready?"
Flashing him a pale smile Sarah said: "Yeah let's get this done ..."
The plain black helmet engulfed his comforting smile as he turned towards the road and kicked his bike into life revving the engine.
Sliding into the driver's seat, Sarah sighed deeply as she turned the key and set off, following the glowing tail lights of the two bikes as they grew steadily smaller.
. ... .
The ride was largely silent as they rushed towards the place where the mounts had been left to guard the rightful owners of the van. Not uncomfortable so but still. And Sarah felt a mixed relief as she finally placed the keys in the dazed but otherwise unharmed family father's hand.
The family of six had spent the day in the forest, hiking and teasing their father as he got them just a little lost, causing them to be forced to build a fire and spend the night in the forest, telling stories and eating s'mores. Or at least that was what their modified memories would tell them. Not that, that was miles from the truth. But it had been necessary to create new memories, erasing the huge bipedal half dragon, half lizard war mount and the enormous timber wolf, who had guarded them.
Turning from the family as they filed slowly into the car, Sarah took in the group that she now regarded as her family. And she couldn't help but feel anxious about their safety. They were going to war, in a dying world.
Reaching out she let her cold fingers intertwine with Jareth's, faintly noting just how strong his were, and how safe she felt just holding onto him.
His clothes had changed again, gone were the worn leather jacket and jeans. Instead he wore a battle scarred and stained armour in a dust muted red, with a eagle beaked helmet hanging from his belt. And in his left hand he held a polearm which was almost a foot taller than he, capped with a wide axe head and a wicked spike.
And he was not the only one who was now dressed in a full suit of armour, Shiver too stood tall and encased in a suit of crimson armour, with his beaked helmet and still blood stained gauntlets held in his left hand as he held Lilly's hand in his right. Even Lilly stood dressed in armour, though hers was far lighter than the men's. And very obviously a squires armour rather than that of a knight's.
Only she and Didymus were still dressed as they had been when they returned to this realm some three hours ago.
"Are we ready?.."
Nodding curtly, both Jareth and Lilly donned their helmets, effectively masking their identities: "Yes we are ready, and may the goddess bless our endeavour..."
Smiling despite the paleness of her face, and the tears that were slowly turning her eyes red behind the heavy black and grey markings of sorrow, Sarah said: "Then we will go."
. ... .
The cave was filled to the brim with goblins, gnomes, and every manner of creature imaginable. The press of their bodies so great that it seemed ridiculous that the wall of the huge crystal studded space wasn't pushed out and its roof collapsed to crush the barely moving mass. Any mass of beings this large ought by all rights have filled the space with a true cacophony of sound, of voices praying for salvation, armour creaking and orders being called out by soldiers and parents alike.
But instead the cave rung with a loud all suppressing silence. And beings moved as if in a drugged stupor with eye's filled with the hopeless dread of those who had no choice but to await their doom. The denizens of the Labyrinth were lost and they felt the slowly gaining drain of their essence like a burning ember in their chests, slowly growing hotter and hotter until it devoured them in bright flames.
Here mothers sat cradling infants and toddlers alike knowing fully well that those beloved treasures would never grow to see adulthood. Yet they shed no tears for they also knew that they themselves would not be long in joining their children in the realms of the dead, at the feet of the great mother goddess. And no matter how their hearts shattered in their chests they refused to tarnish their children's last days of happy life with bitter tears.
But to a mother they all feel how their hearts died with every passing hour.
Turning from the muted room, Ludo sighed and moved with sure confident movements from the small gem lined balcony overlooking the packed chamber, and into the much smaller but equally packed room that served as their war room. The warriors inside gathered around the massive marble table which held a complete three dimensional model of the Labyrinth and the damages left by Titania and Oberon's forces.
The mood in here was no less sombre and defeated yet still the warriors refused to simply wait for their doom in resigned silence. And so a young squire with his arm held against his chest by a clumsy and stained field dressing pointed at the densest collection of enemy markers and said: "And if we unleash the fireys upon them here using a southern approach, would that not drive them up against the strangle woods, and dispatch at least some of them? "
"Yes ": A large bearlike creature with leathery grey skin, said as he rubbed his wide muzzle like mouth with a massive paw which now lacked two of its five stubby fingers: "It would have, had the strangle woods not retracted into their roots to escape the rampant fires of the torched fields. And now they have not the strength to push through the scorched earth, hardened by flame... Nay it would be better if we circumvent their main force with a small band and strike them at their heart.. True it shall be a suicide mission but should we deal a lethal blow to either of the traitorous cur's we may at least ensure that the realm of man has a chance to fight once the veil falters."
Ludo's massive head tilted as he considered the wisdom of sir Garuf's words. They were both veterans of countless campaigns, and had it been a "normal" campaign, his suggestion would have been a good one. But as it were the Labyrinth had changed too much and the vast swatch of burned ground that the army of Titania and Oberon had cut through their home realm had caused so much damage that Ludo could feel the anguish of the living stone even now. And the odds of gaining anything from an attack was far to small.
Shaking his immense head Ludo spoke in a deep rumbling voice with words that sounded more like the shattering of ice-covered boulders, than actual sentences.
"I see your mind, Lord Garuf, yet the gain is too small to warrant an opening of our defences. No I say we wait yet another day. Let Lord Shiver and Didymus have the time they need to carry out the great mothers will.. I do not believe that our goddess would forsake us and we must have... Faith."
Faith..
The word echoed through the room like the bells of doom. And it seemed a flimsy thing to wield in the face of their impending destruction. Yet all they could do right now was wait, and cling to that flimsy incorporeal concept as their world shattered with torturous slowness.
"Faith" : Another tall warrior with a pig like face snapped: "We are dying! Even now Hoggle lies in the chambers below barely able to hold his body together. How can you speak of Faith when the children.."
Gesturing towards the balcony and the vast chamber below with a dented and squeaking gauntlet, he continued: "Are fading in their mothers arms. It has been a full day since Lord Shiver denied Titania, that two faced whore, her victory. How long do you propose that we wait? Until the weak amongst us begins to suffer? To die or would you have us wait until we are all feeble and weak? Our world is dying faster than tir nan nog or the dark realm of the unseelie court. They will merge together, and their inhabitants will be able to fight on... It will be dark and hard times but they will get that chance.. We will not! We are bound to this world... Goddess help us all, we are doomed. Let us at least ensure that the whore and her honourless husband will die with us! Let us at least... "
His great shoulders fell as he stared forlornly out at the cave. They could all feel the draining in their cores, they who were the strongest. And yet despite their strength they could do nothing but watch as those they were responsible for faded before their very eyes. There was nothing they could do to save them. Their only chance would have been to have gone through one of the portals and have weathered the merging of the realms there, nourished by the ancient soil's accumulated magic.
But the portals were closed. Shut tight against the them all, trapping Titania and Oberon here to face the same doom as any other being here. Making the powerful couple as desperate as all others. True they had far more magic than any but Jareth himself, and if any being stood a chance of surviving it would be them. But that could not be allowed. They had to ensure that the traitorous rulers died with this realm, even when that meant letting all others die with them.
Resting his enormous red furred hands on the massive table, Ludo let his head hang as his voice rumbled around the room like a landslide: "We will wait another day, and if no word has reaches us then we shall strike at them with all our might. We are warriors, and they will..."
The room reverberated with the silent force of unheard thunder, as lighting flashed rendering all of the gathered warrior's blind. Roaring in rage Ludo reared up poised to strike out at the slightest movement, convinced as he was that their defences had been breached and their enemies were upon them.
But it was not hordes of fey warriors and rabid orcs that greeted him as his eyesight returned to normal. No it was something much more devastating.
. ... .
Passing through the veil into Labyrinth was far easier than passing from Sarah's world and into the aboveground. One moment they were in a lush and peaceful late autumn forest, and the next they stood inside a cavern littered with enormous crystalline structures of every colour and shape imaginable. But the beauty of it was lost on Sarah as she knelt beside the still shroud wrapped body on the ground. Resting her hand on it's black and crimson stained surface, Sarah spoke softly in a voice that was almost choked by the tears and sobs:" I have returned... Alone.."
"Sawah!"
The voice of Ludo made the solid walls tremble and shed dust and pebbles as if the earth itself were crying at the sight of her sorrow marked face and the still body in front of her...
"Sawah where.. Jareth King?... No."
Her eyes were deep pools of stricken pain surrounded by heavy grey and dark brown shadows as he enveloped her in his enormous orange arms: "He's gone Ludo. He... Oh Ludo. He's dead... They killed him.. Please..."
Her tears and half sobbed words cut like cold iron blades straight through Jareth's heart as he watched the love of his long life grieve. It was an act, but the consummate skill with which she portrayed the bone shattering sorrow, had even Jareth welling up. It looked so real and Jareth wanted nothing as much as he wanted to rip off the helmet that concealed him, and hold her slight weight against him, chasing the pain from her soul. But he couldn't not yet at least. This charade was their greatest weapon and advantage.
Any ability off the Seelie rulers to sense Jareth, dead or alive had been severed by the sundering of the spell. And for all the traitorous curs knew Jareth had only been freed from their web by his ignominious demise by their own hands.
It was too much of a trump to give up. And it was their one deciding advantage.
Jareth knew all this but it still did not prepare him for the sudden stab of pain as Lord Garuf knelt and hesitantly uncovered the gaunt and bruised face of the simulacrum, or "meat puppet" which Sarah had produced. The face was so unlike his own, yet so familiar that he wanted to scream.
"Sawah You tell friend Hoggle.. You... I... show you... Sawah ...come."
The helplessness of Ludo's words had Jareth's heart clenching as the lovable monster arose holding a still weakly sobbing Sarah in his orangutan arms.
"No, I'm sorry Lord Ludo, but I cannot allow you to leave with Lady Sarah without us... Before his death, Jareth charged us with her wellbeing, and I cannot protect her if I am not with her..."
Standing Tall Shiver barely reached high enough to look Ludo in the eye, but his stance and tone of voice made it perfectly clear that he was not about to give in on this demand. And knowing the tenacious nature of the goblin knight commander, Ludo nodded, and rumbled: "Very well my Lord, please follow me and I will lead you to... Hoggle... But I must forewarn you, this conflict has drained him greatly... He is very weak, and I fear that our queen may be forced to lay more than one loved one in the grave before this day is at an end..."
Pained disbelief caused Shiver's markings to flare out in thick jagged lines and his face to lose several to shades of colour, yet shocked as he was he still retained enough presence of mind, to reply in flawless elemental: "Sweet goddess No! But we were only gone a day at most!"
Nodding Ludo gestured for Shiver to follow him, and then sending the goblin questioning glance as the signal prompted the two anonymous squires and Didymus to follow as well. Shaking his head minutely Shiver subtle let Ludo understand that more was going on, and that an explanation would be forthcoming, but not yet. And silently accepting that fact, Ludo simple ambled through the heavy curtain sectioning the strategy room off from the busy hallway beyond, pausing only long enough to tell the still stunned generals: "Call in the mothers of night, swear them to silence but let them prepare the husk of our king for his final journey..."
Life teemed everywhere as the heavy cloth fell back down before anyone had a chance to object to Ludo's order.
Ever careful of his tiny burden, Ludo lead the quintet through the bustling mass of life, sounds and sights. Creatures of every description filled the claustrophobic space, as they hurried from unseen places to equally obscure destinations bearing baskets, jars or piles of varying equipment or items. It felt utterly chaotic, yet all eyes shone with focused determination, and Jareth's heart swelled with pride as he watched his subject's bear down and power on even though it very well might prove for naught, as the cruel unrelenting drain of the dying realm left them rapidly weakening.
And Goddess knew that he was sorry for the pain that he was about to inflict upon them. But there was nothing to be done about it...
The press of moving bodies lessened gradually as the sombre group moved deeper into the stone mountain that now served as their keep, and soon only the five of them moved through the softly lit gloom. The corridors here were rougher, more natural looking, and the stone was no longer choked in iron ore and cold iron rods, something that allowed the hiding king to finally feel the true extent of the damage done to the realm. And for the first time since returning home, Jareth felt grateful for the helmet that concealed his tears of shame...
The magic that sustained their worlds were draining away at an utterly astounding rate, drawn as it was into the other hungry realms. It had been a somewhat unknown fact that the very walls of the labyrinth was a part of the mechanism that regulated the flow of magic, and with so many torn down, there was nothing that could stem the flow. This meant that while the magic stored in the vast golden rivers of light, flowing through the bedrock, should have been able to sustain the realms for a few weeks, they were being drained at a frightening rate, and if it wasn't controlled soon it would leave the realms devoid of magic. It was like a burst dam and he had done it...
"Sawah Hoggle here.."
The struggling words of Ludo cut through the darkness as he stopped beside a massive carved face, which reminded Lilly of something that ought to have been nestled in the hills of the Easter islands, not looking all sombre and foreboding in the glittering corridors of a fairy-tale Kingdom.
Ducking in through the small opening, Ludo gentle sat Sarah on the floor as he softly rumbled: "Hoggle? Sawah here, Sawah save us..."
"Ay Ludo that she will. Hello there little miss, I'm sorry that yer have ta see me in such wretched state. But I reckon that yer come ta tell me sumething that'll make me even more wretched. "
The room was large and seemed to be covered in mirror like crystals of every colour imaginable. Soft glittering fairy light cast a dreamlike sheen on everything but the hunched over dwarf who sat wrapped in thick roughly woven blankets, beside a wizzen hag with whispy white hair and black within black eyes, behind a small fire of red and black flames.
"Morgaine! "
Stopping dead in her tracks, Sarah stared at the familiar form with an open mouth: "But, but how? The gateways are all sealed! You were locked in the human realm!"
Bowing with a limber grace that ill fitted her aged appearance, Morgaine said:" You forget child, death needs no gateway. And there have been more than enough death here to warrant my presence... Though the death you have come to tell us off are not amongst them... "
Turning her terrifying eyes on Jareth, Morgaine ignored the shocked look that passed between Ludo and Hoggle, as she held out a claw like hand beckoning Jareth closer.: "I see that the three hours have been well spent."
Bowing with the regal grace of one born to a throne Jareth removed his helmet, and transformed his squires armour into a light leather jacket over a loose shirt and fitted suede pants with heavy knee-high leather boots. Moving to stand before the fire he let its muted light illuminate the clearly defined four coloured markings surrounding his eyes in a stark winged design: "Yes they have been used well. We have Sarah to thank for much, if not all that have been accomplished."
"Jareth Yer're alive... Young pup A thought that yer had..."
Kneeling beside the pale and impossibly frail looking dwarf, Jareth gently took the trembling hand he was offered, marvelling at the way those hand that had always seemed so powerful, felt as brittle as aged glass. It was as if Hoggle had lost his mass becoming a faint shadow of the elemental presence he had always been. Even his voice sounded thinner, as he spoke with an audible strain: "That was Iron, how did yer survive?"
Smiling up at the four who had orchestrated the impossible, Jareth said: " I Didn't, but I was saved by the most unlikely angels imaginable. They used magic to force the iron into my arm, so that the rest of my body would be spared. "
"But how? ": Morgaine's voice was guarded as if she was unsure whether to trust what they were telling her was the truth:" Iron cannot be bleed from the flesh, many have tried in the past, and all without exception have failed."
Nodding slowly Jareth sighed: "Oh I know that far too well. And it was not without a steep price."
Shrugging out of his jacket, Jareth avoided all eye contact as he neatly undid the simple cuff of his left sleeve and rolled it up revealing the delicate golden lines that spiralled around his arm to mark where the artificial limb joined with his own flesh. If felt strange to expose himself like this as he extended his arm, and allowed Morgaine and Hoggle to examine it. He didn't think of it as separate any longer, to him it was as much a part of him as his other arm, and to expose it like this caused dark memories to resurface. Memories that must have been visible in his eyes as Sarah knelt beside him and slipped her hand into his, offering silent support.
"Oh young pup, what have she done ta yer. Damn her! Damn her and damn him too.
Fire burned behind Hoggle's watery eyes as he softly traced the twisting lines with a gnarled finger, and the hatred he felt towards the Seelie rulers twisted his features into a mask of terrifying darkness. A darkness that pale when compared to the sheer rage that rolled off of Morgaine in tangible waves as the withered crone surged to her feet, gliding back and forth before the slow burning fire. Ignoring the chill that Morgaine's powers caused, Jareth smiled despite the bleakness of his words: "It was agony, I'll not pretend otherwise. But the physical pain pales into utter insignificance when compared to the harm that they did to my mind long before I ever assented the throne. "
"No...": The one word was a barely heard hiss as Morgaine spun mid step to stare in disbelief: "I feared that she would attempt this... She threatened but I never... "
Tears of crimson glazed the midnight eyes yet refused to spill as Morgaine seemed to freeze in place, and her voice grew frigid with anger: "My spies told me of a spell which she was researching. A spell so vile that I blatantly dismissed their intelligence as false, because no mother would ever harm their child in such an insidious manner... Oh sweet goddess but that harlot! That icy hearted shrew, she cast a web over you did she not? Once she realized that the spell that created you were sheltering you from her attempts to kill you in the womb, she used her paltry skills to cast a blood web on you... I should have known. "
The frozen mask melted as the tears spilled and she fell to her knees in her original place beside Hoggle, reaching out to rest her withered claw of a hand on Jareth knee: "I am so sorry... "
"Don't be, there was no way that you could have known, Hell Jareth didn't even know before Titania slammed the trap shut": Squeezing Jareth's hand gently Sarah continued: "Look once we have the time we'll be happy to sit down and share everything with you, but right now we don't have that kind of time... The magic is dwindling much faster than anyone has foreseen. And if we are going to have any hope of salvaging this hot mess then we better get a move on..."
Nodding gravely Hoggle said: "Aye yer right little lady time is slipping fast, and this time no amount of reordering will bring it back ta us. So what da yer propose? "
Sharing a last meaningful look with Morgaine, Jareth straightened and seemingly shed the cloak of sadness that had left him dulled and diminished, appearing once more powerful and alive.
"First we must reopen the gates and stop this death spiral, before it is too late and then we must find a way to get me to the great plaza where I will challenge Oberon from the stone. He cannot refuse a challenge to his kingship, issued through the ancient spells. Not without forfeiting his right to rule."
"Aye that's true enough, but that still leaves Titania..."
"No ": The haunted look of guilty pain had vanished as the tears dried out, and Morgaine was once more a feral titanic force barely contained by her frail flesh: "Not if the challenge is for Oberon to defend against the treachery that they both committed against you. If you phrase it right, then you can force Oberon to fight for them both."
"Yeah": A cruel look of grim satisfaction darkened Sarah's face turning her into a queen bent on her enemies destruction: "We have that part well in hand. And we will see them both brought to heel for the atrocities they have committed."
The change in his little lady was too much for Hoggle to ignore, prompting him to question it: "Sarah ? Yer have changed what's happened ta yer, yer were only gone a few days in aboveground time? Come ta... think of it. How did yer manage ta save the young pup and all that in just a few hours? Yer have only had five hours since yer sent Morgaine packing? "
A quick look passed between the five companions, before Sarah spoke: "Well truth be told we did use quite a bit longer than just five hours, we.. ahm.."
Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, Sarah stared down at the rough floor where sharp rocks were digging viciously into her knees to the point where she was certain that they would leave deep bruising, as she tried to think of a way to explain that she had literally sung a world into existence. Seconds trickled by but the words kept eluding her, and the frustration must have shown on her face, because Lilly pulled her helmet off with a loud huff and true to form blurted out: "Sarah sang a world up, like some mother earth on steroids and then we spent the next what nine, nine and a half months there. First figuring out how to save Jareth's life and then what was eating said Gilbert Grape. Which I was the one to do, by the way. And yes you are very welcome. Then Sarah did some weird shit and broke the web that had Jareth acting like a monumental douche bag! After that things were a bit rough while their royal brokenness's here worked through their various issues and healed both body and soul. And that leaves us here!.."
Turning she raised a quizzical eyebrow at a very stunned looking Shiver: "So did I leave anything out? Or do we need to go into the whole how we met and your exceptional ability to overthink and hurt yourself, oh tall and vulnerable? "
The look on Shiver's face. Oh how does one best describe the utter shock and disbelief that were openly warring with a toe curling degree of embarrassment. Dark green covered him from hairline and down his throat to vanish into his armour, as he stood paralyzed with his mouth agape as if trying to speak. Cocking her head, Lilly smirked as she watched Shiver try to find something appropriate to say, and failing to the point where Jareth finally took pity on him and drawled: " Well yes that would be a most accurate, if somewhat abbreviated account of the events. "
Turning from the still blushing and embarrassed goblin, and back to the wilted dwarf, Jareth continued: "Though short, it was very accurate. Sarah did indeed sing forth a world so steeped in magic, that it begs all belief. It was here that I healed and found the core of who I am still untouched by the web cast by Titania. Though..."
Giving Shiver a sly smirk, Jareth continued: "I was not the only one to heal there. Our young knight too has healed and allowed this young lady to mend his sundered heart... "
"Oh Shiver, me boy, that makes me happy in a way yer couldn't imagine ": Reaching out Hoggle turned his back to the low burning fire, and beckoned Shiver and Lilly closer. Waiting until the pair was kneeling in front of him Hoggle took the hand of each and said: "Yer punished yerself for far too long, it was never yer fault, and yer damn well know that. Now promise me that yer will let her take good care of yer. Yer don't always have ta be the strong one. I've only spoke shortly with this young lady, but she is a smart one. And that's just what yer need..."
Hoggle's already colourless face paled even further as he was forced to stop talking and struggle to breathe, causing Morgaine and Jareth to exchange worried looks over his head. Growling in frustration the wrinkled dwarf drew in a last deep breath before sighing: "Damn this weakening flesh of mine... I don't have much time left, and there are soo much I need ta do! The magic is draining too fast, and nuthing that I can do can slow it down... I need time. "
"No ": Interjected Sarah softly: "You need magic.."
"Aye that I do.. ": Shuddering as sudden claws of cold racked through his stunted form, Hoggle seemed grow all but translucent as pain twisted his wrinkled face. It was Jareth who reacted the fastest as Hoggle slumped backwards nearly falling into the now just smouldering embers. Pulling the smaller form away from danger and into his lap, cradling him as the watery blue eyes blinked sluggishly up at him.
"I can't hold on much longer young pup... The damage it's too much.. I... I have ta let go while there is still hope that I can return... I ...Morgaine? "
His massive gnarled hand reached out, searching for her pale bony claw as if his vision was failing him. Gripping his hand Morgaine fought to keep the tears from spilling: "I am here my friend.. Tell me you need of me..."
"Take care of our young pup... Help.. them... Please...Good.. Oh sweet goddess I wish I had more time, but I have given all I had.. I forgive me pups, I never wanted ta leave yer like this, I never meant... ": A soft sobbed sigh escaped him, as his hands went limp, and his head fell forward as if he no longer had the strength to hold it up.
"Hoggle!"
Scooping the listless form into his arms, Jareth stared down at the barely open eyes in horrified disbelief. Darkness dulled the bright blue orbs as the dwarf blinked slowly, obviously struggling to stay alert.
"No It's only been a day, you cannot be this drained... Please Hoggle.. Don't allow yourself to fade.. Not now.": Hugging him desperately Jareth pressed their foreheads together as he pleaded like a child afraid of being left alone in the darkness. But it was no avail, even as he spoke, Jareth felt how Hoggle's core began to dissolve its walls crumbling just as he himself had made the walls of the Labyrinth do. This was his fault, the injuries that Hoggle had suffered, were a result of having his walls torn down too soon after rebonding without time enough to restore his core fully. That was what was robbing him off his form, not the lack of magic, but the damage that he, Jareth had caused. Guilt ripped into Jareth's heart, tearing great gouges out of it, as Hoggle rested his forehead against his cheek, and moaned softly.
"Forgive me Jareth, I am... too weak... Ta do what yer need... If I linger much longer, I'll not be able ta return ta yer... I.. "
"Ssch, It's okay Hoggle, we will do what needs doing, you just rest, and come back to us": Running her free hand over the strangely fragile feeling head in a soothing gesture Jareth spoke softly: "We can feel your pain, and it's okay. You can let go now... You... Oh Hoggle, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this,... But I promise when you return it'll all be better."
A faint smile made his wrinkled face, even more lined as he shuddered and sighed: "I don't wanna leave yer... But."
Swallowing down the pain Jareth interceded softly: "It's okay father, we will persevere, and be victorious I swear this to you... I swear on the great mother that I will punish them for the damage they have caused, the lives lost. I..."
"I know.. Son.. I know... I... ": The tiny body in Jareth's arms seemed to shrink even further and lose more mass, becoming translucent as he sagged with a whispered: "Forgive me..."
It was strange how nondramatic it was, one second Hoggle was there, resting against Jareth like a cool shadow, and the next the worn blanket fluttered down to rest in the now empty spot where Hoggle had sat. The lack of fanfare was so utterly at odds with the all encompassing agony that raked through the statue-like monarchs, as they knelt silently on the rough floor with tortured tears flowing down their cheeks, watching the empty space between them with haunted eyes.