Sorry this one was running late, all, but job obligations and both of us being exhausted this week when we got home was a bitter brew, writing-wise. This summer looks as if it's going to be a long one on the business front. *makes face* We're not forgetting; we're just surviving. ;)
"You just missed Sarah," Thiel said, arching his brows even higher.
Jareth let his breath out in an aggrieved sigh. "She's going to muck this up somehow. I just know it."
"And how well did your first turn as Goblin King go?" Della asked him, with gentle humor.
"Well I didn't try to give the baby back," he grumbled. "If I recall correctly, I just watched it happen. I let the kingdom open to the runner, but I didn't go in person."
"Win or lose?" Thiel asked.
"He turned back at the endless corridor," Jareth said, remembering now. It had been very long ago … and he hadn't cared much, then. Later he took an interest in the runners, going to taunt them personally. By the time Sarah came along, he was quite comfortable in his role as sneering villain.
That the children became goblins was something he'd faced and come to terms with. He couldn't change it; that was the Labyrinth's magic, older and stronger than Jareth or even his sorceress grandmother. None had ever shown regret in their new lives, and an outsider wouldn't be able to tell which of his subjects had been born goblins, and which had become them. And as he'd told Sarah, quite a few of them were better off here than they'd ever been Aboveground. Perhaps he'd have to introduce her to the goblin man who'd once been a little boy living in a dog crate, to give her the proper perspective.
For now, though, he had other matters to consider, and took over the seeing crystal from his mother. Sure enough, Sarah was in the endless corridor, approaching the runner. But she wasn't alone. "Hogbreath," Jareth growled. "That dwarf never defied me until she came here. Now he runs around with the troll and the fox-knight and thinks he can do whatever he pleases…"
…
"This is a bad idea," Hoggle muttered, but Sarah was striding forward without hesitation, her mind made up.
"Probably, but the time would come at some point, Hoggle. I have a feeling this was part of Umardelin's plans." She knew without looking that she was no longer wearing her riding clothes; the moment she'd climbed out of the tunnel beneath the cobbles, she'd felt Umardelin's magic cloaking her. Now she wore a dark emerald dress, embroidered black at the hem and neck. Her hair had swept itself up, and she felt the weight of jewels in it as she walked. She would not be Sarah Williams for this, then. The Labyrinth seemed determined to show this runner the Queen of Umardelin. The thought worried her just a bit, remembering her own turns and what her appearance could mean to the Run, but pressed forward.
Making several quick turns within the brick confines of the endless corridor, distracted by that intrusive feeling again as she came into the maze itself, Sarah almost collided with someone coming around the corner. It was a minor miracle, but she managed to keep her feet and reached out to catch her near-victim. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she apologized, more than a little horrified at the situation. Of course, it would only happen to her; some Goblin Queen she was.
The moment the young woman looked up, her eyes wide and frightened, Sarah knew her for the runner, feeling even worse. Her blonde hair was long and she seemed to be trying to hide behind it, staring at them both. Oh, this was not the way she wanted to begin this. "I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. The last thing I wanted to do was scare you. I know you have enough on your mind right now," Sarah said soothingly, trying to look unintimidating. The dress wasn't helping, but she'd deal with it. "I'm here to try to help you get the child back. If you were brave enough to come this far, I want to help you to get further."
Scoffing, the runner backed away. Sarah could remember that reaction all too well. It would have been her response the first time, had she been a little older and maybe more jaded. She, at least, had been arrogant enough to tell herself that she had an 'in'. This poor girl, older than she had been when she'd first arrived, had clearly been taken in by whatever pompous speech Jareth had given her. As if to prove it, the girl snapped at her, her gaze wary on Sarah as if she expected harm or tricks. "Why should I trust anything in this damned place? I just want my son back!"
Sarah's heart ached at that; the girl that stood before her was older than she was when she'd wished Tobe away, but only by a few years. It was far too easy to see the events that could have lead up to this desperate, but mostly unknowing, request. She couldn't have been out of high school more than a year; her cheeks were still rounded with youth. Too many nights home with the baby, not enough time to see her friends, to feel like the kid she still was… But she had come after him; that was the important part.
That said, the Goblin King had obviously arrived just as he should have, both he and the clock on the hill in the outskirts. And, like Sarah herself, his grand speech had gotten to her already. Not good. If she hadn't appreciated Hoggle's attempts to needle her, which had fueled her determination, she did now. This girl hadn't had that option.
She cast a grin in memory at Hoggle before turning that warmth on the girl again. "First rule of the Labyrinth: Nothing here is what it seems," Sarah said, and felt the echo of the land's pleasure at her words. "I know you don't trust me, but please, just stop for a moment. Consider what's happening before you go any further. My name is Sarah, and this is my friend, Hoggle. We know a little better than you'd think what you're going through."
The runner looked shocked, her brow furrowing in what looked like disbelief. "Sarah? Like the girl in the book? You can't be."
Now it was Sarah's turn for shock, frowning at that phrase. The girl in the book? Thinking back to the pages she had so long ago memorized, the girl was never named, at least not when she read it. Somehow she couldn't remember the details of the heroine, only that she had been a maiden, a princess. Now her own eyes widened. A princess…
Jareth's voice came back to her now, weeks before, as the revelation came to her. Your name, Sarah, means 'princess', but it is derived from the ancestral form Sarai. As a girl, she'd known that, all too proud of the name's meaning and its importance to her, but she'd never even suspected that the hint had been there all along. For a moment her head swam. The book. Somehow, she had become the princess within the words. She fought the urge to cry, overwhelmed.
Taking a breath and momentarily heedless of their observer, Sarah turned her gaze to Hoggle then, a question in her eyes. After so much time, he had to understand something of how the Book did as it did. All he could do was shrug, holding his hands out, empty of answers. "The book does what it wants. Always has," he said. "Guess yer in it, now."
Sarah could only stand there, blinking at the gravity of what she was hearing. Umardelin had claimed her, she had known, but she had never even guessed. The goblins had been right; prophesy-girl, indeed. Even after all she had accepted so far, this truth rocked her. Her eyes were full of questions, emotions, her gaze still on the dwarf. "That's not how I remember the story, when I read it," she said plaintively.
"Stories change," Hoggle told her. "The Labyrinth's story changed, because of you."
Taking a breath, shaking her head to clear it, Sarah reminded herself that they weren't alone here and time was wasting for their current runner as she fretted. Now wasn't the time to have vapors over mysterious ways. Clearing her expression as she turned back to the runner, she asked with a smile, "I guess the question is, with that in mind, what did the book say about me? And, while we're at it, tell me your name. I'd rather be able to call you by it."
"Amelia," the girl said, still sounding nervous. "The book I read … it said there was a girl who wished her brother away, and she got him back by going through the Labyrinth. Did you really do that?"
And not a mention of my intended, His Majesty the bird-brain, thank God. It hasn't quite caught up to current events, so I have that in my favor, Sarah thought. Her mind still boggled at the news. She had never imagined that her second run would have that result. Not quite sure what to say now, what to do, her gaze went back to Hoggle, who only shrugged at her again. As usual, he was an incredible help in a situation like this. Briefly, she cast her eyes heavenward, sighing before responding. "Yeah, Amelia, I really did that," Sarah said, knowing the regret and embarrassment showed in the small smile that crept across her lips. "A long time ago. Stupidly and with no thought at all about the consequences. But my little brother grew up; he's fifteen now. I grew up, too. And the Labyrinth moved on. But I came back when someone else close to me wished her sister away. I came back and got the little girl out for her."
"Wow, the real Sarah," Amelia whispered, looking around them at the before meeting her eyes again. "After everything that happened, I can't believe you came back again."
Again, a feeling she remembered all too well. Jareth had said that the Labyrinth changed, rearranged itself as fit the mindset of the runner. The basic layout had remained the same for her, and had so far for Amelia, but there was no telling what she could find if she stayed in this state. You're this intimidated and you haven't even seen the half of it? You need a serious confidence boost, kiddo. Sarah shrugged, trying for a nonchalance she couldn't quite make herself feel. After all of the gloom and doom Jareth had likely spread, it was important to not make her megrims worse. "From a certain point of view, it's a piece of cake, really. You just can't let the king's mind games get to you. There's one thing you have to remember, in the end, and that's–" The words He has no power over you instantly popped into her head and died on Sarah's tongue. That got a frown; she quite literally could not speak them aloud, no matter how she tried. Jareth was right; Umardelin was not willing to part with that particular secret. Clearly, they were only her right words.
"What?" the girl asked, coming toward her, curious and confused.
Sarah fought for anything to un-stick her tongue, frowning with irritation. Nope, the land was having no part in this. So just saying anything too obvious was out. Puzzling out exactly what the Labyrinth would allow took a few minutes, and she finally found her voice with, "No one said you have to play by the rules. There are no rules, here, really. And no one's playing fair."
Amelia paused, and a slow smile crept over her expression. "You're right, he never said anything about playing fair. Now, how's about you tell me how to get past this maze?"
"There are limits on what I can tell you, I'm sure. There are traps and pitfalls here. There are doors everywhere that could lead anywhere. The details are different for everyone, but the majority stays the same," Sarah warned her, feeling her way through what hints she could give. "But on my last run, I just climbed over most of the obstacles. Just be careful for the ones you can't. And don't let him frighten you. Just think about your son and keep going. If you keeping thinking about that, you'll be fine. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by anything you see or hear." Knowing she was venturing into frightening territory again, she grinned impishly at Amelia, winking. "Now, if you like, I could give you a little help up with the walls…"
Laughing out loud, Amelia began to do exactly that, with a helpful boost from Sarah. Hoggle muttered in the background that it was highly irregular and Jareth was going to have a fit, but Sarah pretended not to hear that part.
Amelia started following the top of the wall, and Sarah grinned. Passing on her own tricks was a pleasure unto itself. And she couldn't wait to see Jareth's face when he realized what she'd done. Going over the walls would save the runner hours in the stone maze alone.
Sarah turned to Hoggle, planning to follow Amelia and be there to help her with the hedge maze, but realized where the sun was in the sky – and what that meant for time Above. Time between the two realms was linked unpredictably, but Sarah was learning the fine art of guesstimation. Shit, shit, shit, Sarah thought. It's hard to keep your datebook in mind when you're playing Goblin Queen. "Hoggle, quick, I've got to get Above," she said. "I'm supposed to be meeting Alix for my magic lessons this afternoon."
"This way, then," he told her, and the trip back to the castle through the tunnels was even faster than the way out.
Sarah hurried up to her rooms, and through the mirror back to her apartment. Her cell phone was on the dresser, and she had two missed calls from Toby – and her mom, of all people. No time to listen to them; it was later than she'd thought. Toby had also texted, asking if she was okay, and Sarah paused to send a quick message. Then she looked up the number for Alix's club, since they hadn't gotten around to exchanging numbers.
"Imperiale," a man's deep voice answered.
"This is Sarah Williams. I need to speak with Alix, please." She'd unconsciously used her professional social-worker voice, and winced. "I have an appointment with her today."
"Alix is not available at the moment," the man said. "May I take a message?"
"Just … please tell her I'm not going to make it," Sarah said, wondering how much she could said. "I've got an unexpected guest to deal with. Give her my number, we'll set a new time when we she gets back to me." The man dutifully took down her number, and Sarah sighed. She was still dressed as Umardelin's queen, and she knew she needed to get back Underground and check in with the runner … but she wanted to check her voicemail. It was rare that her mother called her any time other than Christmas or her birthday. Then again, every other form of chaos was going on right now. Why not add Linda to the mix? Just what I don't need, Sarah thought. I love you, Mom, but God.
"Hello Sarah." Linda's breathless voice still tried to sound twenty-something, but there were too many cigarettes and too much booze in it. The huskiness of her tone had its own charm, and not for the first time Sarah sighed at her mother's luck. Anyone else would've sounded pathetic. "I just wanted you to know that Louis has a show opening in New York, and I'll be in the city for a few days. I'd love to spend some time with you. Just us girls, you know? Anyway, give me a ring when you can!"
That was far less drama than Sarah expected, but she still groaned. This was shaping up to be the most eventful week of her life – with a coronation at its end – so of course Linda would have to drop into the middle of it. As if it wasn't insane enough, with magic lessons, the runner, taking Della shopping, and everything else. She also needed to introduce Jareth to the family soon – and that was probably on Toby's mind, though he hadn't said so. Might as well do it before Mom arrived in town, or she'd want to meet him, and Sarah didn't relish that thought at all.
Sarah could only stare at her phone, still digesting this new wrinkle in her plans. "Fantastic," she muttered, and decided to deal with her mother later. Preferably after a strong drink or two.
Right now, she had a runner to catch up to.
…
Jareth felt Sarah leave the Labyrinth. He wondered why she chose to leave just then, and after a moment remembered her scheduled meeting with the dryad. Well then, her momentary distraction was his gain. Smirking, he focused his mind and will on the connection between Umardelin and the world Above, letting time spin faster here than there. That was heavy magic, but he had the power – and wanted to make sure his next meeting with their runner would be uninterrupted.
This time he garbed himself in the wine-red armored cloak, and swirled into existence as the runner scrambled down from atop the last stone wall. "I see you've met Sarah," he said, smiling. Of course she had, few others had taken the maze for a climbing wall.
That brought the girl up short. "Yeah, she's helping me out," she sneered. "Sucks for you."
Jareth let her flounce by, and called to her retreating back, "You think she's helping you?"
It was its own thrill, competing with Sarah this way. Not directly, as they had in her last run, but by proxy. Striving against her had always been a joy, and there was always a little taste of contest in their love. And despite his worry that Sarah would wreck the entire process, so far she hadn't done so. Her interference was actually helping, even if she'd taught the runner to cheat by climbing the walls.
He had to admit, he liked defiance in a runner – not rage, not terror, but he could see glints of Sarah's own stubborn pride in this girl's sarcastic reply to him. And Jareth enjoyed that, though not as he had with Sarah herself. He felt no desire for this girl, but he admired her courage. It was more sporting, to joust against a runner, than to drive a frightened mortal through the maze. Or to let a maddened one charge through it.
She stopped, and turned to look warily at him. Jareth laughed, his best posh-and-disaffected laugh. "You poor silly mortal," he murmured. "Whatever did she tell you?"
"You're lying," the girl said. "Sarah beat you. It's in the book. She told me she came back and beat you again."
He strolled forward, grinning cat-like. Whatever the book had changed itself to read, he could spin it in his favor. Jareth already knew it couldn't be the whole truth – this runner wouldn't trust the nascent Goblin Queen. "Did she now? I suppose she didn't happen to mention why she's here, did she?"
"To help people like me," the runner said. Her arms were crossed, and she faced up to him, not as afraid as she'd been at first.
Jareth chuckled. He knew exactly how he'd handle this. "Silly girl. Sarah is here for me. I'm the real reason she came back."
"She came back to save another child," the girl protested.
"And she choose to remain here, instead of the little girl," Jareth pointed out. "Not only is Sarah to be crowned as the Goblin Queen, she will be my bride."
Indecision, fear, and shock flooded across the girl's face. "You're a liar."
"Child, you know enough of fairy-tales to believe in the goblins. You know the fae cannot lie. Sarah is mine." And he let every lascivious nuance drip from his tone like wild honey.
The runner glared at him. "What did you do to make her stay? How'd you trick her?"
Jareth only laughed, though at the bottom of his mind he was staggered yet again by Sarah's ability to win strangers to her side so swiftly. "No tricks needed. Can you not guess why she chose me?" He let his swagger become a bit more exaggerated. Let her look her fill, from his mesmerizing eyes to his bared chest to his tight breeches. He was a vision to tempt a woman's desire, and he knew it – had known it when Sarah herself was too young not to be intimidated by that. "I gave Sarah her dreams, little girl. It's hardly my fault she was dreaming of me."
Her face twisted, and she fled from him without another word. "Let's see you turn that around, Sarah mine," Jareth whispered, knowing Sarah would be utterly furious when she heard that he'd spoken of those damned dreams. Luckily for him, she was beautiful in anger. Humming jauntily, he turned into the owl to fly back to the castle.
