Chapter 10—Kintsukuroi
***This is my little tribute to the memory of David Bowie who will always be the Goblin King. May he reign forever.***
Take note that I've fudged the timeline on when Sarah's original journey occurred for various stylistic reasons. In this story, Sarah's original trip to the Labyrinth occurred at the beginning of summer in 1996, NOT 1986.
I own my original characters and the precise order I put my words down in. The world and characters of the Labyrinth film will sadly never belong to me. I just like to play in their sandbox. I make no money off of this. Seriously. As I'm self-employed and a bit obsessive, I think I might actually be losing money because of it. That said, if anyone owns a spare Jareth, I'm happy to give him a good home. I have references.
JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS
NOTE: I apologize for the delay in posting this and to let my readers know that there may be a delay before I get out the next chapter. I have some serious health issues and I am having surgery on March 24th. I've had to focus on getting things done for my real job before I'm out for a while.
I honestly don't know how long it will take for me to get out chapter 11 because I don't know how long it will take me to be up to it after surgery. Hopefully, the delay won't be longer than a week or two. I promise to get back to it as soon as possible.
JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS
Kintsukuroi or Kintsugi: The Japanese artistic practice of repairing broken pottery using gold or silver lacquer with the understanding that it is more beautiful and precious for having been broken.
JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS
The world breaks everyone, and afterwards, some are strong at the broken places.
~ Ernest Hemingway
I cannot deny that nothing can defend/
From the helplessness that's cutting deep inside/
And I cannot prevent the thought that nothing's real/
Seems I've waited years for this day to end.
The strength I need to feel, the pride inside of me/
Are not there behind the face staring back at me/
The anger and the pain of knowing where I am/
I have come so far and I cannot return.
~ from Rubicon by VNV Nation
The world breaks everyone, and afterwards, some are strong at the broken places.
~ Ernest Hemingway
I cannot deny that nothing can defend/
From the helplessness that's cutting deep inside/
And I cannot prevent the thought that nothing's real/
Seems I've waited years for this day to end.
The strength I need to feel, the pride inside of me/
Are not there behind the face staring back at me/
The anger and the pain of knowing where I am/
I have come so far and I cannot return.
~ from Rubicon by VNV Nation
It's the look in Sarah's eyes, Nikki decided. There's a distance behind them, a certain detachment. It's like she's already checked out and is just waiting in the hotel lobby for her cab back to the airport. Nikki had seen that look before. Bethany's eyes had looked just like that for months before she vanished.
Nikki hadn't exactly decided to go to Sarah's house. She'd just stuffed a change of clothes into her backpack and started walking. She vaguely remembered telling her mom that she was going to Sarah's. After Jerome canceled their plans, Nikki had tried to hold on; she'd tried to keep her promise to leave Sarah alone until the party tomorrow. She couldn't be alone. Not tonight. Not on her sister's birthday. Bethany would have been eighteen. Is, Nikki corrected herself, she is eighteen today. She's not dead. I just haven't seen her lately.
Nikki couldn't go through that again. She'd only been seven when her sister was taken, but she would never forget. She let her parents believe that she'd forgotten, that time had faded the memories. They didn't fade. They were burned into her mind. Indelible. Eternal.
Nikki stumbled over an overgrown crack in the crumbling sidewalk as the memory seized her mind. She'd snuck into her sister's room long after bedtime, still wired from the leftover birthday cake she'd smuggled into her room. Bethany was sitting in front of her window. When Nikki called her name, Bethany spun towards her, eyes wide and pleading. "You can't be here, Nikki! You have to go. They can't see you!"
But it was too late. The graceful figures standing outside Bethany's open window glowed too bright to make out their features. Their bell-like voices filled the air around her. Although she couldn't see their eyes in the pale blue glow surrounding them, she could feel them watching her.
"We can't just leave her behind. It isn't right."
"It's not, but we have no choice. The law is clear. We only have rights to the firstborn."
"But she doesn't belong here! She'll be all alone."
"I know, but there's nothing to be done. We just have to hope that she'll find her own way back."
One figure had crouched beside her, and leaned in close. Nikki remembered the smell of honeysuckles after rain. "I'm so sorry, little one. We can't take you with us. Grow well. Grow up and come home to us."
Then, there was darkness. When she came back to herself, the glowing figures were gone and so was her sister.
The police believed that she was too young and traumatized to understand what had happened. Several child therapists had shared that view. It hadn't taken Nikki long to learn not to talk about it, to claim that she couldn't remember what happened. Most people preferred lies when the truth frightened them.
No matter what, Nikki would never forget, or lie to herself. She knew what she'd seen. Aliens had come and taken Bethany away from her. Bethany had known that they were coming for her. She tried to protect her sister by keeping it a secret. Nikki found Bethany's journal a few weeks after the abduction. She never told anyone about finding it. Not even Sarah.
The diary revealed that they'd been visiting Bethany for months before her birthday. She'd known she was leaving, so she pulled away emotionally, her responses vague and distant, as if nothing on the planet was relevant to her anymore. And yet, Nikki always believed that Bethany must have still cared, at least a little, about some of the things she'd abandoned. Otherwise, what was the point of leaving her journal as a farewell to her little sister?
Ever since school started, Nikki had been feeling that same sense of disconnected distance whenever she was with Sarah. Her friend had always been quiet, a daydreamer lost in her own head, but there was a difference between being habitually quiet versus intentionally hiding something. Nikki crossed the old wooden bridge that was the highlight of the tiny park near her house. She always crossed through the little strip of greenery on her way to Sarah's place, but she never spent any time there. Not anymore. The park's miniature gazebo had been Bethany's favorite spot to play.
Nikki shook her head and blinked her eyes furiously, refusing to allow the tears to fall. Sarah, she chided herself. I have to focus on helping Sarah.
Nikki knew that it wasn't the sort of change most people would see. To others, Sarah probably appeared to be her usual self, still quiet, still a little dreamy, a late bloomer finally starting to come out of her shell. If she seemed more focused and practical than before, well, wasn't it about time for the dreamer to get her feet on the ground and start doing something practical about her dreams? If she was calmer, less prone to react like the heroine of a daytime drama, well, chalk it up to maturity, right?
But someone who'd been through all this before could tell the difference. Sarah wasn't taking things more calmly because she'd learned to pick her battles. She just didn't care anymore. Her heart and her head were someplace else.
It was just like with the stupid birthday cake. Bethany had wanted a Super Mario Brothers cake for her ninth birthday. They'd gotten a Nintendo for Christmas the December before, and within the week Bethany had already started planning her ninth birthday party theme around a certain mustachioed hero.
Their mother had begun a subtle long term campaign for something more traditionally "girly," such as My Little Pony or Disney princesses. Bethany, who'd never cared for any of those things, had been vehement in her determination to have a party themed around an Italian plumber who dodged man-eating flowers and oddly aggressive turtles.
Until one day, a couple months before the party, their mother had not-so-casually mentioned, "The bakery says they could do a castle shaped cake, hon, with that unicorn My Little Pony that you like on top. The pink one. I think she's called Twilight."
Bethany had blinked a few times, her mind slowly surfacing from the depths of faraway thoughts. "Huh? Oh. Sure, that sounds cool," she'd replied. "Except, could we do Moondancer instead? The white and red one. She's my favorite."
Bethany didn't like the toys, and she'd thought the show was "for baby princess wanna-bes," so Moondancer was definitely not her favorite anything. The only reason Bethany even knew the names of any of the pastel equine denizens of Ponyland, was because of the countless hours spent arguing over the television and teasing Nikki about her terrible taste in entertainment.
Moondancer was my favorite, not Bethany's, Nikki thought. She picked out her ninth birthday cake for me. Even the most generous little kid isn't that nice. I should have known something was wrong.
Now, Sarah was pulling into herself in the exact same way, preparing for something. Not without a fight, Nikki swore. They took my sister. They can't have my best friend. There must be something she still cares about, something worth staying for. She had to get Sarah to talk. She just wished she knew how to do that.
Nikki found herself standing in front of Sarah's house. Here goes nothing, she thought. The door opened before she could knock on it.
Karen gasped at her the sight of her. "Nikki? You scared me half to death! I heard something outside and thought the neighbors' dog had gotten loose again."
"I'm sorry, Karen! I didn't mean to startle you. I was just looking for Sarah," Nikki explained.
Karen smiled. "It's okay, hon. You just missed her. She was going over to the park. Do you want to go meet up with her? I can stick your backpack in her room if you don't want to carry it."
Nikki nodded and handed over her bag. "Thanks. I'll go find her." She said her goodbyes and hurried towards the park to catch up with her friend. Thankfully, it wasn't far.
Nikki jogged for a few blocks before she spotted Sarah's familiar form entering the park ahead of her. "Sarah!" she yelled. "Wait up!" She broke into a run, frantic to reach her friend.
Sarah spun towards her. The horror painted across Sarah's pale face was achingly familiar. As Nikki reached her side, Sarah hissed, "What are you doing here? You need to go."
No, Nikki thought. Are they coming here for her? She shook her head, pleading. Echoes of the past trembled through her mind. Not again. Never again. The disjointed words tumbled from her lips, "No. Please. Not tonight. I know I promised, but Jerome had to cancel. I can't be alone. Not on her birthday."
Sarah's eyes widened. "It's the twenty-seventh! I…I forgot what today was. Look, you can stay at my place tonight, but right now, you need to go. I'll meet you back there as soon as I can."
"Too late for that now." The rumbling voice spoke from behind them. Nikki turned and saw…someone, something. He stood with his back towards them. What is he? she wondered. Not human, but not like any alien that I've read about and nothing like the ones I've seen. Time seemed to slow as she took in the details: tall, leanly muscled, dark gray skin. His hair was even darker and slightly metallic. Like gunmetal. What must have been hundreds of tiny braids fell around his shoulders. He was clothed in unadorned, fitted black garments that left his arms bare. He wasn't even facing her, but she still felt like he was about to strike. Whatever he was, he was dangerous. Nikki felt her muscles tense, preparing to flee.
Sarah's voice cut through the air. "What do you mean, 'too late'?" Sarah demanded. "She has to get out of here!"
The figure turned. Nikki saw sharp, predatory features and glowing eyes like molten amber. "If you want your half-blood friend to live, there is no time for retreat. Your scent is already on her," he growled. He raised one arm, pointed somewhere behind Nikki's shoulder with a flickering, ebony sword. "Go! Now!"
Sarah grabbed her arm and took off at a run. They sprinted towards a massive oak tree, Nikki struggling to keep up. She didn't want Sarah to have to drag her. When did she get so fast? Nikki wondered. Sarah's never been athletic.
Sarah shoved Nikki's back into the rough bark, then turned to face whatever was coming. "Don't move. Stay behind me." Sarah's voice was harsh and Nikki didn't dare argue. Sarah dropped into a fighting stance and raised her hands. "No matter what you see or hear, don't move. Whatever you do, don't touch my blades." Before Nikki could ask what she meant, twin black swords appeared in Sarah's hands. Sarah, of all people, was posed like a fierce warrior preparing for battle. It should have looked silly. It didn't. She looks like a ninja from some action flick, Nikki thought. Graceful and deadly.
Movement caught Nikki's eye. There, in the glow cast by a streetlight, she saw it. It was the size and shape of a panther, but with ugly, mottled, grey-green scales. It had a scorpion-like tail curved high above its back. Nikki wanted to scream, but the air wouldn't come. She pushed herself back against the tree as it stared them down. We're going to die here, she thought. Killed by a monster. Part of her wanted to laugh at the irony. She'd been afraid of aliens her whole life, but a fantasy monster was going to be the death of her. I guess I was afraid of the wrong genre.
Nikki heard shrieks and snarls all around her. She didn't look. She couldn't pull her eyes away from the cat-thing's gaze. Then, it looked away and leapt into the bushes, disappearing from view. Noises filled the air: shrieks and snarls, growls and yelps, sickening wet sounds, and the crunch of bone. It churned into a horrid white-noise that held no meaning she could comprehend.
Nikki's heart fluttered in her chest like a panicked bird trying to escape its cage. Her eyes turned towards her friend, seeking comradery in their shared terror, but Sarah didn't look afraid. She held her stance while scanning the area. If anything, she looked…expectant.
The cat-thing burst from the underbrush ahead and charged them. It was visibly wounded, its tail severed. It was less agile now, but still fast. So fast. Sarah darted towards it, spun to the side, dove forward. She plunged her sword deep into the back of its neck. It stumbled as the sword pulled free, fell, thrashed on the grass. Sarah slashed down with her other blade, slicing open its belly. Entrails spilled across the ground like writhing worms.
Bile rose in Nikki's throat as the smell hit her; the reek of blood and shit and other things she couldn't name blended together into a vile miasma. She choked it down. She felt tears spilling from her eyes, but she couldn't move to wipe them away.
Sarah stabbed the beast a final time in the chest, and then slipped back in front of Nikki, resuming her defensive position. Nikki watched in horrified fascination as the beast's greenish blood flowed down Sarah's arms towards her swords. The black blades pulsed with shadowy flames as they consumed the liquid. They're feeding off that thing's blood. Nikki gasped at the realization.
Nearby, a nearly-human scream cried out before cutting off abruptly. Nikki's head snapped towards the sound. When she turned back, the menacing charcoal-skinned figure stood before them, just behind the cat-thing's corpse. His weapons were gone. "It's over," he said. "That was the last of them." Amber eyes looked down at the dead beast. He smiled, flashing razor-edged teeth. "Well done, Champion. This was a good kill." He looked back up. "Take the half-blood and return to your home. Marvok wants you behind his wards in case their master comes looking for whatever killed his pets. I'll meet you there. Marvok and Nessos will stay to deal with the mess."
Sarah nodded. The blades vanished from her hands. "We'll go now. I'll see you at home." She turned to Nikki. Her skin and clothes were spotless, not a drop of blood to be seen. Sarah's forehead creased with worry, her eyes wide and uncertain. "I know you must be really freaked right now, but we need to get back to my place. I promise that I'll explain everything once we're safe in my room." Her voice was gentle, coaxing.
Nikki nodded. The whole thing felt unreal, like her life had turned into a movie. I remember this feeling, she thought. This is how it felt when they took my sister. At least this time, someone is offering to explain what happened. She allowed Sarah to take her arm and lead her away from the park.
*JS*JS*JS*
Sarah spent the walk back to her house trying to figure out what the hell to say. How do I explain? she wondered. How do you tell your best friend that fairy tales are real, at least the scary ones, and that sometimes the thing you feel watching you actually is a monster? How do you apologize for dragging someone into this world, even if you didn't mean to?
Nikki hadn't said a word since Azu first appeared, so Sarah had no idea what was going on in her friend's head. They walked in silence.
Karen was in the living room when the two girls came in. Her eyes landed on Nikki's tear-streaked face and she opened her mouth to speak. Sarah cut her off before she could, "Hey Karen, is it cool if Nikki stays over tonight?"
Karen nodded. "Of course, sweetie. You know that Nikki is always welcome." Her stepmother's eyes told Sarah that she wasn't getting out of an explanation.
Sarah turned towards her friend, "Hey. Why don't you go on upstairs? I'll grab us some sodas and be right up."
Nikki nodded and headed to Sarah's room without a word. As soon as Nikki was gone, Sarah walked to the kitchen with Karen trailing close behind. "What's going on?" Karen asked.
Sarah shrugged. "It's Bethany's birthday. Nikki had plans with Jerome tonight, but they fell through. I don't know the details."
Karen's face softened. "No wonder she looks so upset. Poor girl, losing her sister like that. I'm glad she has you to be there for her." Karen smiled at Sarah and gently squeezed her shoulder. "We have frozen pizzas and nacho fixings if you girls get hungry. There's even some leftover cookie dough in the freezer if you need a sugar fix. I know you'll be up late, so I'll get Toby and your father to go out to with me in the morning."
Sarah began to protest that it wasn't necessary, but Karen waved her off. "It's no trouble, sweetie. It's supposed to be a beautiful day and we've been meaning to take your brother to that new playground at Lakeside Park. I hear that they have a wonderful toddler area. I'll leave some muffins for when you girls get up. You just worry about taking care of Nikki. She shouldn't be alone right now."
Sarah nodded. She definitely agreed with Karen on that point. Besides, Lakeside Park was all the way across town. If the toddler area really was that amazing, maybe Karen would start taking Toby there instead of to Memorial Park where Sarah trained. And occasionally fought monsters. "Okay. I'll do my best. Thanks, Karen. Goodnight." Sarah grabbed a couple of cokes out of the fridge and went upstairs.
She entered her room and shut the door behind her. Nikki was sitting in the desk chair and rifling through her black-and-white striped, furry backpack. Where did that come from? Sarah wondered. She didn't have it on her at the park. Sarah began, "Look…"
Nikki raised one hand to stop her. Finally, she pulled out a coffin-shaped, silver flask with an expression of triumph. She unscrewed the lid and took a long swig before sighing happily. Nikki held the flask out and waggled it in Sarah's direction.
Sarah sat the cokes on her desk and accepted it with a shrug. "Why the hell not?" she asked. She sat on the edge of her bed facing Nikki and took a drink. Sarah wasn't much of a partier, but sometimes a girl needed a bit of hard liquor to deal with her life drama. Especially now, when said life drama included murderous other-planar entities. And that was just the goblins. She focused on the feeling of the vodka as it burned its way down her throat. Finally, she nodded at Nikki and passed the flask back to her.
Nikki took another drink before closing it. "So," she commented, "what the ever-living fuck just happened?"
Sarah sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. "It's…complicated. Something happened to me not long after you left for L.A." She shrugged. "I'm still dealing with the fallout. I don't honestly know if I'll ever be done dealing with it. I'm just sorry that you got pulled into my shit-storm." She looked up at Nikki. "Really. I'm so sorry, Nikki. I didn't want to get anyone else involved, least of all you."
Nikki looked down and chewed on her lip. She took a deep breath, "Why don't you start at the beginning. What happened after I left?"
Sarah shifted uncomfortably. "Do you remember that old fantasy novel that I used to be obsessed with?"
Nikki nodded. "Labyrinth, right? It had a red cover. Told a weird story about a girl who wished her little sister away to the goblins…" Nikki's eyes went wide. "You didn't!"
Sarah bowed her head in shame. "I did," she whispered. "I didn't think it would work. I mean, it was a fantasy novel! I never believed…" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I believed. It was real. The goblins came and took Toby, then their king came and offered me a deal. If I let them keep my brother, he would give me my dreams. If I refused, I had thirteen hours to run the Labyrinth to get him back…"
Sarah told Nikki everything. She answered every question. After what Nikki had just been through, Sarah owed her the truth. By the 11:30 p.m., the tale was done, and the flask was almost empty. Nikki looked at her with a contemplative expression. "So…now you're a noblewoman in another dimension?"
"Yup." Sarah took a last swig of vodka.
"And you're running yourself ragged trying to learn how to fight and use magic, because things keep trying to kill you."
"That pretty much covers it, yes." Sarah shrugged. Ridiculous as it was, this was her life now.
Nikki grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have kept pressuring you to become Miss Social Butterfly if I'd known about all the shit you were dealing with!" She let go with an exasperated sigh.
Sarah looked away. She couldn't meet Nikki's eyes. "Would you have believed me? I mean, the whole thing is insane! I'm living it, and I still know that it's crazy."
Nikki rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised at what I'd believe. I told you about what really happened to my sister. That's not any less crazy. And I don't even have magical goblins to show as evidence that I'm telling the truth!"
Sarah froze. That's the million-dollar question, she thought. "I honestly didn't think you'd be able to see them. You never have before…" She looked to where Marvok perched on her bookshelf. Before she could speak, she heard his voice in her mind. "Direct your questions to Azu, Champion. Not to me."
Sarah blinked. "Why?" she asked him silently.
Marvok tilted his head and arched a brow at her. "For the sake of your friend's sanity, we are suppressing our natural fear auras. But no magic, no glamour, nothing can change my voice. Do you believe that she is in the proper mental state to hear me speak?"
Sarah had grown accustomed to Marvok's voice, but she hadn't forgotten the first time she'd heard him. He'd offered a simple greeting and she'd been terrified by the sound alone.
She turned to where Azu was curled up in his gargoyle-cat form beside her pillow. She didn't know if Nikki had even noticed him there. "Azu, why could Nikki see you?"
Azu opened his eyes. "It was necessary. My presence was shocking enough to get her to listen. We had little time. As to why she can still see me…"
"Wait," Nikki said. Her eyes went wide. "That voice. Those eyes. That little winged cat is the same dude we saw at the park? Seriously?"
Sarah nodded. "They're shapeshifters. They look like this most of the time." She paused, reconsidering. "Well, to me, they usually look like this. To everyone and everything else, they're invisible, as I understand it."
Nikki's turned her head to scan the room. She paused when her eyes landed on Marvok and again on Nessos.
Sarah sighed. "Allow me to introduce the shadow goblins." She pointed at each of them and gave their names in turn.
"Pleased to meet you," Nikki said. Then, she turned and gave Sarah a questioning look. "If they're usually invisible to anyone but you, and if he only let me see him so that I wouldn't cause any problems at the park, why can I still see all three of them?"
Azu answered her. "You're a half-blood. At some point, someone put a powerful binding spell on you to prevent your magic from manifesting itself. It looks quite old, a bit frayed at the edge of your aura, but still very strong. However, it's always difficult to prevent the Sight from developing. I suspect that you've always Seen fragments. Seeing me brought that half-awakened power fully to life. It can't be shut off a second time."
Sarah gasped at that last revelation, but Nikki ignored her. She directed her next question to the little goblin. "You keep calling me a half-blood? What do you mean by that? Half-blood what?"
Azu tilted his head, amber eyes studying her. "You're half pixie. The scent is distinctive. There's really no mistaking it. One of your parents must be an exile from the Underground…or have come to the mortal realm for other reasons. Regardless, you're not fully human. You mentioned a sister? Do you share the same pair of parents?"
The color drained from Nikki's face. "Yeah. Why?"
Azu stared at Nikki. "You said earlier that she was taken? How old was she when it happened? What did you see?"
Nikki fidgeted with her bracelets. Her voice trembled as she answered him, "It happened on the night of her ninth birthday. I was seven. I snuck into her room because I couldn't sleep, and saw a pair of glowing figures take her. One of them wanted to take me too, but the other one said that it wasn't allowed. They seemed…upset about it."
Azu gave her a satisfied nod. "That explains why a half-blood of your age is still in the mortal world. Your pixie parent's family came for the firstborn on her ninth birthday in accordance with Fae law. Under that same law, they wouldn't have been entitled to both children, only the eldest. They no doubt hoped that you would come into your power and return to the Underground on your own."
Nikki chewed her lip as she considered this. Finally, she asked, "Even if they had some right to take my sister, why would they? And why would it be important to them that I go to the Underground?"
Azu shrugged. "Pixies have almost as much trouble conceiving as the Sidhe do, so children are as precious to them as they are among the Sidhe. It wouldn't have been easy for them to be forced by covenant to leave one behind. Half-bloods are entitled to return to their Fae families if they so choose once they come of age." He looked contemplative. "I suspect that the bindings on you were placed there to prevent that from happening. After all, if you never knew of other possibilities, you couldn't choose them."
For a long time, Nikki was silent. Emotions darted across her face too rapidly for Sarah to be certain of her friend's feelings. When Nikki finally spoke, her voice was cold. "What are you saying? I'm supposed to be like some kind of fairy? I'm supposed to have magical powers? To be able to cast spells that actually work? Not some new age, crystal waving bullshit, but real magic? Are you saying that one of my parents had a spell put on me so that I wouldn't ever find out I had what I was? Or that I had powers?"
Azu nodded. "That is exactly what I'm saying. With your power bound, it was unlikely that you would discover that you were anything other than fully human. As I said, if you never learned what you were, or that other realms existed, you could never decide to leave this one."
Nikki jumped to her feet with a snarl. "That bastard! He knew! He knew what I saw, and he lied to me! All the times that I cried about feeling like something was wrong with me, like something was missing… He just told me that I was perfect just like I am, and the whole time, he fucking knew!"
Sarah had no idea how to calm her friend down. She asked, "Are you sure it was your dad?"
Nikki paced back and forth, staring at the ground. Her rage was tangible. "Oh, I'm sure. When Bethany was taken, he seemed sad, but not afraid. Mom was terrified, but he wasn't. He tried to hide it, but I could tell. It was almost like he'd expected it to happen." She laughed bitterly. "I've always told myself that I imagined it, that he was just trying to be strong for my mom. Now, I know the truth. He wasn't afraid because he knew where she was and who'd taken her."
When Nikki looked back up, her pale eyes glinted like steel. "This binding, is there some way to break it?"
*JS*JS*JS*
Four days after their arrival to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, the obnoxious emissaries finally departed for their own lands. Jareth was relieved to be rid of them. Admittedly, he would have to deal with the rampaging monster that they'd petitioned him about, but that seemed like a far more pleasant prospect than having to tolerate more of their nattering. Their second offer had been more than acceptable. Jareth assumed that he had Lord Andris to thank for that. The lad had definitely been a solid choice for his position as Royal Emissary.
The Singing Forests would ship three cubic tons of valuable Canendi wood to the Goblin City, along with thirteen precious saplings for attempted cultivation. The Whispering Mountains would provide nine cubic tons of the rare shimmer-marble mined in their region. In truth, the price the Singing Forests paid was higher, but he could tell that Lord Medrin did not expect the saplings to thrive outside of their native forests. The fool clearly believed that the trees would be nothing more than a novelty for the Goblin King's Royal Gardens.
Jareth smiled. Visiting nobles never really grasped the nature of the Labyrinth. He had no doubt that the saplings would prosper in his lands. Admittedly, the wild energies flowing through the place would alter their nature. In a few hundred years, they wouldn't exactly be Canendi trees anymore. Jareth looked forward to seeing what they became. Will they still sing in a thousand years? he wondered. Will the pale wood maintain its opalescence? Or will they transform into something entirely new? One could never be certain how such things would play out. It was one of the delights of his position.
After seeing to the departure of his unwanted guests, Jareth returned to his quarters. While Bree'Onne had been gone for nearly three days, Jareth knew that his Seneschal had only been in the mortal realm for a fraction of that time. The passage of time between the two realms was not consistent and Bree'Onne lacked the ability to manipulate that factor. Out of all of the inhabitants of the Underground, only Jareth possessed that power. It was a gift from the Labyrinth to Her King.
Regardless, the delay was driving Jareth mad. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a crystal to his fingers. He stared into its depths, willing it to show him Bree'Onne. He saw Bree'Onne striding through a lichen-covered stone corridor. He's back, Jareth realized. He's back and Sarah isn't with him. He hurled the crystal at the wall with a snarl. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He'd known it wouldn't likely be that easy, no matter what he might have hoped. The Lady Sarah had displayed a talent for doing things the hard way, after all. Jareth pulled on the Labyrinth's power and transported both himself and Bree'Onne directly to his office.
Jareth appeared in the chair behind his desk. He forced back the urge to begin questioning his Seneschal immediately. Unexpected transportations were always disorienting. He waved his hand above the crystal that sat in a wrought silver holder on his desk and ordered the servants to bring refreshments for two to his office. Finally, he turned to Bree'Onne. "Sit."
Bree'Onne took a chair across from him. After a moment, he asked, "Have the Emissaries departed, Your Majesty?"
Jareth leveled an icy glare at him. "Indeed they have. Now, tell me what you've learned."
Bree'Onne hesitated. "Your Majesty, you should know that Lady Sarah is not alone in the mortal world."
Jareth blinked, then arched one brow at his Seneschal. "As I obviously didn't expect for the human realm to have emptied since last I was there, I assume you mean someone specific is with her. Care to elaborate?" He ground the words out through gritted teeth.
Bree'Onne shifted nervously. "I don't know. I never saw them, only evidence of their presence. The Champion told me that she had been granted three guardians as a reward for her victory."
Jareth froze. Guardians? he wondered. He had never heard of such a thing. Was this a trick of some kind? Was Sarah in danger? He shifted his focus to the Labyrinth. "Did you send Sarah three guardians?" he asked Her.
"Yes, my King. If a Challenger becomes Champion while there is a sitting monarch on the throne, they are granted three guardians to protect both their person and title. Lady Sarah's guardians are powerful and will serve her well," She answered.
Jareth raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "Why was I not informed of this?"
"You did not ask, my King. The ancient laws regarding Champions are properly recorded and housed within your Royal Library. This information has never been concealed." Jareth could hear the amusement rippling through Her reply.
Jareth clenched his gloved hands into fists. "Who are these guardians? Who did you send to her?"
Jareth felt Her hesitation through their bond. "That is not for me to tell, my King. If Lady Sarah wishes for it to be known, she may provide that information herself."
The Goblin King scowled. Impetuous maze! He turned back towards Bree'Onne who waited in silence. Jareth managed to keep his voice level when he spoke. "The Labyrinth admits to sending them, but will not reveal their identities. Tell me everything you witnessed while you were there. And I mean everything. Leave out nothing."
JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS
Honoria Granger, Bloodmoon Goddess, HachimansKitsune, kellyn1604, seapeach, annibale, brollachan23, foolalex, ellerose77, kapkeyknudols, Leah, and Thouerisz: Thank you all so much for your lovely comments! I can't tell you how much they brighten my day!
HachimansKitsune: ::Blushes:: Thank you! I admit that character creation/development is one of my very favorite aspects of writing. Needless to say, it delights me when I hear that people are fond of them as well.
seapeach: I'm so glad that came through clearly. I'm so glad that it came through that Sarah wasn't really speaking as Sarah. While a few times, she actually said something, she was mainly reciting the lines Marvok was feeding her. I may actually write a companion piece about Bree'Onne in the future. I've received some PMs from people interested in reading more about him.
JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS*JS
Special thanks to CaptainXeno for beta-ing this chapter! You can find her work under the same screenname over at AO3.
Thanks so much to everyone who has favorited or followed this work and to all of my lovely reviewers. I wish you all dreams of the Goblin King.
Please review! Kind or critical, reviews really motivate me to keep writing. Please leave a contribution in the little box.