*Woahmygosh! A new chapter already! Aren't we just biting at the bit? Yeah, well, I forgot the disclaimer:
I own nothing. Nothing? Tra la la la nothing! All characters from Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson co, and that Hubert guy and his snot nosed brat, Phillip, belong to Disney. I don't own Macbeth either. I have no idea who does.
Thanks to the peeps for giving me the heads up about the kinks in chapter 1.*
From a darkened room, feverous moans came from the bed. Sickness and madness hung in the air as lankly as the brown hair hung from the head of the once proud Queen Linda's head. A soft light shone by her bed, a candle, her constant companion for the last 6 months.
The Queen was watched over by her old nursemaid. She was supposed to be Sarah's as well, that was until the ill fated Christening. A funeral for the baby Princess had been held after the fever. Since that event the Queen had been slowly slipping down hill.
Some of the court suspected that it was because of the words exchanged between the Queen and the King of the Goblin's, who had come to wish his betrothed into the next world. Some of the court said it was from losing her baby after going through so much.
Some of the court had been wrong before.
Linda's eyes were open but if the woman knew her elder was present, she showed no signs of it. The were too glassy, too ... empty. They made the nursemaid shudder.
With muffled footsteps, the doctor arrived, a beaky sallow man who enjoyed letting blood a little too much. With the usual pleasantries out of the way, the nursemaid and the doctor hunkered down for the nightly ritual.
On uncertain feet the Queen rose and made her way to the desk on the other side of the room, murmuring as she went.
"Invitations, invitations, however shall it reach him in time? No, it MUST! I command as such! Oh but my baby! My baby! You will never be safe from his grasp! His wretched talons."
An owl hooted from the old yew outside and the unsound Queen nearly ran the last few steps.
"THE OWL! THE OWL! ALWAYS THE HORRID OWL!"
It was surprising her shrieks didn't wake the entire castle.
"Always, always... Come to mock a mourning mother O' Great Majesty? Well she is gone! Gone where a mother's arms cannot reach her! GONE! I know not where! Was it the fever? I cannot... Do not remember. But you will receive your invitation none the less."
With this the Queen drew out sheafs upon sheafs of parchment which spilled over the floor, and with a shaky hands, began to scrawl a letter. Her hysterical pitches floated across the room once more.
"Goblin King, Goblin King, where-ever you may be. Please notice, this notice and you'll notice this notice isn't worth the notice at all." The Queen's giggles quickly turning into stifled cries.
You are invited to my baby Sarah's funeral, but you would attend either way, wouldn't you, lecherous man praying on children. She is too young, too fragile. The Goblin's could have broken her just as you have broken me!"
Sobs filled the room as Queen Linda went on. Around an hour later she ceased her rambling, stood up and went to bed, content now to sleep.
The Doctor turned to the nursemaid, "Insanity isn't something the medical practise can cure, but has anything she's said even half a grain of truth in it, my dear woman?"
The nursemaid shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"Och, who'd know what erd be plaguein' me troubled Lady? She's a wailin' an a moanin' for her babe, cor that'd drive anyun 'round the bend."
The nursemaid leaned in closer to the doctor,
"Now this bein' said in secrecy mind but, betwixt you an' me an' that there owl in the tree, I'd be sayin that she forgot that 'er babe lives on!"
The doctor stifled a gasp as the woman in the bed shifted and sighed in her sleep.
"Of course I had heard whispers but do you mean to say that the young Princess is still amongst the living?"
The old woman nodded conspiratorially.
"Aye, living wit' the fauns an' sprites in the god foresakin' forest, King Robert did declare it himself an' right after he be a burnin' an' a hackin' away all the peach trees in the Underground!"
The owl screeched and both the nursemaid and the Doctor jumped. As a breeze picked up the candle began to splutter in it's holder. The bedroom was thrown into just as the throne room had been six months earlier.
With weary wings the King of the Goblins alighted from the tree outside Queen Linda's window. Forcing the Queen into insanity may not have been entirely his doing but after many long nights of waiting it had proved useful. So his Sarah was in the forest, was she? He had a long search ahead of him.
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
A/N: So yeah, Linda didn't take overly well to Sarah being taken away or her potential future as Queen of the Goblins. I think I'll have to kill her off. Bye Linda.
If you want to watch a similar scene performed really well I would suggest 1971 version of Macbeth. It is rather interesting to note that at the end when they (Heads up: spoilers) cut off Macbeth's head, they actually use a model head based on Charlie Manson's as the director recently had his pregnant wife murdered by the man and he believed that Mr. Manson was the closest thing that a human could get to truly being evil.
Also, I'm a really slow typer so this story's going to take a while. Sorry.
