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Last Time:
This mystery creature had saved him and he had stabbed the creature through chest.
"Merciful Gods," Jareth breathed wanting to removed his blade but couldn't' move; his body wouldn't move.
And suddenly in an explosion of ivory feathers and the masking of the dawning sun, the truth came to the King of Goblins with a sickening realization. The creature that had saved his life was indeed an angel, but it was his angel that was laid out on his killing weapon.
"Jaden…"
I...I can't live within you...
This Time:
Chapter 22-Maiden of Prophecy
"…Jaden…" he brokenly crocked, unable to remove his weapon. "Why…Why did you do that!?"
Pain filled emerald eyes opened, tears flowing slowly from them. "…I didn't…want you to die…Jareth…I love you to…much…to see you die…" Jade whispered as she smiled, while a single stream of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
Jareth could only stare dumb founded up at Jade, but her cry woke him to his surroundings.
"Sheera!" called out the human girl spitting out blood that landed on both ground and Goblin King. "Finish what you started! The same goes for you Crow; FINISH IT!!"
This was the time that Jareth took notice of his friends' outcome of battle. Sheera was kneeling above a disarmed and bloody Axel, a dagger at his vulnerable throat. Crow was standing above his brother Kraven; one foot settled between the other harpy's shoulder blades. In his hands, Crow held his elder brother's inky black wings. All eyes were on Jareth, Jade and Zaynon, and how the young girl was able to scream at them all with two blades impaling her. Yet Jade's words forced the pair to finish what they started, and what they waited for so long to do.
In two swift movements from thief and harpy, Axel was dead with a slit throat, and Kraven was no longer sporting a pair of wings. They elder harpy's cry was haunting while his flame haired friend died with soft gurgles replacing his screams. With those two swift motions the battle and vendetta was done; it was finally over.
"How…" wheezed out Zaynon, his pale lips dyed ruby by his blood. "…how can this be happening…?"
Jade sluggishly turned her head toward her enemy. "…still alive there…Zaynon," spoke the teen only to cough up more blood that splattered across ashen earth. "Not for long though…with a blade…through your heart…"
The dark fae glared daggers. "You're…one to talk…with a blade through your stomach…and very possibly a lung."
Jade just smile, her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion and blood lose.
"Why did you do that Jaden," nearly wept Jareth to hesitant to withdraw his blade. "I did all that to protect and save you, and you jump into the middle of my battle! You're insane!!"
The teenage human mentally laughed, she would have done it outwardly if it wouldn't have caused so much pain and kill her quicker. "Still scolding me…I see…Jareth, but love…makes us do some strange things."
Jareth's expression fell then at Jade's words; he stared at the ground brokenly. "You're dying Jaden, and I killed you…"
She only smiled down at the Goblin King. "No…you saved…me…"
"Yes, that's right," shouted out Zaynon to the best of his ability. "I'm the one that killed her!!" And he lurched back, taking his sword with him.
The raven haired young woman screeched out a cry of pain, as the sword was pulled from her stomach with an agonizing twist. Zaynon landed two feet behind her, mouth twitching as he lay on the ground nearly dead. Only when the blood covered lips stopped moving did they all know that the Dark Fae King was truly dead. From Zaynon's last act of cruelty, he left Jaden hacking and coughing up more of her life's blood. She held her stomach as if to keep the ruby liquid flowing out of her at pay. Her once pale hand was now slick and drenched in the hot and sticky liquid of life. Jade's gasps came wetly and shallow as she stared at the ground eyes wide in agony. Jaden's other blood stained hand held where the King of Goblin's blade was. It was that last single blade that was propping her up, keeping her bleeding body off the ground.
"Take it," Jade gasped out brokenly. "Out…"
"…but you'll die!"
"I'll die either way Jareth, so do it!" More blood splattered out at Jade's raised voice, to splatter across Jareth's horrified face.
With a scowl of regret and determination, Jareth quickly withdrew his blade. It left Jade gapping and gasping for breath from the pain. Her legs quickly buckled without anything holding her up, and she toppled forward to be caught by a ready Goblin King. Jareth lay his beloved gently down in his lap as he brushed aside the ebony strands that clung to her sweaty brow.
"Jaden!" cried out three other voices in unison.
Soon three more shadows blotted out the morning sun. Vannor, Sheera, and Crow stood above their dying friend. The trio's eyes wide in horror at the seriousness of Jade's wounds. Jaden was a dying bloody mess.
"…Jaden…" breathed Sheera as she collapsed to her knees at Jade's side, tears flowing freely from the strong woman's eyes.
The young girl saw this and grinned through her pain. "Don't cry for me Sheera…" the warrior thief gave a weak smile and nodded, still the tears flowed.
Crow kneeling next to Sheera at Jade's side, brushed aside more dark tresses as he smiled down at her ignoring his aching heart. "I saw your wings girlie…" he trailed half-heartedly.
"…H-how were they…?"
The harpy male couldn't suppress the grin on his face as he kissed Jaden's pale and clammy brow. "They were perfect; any harpy would be proud to have them. You would have made a great warrior of the sky…Jaden…"
Only a happy proud smile was Crow's answer to his praising words.
"Jaden," spoke up Vannor more seriously then the rest, but still sorrow was evident in his voice. "Jareth still has some of your magic; he can heal you."
Everyone looked to Jareth who nodded his head. Jade stared up at him a sad smile on her face, as a stray tear left the corner of her eye. The Goblin King held her closer, not caring how much she bleeds all over him. She didn't have much blood to spare any way.
"Please," Jareth pleaded knowing Jade would be against it with him in his current condition. "Please Jaden, let me heal you!"
The girl looked into the distraught face of the Goblin King. Her emerald spheres were searching, probing for something within the mismatched depths of Jareth's own eyes. Perhaps she was merely taking in every last detail of Jareth's face before she never saw it again. Yet soon, Jade was painfully smiling up at her beloved, a hand shaking and slowly raising to stroke Jareth's cheek and he raised his own to hold it there. With her hands as they were, Jade left fresh streaks of blood.
"You may try," she finally whispered hoarsely.
With a curt nod, Jareth began his work. He could still feel the liquid lightning that was Jade's power within him. He had used as little as possible so he could give what he could back, and now he was clad he did. With his power mixed with hers, Jade was guaranteed to live, even if she had her doubts that everyone was keen on picking up.
Summoning up one of his famous crystal spheres, Jareth poured his power and Jaden's into said sphere. He gave it healing properties and it was soon glowing a vibrant green hue. Pouring more power into it till he could no more, Jareth gazed down at the woman he loved. He saw the sad smile as she continued to stroke his face, but took no note of it look. He just held the glowing ball above Jade's torso, and slowly lowered it, and all watched as it was absorbed into her body.
The instant the healing sphere was totally absorbed; Jade's body should have instantly healed. Instead her petite body began to glow with a striking white light. As the light strengthened, Jade's clothes and hair began to float about her with a life of its own.
"What's happening to her," spoke Sheera taking hold of one of the glowing hands.
Jareth shook his head sharply. "I don't know!! This wasn't what was supposed to happen!!"
Crow took up the other unused hand, kissing the back of the knuckles as the skin continued to glow like a star. "Jade…what's happening to you?"
No answer came. There was just the content expression on Jade's face, coupled with a hint of sadness. She just continued to blaze brighter and brighter, and soon that brightness Jade was emanating spread from her to the ground, to flow across it like water. The light was wandering out and over the Kingdom of Dagon. It traveled over the wide field to and over the castle, the forests beyond that and to whatever lay beyond them; everything was aglow with a pure white light. It seemed the event had taken hours rather then minutes. Everything was radiating, had it been night, the tainted land that was Dagon would have been a beacon of holy light. As the minutes ticked by, the group watching the light saw that it was beginning to finally recede.
The white glow flowed back toward its creator. What was left behind in the glow's wake shocked every person there. Where trees were once evil in appearance and ominously shaped, now the trees were lush with greenery; full of life and beauty. The once ashen soil that could only grow Murder Me Nots was now soil rick and dark with nurturance, growing plush green grass and blooming flowers. The castle in itself was now more ancient in appearance then menacing. Vines of blooming climbing roses clung to its stone walls; as moss grew on the old stone giving the ebony rock a more welcoming, earthy exterior. It held a comfortable beauty, rather then sinister mystery. Everything that was once Dagon was now a land of lush unspeakable beauty and flawless serenity.
"How…" began Sheera, her eyes trailing over her new surroundings.
"Wha…" gapped Crow.
"Did she really," gapped Vannor dumbfounded.
All were shocked nearly beyond words. Jade had completely changed everything with just a wave of light emanating from her body. Though the glow was gone from the land, still the teen's body glowed on. Jade's hair and crimson stained ivory dress floating about her as she lay in the King of Goblin's arms.
"What did Jade do exactly?" murmured a confused harpy looking between his companions.
"You're…so thick…Crow," came a pain filled voice from their left.
Eyes wide, heads turned swiftly to find a staggering Kraven making his way to his feet and coming toward them. His arms hung sluggishly at his sides as his back continued to bleed, while sweat dripped down his brow and bruised face. Seeing that he was still alive, even partially, everyone grew stiff. At their stiff forms, Kraven scowled and huffed.
"I don't mean you any harm; not anymore anyway," he said roughly as he turned his ruby colored eyes to his dead king. "With Zaynon dead…this land was no longer under his power. Someone…had to heal it…don't you think?"
Eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty and confusion.
The wingless harpy sighed in agitation. "Don't any of numbskulls…even remember the prophecy involving this child? Jareth, you must at least…remember it. It is…your Labyrinth after all."
Jareth nodded as he hugged Jaden closer, her light slowly fading; hair and clothing settling as he raised hand fell to the earth limply. Closing his eyes slowly, Jareth recited the prophecy.
"To the Labyrinth victor will she be born,
With untold power will she be sworn.
With the balance of power at stake,
She will choose between lover and fate.
Daughter of the Labyrinth is she,
Savior to sin she shall be.
All eyes fell to the girl in Jareth's arm, as the last flick of light died out.
A soft whisper came on the newly reborn breeze, baring sweet scents of summer and life. Yet not only that, but a voice flowed on the wind as well; soft and supple it was barely noticeable. However, it was unmistakable.
"I love you Jareth," whispered the wind in an echoic version of Jade's voice. "I love you all…"
Growing quickly worrisome, all eyes were on Jareth as he examined beneath the ruby stained clothing. The king's frame quickly stiffened as he panicky looked up at his father and close friends.
"Her wounds are healed," strained Jareth as he went over the now invisible wound on Jade's stomach. "But she's not waking up!!"
The assembly of people quickly looked pleadingly at their friend. While Kraven hobbled over quickly growing weaker by the minute; the blood flow refusing to stop. He knew what had happened, but from the looks upon all but Vannor's face told Kraven otherwise. The dark harpy and High King knew that Jade had used every last ounce of her strength to purify what Zaynon had tainted, the others however, did not.
"Jaden wake up! I lost you once, I'm not losing you again," cried out a very distraught Goblin King as he shook the woman-child's shoulders.
Eyes were on Jareth and an unconscious Jaden. She lay limp in her lover's arms; pale and as fragile as ever. To them all she looked dead, yet Jareth refused to believe such, any man with his beloved dead in his lap would be in denial. Like the prophecy said, "She will choose between love and fate." It appeared that Jaden had chosen fate over lover. Looking on pitifully, all bowed their heads, murmuring small prayers.
"Jareth…" began Vannor gripping his son's shoulder. "She's gone-
"No she's not!!"
Sheera and Crow drew back from the devastated wrath in their king's words. The High King however, remained unfazed. Vannor remained gripping Jareth's shaking shoulder for support as well as for comfort.
"Jade's gone Jareth; you have to understand that…"
Jareth cling to the motionless mortal to his chest as silent sobs shook his form. "She…she can't be gone…" he crocked, voice thick with sorrow. "She was supposed to live…we were going to get married…we were supposed to be together…" Jareth bowed his head till his face was lost in the sea of the raven locks, tears lost in the mass.
At seeing her king weep so deeply, Sheera lost all her composure and cried out as well. Big, fat tears flowed from her cerulean eyes, to stain her cheeks with their salty trails. With encouragement from Crow, the thief found solstice in the harpy's arms and shoulder. While Crow held her, he gazed brokenly at his young female friend.
"Why," he asked himself. "Why did she have to die?"
Vannor gripped his only son's shoulder tighter, using his son as an anchor to keep his struggling composure. "I'm sorry Jareth, there's nothing more we can do here my son."
Kraven who stood ideally by snorted; angry eyes turned on him. "She…still has a faint heartbeat, take her back now…she might just…live…" he wheezed out before falling to one knee as he breathed heavily.
Wide unbelieving eyes eyed the wounded and dying harpy.
"Why are you helping us," asked Crow. Never had he seen his elder brother even remotely nice and helpful; was blood lose making him delusional. Kraven only shrugged only to wince at the action. "You better have a reason, or I'm not believing you."
Kraven scowled. "That's your problem little brother...not mine. I tell you she's barely alive…and you're debating whether or not to believe me! Listen with your own ears, you'll hear the beat of her heart…it's…barely…there…" groaned out the harpy as he began to fall forward.
"Brother!" called out Crow and rushed to his sibling and propped him up by pushing on his shoulder and holding him there. The younger harpy looked pleadingly up at the darker version of his once handsome brother. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
A small grin spread across Kraven's face as he struggled for breath. "Don't know…redemption maybe…to stave off regret…possibly just stupid confessions…don't really know…or care. I just wanted…to maybe make things…better again." He sighed as he lined forward, brow resting on his younger brother's shoulder. "There was always…that one stupid sentence…I always wanted to say…and never got to…"
"What is it brother?" whispered Crow holding Kraven, tears breaking through. "Say it before its too late?"
Kraven chuckled in vain humor as he turned his head to stare up at his younger sibling. "Brother…" he broke off cringing in pain. "I…love you…" he murmured.
Crow gapped and gazed blurry eyed at Kraven. "Brother…brother," the floodgates opened. "No…"
"Stupid…whelp," scoffed Kraven roughly voice barely audible signifying death was near. "I'm not…worth your…"spoke the dark harpy as he began falling to the side, eyes blank and wide. "…tears…" and Kraven hit the green ground dead.
Crow gapped down at his deceased sibling, his hands shacking were they had been holding Kraven. He stared brokenly up at the cloud splotched sky. "Even in death Kraven…you're unbelievably cruel…" At this Crow turned his molten gold eyes filled with tears to Jaden as everyone concentrated on her heartbeat.
They heard the un-rhythmic beat the organ was originating in Jade's chest. It was struggling; the space between beats agonizingly far in between, forcing the listener's own hearts to ache. All feared the next thrum of Jade's heart would be her last. As they listened the faltering organ finally halted, to beat no more.
The whole Underground seemed to have stopped in that instant. The newly arrived birds in the trees stopped their beautiful happy chirping. The trees and their swaying limbs no longer swayed in the innovative breeze. Grasses and flowers in the field were no longer visited by the busy buzzing bumblebees. Everything was at an utter standstill; everything was completely motionless. It seemed the newly nourished land and world was frozen over by invisible and unbreakable ice. No one breathed; no one moved, didn't even bat an eyelash. Everything waited in motionless silence for the single sound that would give birth back to everyone and everything. The wait seemed like eternity to every entity in the Underground. And the wait would be an eternity, which that much was obvious now as minutes ticked by in complete stillness.
Jaden was dead.
Everything came alive in the instant that was realized; life moved on once more. The wind, the birds, the bees and everything else breathed again. All was alive again, except one.
"NOOOO!!" roared Jareth to the azure sky. "Jade…don't leave me," he whimpered into her raven mane. "I…love you…"
Tears came anew as the reality of the devastation hit. Kraven had given hope, but they had hoped too much for the impossible, and their world came crashing down, or was pulled out from under them.
"Jade…" Sheera wept as she bowed over her knees till her brow touched the grass covered ground.
Crow rouse from his place by his brother to take the auburn haired thief once more in his embrace, where she dampened his chest with her salty tears. His had stopped his tears with sheer will power, knowing the girlie would have hit him for being such a wimp and crying. He would mourn later when everyone had settled. However, right now, everyone needed his comfort and encouragement.
"Let's go home," he whispered to them all. "Jade would like to go home, or so I think…"
Vannor nodded grief clear in his dark bottomless eyes. "Yes, home sounds very nice," he said more to his son then anyone else. "Home is where she needs to be Jareth, and where we will mourn her."
All waited for the response. Crow expected a rash snap from Jareth toward his father. Vannor himself expected as much as well. Tears were expected in the beginning, it was rage that came next in the mourning process. However, neither was occurring. Jareth looked slowly up from the now dampened ebony locks. He stared blankly at them all; emotionless and very detached. This was the Goblin King they wanted, it was far more unsettling then his destructive rage. While his love lay dead in his arms, Jareth had died right beside her. All that was left now was an empty husk that wore the Goblin King's broken face.
He rouse to his feet slowly, Jade cradled limply in his arms. The rest followed suit. Crow however, went to his fallen brother and with the help of a teary eyed Sheera; Kraven was limply laying across Crow's back, nestled between his wings.
Crow looked to the High King. "I can't leave him here…" he shuddered out.
Vannor only gave a small nod and approving smile. Turning to his son who still stood there expressionlessly he nodded, while ignoring the fallen unwanted offspring by the name of Zaynon. "Let's go home…"
"…home…" flatly spoke Jareth as he turned on his heel and walked away from them toward the castle to retrieve their horses. "…home would be nice…if there was a home to go to…"
FIN
A/N: there that's the last chapter!! ALL DONE!! Well except for the epilogue; keep ur eyes open for it. I'm typing it right away so you all don't have to wait so long for it. And sry again about the wait, mid-term at school…(sigh) such a drag. Well hope u all love the story, don't forget to review!! I HAVE TO HAVE REVIEWS PPL!! IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME REVIEWS I MIGHT JUST NOT GIVE YOU THE EPILOGUE!! (gives a sweet and innocent smile) bye now, hope u enjoyed.
BLAZE