Chapter 30.
Quinn was oddly silent when they arrived back at the castle. He watched as Anne and the Bard went over the scroll with a fine toothed comb. Each and a parchment scroll of their own and quills. Each stanza was being written down and gone over.
Ryan and Giles were helping by pulling down volumes as they were called out. Solea also worked on helping her husband. Only Quinn and Sarah held back. Quinn looked at the young woman, the consort to the throne, and quietly left the chamber. Sarah did not follow him.
Quinn walked for a long time when he paused. He found himself in the area just past the hedge maze in the Labyrinth. One of Jareth's memories came flashing though. He could hear the words as fresh as he had heard them in his mind when they happened.
"Well," he heard Jareth say pleasantly, "if it isn't you."
Quinn leaned on the same stone that his brother, his other half had leaned on, much in the same fashion. Here Jareth had given Hoggle the crystal that had become the tainted peach… but now Quinn wondered, had it been Jareth's idea or his? He thought of all the sneaky and snide things done, said. Now he had to wonder how much of that had been Jareth. Both were capable of mischief. However, Quinn usually instigated a situation.
He had known that Jareth had received a summons. As Lord of Tarsi he had to know he had to know where and who. It was part of being the back up for the Goblin King. He had also known that his brother had been spending an inordinate amount of time watching a mortal female. He had caught glimpses of her in the shared recesses of the soul even then. He had felt the impact of that first meeting, when Jareth had entered the window of the bedroom where the child was taken. He felt impatient with his brother for offering the woman-child a dream revealing crystal. He had told him; no he had forced him to use his powers to show her he was the master of the situation. He had been the one to turn the crystal into a snake and toss it at the frightened girl.
Quinn walked again, pondering. How much of that first meeting had actually been Jareth? How much had he actually caused to happen? He had harbored such feelings of animosity toward mortals at the time. Good thing Jareth had always been able to meet his duties as Goblin King; Quinn decided. It had been so foggy, and now three years later is was crystal clear. They had been merging off and on mentally for years. The situation with Sarah's first visit to the Kingdom had brought things to a head. It was the strongest reactions either brother had ever had to any one person. Moreover, it was the only time Quinn had ever had to fight to keep active.
Sarah, Quinn thought with an ache that was constant within him now. That green eyed little vixen whom had entered the Labyrinth and turned their world upside down. Quinn walked agitatedly toward the Wyrn. "Angus!" he shouted as he neared the Wyrn entrance. "I need to ride."
Angus came out and stared at him as if he were seeing a ghost. "Quinnie lad…ye seems vexed."
"I am deeply vexed." He mounted Angus' back. "Get me out of here, before my head explodes."
The skies opened for the pair as they rose high above the landscape of the lands of the Labyrinth. Dragon and rider soared, feeling the freedom of the air.
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Sarah left the chamber, knowing she would only be in the way if she chose to stay. She wandered out to the garden, her steps' taking her to the arbor. Within its hidden places she could think. Sitting in the dark cool green place, she closed her eyes. It was still too quiet, yet here she could think.
"My Lady?" A familiar voice spoke quietly to her. "May I be of service?"
Sarah opened her eyes to the concerned face of her old friend. "Sir Didymus." She said softly. "How long you been standing there?"
"Not long." He moved closer slowly. "It's been a strange morning, Ma'am. The Goblin Guard is out of sorts."
"Many of us seem to be." Sarah confessed. "The birds are missing."
"I have noticed." Sir Didymus sighed. "Not a good sign."
"No, I suppose it's not." Sarah sighed heavily.
"Is there anything I can do, My Lady?" the little Knight looked troubled.
"Pray." Sarah said firmly.
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Angus landed on the craggy mountaintop at the far end of the Kingdom. Quinn slid from his back and stood on the bulwark the rocks formed. He gazed at the Kingdom stretched out before him. "I never really wanted it." He said aloud. "I just wanted to feel I was worthy of it."
Angus sighed. "Quinnie lad, ye are worthy. Ye were willing to give up thy own existence to save Jareth."
"What good did it do, Angus?" Quinn moaned as he turned to face the Dragon Lord. "It's like I'm alone here. He is quiet! I barely hear him. I have never been so alone. It would have been better if I'd never been born!"
"Quinnie, Quinnie, Quinnie." The Dragon shook his great head as he clucked his tongue. "Ye know better than that."
"Angus, did I do something wrong in the merge? Why are we not…One?" Quinn rubbed his forehead. "I keep going over and over it."
"That is not for me to say, Lad." Angus hunkered down.
Quinn looked back at the land; "He loves this place so much…. Its inhabitants…all of them…not just the Goblins. I know why, and I share that feeling…I always did. I feel that way about Tarsi." He closed his eyes; "I miss MY castle, my gardens, and my people." He moaned out brokenheartedly. "I miss my life!"
The great Dragon nodded, "That is only natural, Quinnie."
The unhappy Fae shook his head. "It's wrong." He looked horrified at the Dragon. "I envy Jareth so many things…his friends, his house…his…" He stopped.
"His woman?" Angus suggested.
"She's not his woman…"Quinn growled in a fury. "I'm beginning to think she never was."
Angus blinked. "What does that mean?"
"You've know us since we were brought to live at the High King's court, old friend. Have you ever once known Jareth to impose his will on a female?" When the dragon shook his head, Quinn continued. "So many times, I have sent thoughts to him. How many of my thoughts did he use? I know I was the one who said to show her our power! I was the one who suggested the snake that turned to a silk scarf…." He looked at the bewildered dragon.
"Quinn?"
The young Fae paced. "Something in me…in us…. In our shared mind, must have recognized her….and I …I set about putting into motion the things that… NO! That's wrong…he…I… WE…WE recognized her. She was never just his…she's been ours all along." Quinn's knees gave way and he fell to the ground. "She's been ours."
The great Dragon kept watch over the Fae.
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Cairbre shrugged. "Well, what do we have, Lady Anne?"
"Bits and pieces at best, Bard." Anne frowned. "God this reminds me of some of the stupid puzzle tests back home." She flung her quill.
Ryan held Giles back as he went to retrieve the quill. "Don't get in the line of fire." The Paladin cautioned. No sooner did the words leave his lips then Anne threw all the quills off the table and roared.
Cairbre looked at her for a moment then spread the scroll flat once more. "Point by point." He said softly suggested, ignoring the outburst.
Anne nodded. " Ok we have the arrogance of a High King resulting in the birth of the Shattered Soul. That has happened. Oberon got his jollies and the results are Jareth and Quinn."
The Bard smiled, "Crudely but accurately put, Lady Anne." He mused. "The next two stanzas depict the existence of the Shattered soul. Side by side, even when not together."
Giles' face showed commiseration for his friend, and his King. "That's a hell of a way to live." He said.
Cairbre looked at the Archer, "I beg your pardon?"
"Always in each other's head…knowing what the other knows, feels and wants." Solea shuddered. "I agree with the Archer, it's no way to live."
Anne looked at the scroll again. "Bard, where does it say that only one was supposed to be born?"
The Bard looked at the words, "Lady Anne…you've hit on something."
Ryan looked over; "She's hit on what?"
"A truth that no one ever wanted to see." Cairbre went over the words again. "The shattered soul was meant to be."
Giles held up a hand, "You all said only one was ever meant to be born." He protested.
"It would seem the High King was not the only one suffering from Arrogance, my Lord Archer." Cairbre flung his quill as Anne had flung hers. "We've been reading the damn thing wrong from the start."
"Bloody Hell!" Giles groaned.
Anne pushed Cairbre aside. "You and yours have had your turn playing games with this sucker. Well, now it is my turn. Ryan, Giles, sit down and let me bounce this off you."
The remaining Champions sat across from her and the Bard and his wife took seats at the far end of the table. Cairbre with a fresh scroll and quill prepared to take down notes. "Ok, we've got the King and we've got the boys. We've got them living side by side, even when not together." Anne shuddered.
"Two roads before them, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal.
One to live, and one to die." She paused then read the next line.
"When the sacrifice of life is given,
That which was separated shall be joined.
Two-made-One."
Giles looked at the Scribe. "Does that sound muddled to you?"
Anne nodded, "Let's try it this way.
Two roads before them, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal.
One to live, and one to die when the sacrifice of life is given,
That which was separated shall be joined, Two-made-One."
Cairbre at the end of the table frowned. "It's still the same thing."
"No it's not." Ryan stood.
Anne slammed her hand into the table. "Who died?"
Cairbre moved to where she was standing. "What do you mean who died?"
"One to live, one to die when the sacrifice of life is given….Who died? Which one died?" She looked at Ryan and Giles. "You were there, who died?"
Solea gasped. "Neither. Neither died…. Quinn prevented Jareth from dying and then Ryan, Klaws and Giles saved the Two-made-one!"
"Jareth…he's living the death beyond dying…" Anne stated. "Remember what he looked like when he returned from the mine…" Anne gasped. "Quinn sacrificed his life…not just his body…his life."
Cairbre looked at her notes. "What was it Quinn said…the merge was not assimilating…"
Anne read further on. "It was foretold it wouldn't, not right away. Dear God! You've all been reading this thing wrong all along."
Cairbre looked at Anne; "We have to re-read the entire prophecy. It's been scrambled by Fae arrogance in trying to read it." He looked to his wife, "Best have the servants bring us food…it's going to be a long day, my dear."
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Quinn sat looking at the land, his brother's Kingdom, now his. He had been quiet for a long time. The Dragon Lord sat beside him, watching and waiting. Finally, Quinn looked over at the Dragon. "Phineas set the seeds of poison in my mind." He stated. "But my desire to save my brother over rode it." He looked at the Kingdom again. "I'd do it again, Angus. I'd give my life for Jareth, again."
"Of course ye would Quinnie, yer a good man." Angus said.
"He told me to court her…" Quinn sighed. "I thought that having marked her…"
"Marking and courting are not the same, even an old Dragon like myself knows that, Lad!" Angus scoffed.
"I tried to get off easy, didn't I?" The Fae looked down at his hands. "I'm afraid, Angus…"
"Of what lad?" The Dragon leaned nearer to give comfort.
"Of not measuring up." He muttered.
Angus leaned closer, his great dragon lips nest to the ear of the Fae. "Since when would a Son of Oberon not measure up?" The dragon began to snicker suggestively.
Quinn could not stay serious, and snickered as well. "Angus…you are such a dirty old man!"
"Aye, Quinnie! That I am." the Dragon Lord happily agreed. "So why waste yer time out here, sulking, when there's a woman to woo back at the castle?"
Quinn stood up. "Right again you dirty old man. I've a woman to woo." He mounted the Dragon. "Now, if you could just tell me how to do that... I mean pretending to be Jareth is one thing…wooing his way…is another."
"Be yer self Quinnie me lad…Be yer self." Advised the Dragon Lord as he took to the wing.