Chapter 3: The Plan Pt. 2
Disclaimer: So far I only own Ara and the cottage at the edge of the Bog. Everything else belongs to someone else.
They reappeared outside of a huge mahogany door with a topographical map of the Labyrinth carved into the surface. Sarah was so entranced by the door she squeaked with surprise when Jareth scooped her up into his arms.
The door glided open and Jareth carried Sarah over the threshold and into his quarters.
His rooms were beautifully decorated. A fireplace to the right gave off enough light to illuminate the entire room. In front of the fireplace was a red oriental rug surrounded by overstuffed, black leather furniture: a couch, loveseat and chair. Behind the couch stood a leather topped table and two matching chairs.
The entrance to the bedroom was off to the left and the balcony was straight ahead.
"Come, let's talk out on the balcony while dinner is being served," said Jareth as he put Sarah down and led her out onto the balcony.
"Uh…Alright," said Sarah.
Once out on the balcony things got kind of awkward, as far as Sarah was concerned they had nothing in common other than her journey through the Labyrinth.
"So…anyone successfully completed the Labyrinth since me?" Sarah began. Ok, probably not the best way to open the conversation, but she was at a loss.
"No." said Jareth, "Not everyone is given the privilege of wishing others away, nor is everyone foolish enough to think they can simply wish away their anxieties in the first place."
"I was 15!" countered Sarah, "I was too young to understand what I was actually doing!"
"Indeed," commented Jareth, "although I can see grown up quite a bit since our last meeting."
"…" Sarah paused, "Wait…did you just turn an insult into a compliment!"
This was definitely not the Goblin King she remembered from before…Hold it, was he looking at her chest! Never mind, same old Jareth.
"Astute as ever I see, Sarah," said Jareth in one of his haughtier tones.
Yep, this was definitely the same pompous, egotistical, asinine, vapid…(You get the point) but roguishly handsome jerk from before.
"How dare you!" Sarah erupted in her best agitated tone, "I come all this way for a visit and all you can do is take cheap shots!"
"I thought you said you were on your way to see Higgle," Jareth crossed his arms over his chest.
"I was…" Sarah said quickly as she saw Didymous and Ambrosious making their way across the courtyard below, "and then I was going to come and see you. I wanted a fresh start. We got off on the wrong foot last time I think."
(Cue the fight scene)
"The wrong foot?-The wrong foot!" yelled Jerath, "You ran amuck through my kingdom, refused all I had to offer, including my love, emasculated me in front of my subjects. Do you have any idea how degrading it was for someone in my position to be defeated and rejected by a fifteen year old human girl, especially after I reordered time on her account!"
"Oh, you and that whole re-ordering time thing, again!" bellowed Sarah, "For your information, you didn't give me much incentive to stick around, considering your idea of generosity was to try and forget about me by dropping me into an oubliette, nearly having me ripped to shreds by those crazed maniacs, the firies, and then attempting to drop me into the BOG!"
"If you recall, Sarah, it was your decisions that got you into those uncomfortable positions in the first place!" shouted Jerath.
It probably would have come to blows, if the small squeak of a goblin maid hadn't interrupted the bickering.
"Dinner is served, Your Highness. You just need to select a wine."
"Very well," said Jareth walking over to the threshold of the balcony. Before he went back into his rooms the Goblin King glanced over his shoulder at Sarah, "Try not to wonder into any danger while I'm gone."
He disappeared inside before Sarah could make a rebuttal.
"Oooo, that man is infuriating!" exclaimed Sarah.
She leaned on the balcony's railing to fume when she noticed Sir Didymous and Ambrosious begin their trek carefully across the courtyard below with Ludo brining up the rear. Everything began well, but soon they attracted the attention of one of the guards.
Sarah had to think fast, if the guard raised the alarm Didymous would surely blow the entire rescue mission, Ambrosious would head for the hills and Ludo would get caught in the crossfire, that's when Sarah noticed a potted plant sitting by her foot.
SMASH!-The guard keeled over surrounded by a halo of soil.
"Sarah, what was that?" came Jareth's voice from inside.
"Uh…one of the guards knocked over a plant in the courtyard," said Sarah quickly.
"Ugh, not again." sighed Jareth walking back out onto the balcony to collect Sarah, "I'll deal with it later, come dinner is served."
Jareth took Sarah by the arm and led her inside.
Dinner consisted of the best salad Sarah had ever eaten. It was served in the top of a large mushroom and was chock full of berries, nuts and fruits Sarah had never seen before.
Sarah and Jareth ate dinner civilly. The only conversation throughout the meal was very topical, concentrating mostly on the weather. Sarah was taking no chances at this point. A strange topic or rambling could raise the Goblin King's suspicions and that would scrub the entire rescue mission.
Meanwhile Didymus, Ludo and Ambrosius had penetrated into the bowels of the castle (a.k.a. the dungeon or more correctly the catacombs). As I'm sure you can imagine it was dark, dank, overrun with cobwebs and you could hear water dripping somewhere at every turn.
Cells lined the walls and the floor. Many were empty although some still held the remnants of their past tenants. Granted they were from the Goblin Civil War that occurred nearly two centuries ago, but they still served to send Ambrosius the other way.
"Ambrosius!-Ambrosius, come back here at once!" the noble knight shouted after his fearful steed, "Cans't thou just turn and run away, while Sir Hoggle in danger!"
But the little knight's pleas fell on deaf ears, as Ambrosius kept on running and didn't look back.
And so the rescue team was reduced to two. But nonetheless they pressed on and with a short while (15 min to be exact) their efforts were rewarded as they came upon Hoggle, who despite the trauma he had endured was in good spirits, considering two slumbering guards were "watching" him.
In fact, he was in mid verse when they found him:
"…if one of those bottles should happen to fall, 547 bottles of beer on the wall…"
"Sir Hoggle," exclaimed the knight.
Hoggle leapt up from the straw mattress in the cell, "Didymus! Ludo! You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous! If you get caught his royal highn-ass will throw you in here too or worse. From what I've heard three halls of cells have been flooded with water from the Bog!"
"I care not!" declared the knight, "These guards and the King himself will have to drown me in the Bog before I let you rot in a cell!"
"Ya!" Ludo chimed in.
"SHHH!" scolded Hoggle in a harsh whisper, "Keep your voices down, you'll wake the guards!"
"I fear not a fight!-I'll take on all the royal guards if need be!" shouted Didymus.
"Get the keys, then fight!" hissed Hoggle.
"Oh yes, quite right," said the knight in a remorseful tone as he crossed over to the guard.
"What's taking so long!" insisted Hoggle.
"Um…he fell asleep with his arms crossed and the key ring around his right forearm." explained Didymus, "Maybe if I tickle him, he'll move his arm…
"Damn," swore the dwarf.
"Here," said Ludo. The great beast walked over to Hoggle's cell and wrenched the iron door off it's hinges.
This created a horrific screeching sound of metal shredding metal that, obviously awoke the guards.
"What's going on!" shouted the guard with the keys.
"Attack!" shouted Didymus charging forward as Ludo helped Hoggle out of the cell.
"Inform the king!" shouted the guard to his counterpart as Didymus launched a full scale attack.
The other guard took off as fast as he could to warn the king.
Back up in Jareth's quarters, Sarah was in the bathroom preparing for bed by donning one of the Victoria's Secret ensembles Ara had given her. Jareth relaxed at the table with a glass of red wine as the goblin maid cleared the plates.
It was then frantic knocking could be heard at the door.
"Your highness, your highness!" the guard cried as he banged.
Jareth sighed and downed the rest of the wine in his glass then headed for the door, opening it to find his guard in mid panic attack, "Yes, what inane thing is now?" drawled the Goblin King.
The guard tried to regain his breath quickly, but Sarah was already three steps ahead.
SNAP!
A bright pink thong soared through air and landed on the Goblin King's head.
Jareth reached up and untangled the tiny swatch of fabric from his hair and looked back at Sarah, who was seductively leaning against frame of the bedroom door.
"Something just came up," said Jareth quickly as he proceeded to slam the door in the guard's face.
"I'm sure it did," said Sarah smirking.
"This is a sudden change of events, can I ask why?" inquired Jareth just barely keeping his composure.
Sarah raised an eyebrow, "Do you really care?"
Jareth cleared his throat as he took great care in unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt, "No, I suppose not."
Needless to say they were indisposed for the rest of the night.
Down in the courtyard Didymus, Ludo and Hoggle were about to make a clean get away when the other guard caught up with them.
"You there, STOP!" the guard yelled charging into the courtyard saber drawn.
He would have caused a considerable amount of damage as Didymus was helping Hoggle, who was in a weakened state due to his imprisonment, to walk. Luckily, Ambrosius who was hiding out in a bush ran for the protection of his master when he heard the guard yell.
The cowardly steed closed his eyes ran for the trio at break neck speed ramming into the guard's butt and sending him nose first into a fountain.
It was at this point the now reassembled quartette quickly made their way off into the night, back to the safety of the bog (There's a clause I bet you'd never thought you'd read).