Traitors Three
Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus had been hauled into the throne room by armed guards. Not Goblin guards, but Fae guards, someone the King knew would not slip up. The three were chained and shackled. The King had seen them only one other time, the day after the infamous party in Sarah's room that the King had been left out of. He had called them traitors before the entire kingdom. Jareth had sentenced them to hard labor for life.
Hoggle knew this room of the castle. He knew his way around this place better than the stupid goblins. Even shackled he figured he had a fair chance of making a break for it. Seeing just such a chance, he shoved the goblin passing in front of him into the guard. He galloped around the corner straight into a pair of knees.
Jareth was wearing his cloak and looking quite fiendish. Handsome, of course, but fiendish. "Well," he said pleasantly, "if it isn't you."
Hoggle fell back and cowered, he knew that tone. He had heard it before. "Your Majesty." The dwarf was trembling.
Jareth sat on the throne, put his head in his chin as he leaned on one knee. "And where are you going, hmm?"
The dwarf looked like he was about to faint when he heard a sound he thought he'd never hear in the Labyrinth again. It was a scream, a human female scream. It stopped him, and his eyes popped. "Sarah." His face turned to the direction the scream had come. "That's Sarah."
Ludo wailed. "Sahwaaaa."
The little knight, also in shackles for his offenses to the crown gulped and looked as Jareth. "Majesty, is our fair maiden once more among us?"
Jareth stretched. "The creature among us is not a maiden."
Hoggle was turning red, fury in his eyes. "What is Sarah doing here?"
Jareth replied with that pleasant smile that by now was like broken glass, "I'm surprised at all three of you. Losing your heads over a girl." Stepping down from the throne he poked Hoggle with his riding crop. "You disobeyed direct orders. I told you to take her back to the beginning of the Labyrinth! The only thing you did right was giving her my little present." The other two prisoners looked at Hoggle with remorse. "And even that you had to do under…duress." He moved on to the big orange beast. "You! Mooning and fawning over that… girl." He looked lastly at Sir Didymus. "And lastly you."
"Sire," The little knight bowed, "I am your servant, but I am a Knight first. I live by the code. Would you have me do otherwise?"
Jareth frowned, crossed his arms and glared. "I trusted you more than anyone!"
Didymus snorted. "I live by the code, you know that."
Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I know that." He walked back to the throne. "Yes, Sarah is once more running the Labyrinth. This time, alone."
Hoggle became frantic, "You can't leave her in there alone. She is not safe in there. Not now… how much time has passed?"
Jareth gave him a coy, sideways grin. "Twenty human years, hogbrain."
"She's not a child anymore, the things that safeguard a child don't apply to her." Hoggle screamed.
Jareth snorted, "Yes, I know."
"Where is she?" Demanded the dwarf stomping his feet.
"Oh." Jareth placed a hand over his heart. "Now, why the concern? You have not asked about her once in the twenty years that you have been rebuilding my bridges. Bridges your little friend helped destroy."
Hoggle pursed his lips. "Just ... curious." He was more, but did not want to say that to his king.
"I see." Jareth nodded. "I thought for a moment you were thinking of running to help her. She's back, and all you have to know, for now."
Hoggle snapped. "What are you planning on doing to her?"
Blinking as if he did not understand the question, Jareth smiled. "Why Hoghead, I'll do anything I want." The Fae guard grabbed the little dwarf, and it still took four of them to hold him back from lunging at the King. Jareth laughed. "In fact, there's going to be quite the show here in just a few hours. And you three are going to be given ring side seats." He pointed to posts assembled in the center of the throne room, facing a large curtained off wall. "I'm sure you'll all be interested in seeing Sarah receive her punishment for her crimes against our realm."
Didymus joined Ludo in a howl.
"Chain them to the post as soon as they are ready. "Ordered the King with a smile.