Chapter Forty Five

Labyrinth Justice

Jareth gathered the Goblins in the throne room. He looked at them, his people. "The day is come," he announced with dark fury. "The usurper is near. He comes to take my throne and enslave your race." He walked with hands on his hips, dressed in battle armor. "Our enemy does not yet realize we are aware, and have been aware of him from the start."

Sarah and the children watched from the gallery.

"I am King!" roared Jareth. "I will not have this Kingdom become the breeding grounds of the UnSeelie Court!" His cloak fluttered, although there was no wind.

"Those who gave aid to our enemy are known and are even now being dealt with."

The generals of the Goblin Army knelt before their King. "We are loyal to only you, King Jareth!"

"The fool who comes this day thinks we are weak! He thinks we are foolish and stupid." Jareth continued. "Today he will taste Justice, Labyrinth Justice! Today we save our Kingdom!"

Jenny pulled on her mother's arm, "Is Father angry?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, dear, Father is very angry. But not without reason."

Gwynn was dressed in toy armor that reflected the style his stepfather wore. Jenny also wore armor of sorts.

Jareth twirled his hand and pointed through the window. "On the hillside outside our gates he gathers his forces. They do not know the secrets of our Labyrinth! They do not know the Goblin heart, or its soul. They take for granted that they can overpower us. Today we turn the tides; today we take back the glory that is Goblin! To your posts."

"Fiat Justitia!" Rose the cry from the Goblins before they disbursed. (Let there be justice!)

Sarah and the children came down from the gallery. Jenny was the first to reach Jareth, and she held out her hand to him. Gwynn tugged on his leg to be picked up. Reaching down he pulled the boy up into his arm, his free arm placed around Jenny protectively.

"Listen to me, my dear,." he spoke to the children. "I want you to remember all that we've told you. Your mother and I have prepared you for this day. When things begin to happen I want you to do as you were told." He looked at Jenny. "Now what do you do?"

Looking up, she smiled. "We go into the Labyrinth and only go with the inhabitants we know. We stay far from the ones who are strangers to us."

"That's my little love." He praised; he looked at Gwynn. "You stay with your sister, and protect her, my little man."

Gwynn smiled, nodded and said. "Dadee keen."

Sarah opened her mouth, but no word came.

Jareth kissed the children and sent them off with Willa, whom he had already instructed to seek safe haven in the Labyrinth. Side by side, he and Sarah watched the children leave the throne room. When they were gone, Jareth turned to Sarah. "I go into battle." He placed on hand to her shoulder.

"Yes, I know." She nodded.

"There is a tradition, very old and honored. The lady of the castle sends its lord off with a favor." He murmured. "Would you not …."

Sarah took a silk scarf from her sleeve and tied it to his arm. "I'd be honored if you'd wear my colors, my King."

The hand on her shoulder took her slender neck into its grasp. "You asked me once if I ever loved you…."

"You said I was just your obsession." She finished for him

His thumb under her chin raised her head. "It was not the whole truth. You are my obsession. That is true. I make no apologies for it, Sarah. Nor do I regret the manner in which I have chained you to me." Gloved fingers fanned out on her neck, and his thumb under her chin forced her to face him. "I will not go into battle having you think you are only an obsession or merely my possession."

Sarah nodded. "This is not the time for flowery speeches, my King. Save our Kingdom, and I will be happy to listen to anything you feel you need say." She placed a hand to his cheek. "With your shield or on it." She stepped back.

Jareth winked. "I was right you know. You are a magnificent woman." He turned and departed.

Sarah looked around the throne room, empty and quiet. "I wish I understood him, really understood him." She said quietly as she went to sit in his throne. As soon as the words left her lips, she knew she had made a mistake in uttering them. She felt as if a thunder bolt had been driven though her, and closed her eyes tightly. Her hands gripped the side arms of the throne; her wish had been granted. When she opened her eyes, she saw things differently, no longer with just her own eyes, but with his. "Well I'll be damned." She muttered. "That skinny assed bastard has been bluffing all along." She took a deep breath. "Alright, Jareth, we'll play this out your way."

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Grizbine spoke to his gathering forces. "I will go in alone. They will not suspect a thing. Await my signal, then enter the city and destroy anything or any one who stands in your way. Remember! Take captive only the Mortal and her children!"

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Unseen the voyeur stood in the gallery and watched the woman in the throne. He watched as she took the last moments before battle to bolster her courage. He kept his presence secret, not wishing to disturb the Chatelaine. He could see the fire and ice, and the reason his son was so enamored of the woman. 'He has his father's tastes in women, never anything simple.' He smiled as the woman sat calming in his son's throne. 'Yes, Sarah Williams, you are worth this war! You are the savior of the Goblin Kingdome and its throne."

Sarah felt her child stir, "Yes, little one, I know. Grizbine is near." She tugged the shoulders of her gown down and pulled her bodice to expose her bosom shamelessly. 'Show and tell time, Jareth.'

'Right. You show, and let us hope he tells,' came the answer from the King. 'To your post, my Consort.'

Sarah unhurriedly strolled down the stairs and out to the garden where she settled herself on a bench. She made sure her ample bosom was exposed without spilling out. "Come and get it you slimy bastard," she muttered as she heard Grizbine's steed at the garden gate. 'Ok, going into dumb blond mode,' she told her partner. She painted on a sappy smile, and greeted the man entering her garden. "Why Grizbine, how nice to see you."

Grizbine bowed to her, his eyes going straight to her breasts. "How lovely you look." He looked about the garden, before straddling the bench beside her. "Where is my cousin? I've come with court business."

Sarah pouted. "Here I thought you'd come to see me. Jareth's around here somewhere, off with the Goblins again."

Grizbine reached over to a bush and plucked a rose. He extended the flower to touch her exposed skin. "We are alone?" he growled softly.

"Yes, Grizbine. We are alone." She gave him her best simper. 'I'm gonna gag!'

'Stay strong. Tease him.' Prompt the unseen King. 'Make him drool.'

'That will cost you extra, Goldielocks.' She giggled and batted her lashes.

"Have you given thought to my offer?" Grizbine stroked her with the rose.

'This jerk is getting off on this, and you're gonna owe me big time for this performance, Blondie.' She sent the guarded thought. Blinking at Grizbine she licked her lips as if the had gone dry. "What offer would that be?" she let her voice drop an octave. She leaned closer, "As I recall you made two offers."

"The second is not necessarily attached to the first." He growled at her, lowering his head to kiss her bosom, as a hand came up and cupped a breast roughly.

'Gag me! How long do I have to suffer his slobbering on my bosom?'

'Just get him to talk.'

"Grizbine, please, if we get caught." She put on a whimper she had heard her mother practice for a play.

Grizbine wondered to himself if Baal would mind too terribly receiving his goods slightly more used than she was now. The thought of cuckolding Jareth with the tasty mortal excited him and set fire running through his veins. "Jareth should know better than to leave so delicious a dish out to be sampled," he murmured against her skin and took a lover's bite.

'If this does not get the confession, nothing will!' Sarah moaned in her mind. 'I'm going for broke and then getting the hell out of here.'

'Break him my dear. Make him want you more than he wants anything else.'

'Oh this is so gonna cost you, Blondie!'

Sarah, placed a hand to the neck of the Fae kissing her breasts. "Make me your offer again, Grizbine."

"Entice me, mortal witch," he teased.

Sarah gave a tug and the bodice dropped on one side exposing a nipple, she began to stoke the man's neck, "If we get caught," she let her chest heave under his lips. "It will be my head, not yours," she whispered simulating passion. 'The things I'll do for this Kingdom!' She held him off, not allowing his lips to touch the rosy peak that had appeared. "If Jareth should find out you've helped me escape…"

'Get the information and get out of there before he wants more.'

"Jareth will have no power soon to do any thing. His Kingdom is about to become mine!" Boasted the lusting man. "He'll have no power to follow where I send you, wench."

'Get out now, Sarah!' Jareth said. 'Make him follow you into the Labyrinth.'

Sarah startled, feigning that she had heard something, or someone approach. "It's too open here." She bolted toward the private hedge, pressed the hinge and passed though. She left the hedge opening ajar, scurried down the path and ran straight to the Ruse. "Open!" she ordered, adjusting her bodice more modestly again and making sure her amulet was now on the outside of her bodice. The door opened and the shaft of hands swallowed her. "Down, gently, boys!"

The chorus of hands laughed and snickered. "She said down…" Hands lowered the Chatelaine gently until she was set into the oubliette.

"Keep that creep out!" she ordered the hands who covered the lid on the oubliette. She took a seat on the bench that Jareth had replaced as sharp jabs and pain hit. "No…" she moaned. " Not now baby!" The second pain hit and she masked her mind not wanting to distract Jareth.

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On the windswept hillside, the amassed forces of Grizbine's army awaited the signal to ravage the little kingdom. They joked and jeered over the prospect of taking out a few Goblins.

"Tonight," boasted the general of Grizbine's forces, "we shall taste Goblin hide!"

"Are you so sure of that?" asked a voice that shook the earth. Everywhere there were goblins, of every description and size. All dressed in battle gear. The leader of the Goblin forces growled orders out in the ancient Goblin Tongue. Grizbine's men were out numbered and out flanked. "Drop your weapons and surrender to the Goblin King's might!"

Grizbine's general watched as weapons and banners began to pile up. "You have no idea of what you've done, you fools."

"We've saved our Kingdom from your madman." The Goblin general roared. "Bind them! We march them back to our city, and to the King's justice."

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Grizbine had difficulty rising quickly from the bench, his swollen manhood hurt. Had the wench not bolted, he would have used her to satiate his sexual hunger. He would have enjoyed using her in the garden in the open for any and all to see. He groaned as he pulled himself up and turned to move the direction she had gone. Finding the hedge and the opening, he smiled to himself, thinking of the stupid woman thinking she was going home. The only place she was going, he told himself was to Baal. "We have time, little pet," he called into the opening. "I've yet to taste the morsel you've offered me." He passed though the hedge, took a few steps and the hedge closed masking the opening completely. Grizbine was moving toward the path. "Come out and play, little mortal…" he called. "It's time you had a man, instead of that fop."

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Sarah heard him as he passed by; she kept the hem of her skirt in her teeth as she counted the time between pains. Tears were now coming down her cheeks. When she was sure he had passed on and the pain had begun to ease, she knelt over the bench, panted lightly and whispered. "Help."

The unseen voyeur had been keeping watch. He took form and stooped to pick up the woman. "Be still, child. I shall take you to your chamber and bring the Goblin Midwife to you."

Sarah would have recognized the face if not the eyes anywhere. "High… King."

"Hi Consort." Joked the man lightly as he took her away from the Oubliette.

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A smile curled Jareth's lips as he watched his cousin entered the labyrinth unknowing. Soon the other Fae would be under attack by the Labyrinth itself. He felt Sarah enter the oubliette, and then she vanished from his 'radar'. He frowned, drew a crystal and cursed quietly to himself. "Great timing, my son," he muttered. He saw his father appear and take Sarah. He trusted his father to see to his Consort, and now he could concentrate on teaching his cousin a lesson about plotting against the High King and his son.