A/N: Thanks so much for reading, and all of the helpful reviews! I'm sorry about the delay- my real life has gotten in the way for a while. Be sure to check the earlier chapters: I've made a few updates for content, and I spend my time updating the earlier chapters before posting the newest one. I've finally finished the outline, and remember to review and give me any advice you might have!
Rubbing his feet, Jareth sat down on the packed dirt beneath him, exasperated. He had been walking for hours!
The sky was turning a dark, purple color, swirling and sparkling with energy. Looking around, he could only see the forest: enveloping the area around him and creating a canopy. The trees were tall, smooth and graceful, filled with birds and leaves of every shade of green.
He had never been in a place so beautiful before. Or, rather, he had never even dreamed of a place this beautiful.
Whoever had imagined this, Jareth thought, must have had a sense of the world around them. They must have traversed through legends and fiction, through dreams and reality. Having lived a life of ambition and contentment.
And as he grinned, losing himself in his thoughts, that's when the cat appeared before him and the path divided in two.
Sarah brushed a comb through her hair, holding a golden pocket watch in her other hand and balancing a detailed, expensive-looking gold mirror on her lap.
Setting the comb down, she traced a finger across the mirror and glanced at the baby cooing softly, swathed in pink silk in the cradle on the other side of the throne room.
Though she could not make his trip any easier, she hoped beyond hope that he was the person she had once known, the clever, handsome man who (though slightly conceited, at times) could achieve almost anything.
And as she glanced at his tall, lanky form in the pocket mirror before her, a single tear dripped from her cheek, unnoticeable, falling softly onto the surface.
"It's raining," the cat proclaimed, and Jareth heard it so clearly that he was startled out of his thoughts.
"Excuse me?" he asked in politeness, looking around for the source of the voice. Things talked that weren't supposed to, inanimate objects, walls and things. He was still getting used to it.
"I said, it's raining. You might want to seek some cover. Or the trees might help," smiling, the cat continued. "You should ask politely."
Jareth rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in defiance. "This is ridiculous. I am not asking trees for anything."
"Suit yourself, though I think they'll be fair insulted that you're so stubborn."
The cat was right, he thought, as he was immediately pelted with more rain after every tree immediately moved at least five feet away from him.
"Please choose- I do not enjoy being wet," the cat spoke again in that low, aristocratic female voice, licking a paw in disdain and glancing upwards.
Sighing, Jareth glanced upwards at the wet trees. "Could you please help me out?" He hoped his voice was sincere, though his intentions were doubting and slightly skeptical. Immediately, a banana tree extended a large leaf towards the boy and the cat, covering them and sheltering them from the downpour. Jareth was amazed. The cat did not look so amazed, however, as it just kept licking its right paw.
"There we are. Now, which way are you going to go?"
"I've got a more pressing question- who are you and how did you get here? And how can you talk? I was under the impression that cats didn't talk." Jareth asked persistently, barely noticing that the path had divided into two, with swinging wooden divided doors equipped with two brass handles.
Grinning, the cat answered: "I am no normal cat, you know." Her green eyes flickered and glowed orange, fixing themselves on him. "I am Bast, the guardian of Lower Egypt and patron goddess of cats."
Jareth noticed the necklace around her neck for the first time: it was a golden amulet- simple but decorative and well-made. Small, rounded jade pieces and rubies were embedded into the pendant from which a large golden sun was hanging. The cat's paws were delicate and graceful; her poise was impeccable with a regal air. Her eyes shimmered emerald, and Jareth could see the defined, kohl outline around them.
She cleaned paws gingerly, continuing. "I hear you're traveling, young man."
"I'm trying to get to the center," he asked, "How do you get there?"
"Well, seeing as I'm not headed in that direction, I wouldn't know. I can, however, tell you how to find the castle at the center of the labyrinth- if you do me a favor," she laughed- a high, tinkling noise.
Frustrated, he exclaimed "Why does no one have any real answers in this place!" He rubbed his forehead. "I am not amused."
"You may go left, or you may go right. However, one path leads to certain death, and the other goes straight to the center. I will tell you what you desire if you answer a question for me."
"Fine," he sighed, "What's your question?"
She grinned, her pointed teeth shining like ivory. "What is so fragile that when you say its name you break it?"
After sitting for a full five minutes, Jareth was completely stuck for the answer. His eyes were crossed in confusion.
"Maybe you are thinking too much, young man," Bast laughed again, and Jareth had enough.
"You know, how about I just pick a direction! I don't need your silly riddle to help me figure this out!"
"Things are not exactly what they seem, here," she warned, but he had already jumped up, deliberating for a minute and heading towards the door to his right, standing in front of it defiantly.
"So I pull on a stupid door! What's the worst that could happen?" He curled his hand around the cold brass and pulled, the door opening with a loud creak. Jareth was surprised- he was half-expecting it to not open. He saw the castle in the distance and stepped jubilantly.
However, he did not notice the large hole in the ground, directly in front of the door.
"It's not fair!" she cried, beating her fist against the dirt walls.
He watched her in a crystal in the throne room. Tears were falling down her face as she paced, muttering "Toby" under her breath, grabbing her hair in her hands and pulling.
He wanted to help her, to give her a way out, but she had already turned down the helping hands. He could do nothing more, as much as he wanted to.
This was her battle, and as soon as the dwarf told her she had to go all the way back to the beginning, she'd soon give up.
"Turn back, Sarah," he whispered, gazing into the crystal. "Turn back before it's too late."