A/N: I'm so sorry about the delay in posting this, honestly. I had to re-write some of the later chapters and change this plot, due to a couple conflicts near the end of the story. Here's an extra-long, excellent chapter for you as a reward. Remember, reviews are always loved! Thank you all for being so patient with me and for enjoying the story.
Feeling the weight of the dagger in his back pocket, Jareth walked onward through the twisting mass of trees in Rowan Forest. After another half hour, he could see a glimpse of light through the canopy of branches, penetrating the darkness. The boy and the cat walked faster, with renewed energy, and soon entered a clearing with a path leading to a small town.
"Ah, here we are!" Bast exclaimed, her eyes shimmering, "Pearth Village, at last. This means we're almost half-way to the castle."
Jareth was feeling quite frustrated, being only "almost half-way" to the castle beyond the goblin city, and stuck out his lower lip. Bast fixed her yellow-green eyes on him, obviously amused.
"We are closer than you think, you know. Though the journey is only harder from here," she spoke, soothing and exciting his nerves at the same time. "The labyrinth will protect you, young man, and it will be easier than you think."
"Is this still part of the labyrinth?" he asked, kicking a pebble on the ground.
"Technically, yes," she shrugged. "The labyrinth has grown into it, and taken over other parts of the underground. The labyrinth has run wild, these days."
He tried to ask her for more information and answers, but she just fixed her eyes on the town in the distance and would not respond.
They walked farther into the small village, and Jareth was fascinated by what he saw- it looked exactly like a medieval renaissance fair he had been to once! There were small cottages and cobbled streets, taverns, stands selling various trinkets, and laughing residents in simple, dated garb walking through the streets. Though, he wondered...
"Why is there a city of humans here, in the Underground?" he inquired.
Bast chucked, obviously amused, "There are actually four cities of them: there's this one, Pearth, and then over to the east there's Gehenna, to the west of that is Etna and to the south of Pearth is Trent."
"How did they all get here?"
The cat laughed louder this time, her eyes tearing up and glittering, "You don't honestly think that all of the wished away children become goblins, do you? It's not very common to turn someone into a goblin, as it's not the most desirable thing in the world to be one. Humans are here for a few different reasons, truthfully. This city," she pointed a paw towards the walkway, "is filled with the wished-away children. Here, I'll show you a few things."
She walked forward, her feline head held high and full of grace, leaving Jareth no choice but to follow. After making a few turns, they reached a large, cheerful-looking cottage with a tall oak door and thatched roof. Bast motioned for him to knock, using the large brass knocker next to the door. He did.
The door opened and Jareth saw a beautiful, tall, clear-skinned woman with dark features and a rosy complexion. She wore a simple shift-dress made of linen, with no shoes.
"Can I help you?" she asked warily, her words humming in the afterglow of speech. Bast walked forward on her delicate paws, twisting herself around the woman's legs and mewing softly. The woman giggled and stroked the cat's back.
"Um... I was wondering... what is this place?" he stammered, taken aback by Bast's friendly welcome to the relative stranger.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "You must be a traveler. This is the welcoming house, for the wished away children. Here, I'll show you around. I'm Marta, and I'm head assistant," she grinned and picked up Bast, placing her in his arms. "I presume this is your cat? What a lovely creature."
Bast purred in pleasure and Jareth fixed her with a cross glare. "Show-off," he mumbled, stroking her behind the ears absentmindedly.
As he walked through the corridors, Marta described how children were wished away by those who refused to care for them and those who made stupid decisions in selfishness. Jareth couldn't help but feel guilty.
At least if I lose this race, he thought, Caroline will be taken care of... but I wish I hadn't wished her away so thoughtlessly.
As if reading his thoughts, Bast licked his arm and rubbed her head on his hand. Jareth held the cat closer to him, delighting in her warmth and security.
When they reached the room where the newest arrivals were staying, Marta smiled at him and turned around. "I'll only be a few minutes, I just need to see whether the children are done with their daily prayers." She entered the room, her skirt brushing the ground behind her.
"Wait, they have prayer here? What religion do they follow?" Jareth asked, confused.
"They are Christians, probably what the Aboveground would classify as Protestant," Bast replied.
"But I'd think after seeing all of... this," he motioned to the place around him, "you wouldn't believe in something like that."
"People will believe in whatever they want to, in order to keep faith alive. With faith brings hope, and hope keeps people living for tomorrow," the cat said, licking her paws.
Crossing his arms, Jareth was lost in thought, slowly contemplating her words and their meaning, twisting them around in his head...
He leaned over the cradle, stroking the baby's golden hair out of his face. He could not protect the child, he could not save him from his fate.
He thought this time, maybe it would have been different. Maybe fate would have been in his favor, maybe they would understand how deeply and urgently he loved this girl, before all others. When she had come before, he saw her as a child and refused to watch her live. But now, this strong, defiant slip of a young woman was driving him mad, making him regret his past actions that had led to his lack of a future.
She was asleep in the other room after crying for hours, raging and tearing the room apart. Her soft voice was choked with sobs, turning her throat red and raw and emphasizing the tears flowing down her pale cheeks. He had to remove the baby from her arms and call for a child-sized coffin, setting the child down in what was to be his home, his cradle.
"Why can't we... what went wrong..." she sobbed into his shoulder earlier that night, before she let her mind slip into dreamless sleep.
He vowed that he would not let her feel such pain again. He would fix his past mistakes and his past actions.
He would not be so selfish again.
Bast leaned up and fixed Jareth with an urgent gaze, startling him out of his thoughts. "I didn't think this through, I'm sorry, but I just realized... whatever you do, don't let the children see you."
"Why not?" he asked, puzzled. "Is it because I'm a runner of the labyrinth?"
She sighed and shook her head. "It's something like that, I can't tell you why..."
"What is it with this place, anyway? Why am I not allowed to know anything? Why isn't anything simple, or easy and why does it have to be a problem?!" he shouted, interrupting her. Jareth was beyond frustrated, at this point. Bast trembled with his harsh words, burying his head in the crook of his elbow as a symbol of comfort. He pushed her away.
She looked up again, her eyes demanding. "I have loved you your entire life," she spoke slowly and carefully, articulating each word. "I would not lie to you."
Confused and shocked, he started to open his mouth but was interrupted by Marta opening the door, beckoning him to come in. Bast looked regretfully at him, begging him not to enter. Stubbornly, he walked in.
His eyes were hit with the image of children having pillow fights, running in circles, playing tag and dancing to music. Jareth couldn't believe how happy all of these wished away children were- they weren't with their families, right? How could such lonely children be so happy?
About to turn to ask Marta, one of the children spotted Jareth and did the most remarkable thing: they screamed.
Soon, all of the children were screaming and crying, running in circles and hiding behind anything they could find, muttering that "he'll hurt me, he can't have it..." Understandably, Marta called in more caretakers and ushered Jareth out.
Jareth was stunned and confused by their behavior, slumping against a side wall and breathing heavily. Bast rubbed against his feet consolingly.
Marta came out the door a few minutes later, panting in exhaustion. "I'm sorry, sir... the children have been having a bad day..."
"It's fine," he stammered, resting his palms on his thighs and trying to calm his racing thoughts. "Why were they so scared?"
She fixed her eyes on him for a minute, taking in his frame. "It's just that if it weren't for your hair and apparel... I'd swear you almost looked like a younger version of the Goblin King."
"Wait, there's a Goblin King?" Jareth asked, shocked. The thought that the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on was married was almost too much to take in.
"Of course," she replied slowly. "Everyone knows he's the one who takes wished away children here, to the Underground. You've heard the stories, haven't you? About the King of the Goblins, falling in love with the girl and taking away her brother who she wished away? Everyone says it's a prophecy, but I think it's just a legend."
Jareth was even more surprised than before, turning pale and growing dizzy. Bast noticed and jumped down, pulling on his pants leg and mewing. He quickly caught his balance and thanked Marta, walking out with Bast leading the way.
They decided to leave the village after grabbing two pork sandwiches and taking a break to eat, with Jareth contemplating this new discovery.
"Did I have a strange copy or a misprint or something?" he asked Bast, pressing a hand to his warm forehead.
"These things happen for a reason," she replied softly, licking a paw in contemplation and thought. "We cannot control the path that fate lies out for us to follow."