The Moon Mad King

By WhiteInfinity21

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

Chapter 4- Year two, Twelfth Moon

For the first time in decades Winter Solstice and the last full moon of the year fell on the same date. The entire kingdom was looking forward to the Solstice Festival even more avidly than was normal. The reason was because this year's solstice celebration was not a normal one, it was a Lunar Solstice Festival, an event that occurs only only one or two times a century. The events from the last one fifty-one years ago are still talked about with awe to this very day. A Lunar Solstice Festival is the sort of event that legends are created from.

But what makes a Lunar Solstice Festival so special you ask?

A normal Solstice Festival is a time of chaotic, good-natured merrymaking where the alcohol runs freely, the food is never-ending, and music, dancing, performances, and other such festival celebrations run for an entire twenty-six hours. Everyone in the Goblin Kingdom has the day off, including the king himself. All the social rules are dropped this day, everyone is an equal during the Solstice Festival.

Winter Solstice is always looked forward to after the months of cold and darkness that descends upon the kingdom once the last dead leaf falls from the branches of the skeletal trees. It is a celebration of all that has happened during the current year. Reaching the Winter Solstice means that the worst of winter is over and that in a few short weeks the snow will melt under the spring sun.

Now you take all that comes with a normal Solstice Festival and add in a full moon to the mix and the concept of the Winter Solstice celebration takes on a whole new meaning. Of course the Solstice Festival wouldn't be a proper city-wide party without the usual trappings that come with it (the food, the alcohol, the dancing and music, the alcohol, the street performers, the wide-spread free exchange of sexual favors, the alcohol, the rampant distribution of fairy weed to the masses..., and did I mention the alcohol?). And during the daytime all of these things can be readily found.

But the rising of the full moon is when the true magic of the Lunar Solstice Festival begins.

The moon that rises on the Lunar Solstice Festival is not the familiar crater marked orb that every creature of the Underground instinctively knows. No, the full moon that rises on the Winter Solstice comes straight out of the moon goddess' realm. The crystal orb filled with silvery mist is actually the physical manifestation of the goddess herself in the Underground, shedding her mystic light across the land. The wild lunar magic originating from the supernatural orb literally makes dreams come to life during the time the crystal moon is in the sky.

Those who were old enough to recall the last Lunar Solstice Festival had recognized and puzzled over the appearance of the full crystal moon two years ago that heralded the arrival of the the female Moon Child. What they didn't know was that Selene herself had to manifest in the Underground to be able to bring Sarah to where she needed to be.

The presence of not one but two Moon Children in the Labyrinth added a new twist to the Lunar Solstice Festival. No one knew what sort of effect the Solstice Full Moon would have on Jareth and Sarah and what effect the Moon Children could have on the festival itself. There was more than one citizen in the Labyrinth that was worried about what could happen with two active Moon Children on the night of the Lunar Solstice Festival (recall the chaos that Sarah strewed across the kingdom during that first month after her return to the Labyrinth). Most of the denizens of the Labyrinth however had no such concerns (mostly due to the fact that they were goblins) and went about with the preparations for the festival with giddy enthusiasm.

It would have helped however if Jareth or Sarah had been present during the perpetrations for the Solstice Festival. But as was starting to become common ever since Sarah had returned, the Goblin King had "mysteriously" vanished a week before the solstice and hadn't been seen since. To date, so far this had been the second longest time in which the Goblin King was absent from his kingdom. By now the king's advisors were no longer surprised by any unplanned absences of their king, especially during the days leading up to the full moon. Every time it happened, they just sighed and shook their heads muttering about how irresponsible Jareth was becoming and how Sarah was having a bad influence on the Goblin King.

Sarah was a force to be reckoned with and was a law onto herself (much like a certain Goblin King himself in fact). In other words, no one messed with her.

The Goblin King's absence, troubling as it was to some, had absolutely no impact on the preparations for the festival during the week leading up to it. Apparently the Solstice Festival was more important than a missing Goblin King to the majority of the Labyrinth's residents. Such is the nature of goblins.

Finally the day of the festival was at hand. From the moment the first glow of false dawn lit the eastern horizon, goblins and other magical creatures were stirring in their beds. Some of the more eager ones were spilling out into the street before the sun actually rose, making an early start to their revelry. By the time the sun had fully risen, the entire city was awake and the celebrations were in full swing.

Everywhere one looked a different distraction was to be found: street performances, musicians playing in front of dancing crowds, food stalls, vendors hawking their wares, contests of every imaginable type and so much more. The carts full of barrels of ale, beer or wine were particularly popular wherever they could be found. There was more to see and do than one person could ever hope to experience in a single day.

All day long the festivities continued without stop. Alcoholic beverages were consumed faster than they could be supplied, food was eaten by the cartload, people cheered for their friends and family who were participating in various contests being held throughout the city, friendly haggling filled the air in the merchant quarter, music and groups of dancers were everywhere, and bawdy songs could be heard at every tavern, bar and inn. The entire population was out and enjoying the festival to its fullest.

A few minutes before sunset the activity came to a still and silence fell over the city. The sun slowly sunk down in a glory of reds, oranges and golds before vanishing behind the western mountains. Seconds later, with the last of the molten colors of the sunset still staining the sky in the west, the crystal full moon started to rise in the north-east as the city held its collective breath.

The residual festive, care-free emotions generated by the day's celebrations combined with mystical lunar magic of the crystal moon, igniting the imaginations of every creature present, big and small. This was to be a night of dreams come to life, where the impossible can become reality as Selene sheds her light on the Underground, sharing her magic with the children of the sun.

And then a curious thing happened. Just as the energies of the solstice full moon were starting to work its magic on the populace, the resident Moon Children returned, both caught deep in the throes of the moon madness. A single pure note rang out from the sky above the castle in the center of the Labyrinth, breaking the silence over the city.

The reaction was immediate. That single, clear note evoked something deep and primal in every creature that heard it. A fire was sparked in everyone of them and within seconds the entire Labyrinth was consumed by moon madness.

Wonders, each more spectacular and fantastic than the last sprung to life right and left. A sense of fulfillment descended upon all of those who had been touched by the moon madness, the connection between the moon and the soul coming into existence by the madness that infected all. Things happened that night that could never be described by mere words alone. Life long dreams became reality that night, a lucky few discovering the next morning that the effects of their dreams come true had been made permanent.

Creatures not known to existence roamed the Labyrinth under the enchanted silver moonlight. Wild lunar magic ran rampant across the kingdom creating new things everywhere it went, changing the creatures, plants, rocks, everything, that it touched. Many of the effects of the wild lunar magic only lasted during the time the crystal moon was in the sky, but a few anomalies were discovered in the following days by the more adventurous or curious residents of the Labyrinth.

Despite the wild, chaotic events of the Lunar Solstice Festival there were no harmful or malicious effects left behind by the crystal full moon, for the Winter Solstice was a time of peace and celebration, not damage or destruction.

And right in the middle of all this magic and mystical energy that was flying about all over the Labyrinth was Sarah and Jareth. Consumed by the moon madness, the lovers were united mind, body and soul. Their full moon celebration was a blend of dancing, ritual and love making. Floating high above the castle, bathed in the light of the enormous crystal moon overhead, they celebrated their love, life and their existence as Moon Children.

Deep in the depths of the Labyrinth, the Heir strode into the heart of the Labyrinth, drawn by the deep, resonating call of the ancient maze. The moon madness had placed him in a highly receptive state allowing Toby to be able to hear the normally inaudible murmuring voice of the Labyrinth. The ancient energies and alien sentience that was the equivalent to the soul of the Labyrinth had picked up on Toby's state and had sent its call out to Jareth's young heir.

The low, thrumming call had instantly ensnared the prince, causing him to abandon the wild revelries and to enter the dusty, largely unused tunnels, seeking the source of the summons. As Toby ventured deeper the route he took while following the Labyrinth's call was burned into his memory.

Finally he reached the place from which the call was originating. Without even being consciously aware of his actions, the Goblin Prince stripped out of his festival finery and padded barefoot across the strangely warm, multi-colored sand, stopping in the very center of the Labyrinth's heart. Once he was in place, Toby opened his mind to the Labyrinth's voice , allowing everything else to fade into the deep recesses of his subconsciousness.

Sensing that the Heir was ready, the ancient sentience slowly unfurled from its usual semi-dormant state and embraced Toby, seeping into his mind, body and soul, laying the first strands of the bond that connected king to kingdom. Thus creating the bond in him that makes the Goblin Monarch both master and servant to the Labyrinth.

As the crystal full moon rose, peaked and then sank in the night sky, Tobias Stephan Williams al' Ferix, Heir to the Goblin Throne, underwent the first of many transformations that would enable him to fulfill his duties to the Labyrinth, the Goblin Kingdom and the Wished Away. Safe as a babe in its mother's womb, the young prince slept and dreamt as almost undetectable changes were wrought within him.

Overtime these changes would start to manifest in odd and unexpected ways, growing more noticeable after each subsequent trip to the Labyrinth's Heart made by the king's heir. These changes would have startling effects on Toby's blossoming magical abilities, abilities which often tempted the young prince into doing mischief, much like his older sister.

But of course, the unsuspecting denizens of the Labyrinth had no idea of this fact (much to their misfortune).

The Lunar Solstice Festival marked the start of many things which would have effects lasting for many years to come. As the full moon sunk below the western horizon, the magic faded as did the moon madness. The residents of the Labyrinth came aware as if emerging from a dream (as was the case for many). Slowly they wandered back to their homes exhaustion fogging their senses, to collapse into their beds or nests. Some of the goblins were so tired that they fell asleep where they fell much to the amusement of those who found them later in the afternoon.

Sarah had wandered back to her sleeping place in the forest, Jareth following behind automatically, still in a daze from their activities that night. The Labyrinth, after it was finished had transported Toby back to his quarters, the young prince hardly making a murmurer as he appeared back in his bed, safely tucked in beneath the covers. For the majority of the day the kingdom would rest, recuperating from partying for an entire twenty-six hours.

But this was not the case for the Goblin King, around mid-morning, he appeared in his study, and got to work doing the things required to keep the kingdom smoothly running. For Jareth, there was almost never any rest from his duties. As long as he was the king, he had to put the kingdom's and the Wished Aways' needs before his own personal desires, a thing that he was finding to be more loathsome as time went on.

Many legends and tales were born on that enchanted night when the Labyrinth had been gripped by a strange madness brought about by the full crystal moon. Inconceivable and baffling events happened that night, things that went beyond the imagination's ability to understand or perceive. Impossible and wonderful, awesome and enchanting, the Lunar Solstice Festival had been a night full of wonders and unlimited possibilities. No one went home from the Lunar Solstice Festival unsatisfied or unhappy.

That night, as the crystal moon glided across the sky, was when Toby became the Goblin Prince not only in name but in essence. It also marked the beginning of the Goblin King's true descent into the moon madness. Jareth's madness was not to be the wild, all-consuming moon madness that comes upon a Moon Child on the onset of the Full Moon, but rather the type of spiritual malady that comes from the sort of hopeless yearning for a connection of fulfillment that is beyond one's reach. The only cure for the type of moon madness that was starting to grow in the Goblin King was the final and absolute joining of his soul to his love's and complete transition from mortal to Moon Child.

The cure that could only come after many long, weary years had passed.

Well, here we are. Another chappie done before the month is finished. If inspiration holds, hopefully I might be able to get another out before the second month of the year is upon us.

For the last three chappies I have been only skipping a few months between each chapter, but for the next, I will be skipping over an entire year. I am already five chapters into this fic and I need to have more plot progression. I have no idea what the next chapter will be about, I write them as ideas come to me.

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