Hey thought I'd get a chapter in! Keep reading! I'm only doing last time because I need a lead in and this works because it helps those who might not remember all that happened last time. Also, it gives more depth to the chapter. However, I will not be doing it for all the rest of the chapters, just this last chapter and this one. Also, if some are confused as to why Jared died, even though it happens in the Lion King, Fae are supposed to be immortal, can't die, but I made it that they can live a ridiculously long time and heal really fast, but can die if someone tries or of really old age if no one tries to kill them off. Just wanted to get that off my mind. :)
Last Time:
Shenzi shook her head, dirty blonde hair swinging in her face. "Well, he's as good as dead out there anyway." She replied, shading her eyes to look at the running figure as it got smaller and smaller. "And IF he comes back, we'll kill him." She said to the others, shrugging her thin shoulders.
Banzai pulled out the last of the thorns and stood, facing the retreating shadow. "Yeah, you hear that?" he called out, voice ringing across the plain. "If you ever come back will kill ya!!"
The people in the room gasped as Sarah's mother drew her daughter closer to her. Hyena rogues filled into the room, grinning snidely; their shadows cast eerily on the walls. " ...In which fae and hyena rogues come together, in a great and glorious future!" James sat down in his new throne, eyes gleaming with triumph, as the throne room doors closed, the fae nobility looking with apprehension at their new king.
Atop a chandelier in the throne room, a tiny yellow finch with a crown of white feathers sat, dejectedly, as if shaking its yellow head sadly.
Several days later found Jareth collapsed, just a few feet from the end of the desert of despair. Harpies, beautiful yet vicious in the harsh desert sun, flew overhead, circling around Jareth's prone form before landing to investigate the still form; out of nowhere, a large shape hurtled into their midst and sent the harpies flying with kicks and slaps. "YYYYYeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" someone yelled as a small form jumped off the back of the second form, and beat off the squawking, complaining harpies with loud laughter.
"I love it! Bowling for harpies!" a short, squat purple unicorn, resembling a pig more than a unicorn; except for the shining silver horn on its head indicating otherwise and also a immortal as well.
A slender elf with pale blue skin, slightly pointed ears, and dressed in dusty black breeches and a red tunic, shook shoulder length ebony hair behind her shoulders, laughing still. "Gets 'em every time!" she giggled, brushing a tear of laughter from her brown eyes.
The unicorn trotted over to what the harpies had been poking at. "Uh-oh. Hey Elwyn, I think you'd better come look; I think it's still alive." Called the unicorn in concern.
Elwyn drew back in disgust. 'Ewwww…" she complained walking over. "All righty, what have we got here?" she pulls Jareth's hand away from his face, sniffing. Upon seeing Jareth's face and his well tailored, if dirty and torn clothing, she shrieked in surprise, jumping onto the unicorn's back pulling at his black mane. "Jeez, it's a fae and a noble at that! Run, Destry! Move it!"
Destry didn't move and stayed where he was, staring down at Jareth. "Hey Elwyn, it's just a little fae. Look at him; he's so cute and all alone! Can we keep him?" Destry swung his head around to look at Elwyn pleadingly.
Elwyn rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing tiredly. "Destry, are you nuts? You're talking about a fae, he'll fry your butt in a second!" she shouted in his ear.
Destry shook himself, making Elwyn fall off his back. Elwyn found herself face to face with Destry. "But he's so little." Destry pressed.
Elwyn shook her finger at Destry from her spot on the ground. "He'll get bigger." She warned him.
Destry wasn't about to be deterred. When something was implanted in his head, he went for it, until he got it. "Maybe he could be on our side."
Elwyn picked herself off the ground and brushed her clothes off. She scoffed, "A-huh! That's the stupidest-" Then the idea struck. "Hey, I got it! What if he's on our side?" Elwyn regarded Jareth thoughtfully scratching her chin. "You know, having a fae around, and a noble, might not be such a bad idea." She mused.
Destry kneeled the few feet to the ground, so that Elwyn could wrestle Jareth onto his back. "So we keeping 'im?" he asked as Elwyn got back on, holding onto Jareth's unconscious form.
Elwyn rolled her eyes. "Of course. Who's the brains of this outfit?" she asked patting Destry's back.
Destry thought hard. "Uhh…"
Elwyn nodded knowingly, "My point exactly." She wiped her sweating brow. "I'm fried, let's go find some shade." She said to Destry. He set off at a fast trot toward the edge of the desert.
A little while later, the trio came to the end of the Desert of Despair and into the Land of Dreams; where they rested by a small pool fed by a stream leading into thick, green underbrush. Jareth lay beside the pool, and Elwyn, after regarding the exiled prince carefully, splashed cool water onto Jareth's dirty face. He stirred, opening a mismatched eye slowly. "You okay kid?" Elwyn asked as Jareth regard her and Destry, and his surroundings slowly, as if not believing that he was still alive.
"I guess so." Jareth said slowly, turning his blonde head to look at the strange creatures in front of him, a mysterious emotion in his mismatched eyes.
Destry put his head close to Jareth's, gray eyes serious. "You nearly died." He said emphatically.
"I saved ya." Elwyn twittered, primping for the boy's undying gratitude. Destry smacked Elwyn upside the head with his horn. Elwyn grinned sheepishly. "Destry helped, a little."
Jareth looked in the pool and touched a small cut on the side of his face, that had scabbed over and in the next day would be gone, a boy with haunted eyes stared back at Jareth from the pool's shallow depth. Jareth also took into account his dirty, dusty, and torn clothing; with a flick of the wrist, and silver glitter, he was clothed in a new black tunic, breeches, and boots, while the other two watched in silent awe. It was nothing really, for Jareth to cloth himself. Every fae, with at least an ounce of magic, learned to cloth themselves at an early age by magic. "Thanks for your help." He dully said, turning around to walk back into the bright sunlight.
"Hey, where you going?" Elwyn asked as Jareth sat on a sun-baked rock and placed his head in his hands, now encased in black leather gloves.
"Nowhere." Came the reply.
"Gee, he looks blue." Elwyn said to Destry who stood beside her, watching with concern the small boy in front of them.
Destry squinted at Jareth. "I'd say he looks a little pale for my taste." He said to Elwyn.
Elwyn shook her head, black hair swishing. 'No, no, no. I mean he's depressed."
Destry considered that a moment. 'Oh." He then trotted up to Jareth. "Hey kid, what's eaten ya?" he asked, sitting down next to Jareth.
Elwyn followed and elbowed Jareth in the side. "Nothing! He's at the top of the food chain!" She laughed loudly at her own joke, only to have it followed by Jareth and Destry staring silently at her. "Ahem," she coughed then began nonchalantly, "So, where you from…" she elaborated with her hand.
Jareth shook his head. "Who cares? I can't go back." He morosely said looking down at the ground.
Elwyn seemed to get excited by his remark. "Great! You're an outcast, so are we!" she pointed at Destry and herself.
Destry leaned over to Jareth, " What'cha do kid?" he asked.
Jareth's head hung lower. 'Something terrible. But I don't wanna to talk about it."
Elwyn crossed her arms. "Good. We don't wanna hear it."
Destry nudged Elwyn. "Come on, Elwyn." He admonished the female elf, noticing that Jareth was sinking even lower in on himself. "Anything we can do?"
"Not unless you can change the past." Jareth sadly said, Jared's voice still ringing in his ears.
Destry nudged Jareth, nearly knocking the small boy off his rock that he was seated on, "You know, kid, in times like this my buddy Elwyn here says, 'You got to put your behind in your past…'"
Elwyn, who had been preening at Destry's incoming message, slapped a hand to her head and waved her arms. "No! No! No! Amateur! Lie down before you hurt yourself." She retorted back at Destry. She turned to Jareth, who was now being pulled out of his misery, by the two's antics. "Its 'You got to put your past behind you.' Look, kid. Bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it, right?" she said.
'Right." Jareth acknowledged by nodding his head but was stopped by a finger jabbing into his nose.
"Wrong!" He yelped and grabbed at his abused appendage. "When the world turns its back on you, you gotta turn your back on de world." Elwyn said, sweeping her hand out. Elwyn was small; only a few centimeter's shorter than Jareth but she made up for it in her sarcastic-don't mess with me attitude, and her ability to command total attention. Which she had Jareth's attention completely.
Jareth looked at Elwyn questioningly. "That's not what I was taught." He said.
Elwyn hopped onto Destry's back. "Then repeat after me." She cleared her throat and straightened up. "Hakuna Matata." She said in a teacher like voice.
"What?" Jareth was now thoroughly confused.
Destry bumped into Jareth with his shoulder. Destry was about the height of Jareth and with Elwyn sitting on top of his back, he nearly dislodged her; in fact, Elwyn had to grab hold of his mane to stay on. "Ha-ku-na, Ma-ta-ta." He pronounced slowly as if Jareth were dull-witted. "It means no worries." He explained.
Elwyn kneed Destry gently and they moved into the foliage outlining the pool. "Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase" she sang pulling branches out of the trios' way.
Destry looked back at Jareth who followed a little hesitantly. "Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze…" He sang, trotting jauntily.
As they moved farther into the brush, Elwyn jumped off of Destry and pulled Jareth toward a large, comfy looking bush. "It means no worries, For the rest of your days..." she sang and pushed Jareth onto the pile of bush, while Destry grabbed a leafy palm branch and began fanning the young, exiled prince, Elwyn fed Jareth a few berries she had found along the way.
"It's our problem-free, Philosophy… Hakuna Matata!" they sang together, coming to lean on Jareth from either side.
Jareth cracked a small smile. "Hakuna Matata?" he asked wondering if he really could forget everything.
Destry nodded. "It's our motto." He told Jareth.
Jareth asked, "What's a motto?"
"Nothing!" Elwyn broke in. "What's a motto with you?" she and Destry burst into loud laughter at Elwyn's slightly bad joke.
"You know, kid. These two words will solve all your problems." Destry said, still laughing as they started walking again and made it into a clearing in the brush, as trees stretched tall overhead.
Elwyn nodded. "That's right! Take Destry for example." She pointed at Destry who took on a melancholy expression. "Why, when he was a young unicorn…" she sang.
Destry broke in with an Italian like opera singer's voice. "When I was a young unicooorrrnnn!" He sang right in front of Elwyn.
She winced and cleaned her right ear. "Very nice." She sarcastically replied.
Destry beamed. "Thanks." He said missing the implied insult in Elwyn's comment.
Elwyn just rolled her eyes and continued. "He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal. He could clear the Labyrinth after every meal."
Destry looked saddened. "I'm a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned. And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind… And oh, the shame!" he said like a television evangelical preacher.
Elwyn echoed Destry. "He was ashamed!"
Destry got down on his knees. "Thoughta changin' my name" he said as Elwyn hugged him around the neck.
"Oh, what's in a name?" Elwyn held up her hands in offering.
Destry put a hoof to where his heart supposedly was to be." And I got downhearted"
Elwyn looked at Destry, as if sharing in his sorrow. "How did you feel?"
Destry was in full swing now. " Ev'rytime that I..."
Elwyn slapped her hand onto Destry's mouth before he could say anything else. "Destry! Not in front of the kids!" she exclaimed.
Destry realized what he had been about to say. "Oh, sorry." He mumbled through Elwyn's hand. Jareth looked surprised. Nevertheless, he watched with growing interest as Elwyn pulled Destry up in a vine made like a swing. Destry began to swing as Elwyn tied him off. "Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase! Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze!" They sang as Destry grabbed Elwyn and swung with her.
Jareth began to bounce to the beat, after becoming more and more enthusiastic; he began to sing with them. "It means no worries, for the rest of your days…" he sang.
Elwyn dropped down and slid toward Jareth on her knees. "Yeah, sing it kid." She encouraged.
"It's our problem free…" Jareth and Elwyn sang together, and then Destry dropped from above with a flatulent sound that Jareth did not want to think about. "…Philosophy…" Destry sang.
"Hakuna Matata." They crooned together, Jareth having successfully forgotten, for now, about his worries and his past. Elwyn smiled at Jareth as he began to take in his new territory with interest. She pulls back a fern leaf, revealing a beautiful view of a rift-jungle. Waterfalls and rugged terrain made up the beautiful view. "Welcome...to our humble home." Elwyn said bowing a little as Jareth gasped in awe.
"You live here?" Jareth was amazed. "It's beautiful." He said, and meant it. The Land of Dreams really was the land of dreams, where imaginations could take flight.
Elwyn shrugged. "We live wherever we want." She replied as they walked through, a long a dirt path in the jungle.
Destry nodded. "Yup. Home is where your rump rests. Heh!' he chortled at his own inside joke. He burped loudly. "I'm starved!" he complained.
Jareth rubbed his stomach as it growled. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole griffin."
Elwyn stopped so suddenly that Destry ran into her. "Eeeahhah. We're fresh out of griffin." She said a bit taken back, but knew that the question was coming.
Jareth asked again. "Any phoenix?"
Elwyn shook her head as they passed a beautiful waterfall throwing rainbows into the water-misted air. "Na-ah." She replied.
Jareth was beginning to get desperate. "Wildebeast?"
Elwyn shook her head again as they came to a small clearing lined with different kinds of fruit trees, berry-laden bushes, and a bulky looking log right in the middle of the clearing. "Nope. Listen, kid; if you live with us, you have to eat like us." She swept her hand taking in the log and the trees. "Hey, this looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub." She said as Destry pushed the log over on its side, while bugs of different colors and sizes scuttled to hide from the light and back into the rotting log, after being disturbed.
Destry picked up a bug and crunched down so hard on it, that Jareth could hear the outer shell of the bug, cracking. He winced in revulsion. Elwyn picked an oddly shaped fruit off of a tree that she had quickly climbed, and bit into the yellow squash looking fruit with obvious delight. She jumped down from the low branch she sat on and came over, picking up a stray bug as she went along and ate it too with the fruit. "Ewww. What is that?" Jareth asked, scrunching up his nose.
Elwyn picked up another bug and popped it into her mouth. "A firegrub, what's it look like?" she said sarcastically. Elwyn picked up a large palm leaf and began to place berries and bugs onto it at will. She ate as she went along.
Jareth closed his eyes at the slurping sound Destry made when the dumpy unicorn swallowed a mouthful of worms along with a mouthful of grass. "Ewwww. Gross." He complained.
Destry smacked his lips, went over to some bushes, and began to eat the berries hanging on it. "Slimy, yet satisfying." Destry said through a mouthful of berries.
Elwyn picked up a handful of fire ants and licked them up at they darted around on her hand. "Cinnamon, with a very pleasant crunch." Elwyn said as if tasting a fine wine or dish.
Destry came up with a orange, oblong fruit speared with his silver horn. He tilted his head and the fruit fell off, and fell to the ground with a thunk. "You'll learn to love 'em." He explained biting into the fruit.
Elwyn had almost made it the entire way around the clearing, filling her leaf with different kinds of fruit and bugs. "I'm telling you, kid, this is the great life. No rules. No responsibilities." She picked a bug darting out of a knothole in the log. She squealed, "Oooh! The little cream-filled kind!" She tossed it into her mouth. "And best of all, no worries." Elwyn said presenting the leaf to Jareth who looked doubtfully at the leaf plate full of bugs. Jareth, with the all the delicateness of a kitten trying milk for the first time, picked up a few berries and some rolly pollies to go with the fruit. Jareth watched as the rolly pollies rolled up and disguised themselves among the different gray colored berries. Elwyn extended her hand in a waiting gesture. "Well, kid?" she asked.
Destry and Elwyn watched with bated breath, as Jareth looked at his small handful and popped the whole lot into his mouth, chewing dutifully. He swallowed and smacked his lips experimentally. Jareth brightened considerably. "Slimy, yet satisfying." He said surprised.
Elwyn and Destry grinned at each other than at Jareth who reached for some more fruit to mix with the bugs. "That's it." Elwyn said encouragingly. Some of the bugs with wings flew off into the sky.
Eight Years Later…………
A gangly teen with long legs and arms that he had no idea what to do with, ran among the tree of the Dream lands, and practiced magic diligently everyday. More of a stork than anything, the adolescent had traces of hidden power confined in the long lines of his body indicating an imposing figure to come.
Six Years Later………
Trotting along a path to the swimming pool, Elwyn sat astride Destry, and after them, a black boot planted itself right after the pair. "Hakuna matata, hakuna matata, hakuna matata." Elwyn chanted with Destry.
A man with blonde layered hair, dressed in black boots, gray leather pants, and a burgundy tunic, strutted along. You would almost mistake him for Jared, for he was the splitting image of the dead king, but for a slight difference in build, having dined on berries and bugs the last thirteen years. "It means no worries, for the rest of your days…" Jareth crooned in a beautiful tenor-baritone voice. "Hakuna Matata."
All three sang together, "It's our problem free, philosophy…Hakuna Matata." Elwyn jumped off the end of a protruding log and made a small splash in the pool, barely causing a ripple. Then Destry did a cannonball, making a small splash, but it was Jareth that made the most spectacular feat. Grabbing a vine; Jareth swung over the pool wanting to let go and dive into the water, but the vine broke at the last second under his weight, and he plunged into the water, creating a wave that washed Elwyn and Destry ashore.
Jareth slogged up the bank, wet clothes clinging to his lithe, but very tall and thin body. He snapped his fingers and his clothes instantly became dry. Jareth shook his still damp hair and water flew from his blonde tresses, giving him the tussled hair look. He and the others continued on their way, making jazz variations of Hakuna Matata. The setting sun setting off Jareth's hair in a blaze of gold, as he strutted along with the music he and the others were making.
To Be Continued…