Author's Note: Hey! Thanks so much for the reviews, sorry about the late update. School started, my computer had some major problems, and then I got sick. But I am so excited about this story that from now on the updates should be quicker.
Let me know if there are any errors, and please review!!
Circe le Fey
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Rhia spun a crystal on the tip of her finger, drawing awed glances from the goblins around her that were sober enough to see straight. The rest just stared groggily into the distance, some swilling more rum. It was mid morning in the underground, and one of the rare occasions when Rhia was bored. Generally Rhia spent her mornings venturing through the Labyrinth, seeing what was new, but this morning she and her father had argued, and he was making her stay in the castle until after noon. The castle was nice enough, but spending hours inside with all of the smelly goblins was less than pleasant. So Rhia had gone to the library, the only place where goblins weren't, and found some interesting looking books. She would have stayed in the library, but it was cold, and something about it always made her feel lonely, maybe the fact that it had been collected entirely for her mother.
So now she was sitting in the throne room, attempting to read, while the goblins busily pelted each other with things, and howled epithets, most of which were mispronounced. Everyone quieted down for a moment, while she spun the crystal, and then abruptly, a deeper silence fell. One by one, all heads in the throne room turned. Goblins that had been unconscious only moments before, stood up and shook themselves, eyes wide, waiting. Rhia was the last one to glance up, putting her crystal down slowly, and letting her gaze fall on her father, who was also waiting, his eyes gleaming just a little. "I wish that the goblins would come and take you away, right now" the voice was that of an older boy, distant and tired. A ripple ran through the entire court, everyone was still, and Jareth shut his eyes, and his face got that hard, far away look that it always did. Seconds later he was vanishing in a whirl of fabric, and then an owl flew out of the castle window, straight for the sky. Likewise, several goblins had vanished.
"Another child" Rhia murmured to herself. Children were always both a very sad, and very exciting occasion. Sad because Rhia always felt a little bad for them, especially if they had truly been wished away by accident, and exciting, because having a little one around changed everything. Rhia glanced around the throne room, which was quieter now, as everyone waited. Well now, Rhia thought, now might be a good time to leave, by the time her father got back, he would be too busy running the Labyrinth and caring for the child to bother with her. Rhia could go find Hoggle or Ludo, or maybe see who was running the Labyrinth this time.
Her father had no idea that she ever took any interest in the people who ran the Labyrinth. Not that she actually met them or anything, but she would watch them, through her crystals, and sometimes even from behind bushes or walls. Something about them fascinated her. It was how her parents had met after all, her mother had accidently wished away her little brother, and though hundreds of people had run the Labyrinth before, something about Sarah Williams had been different.
Sarah had also been the first, (and last) person to solve the Labyrinth, a fact which made Rhia immensely proud of her mother. She had been exactly the same age as Rhia was now, and had thumbed her nose up at the Goblin King, and then, unexpectedly, had returned years later. Rhia still didn't know why exactly, she had never heard the story from her father, only from a handful of creatures from the Labyrinth, mainly Hoggle, the aging dwarf gardener. Jareth would never talk about Sarah very much, even to her daughter.
Rhia loved her life in the Labyrinth, the magic, the change, the mystery and the variety. But apart from a slew of strange creatures, and her ancient father, she had grown up alone. Once, when she was five, and complained of her lack of human playmates, he had allowed the little four year old that had been wished away to stay human for a while, rather than being turned into a goblin. And then one day when she was ten, he had kissed her, a little peck on the cheek, that Rhia had barely even felt. But Jareth had seen, and his wrath had been incredible. The boy had been instantly turned into a goblin, and then just as quickly deposited in the bog of eternal stench. The goblin that had been the boy now stayed with Sir Didymus, and though Rhia went to visit him every so often, he had almost no memory of her. Goblins rarely remembered their lives as non-goblins.
It was the first thing she resented her father for. Then came his incredible unwillingness to talk about anything to do with Sarah, and then the lengths to which he would go to keep his daughter sheltered from the mortal world. "There's nothing special up there" he would tell her, "all of the magic is in the underground. Aboveground there is nothing but drudgery" "Mama was from aboveground" she had once answered him. "She was different" was all he said, before walking out. It was always that way, "Sarah was different. Sarah was special" never any details.
Rhia silently made a fist, and the crystal nearest to her vibrated slightly. Abruptly she sighed, loosened her fist, and looked around. If she wanted to get out, now was the time. She would go see what was happening with Ludo. She wasn't in the mood for visiting the Bog today, and at this time of day Hoggle would be working at the Labyrinth entrance, where the new runner would be.
Rhia left the throne room quickly, twirling a crystal absently as she jogged down stairs, corridors, and through large rooms full of goblins and stray farm animals. It was unusually quiet, the sort of silence that always descended when there was a new runner. All of the goblins had a certain telepathic link with the Goblin King, allowing him to make them materialize where ever he wished, and whenever he went out to get children, they stayed quiet and on call, waiting to be summoned. A very few of them paid any special attention to Rhia, though all showed some form of submission as she passed.
The Goblin City was virtually deserted, only a few very small goblins out, wandering to and fro. Even though all of the goblins more or less had homes, they were all inexplicably drawn to the palace, despite the dangers of being near Jareth. Rhia walked briskly out of the gates, and then paused for a moment, shutting her eyes, the crystal next to her humming as she felt how to get where she wanted to go. The Labyrinth changed too much for anyone but Jareth to keep track of it, but if Rhia concentrated, she could feel the latest changes, and it was usually enough to guide her around with relative ease.
Ludo had a small den at the edge of the forest, but Rhia arrived there to find that he wasn't home. It occurred to her that he was probably simply visiting with Sir Didymus, but she didn't feel like waiting for him to come back. Instead, she felt a great urge to go see Hoggle. Why not? She thought, so long as she stayed out of the runner's way, she wouldn't get in trouble.
As she neared the entrance to the Labyrinth, Rhia gazed at her crystal for a moment, silently willing it to show her what she wished to see. The runner was a young man, as she had already guessed, maybe a few years older than her. Through the shadowy view, she could not quite make out his face, but could see shaggy dark hair, and a large frame. Hhmm, a brother, or a teenage father? Not that she cared of course. Rhia climbed up on one of the walls, so she would be able to see around her. She caught sight of Hoggle first, nearby, sprinkling an orange fertilizing powder on the eyes that grew on the walls of the Labyrinth. Then she saw the runner, still in the first corridor, the one that seemed to have no openings. It was one of the few parts of the labyrinth that had been there for as long as Rhia could remember, due to it's effectiveness. Rhia craned her neck slightly, trying to catch a better look at the boy, who was wearing a pair of faded blue pants, and a loose black shirt. The boy's hair was dark and messy, and he was so tense and strained that she could feel it from here. He must really want the little one back, she thought to herself, while at the same time wishing that she could see him better.
She took one last glance at Hoggle, who still hadn't seen her, and then looked back at the runner. She wouldn't get too close, she told herself, just enough so she could see him better. After all, she told herself, there isn't anything wrong with being a little curious. She jumped down from the wall, and began to creep closer, up to one of the openings that the boy was missing. She glanced out just as he passed by, her body in shadow, and caught sight of his face. He looked exhausted, and so tense, so worried, so guilty, that Rhia looked down for a moment. He was actually quite attractive though, she realized as she glanced back at him. She really should turn around and go back to Hoggle now, but for some reason, all interest in exploring the Labyrinth had evaporated. Rhia felt the same inexplicable pull that she always had to the above ground. And it wouldn't hurt to follow the boy just a little bit longer. Silently hoping that her father wasn't watching, she slipped out of the opening, and slowly followed him down the corridor.
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Circe le Fey
