CHAPTER II
The glittering crowd in the hall did the Underground proud. The tall, willowy fae showed off their unearthly beauty with daring, dazzling clothes that bespoke refinement as well as the desire to impress and influence. Their conversations in light, crystalline voices wove a silvery web of music over the assembly. Yet this was the goblin kingdom, not one of the fae courts, so mingling with the fae courtiers were huldra from the forests at the edge of the kingdom, powerful Oaklords in their living armor next to lined, squat dwarf warriors with their sweet-faced ladies, powerfully build with eyes that could see in the dark. A small pixie boy played with a Nunnehi girl already promising to be a great beauty, the children busy shaping fantastical colors in they air between their hands. In a quiet corner in a spirited conversation an Odei clothed in storm and bits of colorful silk with a lady of the Aos Sidhe, her cat-eyes wide and her claws teasingly catching at the bits of silk that twirled enticingly around his beautiful body, both of them engrossed in a flirtation that would have been be considered a disgrace at any other court. Even the sea-deep beauty of the delegation from Llyr did not stand out in Jareth's dazzling court. need want hunger - GIVE ME WHAT I HAVE WAITED FOR COUNTLESS GREAT YEARS. The citizenry of the goblin kingdom was laughing, talking and courting with no regard to race and kind, an abomination at the other courts of the underground, whether fae, dwarf or abarimon. The races of the underground held to their beliefs of the superiority of their respective races, even though four of the five soul-bound couples in the underground were from different kinds. The many races mingling on equal footing in the Goblin King's great hall told clearly that the kingdom was not an ordinary one and that no creature was valued higher than another in the Labyrinth. Well, almost.
"I don't know how you manage to keep those pesky goblins away from your receptions," grumbled Porr, the goblin king's chancellor. "When I tell them to do something they only ignore me. They ignore everyone. Hell, I've seen them ignore YOU."
"Ah, but look at it from a goblin's perspective, Porr. This is boring for them. No fights, no drinking, no songs, no chickens. I make sure there is a party going on somewhere far else that has everything their little hearts desire when I wish to remain undisturbed. And please, do not take this the wrong way, my dear Porr, but if I were a goblin I'd ignore you too. You lack, how should I phrase this? ah yes: carry-through. I don't care if my goblins obey my every word. It is enough that they obey when it matters, which they do. They know what happens if they annoy me, and not one has ever done so twice." Jareth gave his dwarf chancellor an amused glance. "Although it usually takes a long time before I see the miscreant again, anyway - they know better than to come to the castle while they still reek of the Bog."
Porr gave a barking laugh - truth be told, Jareth was the only one whom the goblins listened to at all. At least most of the time. And they loved him. Never angry at punishments however harsh, never holding a grudge, all they wanted was to be close to him. Porr wasn't sure if that kind of love was really a good thing for Jareth, the man was too conceited as it was. GIVE ME WHAT I ASK FOR I NEED MY QUEEN Being considered the crown of creation and the sun, the moon, a good ale and a better fight all rolled in one by one's subject would tempt a saint. Which Jareth most certainly was not. The chancellor gave his king a dark glare. It was so unfair. Porr was considered a very handsome man among his kind, but even the dwarf ladies would throw smoldering glances towards the goblin king and never even saw the king's chancellor when the king himself happened to be around. Porr gave his king an unobtrusive once-over. Even in a crowd as dazzlingly beautiful and spirited as this one Jareth stood out. He had the beauty and the magic that was the birthright of the fae, yet there was a wildness to his beauty that was alien to his kind, unbound by rules and not hemmed in by conventions or -heavens forbid- conventional manners. His mismatched eyes were laughing and his hair stood on end with wild magic.
Every female in the room was very aware of the king's presence, the chancellor thought somewhat sourly. Porr was torn out of his musing by Jareth's gloved hand touching his face. "And many of the males as well, my dear Porr, as I am sure you know," he heard Jareth's smug voice in his ear.
With a crooked grin the chancellor looked up at his friend. "But those poor men don't stand a chance of getting anywhere. The women, however…."
"Do not worry yourself, my friend, you know quite well that I would never take any liberties with the Lady Sindri," purred Jareth with a entirely too innocent smile. While Porr was still fumbling for words, the goblin king moved gracefully to the head of the assembly, Etain closely by his foot as always, I WAITED SO LONG AND PATIENT and began his speech of welcome to the delegation from the sea.
/
But really, today's reception was mind-numbingly boring. Short of the labyrinth pushing into his mind, of course, but he had a lot of practice ignoring those intrusions. He had harbored no illusions that an official reception would be excitement-filled, but had it been too much to hope that the delegation of Llyr might be more, ah, captivating than the usual official visitors? Now, he could not complain about the ambassador's charms, the lady Morveren was quite fetching with her green hair and eyes and a most seductive body displayed to its best advantage in a dress much too wet to leave much to the observer's imagination - the magic that gave her legs to walk on dry land still owed to the sea. But the Maighdean-mhara were renowned for their sweet tongue and their gentle persuasion that would wear down any resistance, just as the endless sea would eventually wear down any obstacle in its path. After two and a half hours of listening to endless declarations of friendship and goodwill however Jareth was convinced that the stories about the merpeople's gift of the gab were poppycock. He had heard it all before many a times, but he had held out a glimmer hope that of all creatures of the Underground the Maighdean-mhara could make the meaningless patter that was the essence of diplomatic conversation sound honest, heartfelt and true. Since they could not, it could not be done.
There might be other benefits to this official visit, however. He smiled predatorily at the lady Morveren, whose dancing eyes and twitching lips gave him reason to believe that at least some of the other gifts the children of Llyr were whispered to possess might be true. He had plans to find out as soon as he could get the lady alone COUNTLESS YEARS AND COUNTLESS LOVERS AND YET YOU GAVE ME NO QUEEN I NEED MY QUEEN YOU ARE MINE I AM YOURS WE NEED OUR QUEEN
With boneless grace he leaned into the corner of his throne and surveyed the scene in the reception room with cool amused eyes while he idly stroked his fingers over Etain's silky head. As was always the case when foreign dignitaries were visiting, his goblin sentries stood motionless around the throne, looking to all the world like statues carved out of granite by a sculptor with only the dimmest idea of proportion and none at all of beauty and grace. His eyes skimmed with approval over the twenty goblins that made up his personal guard. They looked vicious, brutal, efficient and strong, and he knew them to be much worse than they looked. They were also fast, smart and loyal to the death. The Labyrinth was taking no risk in protecting its king, and considering the neigh-constant warfare in the Underground he was in complete agreement. PROTECT MY CHOSEN GIVE ME A QUEEN FEED MY SOUL The attempts on his life had been many, and but for his guards he might not have survived them all. Not that the Maighdean-mhara were enemies - the children of Llyr took no part in the endless cycle of rivalry and power games that so many of their land-bound brethren had given their lives over to. They ruled the waters of the earth and were the only fae other than Jareth himself that could cross over to the human world. This alone presented them with enough problems to not be interested in any more difficulties with their immortal brethren.
Jareth was pleased as his eyes glanced over the Maighdean-mhara delegation. Lady Morveren and Lord Ningyo were close kin of the Sao Llyr, and he knew several other members of the group to be high-ranking members of the court of Llyr. He had always been on excellent terms with the Sao Llyr, and it would seem that the terms might become even better. Centuries of experience had taught him patience. Diplomatic negotiations tended to be most successfully mediated under the guise of careless entertainment, and if there was one thing the goblin king had an endless supply of, it was careless entertainment. His glance lingered on lady Morveren's supple form. He was planning to enjoy the merpeople's visit.
"I was beginning to fear that the speeches were never going to end," with a laugh in her voice the lady Morveren leaned closer to Jareth. "Father always said that the first qualification for an ambassador is a bladder extending all the way into the legs and the ability to look engrossed while being asleep on one's feet". The Llyr ambassador's hand rested lightly on the goblin king's arm as they were leaving the great hall after the reception. "Would you believe that I thought he was joking?"
"U Llyr always was an excellent teacher, my lady," Jareth responded teasingly. "I am sure I would have been impressed by your performance had I been awake to notice it." The laughter in Morveren's voice had the quality of a bubbling well, a merry, watery sound. "I must confess, though, I had hoped to find myself swept away by the legendary persuasiveness that is the birthright of the Maighdean-mhara, yet all I heard was the expected professions of never-ending friendship and trust, " Jareth murmured into Morveren's ear. "But I do remember U Llyr telling me that you are a singer of some renown, my lady? I may be willing to forgive you for hours of boredom for the price of just one single song," his voice drawled meltingly as he looked at her with a seductive smile.
"Ah, but my lord, why the hurry? We have a saying in the seas - there is a time to speak and a time to be silent - and let me add, a time to sing and dance and celebrate as well. Although," and here Morveren's face darkened, "I have no idea how you land creatures can dance with these legs of yours. Now, for true grace you need a tail to dance in water."
LOVELY SMART AND FUNNY A GOOD GOBLIN QUEEN SHE MAKE FOR ME with practiced ease Jareth kept bantering with Morveren while he exasperatedly tried to squelch the Labyrinth meddling in his life. "We have been through this too many times. I will not let you rule my life. I won't get a queen just because you want me to." longing hunger need - YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH YOU ARE MINE I AM YOURS WE NEED OUR QUEEN I NEED DIFFERENT WE MUST GROW. "My power and my strength are yours, now and forever. Take my life if you need to but I will not have you run it. I do not need a queen, you will have to do with me alone." Smiling, Jareth turned to Morveren to tell her a morsel of suggestive history of the goblin kingdom that made her laugh. With a supreme effort of will the goblin king pushed the presence of the labyrinth out of his conscious mind but the desperate need and hunger kept gnawing in the back of his consciousness, as much part of him as his heartbeat, and he could no more banish it than he could have stopped his breathing. Bound forever to the labyrinth his being was twined to its magical presence all of his days, and it was only days like this one that he felt a touch of resentment.
/
Weeks filled with leisurely distractions, balls, and conversations had passed and an understanding had grown. The Maighdean-mhara lacked the haughty pride that was a big part of the other races' perception of themselves and thus were able to come to a deeper understanding of the denizens of the goblin kingdom than any of the other races had ever been able to. The goblin kingdom was home to the outcasts and misfits of the magical races of the underground, those who could not prosper in the restricted and sometimes stifling atmosphere of their places of birth. Some had taken to wandering the underground as their discontent had overwhelmed them in their long lives, some had been forced out from their home or people because they had committed the unforgivable crime of loving a lesser creature, and others still found themselves lured away by vivid dreams and a bone-deep longing that would not let them rest. At some point, all these creatures found themselves drawn to the goblin kingdom, paying their respects to the king in the castle in the heart of the labyrinth, and they found belonging in a place that most of them had been taught to think of with disdain, contempt and fear. The Labyrinth and its king rejoiced in free spirits that had broken the chains of convention and hungered for freedom, with all of its risks and costs.
The spirit of the wild sea was alive in the Maighdean-mhara and they found a kinship with the people of the labyrinth. Jareth thought with a smile that there was the explanation why there were but two creatures of the sea at his court, a selkie couple who was happily working water-magic at the Haliakmon winding its way through the labyrinth. The sea rejoiced in variety and otherness as much as the Labyrinth did, so there was no reason to leave for its children unless they just were curious to see more of the world. And Roane and Aithne were living their lives in two homes, on the river that flowed to the sea, still tied to the kingdom of Sao Llyr as well as on the river's bank where the labyrinth welcomed their presence within its borders. News had reached the king that more seals had been seen playing in the Haliakmon. He hoped that more selkies would come to live in the labyrinth, their joyful spirit had much entertained the Labyrinth.
But as pleasant as finding a kindred spirit in another people might have been, it also created its own set of problems. What a wily old fish U Llyr was, Jareth thought with grim amusement. His people had taken to the children of Llyr as much as the Maighdean-mhara had taken to them, and he had to admit that he was no exception. The lady Morveren was a most enjoyable companion outside his chambers as much as in, an intelligent woman full of grace and laughter that seemed to enjoy his presence and accepted well his absences. The rumors of the Maighdean-mhara's hidden talents had barely hinted at the reality of it, and Jareth found himself quite captivated by the Lady Morveren's abilities. Long conversations with Lord Ningyo over a game of chess or a spirited hunt of unicorns with Etain doing her best to ruin the chase had made him appreciate the humor and gentleness of spirit the merpeople possessed. Even the young unicorn they had managed to capture against the odds had gracefully touched Ningyo's hand in admission of his victory before bounding off into the forest to re-join the serenity.
Therein lay the rub. He had been king too long to not understand the risks of friendship and alliance to another power. The power structures of the underground were treacherous and ever-shifting, and internecine warfare between the kingdoms had been ongoing since time began. Striving for supremacy gave the most ambitious members of the fae in the underground their only meaning in life. All peoples of the underground were extremely long-lived, and some of them, like the fae, the abarimon, the odei and others would never age to die. The fae lived their lives content in the knowledge of near-immortality and choose to ignore the fact that they could and often enough did die, by accident but often by violence. All fae were born with the native magic that was their birthright, and in some it burnt strong and bright, powerful enough to vanquish their foes if called upon. Many fae kingdoms of the underground were ruled by those who had been able to come into power and hold it by the strength of their magic and their ability to make alliances that kept any contenders at bay, so more often than not the power in a kingdom was held by a ruler whose clan benefited from the reign and wholeheartedly gave their magic in backing, not necessarily the best ruler a kingdom might have had.
Even though the fae bred slow, unable already to make up the number of their own lost to death, there were always many ambitious enough to try to take power of a kingdom by whatever means necessary. Alliances between kingdoms were common, held true for a pre-determined time by powerful blood magic, but rare were alliances held in trust without limitations.
The goblin kingdom held trust only with two other demesnes in the underground. One was the kingdom of Danu, where the Ard Ri, the high king Cethur Mc Greine ruled with his queen Eriu in Falias, Gorias, Murias and Findias. Whatever his distrust in fae honesty, Jareth would not forsake his confidence and love for his parents.
Annwyn was the other demesne the goblin kingdom was aligned with. When Jareth had traveled the underground, long before he had been chosen by the Labyrinth, he had unexpectedly made friends with Arrawn of Annwyn, a powerful lord in his kingdom already. They had found themselves in a desperate struggle for survival, and Jareth would have lost his life had not Arrawn intervened at a terrible risk to himself. Jareth stayed in Annwyn at Arrawn's side for many years, learning much of statecraft that stood him in good steed when he found himself in need of such knowledge after having been chosen as the goblin king by the labyrinth. When he'd left, Arrawn had presented him with one of the legendary Cwn Annwyn, Etain of the White Wind, as a token of his unerring friendship. Etain had been his faithful companion since that day, sleeping in front of the fireplace or, whenever she could sneak up to it, on the foot of his bed. His faith in Arrawn was absolute, and he had offered the full trust of an unlimited alliance to Annwyn once he was king, a trust accepted and fully offered in return. But for these two alliances Jareth had carefully steered the goblin kingdom clear of any other obligations, having learned the hard way that while fae extended the utmost care in protecting fae life, including that of erstwhile enemies, they had no such compunction when it came to the lives of what they deemed lesser creatures. The goblin king had no desire to sacrifice the lives of his goblins, trolls and other "worthless" subjects to the power machinations of the fae.
The fae needed the goblin kingdom even while they despised and feared it - they paid for near-immortality with having but few children, too few to keep their kind alive. The goblin king was the only fae who could answer the summons of humans and cross over to their world , and without him the fae might have dwindled away into memory and myth, as had seemed possible before Jareth had taken kingship over the goblin kingdom. When the last goblin king and the goblin queen had been murdered by a fae lordling who had though to take over the kingdom, a terrible cataclysm had convulsed the underground, striking down all creatures with magic and rendering them unconscious for days. The goblin kingdom seemed to vanish, and following the roads that used to lead to the labyrinth would lead the traveler to another kingdom. For weeks the screams of the hapless fae assassin echoed through the air in the underground. The end of the screams had not brought the labyrinth back. For many years none ever saw a goblin, and the creatures of the labyrinth seemed to have vanished forever. It was generally assumed among the fae that the goblin king and the goblin queen had wrought a spell that had gone terribly wrong after their death. So now no more unwanted and wished away human children were given to barren fae parents to love and raise as their own, turning into fae as was possible if a human child came to live in the underground before it reached adulthood. The goblin king and the goblin queen had ever been the safeguards of fae survival, and with their death the future looked desperate indeed.
Then one day the underground found the goblin kingdom back were it always had been, impossibly much bigger than before and subtly changed to the eye, yet seemingly the same. Within the shortest possible time all fae demesnes of the underground had sent out delegations to the city in the heart of the labyrinth to learn what they could. They were greeted coldly if politely by the new goblin king, Jareth son of the Ard Ri. Jareth had always had exceptionally strong magic, so it was widely thought that this was how he had been able to find the labyrinth and take its kingship. To the fae's astonishment and disdain the new goblin king did not favor fae over other magical kinds at his court and was even protective of his goblins, trolls, hags and assorted other horrors the labyrinth was home to. Yet desperate for the children to ensure their future, for a long while they held their peace. Much later, when the first forays into the goblin kingdom began and the first intrigues were spun by those who envisaged themselves as much superior rulers for the labyrinth, they found Jareth a much more formidable opponent than they had expected, repelling the intruders and foiling any plans for his assassination again and again. They were sure that age and experience had deepened Jareth's strength. But what no one knew is that the labyrinth had chosen his king, and had given him certain powers.
/
The labyrinth was a living, sentient magical creature of immense power. It had been desperately lonely for unending years when it had first, impelled by curiosity, bonded with wandering fae whose mind had drawn it close, rather by accident if truth be told. Thus the first goblin king came to be, ruler and servant of a living kingdom of wild magic, his mind bound inextricably to the labyrinth, giving over his freedom for the deepest love, forever entwined with the creature who had unwittingly ensnared him. The labyrinth was the source of the goblin king's power, giving all its magic freely into the hands of its chosen, and the goblin king gave his life, his dreams and his freedom over to the labyrinth's safekeeping - never again would he be able to leave, never again be alone in his mind, never again be free of the responsibility of taking care of all the labyrinth was and all its creatures. Thus it was ever after in the binding of the Labyrinth to his chosen. When the king choose his queen, the labyrinth bonded to her as well, and as the king's and the queen's mind joined through the labyrinth they unexpectedly found themselves soul-bound to each other. Through uncountable millennia this was how the labyrinth developed, the sometimes death of a king or a queen tearing its soul, yet each new king or queen added to the labyrinth. All their dreams and nightmares, their hopes and fears, their longings and despair gave shape to new aspects to the labyrinth, and the innate power of the bond between the labyrinth and its chosen fed the wild magic at its core. After the murder of the last soul-bound goblin king and his goblin queen the pain and terror of the sudden loss had thrown the labyrinth into paroxysms of anguish and made it close itself off the underground, where the murderer of his beloved had come from. Yet as is invariably the case, the pain of the loss of his chosen dulled over time, and the labyrinth's loneliness grew, and again it send out tendrils of its mind in search for another companion, another mind worthy to be chosen, needing love and companionship as much as the labyrinth did itself. And after many years of searching without ever finding a being it could love, no mind that it wanted to bind itself to, the labyrinth chanced upon Jareth. Their binding had proven to be the most powerful yet, Jareth's mind deeper, more powerful and far more devious than that of past goblin kings. Yet also in him the labyrinth found the capacity for unconditional love and devotion and the willingness for sacrifice for all he believed in. Their merging had grown the goblin kingdom considerably and made it a far more spectacular as well as dangerous place.