I was so delighted to get nice reviews that I decided to do another chapter! (What logic, huh?) I hope everyone had a nice Halloween and will look forward to having a wonderful Thanksgiving! (Or whatever you happen to celebrate in November; I just celebrate Thanksgiving. ^_^)
This chapter is my favorite one so far, and before anyone asks, yes: It IS a huge spoof of Howl's Moving Castle! Now that we've got that covered, shall we proceed?
"Sorry; I've had enough running away. Now I've got something I want to protect; it's you."—Howl, Howl's Moving Castle (let's consider that like the theme quote of the story!)
Chapter 3: Walking On Air
I had always hoped, through some foolish lover's hope, that she would call for me once again. What kills me is that she thinks I left her; why she would think that is beyond me.
The boy insists she's in some sort of danger and he's very perceptive for a child his age; I know that better than anyone, so I don't wait to be asked twice when he asks me to follow her. Whatever is trying to happen…whoever has cast his eye on her…God help him.
Sarah stayed in the park until twilight talking to Hoggle and her friends. Hoggle had awkwardly held her when she started crying her confusion, then Ludo picked her up like a baby and rocked her, trying to make her feel better. It did because it was just so cute! Sir Didymus then had Ambrosius reluctantly perform tricks for her and provided her with more counsel, mainly concerned with following her heart.
"Thus far, thy heart hast never steered thee wrong, my lady," he said, "'Tis especially for a time such as this to hearken unto it."
"Sarah good heart," Ludo agreed.
"And as for Jareth," Hoggle added, "don't you worry 'bout him. He's rough, but even I can tell he's attached to you. A lot of men have a harder time than others dealing with their feelings.
"For instance, when he gave me that peach and ordered me to give it to you, he said that if you ever kissed me, he'd turn me into the prince of the land of stench!"
"That's horrible!" she gasped, "But that also explains the trap door; why would he say something like that?"
"Because he was jealous!" he pointed, "Jealous that we was friends, that you were callin' fer me instead 'o him, that we was practically goin' all over the Labyrinth together! It drove him nuts, but he never showed it a wit. He just went on with his business, tryin' ter keep it a secret."
Sarah thought about that as she walked down the streets of town in the fading twilight; was it really necessary for Jareth to torture himself like that? Was that why he'd sent her a dream of them dancing together? Was that his dream of what they could be? She didn't even know how she felt about him!
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw two imposing figures walking toward her down the walk. Her heart hammered when she remembered what Toby had said about two guys in black cloaks looking for her; through some magical instinct, she knew they were the ones.
"Man, what a lucky break!" said one of them, "I guess we can leave the boy alone now that she's here!"
'Oh, gosh,' she thought with dread as she took a slow step back. Something rolled against her heel with a small tink! Sarah spun her head back and picked it up; it was one of his crystals! Her heart beat faster with wild hope.
He was here, somewhere!
Then his voice, with its calm smoothness and amused sarcasm, sounded in her head.
"Sarah…" Her breath caught and she stared wide-eyed at the crystal in her white-knuckled fist.
"Jareth?" she whispered before whipping her head back up to the two figures.
"Listen carefully, Sarah," said his voice, "Smash the crystal at your feet and run as fast as you can. Now!"
With a small cry of effort, Sarah raised the crystal overhead and hurled it to the ground; a red cloud exploded in gold sparks between her and the two men. Sarah turned on her heel and ran.
She looked back briefly and her heart jumped to her throat; they were giving chase!
"After her!" she heard one say, "Don't let her get away!" She cried out in alarm and ran faster.
"It didn't work, Jareth!" she shouted as she turned a corner, "Help me!"
"You have the power to call me, Sarah," he said in her mind, "You just have to say the right words."
"Darn it, Jareth! My life is at stake!" she yelled.
"Then I suggest you use them quickly," he said with what must have been a smile, then seriously, "Use your words, Sarah. I can't come save you unless you say the words." She turned down an alleyway, like any idiot being chased by mysterious figures would, and stopped at the entrance.
"The right words…" she panted, bent over against a side wall with her hair curtaining her face, "the right words…" She peeked up to see them slowly approaching.
'WHAT ARE THE RIGHT WORDS?' she screamed in her head.
Then she remembered.
"I wish…" The words fell from her lips, stopping her pursuers in their tracks with sharp gasps (one of them cursed). She kept her right hand to the wall and slowly backed away a bit. She was shaking, so she blurted out the words before her voice could fail her.
"I WISH THE GOBLIN KING WOULD COME AND SAVE ME!" she yelled in a rush, "RIGHT NOW!"
A rush of wind knocked her sideways against the wall and she covered her head as best she could; her hair flew around her and the wind died down a little. Nothing was happening, so she tentatively looked up; the two guys were further away from her now, their red eyes wide with fear. She had glitter on one of her arms and felt something flapping behind her. She slowly looked up behind her to see what they were afraid of and there he was—his hand leaning against the wall so h is arm was behind her neck, his other fist resting on his hip, his black cloak billowing behind them, the ruffles of his white shirt barely moving in the wind, a smile of cold amusement playing across his lips while his eyes conveyed something different entirely, glued to the figures in front of them.
"Good evening, gentlemen," he greeted with his tone of smooth irony, his head cocked to the side, "Lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?"
If anyone had told Sarah previously that one day she'd be glad for the company of a baby-snatching man that ruled goblins, she would have called the guys in white. If it had been Toby, she might have believed him—but even in her wildest dreams (which is saying a lot) she never imagined to feel such overwhelming relief from the presence of the man towering beside her.
Even though she stared at him, he gave her no visible sign of acknowledgment; she decided to keep quiet and see what he did.
"Greetings to you, King of the Goblins," said one of the figures as he bowed briefly, "What brings Your Majesty to the mortal realm on such a lovely night?"
"I could ask you the same, gargoyle," he replied coolly, "What brings the two of you so far from home, chasing young girls in the dark streets? Don't tell me your master's run short of torture victims."
Sarah's throat constricted; torture victims? His arm moved closer to her neck so that his sleeve barely brushed against her hair reassuringly.
"Our master's business is his own," replied the gargoyle, "We do not question his orders…which involve this girl."
"Now that, my good man, is where you're at a disadvantage," Jareth told them as he fingered a lock of Sarah's hair, "You see, if you'd bothered to make any inquiries—even just for clarification—you would have discovered that this particular girl happens to be under the protection of the Goblin King." He started moving a crystal nonchalantly along the tops of his fingers in rounds. "You wouldn't want to incur my extreme displeasure by harming her, now would you?"
"If we were your subjects, of course not," the gargoyle answered cheekily, "but we are not goblins, King Jareth. We do not serve you."
His eyes were on his crystal, but Sarah could tell they had turned dangers and she wondered why she was the only one who could hear the thundering of her heart, which had worsened when Jareth touched her hair.
"Too true," he said regrettably, "You do not serve me. You're not even that high of rank, are you?"
"Precisely," said the guy, "We are scout captains used for reconnaissance, hardly a threat to Your Majesty."
"Yes," Jareth mused, "not high at all. So…if you were to harm so much as a hair of this girl's head…and I were to, say, kill you…" He held the crystal delicately in his fingertips. "…do you think your master would lose a wink of sleep if I sent him your ashes with my regards?"
Sarah could see ripped, muscular chests under those cloaks and whips and battle axes hanging on their massive belts, the buckles of which had their names in giant letters like Texas cowboys. She was glad that between herself and the Goblin King, at least he was able to keep a cool head. As brave and quick-witted as she was, these two monsters terrified her! It took sheer force of will to keep her standing still, instead of huddling against him like a frightened child.
Jareth half-smiled, like a clever fox having mercy on a hare that knew full well it could change its mind.
"I thought not." He tossed the crystal in the air, caught it like a baseball, and tucked it away behind himself.
"Now, then," he said as he pushed against the wall and stood up straight, "I'll tell you what I am going to do: I'm going to take this young lady on my arm and we are going to turn around quietly and walk away. Be warned: Every one gargoyle that pursues us will be felled and burnt by three goblins and if I find any of your lot still lurking about tonight, I'll kill both of you myself! You had just better pray for an honorable death in battle at my hands, because if I don't kill you, your master certainly will, and I promise you he will not be merciful."
'I'd listen if I were you,' Sarah thought, 'He's a man of his word.'
"Sarah…" he said carefully, still watching the gargoyles as he bent his arm for her, "take my arm." She moved closer to him and slipped her fingers into the crook of his elbow; she felt so safe with him, it amazed her! The softness of his billowy shirt belied a strong arm prepared to guide her out of the dark and the terror and, if need be, prepared to slay a gargoyle to protect her (which would have been romantic if they weren't actually facing gargoyles). He smiled menacingly at them once more.
"Good night, gentlemen," he said as he turned himself and the girl around in a cape-sweeping wave of glitter, "Do give my best to Jathan."
As they walked away with their backs to the gargoyles, Sarah clutched Jareth's arm with both hands curled around it, her heart pounding hard enough to measure on the Richter scale. Jareth seemed to hear it and chuckled but said nothing about it. Sarah was nervous, to say the least; they had just turned their backs on two six-packed, ax-toting gargoyles, maybe with legions more under them. What was Jareth thinking?
She gasped with a small choke and jumped slightly to hear a roar followed by a wave of small gargoyles rushing at them from the other end of the alley; Jareth chuckled again shortly.
"Those fools," he murmured, "Take it from me, Sarah: Never associate with gargoyles; they're much too proud for their own good. No worries, though; once I get you safely away, my goblins will take care of this riffraff. This way."
They took a sharp right turn down another alley and picked up a swift pace akin to a power stride for Jareth and a trot for Sarah. More gargoyles chased them from behind and in front. They were trapped; Sarah and the King were running straight at them!
"Tell me, Sarah," said the king, "Do you have a particular fear of heights?"
"No," she gasped. She was no more afraid than anyone else usually was.
"Good." He grabbed her left hand with his own, wrapped his right arm tightly around her waist, and told her to hold on. Then he jumped, causing the gargoyles to collide head-on.
When they jumped, they shot straight up into the sky like a rocket and stayed airborn long after their zenith; now Sarah's heart pounded hard enough to break the Richter scale! Were they flying?
"Honestly, Sarah," he chuckled, "How do you manage your daily survival with a heart rate like that? Come come, now; put your feet down. Or have you forgotten how to walk?"
"Oh" was all she could say as she looked down. Jareth was literally waling on air! He smiled, obviously amused by her reaction.
"You don't expect me to do this myself, do you?" he said, "Just follow my step." Sarah watched his feet and fell into step with him. She laughed, half from relief and half from how cool this was!
"There now, you see?" he said gently, "Easy as walking on the ground! Only difference is that there's no ground, and the air is much more exciting, I find. How does it feel?" He watched her face, holding both her hands now.
"It's incredible!" she said breathlessly as she looked at him. She wasn't going to be stupid and play coy with him when he was saving her life in the most unexpected manner she could possibly imagine. "I can't believe I'm really doing this!"
Jareth was almost caught off guard; her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks flushed, her hair wild in the night wind as the moonlight touched it to silver. She was smiling—at him—good goblins, if only she could've seen herself. He remembered when he would have given her the world for her to smile like that at him just once. Now she was walking the night with him, needing him, trusting him with her very life, gracing him with her smile! It was more than he'd dared to hope for.
They soon made a smooth descent to the small balcony of Sarah's room; he let her down gently, as if she was floating. He perched himself in a squat on the banister with one foot on the rail and hung his other leg behind it in the air. His cloak draped itself on his sides and hung behind. His right hand was on the rail; his left was still holding Sarah's.
"You're as beautifully light on your feet as I could ever have hoped," he said with a voice that hinted at an emotional meaning, "I've always dreamt of walking on air with you."
"Oh," she said, flustered, "Thank you…for saving me."
"My pleasure entirely," he said, "but I'm afraid the danger's not yet over. Our visitors failed to heed my warning and now I must keep my promise. Don't worry; no one will find you tonight."
"Please be careful," she said before she could stop herself. He chuckled.
"You grace me," he smiled, "And now, my dear Sarah, I need for you to go to bed and get some rest. Keep your windows locked and tell your brother not to worry."
"Sleep?" she said quietly, "After all that, I don't think I'll be able to."
"Then take this." He held a crystal out to her. "Hold it above your head and you'll sleep deeply and peacefully, protected by my magic. And…think about me, if you can." She looked at the crystal in her hand and then up at him; his eyes were averted from her. Was he embarrassed?
"I don't think that'll be a problem," she giggled, "not after all this. Thank you…Jareth. Um…" She slightly gripped his hand. "You are coming back, right?"
"Dearest Sarah," he smiled as he held her hand up, "I am in your home at hours you don't even know about."
"I know you've been visiting Toby," she said, clearly misunderstanding, "I'm not talking about him."
"Neither am I," he said, meeting her eyes intensely before quickly glancing sideways like he'd heard something.
"What? What is it?" she asked, looking around.
"Nothing for you to worry about," he dismissed, "Now go inside to bed and don't worry; where I was once your antagonist, I am now your protector. Understand?"
Her heart ached at the thought of him leaving (which surprised her), but his eyes asked for her trust.
Her fingers curled around his gloved hand.
"Yeah," she nodded, "okay." He smiled fondly at her.
"That's a good girl," he murmured as he kissed her hand. He then, very smoothly and swiftly, spun on his heel and dropped from her balcony with his arms spreading his cape out at his sides like wings. Sarah quickly leaned over to watch the barn owl fly off toward the streets where she'd been accosted. Her hair flew in front of her to the side as she watched him go.
"That is so not fair," she murmured as she looked at her left hand.
Author's Review:
In case y'all are wondering, what's 'not fair' is that he charmed her over and just flew off like that; whoo! Is he smooth or what?
Okay, as I said, most of that was a big Howl spoof; specifically, Sarah getting knocked against the wall, being escorted down the alley, walking in the sky, and finally, her rescuer's swift departure, done to the spice of Labyrinth by yours truly! Cool, huh?
Oh, and Jareth being all like "do you think your master would care if I killed you" is akin to Princess Azula from Avatar.
And if anybody's wondering about the hawk that appeared at the end of the last chapter, that will be explained in chapter five. Until then, have fun and leave a review!