Chapter Fifteen, part 2: A Love Undying
Our dear King, Jareth, was kindly bestowed upon us by the almighty creator, Overseer. No one knows why he decided that we should have an evil king, but there is no doubt that we most certainly did get stuck with exactly that. The Overseer made our world and then shortly later sent Jareth to rule over us. I don't think that even the ancient books tell from whence Jareth came. All that matters is that he was sent by the Overseer and is our king forever.
Jareth gladly took over the Underground, elated to have inherited so much power. As in most cases, the power corrupted him, but Jareth was already evil and so this certainly didn't improve matters. He ruled the land with an iron fist and demanded that everyone listen to him. This was when he was still a young ruler and not bored with life, as he is today. I must remind all of you that Jareth came to the Underground nearly three hundred years ago.
The Overseer watched the evil king in dismay. He didn't want the Underground to suffer so from Jareth's hands. He decided that he would try to fix the king's evil nature by offering him something pure and sweet. Surely, good would win over evil. With this thought in his mind the Overseer set out to make something that would drive the cruelty from Jareth's blackened soul.
He toiled over the idea for days and days. Each night the overseer would look over his land and moan about the new horrible things the king had done. However, he could not think of anything pure enough to destroy the evil of the king. He was back to where he had started. He had no idea what to do to help his precious world.
The Overseer turned to the human world. He loved watching them toil around, doing their jobs and errands. It took the sadness of the Underground away from his heavy heart. The humans were quite advanced already. They were developing so quickly, much faster than the Overseer would have ever guessed.
One day, after an endless night of straining to think of an answer for the Underground, the Overseer went to see the human world. He watched people milling about towns and farms. They were all endlessly working, as if they were in a hurry. However, the Overseer noticed something strange. He saw two younger humans holding hands and casually walking down a tree-lined path. They looked utterly happy.
"I must learn what this emotion is!" the Overseer exclaimed.
He watched the humans a lot more regularly after that. The Underground would have to wait until he had quenched his annoying curiosity. Perhaps, the strange emotion could help him think of the thing the Goblin King needed to lose his evil nature. The Overseer was pleased with the idea and turned his attention back to the humans.
They stared into each other's eyes and kissed lovingly. They spent hours together and when they were split apart, could not stop thinking of the other. The Overseer read the human's books to discover that they were utterly fascinated with the emotion. In fact, everyone was nearly required to experience it.
"Love?" the Overseer said to himself quizzically.
He left the humans with their 'love' to sort out what he was going to do for the Underground and Jareth. Love was the word his brother had used long ago to curse his poor world. Did the Overseer dare to put that dreadful word into the Underground and face the consequences? He remembered how evil the king was and how the land suffered. The Overseer sighed and decided to risk everything to the fates.
He took a piece of the moon in the sky and fashioned it into a woman who was delicate and beautiful in every way. She shone with pale radiance in the black night sky. Then the Overseer took the very ray from the sun and spun it into a fine mass of flowing golden tresses. He used the star dust to make her shimmering dress and the purest blue water was used in making her azure eyes. When she was done he looked at his handiwork skeptically and then nodded to himself. There was not a man alive who would not find this woman beautiful.
Lastly, the Overseer gave her a heart so pure that she would spread love wherever she stood. He granted her with grace and rhythm, so that she might dance throughout the world in happiness. Finally the Overseer gave her a voice to enchant the hardest of hearts, so that she might fill the Underground with a lovely, but mysterious, music.
After all this was done he breathed life into the beautiful woman and wrapped her in a cloak. The Overseer lifted her in his arms and then traveled to the Underground. He took the shape of a large bird and placed her carefully atop his back. She clutched his feathers tightly between her slender fingers and buried her head in his down.
The Overseer landed outside of the castle that was so cold and heartless. The lovely woman climbed off of his back and balanced herself on her new legs. She was like a baby in some ways, but would learn quickly, for the Overseer had granted her with a keen wit as well. She looked at the large bird with wide innocent eyes that shone like gems.
"Why have you dropped me here? This place is cold and cruel and I do not want to stay," she begged in her musical voice.
The Overseer shook his great head. There would be no arguing. Her fate had been decided. She was destined to stay in the Underground and serve as a companion for Jareth. The Overseer rose into the air and circled over her a few times. She looked at him with fear and silent begging to be taken away from the evil place.
"I wish you a good life Katriana," the Overseer called down.
He then left her there, outside the castle. She was alone and she certainly didn't want to enter the castle. That idea terrified her. So, Katriana ran into the forest. She ran until she was hidden deep within the tall trees and then fell into the cool grass. Her golden hair flowed around her and shimmered majestically in the young sunlight. Katriana peered through the bushes at everything, enjoying her surroundings entirely.
Katriana lived in the forest for three years. She loved roaming the Underground and visiting all the strange animals that lived there. She grew to know each tree and plant and every creature, beast or insect. Katriana was the joy of the Underground and spread harmony wherever she was. The whole land was happy and Jareth's evil could not harm the good mood.
Jareth watched his subjects shed their gloom and despair for happiness. He didn't understand what had happened. The goblins had even been affected by the peculiar emotion. Jareth decided that enough was enough and he set out to find the reason behind the drastic mood change everyone had undergone.
Jareth went to the elfin village to see if they knew what had happened in the Underground. They also were happy and smiling, even when Jareth stepped into their village. Their leader approached Jareth and bowed before him. Never had they been so willing to show respect. Perhaps the change had been a good one.
"Tell me what has overcome everyone," Jareth demanded.
"Why, your majesty, have you not heard the music that surrounds us at all times? Have you not smelled the lovely fragrance of roses and honeysuckle? Have you not seen the awe-striking beauty of the woman who enchants us all? I don't believe you are a stupid man, so you must have witnessed some of these things," the elf stated.
Jareth sneered at the elf and stalked out of the village. He had to find the woman who had caused the drastic change in the Underground. So, the next day Jareth set of to the forest to search for her.
Katriana had spent her day as usual, visiting everyone in the forest. That was when she saw Jareth moving amidst the trees. Katriana gazed into his deep blue eyes that burned with a relentless fire. She fell in love instantly and gave herself up to him.
Jareth took the lovely woman back to his castle, somewhat reluctantly. He was too busy to entertain anyone. However, she was very persistent about staying with him. Jareth decided that it wouldn't hurt, as long as she could take care of herself. Besides, he enjoyed her singing.
Katriana's love was entire. She would sing songs about her love to Jareth, but he never realized that it was he who she was in love with. If he didn't understand, then he simply ignored the sweet woman. She offered him everything and catered to his every whim in the hope of winning his love. However, Jareth was still very cruel and only wanted Katriana around to serve as more interesting company than the ignorant goblins.
One day Katriana gave Jareth a golden medallion strung on a fine chain. The medallion confessed her love to the Goblin King in the ancient language of the creator. Katriana waited anxiously to see if her love would realize the feelings she had towards him.
Jareth simply looked at the gift and tossed it to the floor. Katriana watched with tears in her gorgeous blue eyes. It felt as if her heart had been torn from her very body and slammed against the dirty stone ground. Jareth had held it in his hand for so long, and now he had crushed her. Katriana broke into tears that would never cease and ran to her chambers.
The Underground's weather turned strange at the exact moment Katriana lost all hope of Jareth ever returning love to her. Dark clouds rolled across the sky and a torrential downpour erupted the next moment. The rains lasted for five days, the amount of time that Katriana stayed in her room, crying.
After much debate Jareth decided to speak to her. He could not have his precious Underground flooding. Besides, he missed her songs. There was no reason to cry so much. She had a good life.
"Katriana, are you coming out of your chamber? I have a feeling that this rain is soon going to be in my very castle," Jareth called.
"I no longer care what happens to me. My heart has been broken," Katriana cried.
Jareth's anger erupted suddenly and he threw the door open. Katriana sat upon her bed, gazing out the window. Her tears were still streaming down her face and her eyes were swollen and red. Jareth noticed something strange. Her hair that had once been like pure gold was now streaked with gray and white. She had aged. Jareth didn't know what to think. He had never aged. However, Katriana was not gifted with the power to control time and thus live as young for hundreds of years.
"I demand that you cease the infernal bawling, Katriana!" Jareth yelled.
She shrank away from him and wiped her tears from her eyes. She could not hurt him, despite the agony she had suffered at his hands. Her love was undying. Katriana took in a ragged breath and stopped the tears. The rain stopped outside and the sun broke through the thick clouds overhead.
Jareth smiled at her and then turned to leave. He had reached the door when a strange feeling overtook him. He looked back to Katriana and gazed at her closely. She watched him, hoping beyond hope that he finally realized what she had felt since she had first met him.
"I expect you to return to you singing, Katriana. I will not allow you to stay here for nothing. Come this evening for dinner," with that Jareth closed the door behind himself.
Katriana was shattered. She had no hope of ever convincing Jareth to love her. She no longer wanted to stay with him in his castle. There was no future for her there. Katriana decided against going to dinner that night. She would wait until everyone had retreated to the dining hall and then leave. Her heart could no longer take the pain.
She held the necklace tightly in her hand and then walked towards the window. The sun was slowly setting in the distance as was her life. Katriana knew that her existance was drawing to an end. She had lived for fifty long years and soon her time would be over. It was just as well that she die in the forest that had brought so much joy to her during the first years of her life.
That night Katriana snuck away from the castle and stole into the darkness. Jareth never saw her again, but he did hear her music drifting through the Underground. He gradually began to realize that he missed his old companion, but it was too late. He had never given her magic so she had died shortly after her escape from the castle.
The Overseer's hopes were crushed. Jareth had not responded to the beautiful woman he had given to the king, so he would probably never love anyone. That would mean that the Underground was doomed to remain in the shadow of hate and cruelty.
However, Katriana was shown pity. The Overseer took her up with him before she died and returned her to her previous loveliness and youth. She was never happy again. She would not laugh, smile nor sing. It hurt the Overseer's heart to see her act so, but there was nothing that he could do to help her. Jareth's love was the only thing that could cure her, but he did not feel for her that way.
Katriana discovered a secret hidden by the fates. Her attitude brightened after her findings and she was actually able to smile for the first time in years. For she had found out something that would occur very shortly in the future. This something was going to change everything for the Underground and for their king, Jareth. She was content to wait patiently for the time to come.
For when this time comes Jareth, himself, will face the pain Katriana endured. She pities him, for her love is still as strong, but she knows that this event will finally show the Goblin King that he can be loving, not only cruel. So Katriana, the woman who knows only goodness, awaits the time for the Goblin King to discover love.
