Chapter Sixteen: With the Goblin King

It seemed like an eternity before the cloud of darkness fell from before his eyes. Even when the light had begun to fight its way through his eyelashes, he still felt as if he were deep in sleep. His head throbbed sickeningly and convinced him of the fact that he was very much awake. To his knowledge, people did not experience pain in their dreams, or nightmares.

Jareth placed a hand to his head. He was actually very surprised to be alive. It had felt like death was very close when he had stumbled from the crystal room. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing was that easy anymore.

"Katriana," the name suddenly fell from his mouth.

Jareth was shocked at the sudden appearance of her name on his tongue. He had not thought about her for so long. In fact, he had just recently wondered what had come of her when she had run away from his castle. Jareth dismissed the useless worry the next moment. He had more important things to think about, such as Sarah and her quest.

Jareth carefully made his way out of the bed and cringed at the persistent throbbing of his head. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to cease. However, it was stubborn and would only slightly dull. He finally gave up and made his way to his feet.

"What...?" Jareth exclaimed as he glanced around the room.

The door stood open. That in itself was shocking, but that was not what caught Jareth's attention. His room laid in shambles. His clothes had been torn from the closet and tossed carelessly about the dirty floor. Several articles had been dragged as far as the doorway and then piled into a heap. The blue billowy curtains were strangely missing, as was the blanket atop his bed. Jareth's anger surged forth and he was powerless to stop it. Whoever had dared to ruin his chambers would face the consequences.

Jareth stalked from his room with murder flashing in his icy eyes. He had entirely forgotten about changing out of his blood-stained clothes. For once, appearance did not matter to him. He wanted revenge, he needed revenge. Jareth pitied the poor fool who had thought himself so wise as to destroy the Goblin King's room as he laid in a deep sleep.

Jareth stopped outside his crystal room. The doors had been left open. He glanced inside, fearing that the vandal had attacked his sacred shrine as well. His accusations were correct. The ancient books laid on the ground, scattered about as if they were toys. His blood had stained the chair and the floor as well, but that had been Jareth's doing. His gaze ran over the room, checking for any differences. He stopped and noticed that the painting had vanished. This was not only a vandal, but a thief.

"I will not tolerate this kind of behavior!" Jareth's booming voice echoed in the empty castle.

There was nothing to answer him. The goblins were gone, well mostly. They had been annoying pests, but at least he hadn't been totally alone as he was now. It was utterly boring. What good was it to be a king if all of your subjects had turned to stone or disappeared? Without things over which to rule, you simply weren't a king . He didn't even have anyone to take his anger out on.

Jareth rushed from the crystal room, his anger growing as he realized that there was nothing he could do. For once, he was helpless. Sarah had all the power, and that frightened him more than anything else. Even the idea of suffering for the rest of his life, which could very well be several more hundred years if the magic survived, was not as horrifying as the knowledge that Sarah had power over him entirely.

"She might as well be queen," Jareth snorted angrily.

A strange sound drifted to him through the eerie silence that had blanketed the castle in a stifling grip. It very nearly sounded like laughter, but that was absurd. Who would be laughing in his castle? Everyone was gone, or so he thought. Jareth followed the strange noise slowly, as if he expected to have something pounce on him at each step. The laughter appeared to be coming from the throne room. Perhaps the vandal had decided to take over Jareth's kingdom.

"He can have it," Jareth thought bitterly.

He strode through the doors to face the invader head on. The laughter immediately faded away into oblivion. A small boy with dirty cheeks and a mass of golden hair sat on the throne. He looked at the Goblin King in amazement and then leaped down from the seat. He gazed up at Jareth with wide, innocent eyes.

"A-Are you the Goblin King?" Toby asked carefully.

Jareth scolded himself for not remembering the boy. Of course, he had had a serious attack from his mystery illness. He wondered what else the curious child had gotten into. His mind flashed to thoughts of the prisoners in his dungeon. Had Toby ventured down there? Jareth had yet to find out if the few goblin guards were still left in the castle. He looked about the room and let out a long sigh when he realized that there was no sign of the beast or Hoggle, the insolent dwarf. Didymus was still in his same spot by the throne.

"What have you done, Toby?" Jareth asked, his anger boiling to the surface once again.

Toby shuddered at Jareth's deadly tone. He motioned about the room at everything that he had done. Jareth took in the disgraceful mess with a sweeping glance. Toby had draped the billowing curtains about the room and the shelves and the throne. The dirt had been swept away as well. The pit that occupied the majority of the center of the floor was filled with cool water. Jareth's blanket had been folded on the seat of his throne. Finally, the picture of Sarah leaned against the wall. Jareth gazed at it for quite a time. Toby obviously noticed Jareth looking at the lovely picture.

"I-I'm sorry about messing up. I was bored and I wanted to make the room look better. I thought that it needed some decorations," Toby remarked with the beginnings of a smile forming on his young face.

Jareth's anger faded away and then died. Toby had done something kind for him, a man who had threatened to turn him into a goblin six years ago. How could he be so nice to a stranger? After all, Jareth had snatched him from his home and locked him in a strange chamber, alone. Jareth found his anger resurfacing, but this time it was directed towards himself. He had not treated the boy properly. He would certainly learn from his mistakes. Toby would not be treated as a prisoner and he most certainly would not be changed into a goblin. After all, Jareth's power probably wasn't strong enough anyway.

"You have done a nice job with the curtains. And I must say that that pit looks far better as a pond than a baby pen," Jareth thought back to the time when Toby had been so carelessly plopped into that very pit. Of course Toby wouldn't remember.

Toby smiled at the Goblin King. He was quick to like anyone, for he didn't understand that people could be evil and mean. That would probably be a downfall in the real world, surrounded by dangerous strangers. But, nonetheless, Toby felt a strange attraction to the powerful man who stood before him. He felt like he needed to befriend the Goblin King. Toby's smile broadened.

"I had a question," Toby said somewhat meekly.

The Goblin King looked down at the small boy and finally decided that he was probably very imposing at such a height. Jareth bent down by Toby and waited for him to continue with his question. A smile found its way to Jareth's lips as Toby started to stutter a bit at his first word. He then took a deep breath to collect himself and continued.

"Is that my sister?" Toby asked in a whisper. He glanced about himself as he spoke.

Jareth looked over to the painting that he had slaved over for five long years, carefully adding the finishing details, but never really finishing. Whenever he claimed to be done, then he would look at Sarah and notice that she had somehow changed. She was aging far too quickly, while Jareth remained the same. Her face had lost its fullness and her body...Jareth shivered a bit and drew his thoughts back to Toby. The child was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Yes, Toby, that is your sister. In fact, Sarah is here right now. She is in my kingdom, on a quest for me," Jareth explained.

Toby looked at Jareth carefully. He had known that his sister had gone back to college. Could it be true that she had come to the Underground instead? Had she known that her tales were true all along? That would mean that she had tricked him for nearly six years! It was not a very pleasant thought. He couldn't believe that his sister would hold out on something like.. like... well, like this! He had been cheated! Toby's chubby face formed into a scowl as he realized that she had known about all of this magical stuff for many years.

"She never told me about this all being real!" Toby whined.

Jareth closed his eyes as the child's whining voice seemed to drill into his aching head. Toby quieted himself when he noticed the Goblin King holding his head in his hands. He looked at the man who had seemed so powerful and mighty at first, but now only appeared like a shadow of his former self.

"Must you dwell on such insignificant things?" Jareth asked carefully.

Toby was quite upset at that. It was not insifincate...insurficate...in..in, whatever. He especially hated when grown-ups decided to use really long words to confuse their children. They probably didn't even know what the words meant. As a matter of fact, Toby was sure that the adults just threw them in so their speeches would sound better. Well, Toby could do it just as well. Now, the idea of his complaint not being important..that was absurd! No no, that was unreasonable. Toby smiled at his large vocabulary.

"That is unresonble," Toby winced as he destroyed the word that had sounded so sweet in his head. Unfortunately his mouth had decided against cooperating that time.

"Toby, you should not think of what Sarah did or didn't do. You are here, in the Underground and you should make the best of it. If you remain upset then I will have to send you home now, I'm afraid. I have no time for spoiled little boys," Jareth replied as he made his way back to his feet.

Toby chewed his lip in thought. He glanced at the Goblin King and noticed the man staring at the picture of Sarah. Toby's thoughts were momentarily forgotten. The king was almost in a trance. His eyes were held captive by the painted ones upon the canvas. A six year old boy does not know much about emotions. Toby was still very much in the frame of mind that girls carried horrible cooties that could easily infest your entire being and turn you into a girl. Toby gagged at the thought. He knew about happiness and sadness, like losing a toy and then getting a new one. However, the Goblin King looked different and Toby was curious about what the strange emotion was. He gazed at the man until Jareth realized that his guest was no longer thinking, but watching him. Jareth turned to Toby, trying to ignore the beckoning painting. He should have left it in the crystal room.

"Have you decided?" Jareth asked hurriedly.

Toby shook his head a bit. He had been observing Jareth so closely that he had completely forgotten what he was thinking about. Toby nearly cried at his forgetfulness, but decided that it was neither the time nor the place. He would have to wait until he was home and his mother was there to fuss over him. Jareth certainly wouldn't.

"Yes?" Toby answered skeptically.

Jareth approached the boy with a friendly smile playing across his handsome features. He looked at the boy and then decided that his throne was more comfortable than standing. Jareth sat gracefully in the throne and then leaned forward to peer into Toby's eyes.

"You want to stay here, young Toby?" Jareth asked.

Toby nodded his head vigorously. He loved the Underground already. It was so magical and unusual. It was everything Toby had ever wanted in life. He had always been different than the other children. Toby adored fantasy creatures and princes and kings and princesses (even though most of them were girls). It would be his dream if he could stay in the Underground, even for just a short time. He hoped he would be able to see Sarah and tell her that he had discovered her secret. Toby smiled at his witty thought.

"Well then, I suppose that I should allow you to decide what we shall do today," Jareth said with a broader smile.

He had been too worried. Perhaps that was what had caused his horrible attack. A little relaxation and fun never hurt anyone. But first, he had to find out what had happened to Sarah in the woods. Just the thought of it brought more stress to his throbbing head. Jareth pushed the thought aside and convinced himself that the mirrors would work for him today and he would find Sarah safe.

"If she is harmed, then that creature shall wish he were dead," Jareth threatened silently. He clenched his jaw as he thought about his plans.

Toby glanced at the angry Goblin King and then thought about his question. There was so much to do, how could he ever choose? Toby debated what to do for a bit longer. Perhaps the best idea would be to inspect the castle a little more closely. After all, if he was going to be staying here for a while he might as well get to know his surroundings.

"Can I look around?" Toby asked with an excited glimmer in his eyes.

Jareth had lost interest in the boy suddenly. He dismissed him and agreed to his question with a bored swish of a gloved hand. Toby rushed away from the newly decorated throne room, in search of adventures that can only be found in a magical castle. Jareth watched him leave and then turned his attention back to Sarah and her quest. He had to find out if she was safe, or else it would plague his every waking moment, and quite possibly his sleep as well. Jareth stood up from his chair and stretched majestically. His annoying headache was beginning to subside and leave him in a peculiarly good mood.

He walked briskly towards his chambers that had been destroyed earlier by Toby, and closed the door behind himself. The child was a nice addition to his boring life, but he couldn't have him snooping in other affairs. Sarah would be horribly worried if she knew that Toby was in the castle. She still thought that he was safe at home. Well, he was still safe, just not exactly at home.

His crystal orb hadn't emitted a glow for several days. He wasn't surprised to see it dull and lifeless, but still suspended in mid air. At least some of the magic still coursed throughout its delicate body.

A memory slapped Jareth and nearly knocked him back. The poem! He could remember it perfectly for a few brief moments and suddenly he understood that he would not be able to save the crystals. Jareth staggered backwards a few steps and then caught his balance. The revelation had been forced upon him so violently that it was nearly exhausting. Jareth took several deep breaths before he approached the magical orb once again. This time there was no awareness of the poem nor any of its startling memories.

"Show me Sarah. I still control you and the magic and I will not be defied any longer. As long as you live, you will listen to me!" Jareth demanded harshly.

It seemed to listen and shone a sickly blue color. Jareth watched with anticipation. Perhaps, his powers were not as weak as he had previously thought. The orb vibrated slightly and then the blue faded away to reveal one of the many forests that covered the entire Underground. There was no blood in the picture, thankfully. However, there didn't really seem to be any ground either. Jareth realized that he was actually viewing the treetops. There was no sign of Sarah.

"How dare you mock me! I demand that you show me Sarah!" Jareth resisted a very strong urge to destroy the orb.

It seemed to grow angry at him, for the blue glow returned a little more fiercely. Jareth shielded his icy eyes and continued to peer into the depths of the crystal. The canopy of leaves pulled away and a series of small wooden homes were revealed. They had been fashioned from the very tree they sat upon. The view swooped over the homes and came to rest over a slightly larger one. However, it was no different from the rest in any other way.

The picture lowered and the curtain of leaves that had been pulled across the doorway parted. A shape was laying upon the ground, huddled in sheets and blankets. Jareth gazed into her angelic face and smiled. He reached out with one hand and brushed it across the surface of the crystal, where her face would have been, had he been by her side.

"You ruined everything, Jareth," He scolded himself.

"Sarah!" Toby exclaimed from behind the Goblin King.

Toby had kept quiet for nearly five minutes, which is very hard for a young boy who has too much energy. He had hidden behind the bed, hoping that he wouldn't be discovered. Actually, he had originally wandered in to ask Jareth if there were any bathrooms in the castle. When he saw the crystal and the picture inside, he convinced his bladder to hold on, which took an awful lot of willpower. That was when he saw his sister and all secrecy immediately vanished from his mind. He forgot about his full bladder and rushed over in front of Jareth to look at his sleeping sister.

Jareth was startled. No one had ever snuck up on him before. How had this noisy little child managed to surprise him? Whats more, Toby had seen the Goblin King nearly profess his deepest and darkest secret to an image of Sarah. Jareth thanked the fates that Toby had revealed himself in time. However, his anger was rearing its ugly head. He snatched Toby by his collar and turned him around abruptly.

"What do you think you were doing, boy?" Jareth snarled.

Toby cringed and tried to run to safety. However, he only managed to fall on his knees. Toby immediately broke into fitful and frightened tears. He gasped and tried to crawl away, but Jareth held tight. Toby rolled on the ground and nearly choked himself from his crying fit.

Jareth watched him, his anger slowly dissipating. As always, it left him feeling drained, despite the fact that he had had a fairly long sleep. Looking at the young boy, he felt only pity and guilt. He had frightened him to tears and, by the look of it, Toby had lost control of other areas as well. Jareth let go of his collar and then lifted the boy into his arms.

Toby fought, for he truly believed that Jareth meant to punish him. His mind was trying desperately to think of a plan of escape, but the tears fogged his rationale. He had only animal instincts left. Toby bit Jareth's injured arm. Jareth tightened his hands a bit to subdue the anger and the pain that had suddenly flared up from Toby's violence.

"If you continue fighting me, I fear that we will not have a very good visit. Just calm down, Toby. My word, you act as if I'm going to kill you right here and now. I have no such plan. I am not going to harm you," Jareth reassured.

Toby stopped his fighting and hitched in a few shaky breaths. His tears were still streaming down his cheeks and blurring his vision, but he believed that Jareth would not hurt him. Toby actually relaxed and allowed the Goblin King to adjust him to a bit more comfortable position. He noticed that he had wet himself and was quite disappointed and embarrassed. However, Jareth had not said anything about it.

"Do you think you can walk now?" Jareth asked.

He had stopped outside of Toby's chambers and set him down. Toby snuffled a bit in response and then took a few shaky steps into the room. Jareth watched from the door with a sort of endearment towards the boy. He was so small and innocent.

Jareth had always wondered why the humans had children. Tired and upset parents, or siblings, wished them away to him. Once they reached his castle all they did was scream and cry until they turned into goblins. However, now he was beginning to understand what the need for babies was all about. It was actually quite enjoyable to have someone who depended on you and looked up to you. They needed love and caring and in return the children gave their entire affection over to their parents. In all his hundreds of years, Jareth had never even considered having a child. Now...

He shook the strange thoughts from his mind and watched as Toby waddled further into the room. He was quite wet, and was probably very uncomfortable. There were no clothes in the castle for someone Toby's size, unless his magic was being agreeable, which he very much doubted. Jareth attempted to form a crystal, but there was nothing in his awaiting palm. They would have to find some clothes the difficult way. Perhaps the empty goblin city would have something that was clean, (that was very doubtful, but worth a try).

"I think that today would be better spent within the city," Jareth proclaimed.

Toby turned back to face Jareth. His cheeks were flushed with color. Jareth smiled a bit at him, thinking about the embarrassing situation. The child didn't want to go in public with a stain on his pants. However, there wouldn't be anyone down there to see, save Jareth and perhaps a few animals, no one important anyway.

"Come now, Toby," Jareth demanded.

Toby looked disgusted. Of course, the reason he looked that way was because he was. His pants were wet and beginning to feel rather cold. All he wanted was to change, but the Goblin King seemed to have other ideas. Toby let out a short breath. He would just do as Jareth had said. The city was probably very interesting. He wobbled after the regal man, trying to keep his legs away from the wet material.

"Can we..I mean, I think I need to, you know, umm, change," Toby begged.

Jareth glanced down at the boy and scoffed at his ignorance. Didn't the child know that Jareth did not have clothes just laying about his castle for everyone who happened to be drawn in? He was not required to keep them comfortable, just await the inevitable change. Toby should have understood that, but he was still young. Jareth would have to allow the boy a bit longer to comprehend certain things.

The heavy iron doors swung open of their own accord. Toby marveled at the way they had moved by themselves, his wetness forgotten for the time being. Jareth ignored the obviously amazing sight and strode through the doorway. He was not used to walking so much, but as of lately it had become his main means of transportation. Taking on his owl form only depleted the weak magic. Walking was not as horrible as he had thought, for Jareth had watched many people walk, run, jog, as they toiled through his Labyrinth. It had seemed loathsome and exhausting. Flying was much more enjoyable, but walking was bearable in its own menial way.

"Wow! Is this the goblin city?" Toby asked, his wide eyes taking in the surroundings.

Jareth nodded. He was not proud of the dirty, vile city. It was infested with rats and wild cats that roamed throughout the shacks and marketplace. The horrid dump left a ghastly odor over the entire city. Jareth had rarely ventured into the goblin city. He had no reason to walk among the lowly inhabitants.

"There, Toby. Check the market place," Jareth stated.

The market place was crude, but somewhat cleaner than the rest of the hovel. There were wooden booths placed in a nearly complete circle. It was the city square that they sat in. There had been booths for meats and fruits and many other sorts of foods. There had been clothes and cloth and ribbons. There were tools and swords. Occasionally a local artist would happen by and sell his works (whether paintings or written pieces), and then there had been the yearly visit by the elves. Their goods had always been far superior than anything the goblins could dream of developing.

He watched the boy sift through piles of forgotten merchandise. The goblins had deserted the city and the castle. They thought that the castle was making them disappear. Their inferior minds couldn't comprehend the immensity of the real problem. Toby managed to gather two decent pairs of pants and a shirt that appeared to be close to his small size. However, he wasn't done. Toby had ignored his wet clothes and decided that the market was too interesting to suddenly leave. He rushed over to the many swords that laid atop the counter of one booth.

Jareth let out a sigh of boredom. He leaned against one of the dilapidated brick walls and waited for the child to tire of the place. It would probably be fairly soon.

Childrens' attention spans were generally extremely short, at least that was what he had heard.

As he watched Toby marvel over the strange goods, Jareth could easily see the family resemblance. Toby looked very much like Sarah, despite the fact that they had totally different mothers. They acted alike as well and Jareth was fairly sure that Toby would be acquiring a certain stubborn streak soon. They even had the same glimmer in their eyes. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were both amazed with magic and very open to fantasy. Toby's clear blue eyes held the same life as Sarah's deep, brown eyes.

"May I take anything?" Toby asked.

Jareth nodded. He looked towards his castle and thought back to the crystal orb that had finally decided to work with him again that day. Sarah had been safe, that was a relief. However, she had been up in the trees. That was a surprise. She had probably befriended some different sort of creature.

"Her friends!" Jareth was suddenly very alarmed.

They had been in the dungeon, but what with the goblins gone, who was keeping them there? Did his spell still work over Ludo? Were the bonds still secured around the large beast? So many uncertainties. Jareth had to get back and Toby would have to cut his playtime short.

Jareth strode over to the boy and gently grabbed his arm. Toby looked a bit upset at being stopped in the midst of exploring, but noticing the Goblin King's worry, he relented. After all, fighting never got anyone anywhere.

Jareth new immediately that something had happened. The proud metal doors that had stood before his castle since the beginning of time, were no longer upright. In fact, something had knocked them down. Jareth looked at the disaster and then over his shoulder towards the goblin city.

Sarah's friends had escaped and would soon be on their way to find her.