Chapter 5: A New Dilemma
Mandy followed Jareth through the labyrinth, taking care to memorize the many twists and turns of the walls. After dozens of attempts to make sense of her surroundings, she gave up.
"Your Majesty, how long has this curse plagued your land?" she asked to break the silence.
"A few millennia too many," the king sighed and abruptly turned a corner. He led her to the gates, his leather boots kicking up dust. His mind was racing. He couldn't think straight. Was this girl capable of solving the riddles to find the remaining items? Why had it taken her so long to fall among them? Why was she, a young girl, the one to save them? He became slightly dizzy with the thoughts and leaned into the slimy wall for support.
"Are you alright?" Mandy rested a hand on his shoulder, a look of worry flashing over her beautiful eyes. Jareth tried to keep his eyes on the bricks in front of him, so they didn't stray to the sleeve fallen from her shoulder, revealing the tattoo. "If it's the heat, I have some water you can have."
"No, I'm alright," he cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes, messing up the hair of his curved eyebrows. He pushed his hair from his eyes and continued on his way. Mandy walked slightly behind, studying the royal. He was tired, she knew, but there's something he's hiding from her, too. Maybe he didn't truly believe she was their savior. She barely believed it herself.
They pushed the front gates open and surveyed the area. Fairies flit to and fro, feeding on the dead and decaying plants. Everything was so shriveled, Mandy felt the unfamiliar prick behind her eyes. She blinked the feeling away and ran her hand over the brick, finding nothing but death surrounding her. She glanced at Jareth, who was watching her.
"Highness, what do you think the rose would look like?" Her cheeks flushed when she realized how dumb that sounded. "I mean, do you think it's a rock or is it an actual flower?"
"I've never seen the rose of stone, Mandy. I only knew you found the ring; you weren't wearing any rings before the oubliette. Also, please just call me Jareth." He wandered the area as well, pretending to look for a place the rose could be hidden. He had to focus on the task at hand, not the girl he was helping. He froze. Would there be punishment if he was helping her find the objects? There was nothing in the curse that forbade him, but there was also no mention of him and his subjects being bound to the land. Even now, he can't leave his realm for more than a few mortal hours at a time. He cursed his blood with every breath he took.
"Jareth? I'm not sure if this is it, but I think I found something…" She stood over a bush she pushed to the side. Her breathing was almost silent, but he could hear how it shook. She pointed to the small carcass. It had obviously been there longer than she could have imagined, the bones were almost fossilized. The weirdest thing? The skull was crushed. In the shape of a flower in bloom.
Jareth compared the skeleton with the anatomy of various creatures he knew. Several possibilities came to mind, but the crushed skull rendered his studies useless. Wait! No. The bones were too thick and the shape of the legs and hands….. This is one creature he hadn't seen in a long time.
"This, Mandy, is the body of a Changeling," he secured his gloves and poked at the ribs. Mandy squatted next to him. "Mandy, you'll need to touch it."
"Jareth, with all due respect, I'm not touching a goblin's dead body."
"My dear, Mandy, Changelings are not just goblins. They are a lethal goblin-Fae hybrid. They are extremely rare, but just as dangerous. We're lucky this one is long dead. The poison is no longer in the bones. You need to touch it. The carcass might be the rose."
Mandy reluctantly tapped the mythical fossil. "AHHH!"
Jareth jumped so high, he knocked himself on his butt, eyes wide in terror. "What?! What happened?!"
Mandy stared at him with a blank expression, her eyes steady and distant. He pulled Mandy from the Changeling and gently shook her frail body. "Mandy! Mandy, are you okay?"
Her eyes bore into his. She didn't respond to his pleas to snap out of it. She just kept staring. Jareth frantically checked her hand for sign of poison, but found none. Maybe she had a vision? He cupped her face in his hands and gently started slapping her cheek. He leaned in to get a better look at her eyes for any response.
"BOO!"
Jareth shrieked and recoiled from the girl, who was laughing her ass off. She laughed so hard that it came out as silent gasps than laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"That was a dirty trick. Do not ever do that again!" Jareth's face reddened in embarrassment. How could he fall for a mortal's trick?
"I'm sorry, it was just too tempting!" Mandy breathed between more bursts of laughter. Jareth pouted slightly, resisting the urge to toss her at the body in front of them. He waited for her to calm until her giggles had gone.
"So, just a prank?"
"No, I actually did see something, but it wasn't in words. It was…."
"A vision?"
"Yes!" Mandy stood and brushed the dust from her jeans. "I saw how the Changeling died."
"But it's not the rose," Jareth kicked dust in her direction and walked in step to a silent tune. "In that case, we need to search elsewhere."
"You won't like where we're going."
Jareth turned and cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"