Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of the characters.
Chapter Eleven
Beauty and the Beast
The next thing Sarah knew, the white shadow was playing out just as she had seen it in her vision. This time she was not afraid as the taller elf approached, raising the flail. He went to swing when a loud roar echoed deafeningly through the stone hallways. He stopped immediately, the red eyes under the mask laughing at her, just as they had in her vision.
"It appears your King does have a heart, he has come to surrender to our demands," his voice was hard, deep, metallic and scratchy sounding. "The Underground will soon belong to us if all goes as planned." The other dark elves began laughing maniacally. It was still disgusting to hear.
Another roar was heard in the distance and they stopped laughing immediately. Fear crossed their blazing red eyes. "Something is wrong." Sarah held in her smile of satisfaction, knowing this would happen before they did, but now she was on her own.
"Looks like you are to come with me little Queen," the dark elf with the flail said, unchaining her from the shackles but keeping a firm hold on her. As if Sarah would run now, she had a feeling this is what was supposed to be happening. Having the two guards walk on either side of her, the taller elf led the way up a spiraling stair case. On the way out, Sarah saw the form of a woman huddled on the floor in the cell next to hers. She had a cloak over her face, and Sarah hoped that it had not been Feryia for letting her "accidentally" get out.
Sarah followed them up flights of stone stairs and down similar dark rock hallways. She had no idea where they were leading her, but thought that it was important she meet whomever they were taking her to.
Finally, they stopped at two large stone doors. Knocking once, a dark, beastly, growling voice answered.
"Enter." The voice gave Sarah chills, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the stone doors seemed to open by themselves. The room was completely dark inside, only the meager candle light from the hall existed and showed nothing but the dark stone floors. "Leave her…" The three dark elves bowed and made their way out, closing the doors behind her. Startled by the pitch black, she was relieved when a single, lonely candle was lit on the wall. The hand that had lighted it quickly moved out of the light. It looked boney, and decayed, causing Sarah to worry. "Do you know why I have brought you here?"
"T… to get revenge on Jareth for his father's mistakes which is completely wrong!" Sarah couldn't hold her temper in check. The dark voice chuckled slowly, coldly.
"Yes dear child, but not in the way that you think," the voice drawled.
"What do you mean," Sarah asked, making her voice as commanding as possible.
"No wonder the Goblin King loves you so much; your fire rivals that of the depths of hell…" Sarah didn't know whether to feel complimented or offended. Deciding that this was the enemy she was speaking with, feeling offended was a lot easier.
"You're not going to kill him?" Sarah hoped that the honest wonder of "why not" didn't sound in her voice.
"No, no, that would be too easy. I am not out to destroy his kingdom, or torture either him or his people, at least not physically. Instead," the voice growled, "I have chosen to take his light…"
"What?" Sarah was confused now.
"You child, you are his light. Before you his life was as dark and as empty as this room, but with you, his life became brightened. I thought it only fair since he banished us to the dark to do the same to him… in different senses completely… though I believe this is a suitable exchange."
"You can't do that," Sarah yelled. "I will not stay here! Especially since you are wrong in punishing Jareth for something he had NO hand in!"
"I already have done it little Queen, you will be mine now! Our beauty has been taken and so I take you from him," he growled. "You! You girl, represent everything that was taken from us! The innocence, the light, the beauty! Unless he reverses this curse his father put upon us, he has lost you forever! The battle is a mere distraction to make him think he's doing something," the voice hissed.
"But how can you do that… How can you… it wasn't his fault. How is it revenge when you are punishing someone who is just as innocent as you were," Sarah cried. She felt tears well up within her eyes. This can't possibly be right, could it?
"Maybe not, but it is revenge my people need. Do not weep child, he will be spared among all who have fought against us. So long as you remain here, I give you my word as a King that there will be peace. The only other option is for your king to find a way to reverse the atrocity put on us…" King! Sarah gasped; she was talking to the king of the dark elves. Good job Sarah, sassing the Dark Elf King…As if those two goons bowing to him didn't give it away. She mentally sighed, she couldn't afford to be slow right now, details mattered, and here she was missing simple give aways.
"How can I take your word for it when I don't even know what you look like, and what of your Queen?" Sarah was startled by the cold, harsh laughter that echoed around the cold room.
"Dear child, I had no Queen before the curse was cast, who could ever learn to love a beast such as I?" The king paused for a moment. "If you truly wish to view upon my twisted visage, it is only fair that you see what you will be living with for awhile. The ugliest of all."
Sarah jerked, wanting to make a desperate run for it. "Step towards the light girl," the king growled. She did so, watching as large, cold, glowering red eyes made their way forth from the darkness.
The candle light only lit about a three foot circumference. Sarah stopped just before the light so that it cast shadows upon her unnaturally beautiful face. She could hear the growling breaths as the King stepped forward. His eyes kept getting closer and closer, seeming to be floating upon nothing. Finally, the king made it to the candle just so that he was still hidden.
"There is no going back once you have seen me little Queen. The nightmares that may come from this, cannot be undone, are you sure?" Sarah gulped and nodded. She needed to face this.
The king stepped forward allowing one foot, looking like a birds with three taloned toes, into the candle light. Next came the legs, long, almost doglike, but scaley like a dragon from where she could see from the tears in his black pants. Finally, the King stepped into full view.
Sarah gasped stepping backwards and tripping over her cloak to fall on her knees. The King's torso, chest, arms and hands were skeletal, almost nothing but bones wrapped in a cloak and gloves.
Upon his skeletal neck sat a skull with long twisting horns and ears that looked like they belonged to an elf. The skin on his face was twisted and scaly having the muzzle of a wolf but from the eyes up the bald skull of a human.
Seeing her reaction, the King went to move back into the shadows.
"No," Sarah said weakly, standing up to step forward into the light. The glowing red eyes looked as though he were a beaten, cornered wild animal, confused as to why its keeper didn't turn away. "You don't need to hide your face from me," she said slowly. All of the others had just looked deathly skeletal with the same twisted skin and in some cases horns. The only thing different about the king was his feet and the wolfish muzzle. "What is your name?"
"You are a strange girl indeed," the King growled. "I am Verdant. Come forth, take her to her room," Verdant said almost dejectedly. "I doubt that she would want her escape to mean world war, or the death of her king." The two doors opened and different guards appeared to take Sarah to her room. She watched as Verdant turned away from her, a long furry tail hanging in his wake. Turning away, she followed the two guards back to the room she had first awoken in. After being locked in, she paced.
"Feryia said Jareth doesn't know how to reverse the spell," Sarah said to herself. "Asura why did you show me this, what am I supposed to do?" There had to be a reason for all of this, tears of frustration and over whelming sadness rolled down her cheeks. She missed Jareth dearly already, and if the facts she received were correct, the dark elves truly hadn't deserved this fate. Falling down on the hard mattress, she pulled the small sheet they had offered her up to keep the chill away. It was with Asura's words ringing in her ears that she fell asleep: "Because if you do this right, the suffering of many will be little or extinguished completely."
Jareth paced his room; everything had remained untouched since Sarah had been abducted. He would allow no one in the room, not wanting anyone to disturb the essence that was fleeting with her absence. He had not slept, could not sleep. The battle had ended with a stale mate, and all were allowed to return to their kingdoms, honor their dead, and treat their wounded.
Jareth could still hear the loud roars of the King as he offered his terms.
"He has Sarah, he has my Sarah," Jareth snarled. "Dydimus!" Within seconds the fox like being was at the door bowing.
"Yes Majesty?"
"Go to the library, bring me every book on curses we own, bring my fathers journals, and bring anything that you think may help!" Jareth was fuming, waves of infuriated power coming off of him. Dydimus did not answer but left quickly to fulfill his mission.
Jareth requested that once Feyore and Eve had taken care of their kingdom, that they come as soon as possible to help him find a solution to this. He could not, would not lose Sarah! He couldn't just seize the castle, the dark elves had become to powerful, and even if he did it would only cause a giant war.
Creating a crystal, Jareth watched as Sarah had cried herself to sleep. It broke his heart, he wanted nothing more than to be able to run to her and take her into his arms. How he wished to be able to speak to her, hold her in his arms. She couldn't even see him; she hadn't gotten to conjuring gazing crystals. Building frustration and anger at being unable to do anything for her, he whipped the crystal across the room, watching as it smashed into thousands of diamond like pieces.
Pacing again, Jareth ran his fingers through his hair. There had to be some way to do this. He couldn't allow Sarah to be lost in a Kingdom of strangers, alone, and frightened. He knew she was strong, fiery, but he worried about the long term affects this would have on her.
Moments later Dydimus returned with several Goblins all carrying large leather bound books.
"Just leave them at the door," Jareth said airily, still annoyed.
The goblins quickly dumped off the books and ran away from their angry king. Dydimus on the other hand stayed.
"Your Highness, we will get her back," Dydimus said seriously. Jareth did not snap or sound angry when he replied.
"We have to… Already, my world is crumbling," Jareth whispered. Never before had he been so open about what he was feeling with anyone but Sarah. It was strange, but he knew if he could trust anyone to still respect him, it was his most loyal knight.
Dydimus did not respond, but merely stood at the door. He once knew that feeling, that horrid feeling of losing all that brought meaning to your life. Finally he spoke.
"I will do all I can," Dydimus said, turning and leaving the king to ravage through the books for answers.
Author's Note:
Alright, this isn't the longest chapter, but made the final turn for this story. The ending that has come to my mind will extend the story a little bit. I imagine by maybe just one more chapter. Several twists went through my mind that I may still use, but we'll see. Thank you so much to all who have reviewed so far! I try my best for you. As always let me know what you think, and please forgive any errors that slip my eye.