Seven

Chapter 6: The Greatest Crossroad

The little fox lifted his shiny black nose and pensively sniffed the air. There was something different lingering among the scents of stagnant water and marshy earth, something warm and organic. He scampered out to the clearing and peered off into the distance. Sure enough, he saw a tall figure stalking among the gnarled rotten trees and twisting black ivy. The fox quickly climbed up a hollow oak and took a lookout perch on one of its top branches. From there he could see the figure more clearly, a man, and one none too happy. The man mumbled to himself and jabbed the moist earth and dead trees with a sharpened stick as he walked. The little fox took note of the man's appearance: well-dressed, if not a bit rumpled, with a pleasing face, though grimacing. He had a rich voice as well, although the fox's sensitive ears could clearly make out the curses and swears he muttered under his breath.

"Treacherous bitch," the man grumbled and threw down the stick. "Made a fool of you. So damned alluring. I ought to go back to that bloody castle and throw her down on the floor and-"

"Halt! Who goes there?" called the fox as he swung gracefully out of the tree and landed on his hind feet in front of the cursing man. The man stopped, surprised, and eyed him up and down.

"Who are you?" he asked warily.

"I am Sir Didymus," the fox answered, holding his ground. Jareth blinked and rubbed his eyes, not quite believing what he saw before him. The fox stood straight and proud, even though he came only to just above Jareth's knees. He was decked out in a tiny red and gold striped waistcoat, a blue hat made of crushed velvet and topped with a large feather, and an eye patch over one eye. He held a thin staff in one of his furry paws.

"Sir Didymus?" Jareth asked as he stared down at the small creature. "You are a knight?"

"Verily," replied the fox. "I was a knight in these lands for many years before..." he paused, not wanting to continue.

Jareth bent down on one knee in front of the little fox. "Before what?" he asked.

The tiny knight shook his head. "T'is nothing," he said. "Pray, who might thou be? Art thou friend or foe?" He raised the little staff and waved it in the air.

"My name is Jareth, and if you are a knight of these lands, I am a friend," Jareth told him and the fox lowered the staff and smiled.

"What hath brought thee to this forsaken place, young Jareth?" he questioned.

Jareth stood and sighed and began pacing in front of the dead oak. "I have been given a challenge," he replied. "I must write seven songs for the sorceress in order to be granted my freedom from her."

"Ah, a quest," the fox said wistfully. "How dost thou fair?"

"I have provided three of the seven songs," Jareth told the knight. "I wrote songs about the greatest magic, the greatest treasure and the greatest fool. I am searching for the answer to this day's challenge, a great crossroad."

The sorceress had given him his challenge early that morning. He had awakened to find her gazing icily down at him with her arms folded over her chest.

"Tonight I want a song about the greatest crossroad," she had told him coldly before transforming into an ebony raven and flying out the open window. He saw her no more that morning and, after taking breakfast, he had set out into the dead forest to seek inspiration.

"Hmm..." mused the fox, rubbing his fuzzy chin with his tiny staff. "A puzzle for certain." He looked up at the bewildered man. "Take care with the sorceress, my good fellow," he said. "She is a wily and cunning woman."

"As I've already discovered," muttered Jareth to himself, but the little fox's ears picked up what he said. He shook his head and his long feather danced from side to side.

"I offer my protection should you require it," the knight said gallantly. "I took up defense against that evil sorceress and her dark magic before and I am unafraid to do it once again!" He brandished his staff, thrusting and parrying at the air.

Jareth looked down at the diminutive knight with wide eyes. "You have fought her before? When? How?" He pulled his guitar off his shoulder and leaned it against the oak before taking a seat on the ground next to Sir Didymus. "Tell me what you know."

The fox seated himself on the ground and cleared his throat. "T'was many, many years ago," he began. "This land was once rich, vibrant, beautiful. I guarded it and its sovereign. I was one of the elite knights, duty bound to protect the kingdom and its ruler, and this I did. Until..."

"Until what?"

Sir Didymus sighed sadly and continued. "The sorceress came with magic too powerful. She drove out most of the knights and destroyed our beloved sovereign. I tried to vanquish her, but to no avail. I was banished to this forest where I have remained."

Jareth was thoughtful for a moment as he considered the knight's tale. "Why did she come here, Sir Didymus? What purpose was there in destroying a beautiful kingdom?"

"I am not certain," answered Didymus, "but I have heard tell that the Lady has a curse upon her. She is said to be bound by a terrible spell, cursed and chained to death and decay. She was a pupil of the Morrigan, and is believed to have wronged her in some way. As punishment, she was put under the bond of waste and isolation."

Jareth thought of the dark, dangerous woman in the castle living in a land of rot and exile. What had she done to merit such punishment? He knew she was devious, perhaps evil, but what crime was deserving of such a curse? He felt a twinge of guilt at his treatment of her the night before. She had desired his company, desired him, and he had thrown it back in her face.

Still, he thought, she had laid waste to what was once a place of life and beauty. He looked around at the rotten trees and the soggy ground and the cold grey sky. Was that all her doing, or was it part of her curse? How much of her darkness was a reflection of who she truly was, and how much of it was the spell under which she dwelt? Could he ever trust her? Could he trust this little so-called knight or anyone in this god-forsaken land?

He cursed aloud and Sir Didymus tisked. "What troubles thee?" he asked.

"I'm confused," admitted Jareth. "I can't tell what the truth is. The ground is the ceiling and the sky is the floor." He shook his head in frustration. "How can I answer her riddles when I can't figure the woman out? What does she want from me? She asks for my company and then teases and makes a fool of me. She is tender one moment and a dagger of ice the next." He leaned glumly against the hollow oak and closed his eyes. "I don't know if I should offer her my love or the back of my hand."

"Tread carefully, my friend," warned Sir Didymus. "The Lady is not to be trusted."

Jareth let out a long sigh. "You would think it foolish of me to open myself to her?"

"I would consider it unwise," the knight answered flatly. "However, I am a soldier. It is my nature to fight. Thou dost wish to love, dost thou not?"

Jareth shrugged, but made no reply and Sir Didymus continued. "Thou art noble to imagine that she can be saved by thy love, but take care. Some spells cannot be undone by True Love's first kiss. Some curses cannot be lifted with tender words, but with harsh actions. Some chains are broken only by the breaking of a heart."

A silence fell between them then and they looked toward the castle where a large raven swooped down out of the low-hanging clouds and circled a high tower before disappearing.

"Thy choice lies before thee, Jareth," the fox said quietly. "Wilt thou be a lover or a soldier?"

"The crossroad," Jareth breathed, the understanding dawning on him.

The little knight patted his arm and smiled kindly. "Thou hast found thine inspiration?"

Jareth nodded and stood and fetched his guitar. Sir Didymus followed, dusting off his vibrant waistcoat and fluffing his feather. "I bid thee good luck, my friend," he said, extending a furry paw to Jareth. Jareth took it, thanking him.

"If you should need me..." offered the fox as Jareth walked off toward the castle. Jareth paused and turned and looked back at the knight.

"I'll call you," he told him. Sir Didymus gave him a low bow before disappearing back into the decaying forest.

Jareth juggled the decision back and forth in his mind while he walked. His steps were more sure now, his determination stronger. With each task completed, he had felt a surge of power in his mind and body. It spiraled around his limbs and crowned his head. It sank into his bones and pumped into his blood. He was gaining ground against the sorceress and it boosted his confidence. He could possibly defeat her, or he could attempt to free them both.

His devilish guitar thumped against his back as he strode purposefully back toward the sorceress's castle. He needed to know more before he could decide on a course of action. He needed to get his hands on the black book in her chamber. She had said it contained histories, most likely her own, judging by her reaction to it. Perhaps if he could read the book, he could discover how she came to be cursed. If so, he could find a way to free her.

He made up his mind then. He would give the sorceress her song, he would play her game, and he would find a way to get his hands on the mysterious book and learn its secrets. Then he would decide whether to make love or war.

A puzzle, a riddle, a truth cloaked in code

A maze of the mind, a fork in the road:

To bed or to arms, to flee or pursue?

To make war with myself, or to make war with you?

To bind or to cherish, to spare or to spurn?

To aid or destroy, to nourish or burn?

Two paths lie before me, each one with a cost:

You or myself? Which one should be lost?

Shall I fight for my freedom or yield to your charms?

Throw myself into battle or into your arms?

Your mind is so cunning; your eyes are so cruel

Can I trust you to follow if I let my heart rule?

Shall I fear you or love you? Be humble or brave?

Shall I make you my sovereign or make you my slave?

One road must be chosen: To pair or to part?

The way of the Sword or the way of the Heart?

He sang the words directly to her. He felt them as they left his lips and flew straight to her breast. He sensed her absorbing them, turning them over and letting them fill her. His eyes never left hers as he sang, and he saw their green depths well up with salty tears.

Twisting, tingling power burst through his core as the tears spilled from her eyes and onto her cheeks. Her chest heaved with heavy sobs even as his raged and rippled with magical energy. He wanted to roar in dark delight.

The sorceress rose slowly from her carved chair and stood before him, trembling with emotion and awe. Jareth gently wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb and she lowered her eyes.

"I—I wish to give you something," she whispered, her voice shaking.

"What is it?" Jareth asked, taking her chin in his hand and lifting her face to meet his gaze.

"My name," she replied. "My name is Sarah." Another tear trickled from her eye and down her pale cheek.

He stared into her tear-stained face for an agonizing moment before tightly grasping her and crushing his mouth to hers. He kissed her feverishly, and she returned his kisses in kind.

"Sarah," he gasped between breathless kisses. "Sarah."

Jareth waved his hand in a graceful circle and the fire in the hearth and the candles in the sconces died down to faint flickers. He gently gathered Sarah in his arms and carried her to her enormous silk-draped bed where they melted into the night and into one another.

A/N:

You read that correctly. Jareth waved his hand and made the lights go out. Dun dun DUN!

Sir Didymus is one of my all-time favorite Jim Henson characters. He's just so darn gallant and adorable! I have made him a fox here although I know he may not actually be one. I've read many descriptions of him, but I think I just prefer him being a clever and brave little fox.

*The Morrigan is a figure from Celtic mythology considered to be a goddess/war deity. You all probably know that already.

I am simply flabbergasted at the response this has received. You guys are so amazing! I'm sending you all cute and cuddly-wuddly baby Ludos.

**Anyone else watching Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge? They did "The Dark Crystal" last episode. I have my fingers and toes crossed for a "Labyrinth" challenge!