"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 28
By Aiijuin

*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Jim Henson or Labyrinth. Gröeg was originally designed by Brian Froud and catalogued by Terry Jones in Brian Froud's "The Goblins of the Labyrinth". This fanfiction is rated M for some harsh language and adult situations. Gavin King is Jareth, the Goblin King, for those who have jumped into the middle of the story. The names: Torok, the Troll King and Eunice St. Clair are characters borrowed from the 1986 movie Troll, but are not used in context with the movie inside my fanfiction in any way.
We had a terrible storm roll through the Northeastern United States this week, which took out our power, and made my comic impossible to produce, so I found a public library and used a computer to type another two chapters of "Sky's Eclipse" instead. I hope you enjoy these newest ones. PS: I have also gone back and repaired the first seven chapters of "Sky's Eclipse" which were difficult to read yesterday. 09/12/2009
The Troll King sometimes speaks French, but it is not meant to disparage any ethnic group or language. He's actually a really cool character, in my opinion, and I adore writing for him.

Chapter 28: Heart of Stone

Jareth pushed ahead of Torok, who seemed to have lost his nerve for the moment. Hansel followed closely behind the Goblin King. Raquel, who was behind Hansel, paused for a moment as a look of amusement spread across her face. She noted Torok's reluctance to proceed beyond the thicket of bushes. She rolled her eyes and calmly waddled past him.

Snow White still clutched Torok's shirt collar in fear. Her body and hands shook furiously. The Troll King swallowed hard and said to White, "Sarah be damned. One woman could not have such strength without someone helping her from the inside. I place all of my bets that the Goblin King is behind this mayhem."

Snow White's eyes were wide, but she didn't respond either way to Torok's comment. She was never much of a talker anyway. Torok pulled back a section of the thicket and walked forward. As he reached the clearing, Jareth was already kneeling down by Sarah's side.

Sarah is sleeping? Torok thought.

Torok moved cautiously towards Sarah, but a shriek from Snow White nearly caused him to lose his footing and stumble backwards. Jareth looked up at the crying, pure-white faë. Snow White ran towards a pillar of red marble. At least it resembled a pillar, but as Raquel moved cautiously closer to the pillar, it was a red marble statue of a mortified woman. The sculpture seemed to wear a riding hood with a cape that hung low to the ground. Its carved hands were blocking its face in fear.

Snow White ran her hands down the face of statue and whispered, "Red."

The Troll King walked towards Jareth and tapped him on the shoulder. Raising his eyebrows, Torok stated mischievously, "But of course, we all know you have interfered using magic and turned Rose Red into this statue, mon Frère."

Jareth arced his eyebrows downward and frowned, "So, you cheated by sending the Leanan-Sidhe to drain Sarah's life essence. I'd say you're little 'blood fairy' deserved her surprise retort from my dearest Sarah."

Torok stomped his foot and said in a demanding voice, "Oh, come now, Jareth! We both know that a human could NOT have pulled off such a powerful spell such as the 'Sleeping Stone'. Surely, you have intervened on her behalf. No?"

Jareth blinked, "No. I did not. However, I gave Sarah 'special magic powers' long ago."

Torok whispered into Jareth's ear, "You gave a mortal girl a power to rival your own? No wonder she defeated you and decimated your kingdom those many years before."

Jareth bit at his lip in frustration and defended, "The only powers I gave her were to call upon the goblins, just like all of the other girls before her. She shouldn't have gotten this strong from them. Powers don't increase in non-magical folk."

Torok patted Jareth on the shoulder and reassured, "Come, then! There is obviously something else at work here, mon Frère. Perhaps a changeling or Brownie has been masquerading as Sarah just now. See? Miss Williams has been laid in a perpetual sommeil, or slumber from the Leanan-Sidhe. She has not stirred and is pale indeed. It is highly unlikely that Sarah could have done this. Alas! We are great kings being tricked by the work of some random Pixie."

Snow White shook her head and answered, "Brownies, Pixies, and changelings do not have the magical strength to place this kind of spell on my sister. We Leanan-Sidhe are stronger than any of those lesser orders of random spawn. Rose Red could not have succumbed to anything less than one of the high powers of the immortal realms."

Torok shrugged lazily, "Then, perhaps, it was a great sorceress, witch, or wizard floating about the Wood. They often traverse my lands from time to time to gather rare herbs and berries for their potions."

Snow frowned, "I know what I saw. It was Sarah! She slashed me with her pointed, black, claw-like nails and then cornered my sister. I ran after that and didn't witness the spell cast upon my sister. I never should have left Red's side."

Jareth picked up Sarah's hand and looked at it. Her nails were pink, filed down to her fingertips, and square-shaped. Torok also looked at Sarah's hands and quickly guffawed at Snow White, "See? No claws! Sarah Williams has been placed under the spell from your kind, and she could not have possibly done this, you fool of a woman!"

Snow White stiffened up and glared at Torok. If she could have turned her powers against the Troll King, she would have done so at that moment. Jareth knew that Snow White's suspicions were warranted. He had seen Sarah change personalities suddenly and without warning since she had returned from his kingdom. He was wondering if something inside his Labyrinth had tampered with Sarah while she had remained there for the past eight years. It had been almost like Sarah was possessed by something inhuman, however Jareth knew that nothing within his lands - of that nature - could have ever wandered in without his knowledge. His goblins would have notified him at once.

However, the little cretins failed to notify me that Sarah had returned to my kingdom eight years ago, Jareth thought. Then he remembered that his mission had been one of secrecy and only Gröeg knew Jareth's whereabouts.

Hoggle would know, Jareth continued to ponder. There's nothing that little scamp doesn't know, when it pertains to Sarah. The stupid dwarf positively dotes on Sarah's very presence.

Jareth stood up with jealously laced in his eyes. A cloud of smoke enveloped him, and he became Gavin King once again. Raquel jumped back in shock, as her fantasies of her 'dream man' were shattered to bits. Hansel, who was wiser, figured Gavin was a wizard or something similar from when King transformed into the owl earlier. Torok placed his finger to Raquel's lips and whispered, "Shhh. This is our little secret, my love. No telling Sarah, or else."

Raquel stomped her foot and shouted, "That's not fair! How can Sarah possibly win if you ~AND~ the Goblin King are pitted against her?"

Gavin walked towards Raquel with a glint of fierceness in his eyes. He encircled her for a moment and then said, "If you so much as say one tiny word to Sarah, or wink and make gestures at her in any suspicious way, I'll turn your unborn child into a goblin."

"Hé! L'enfant, she is mine!" the Troll King exclaimed while giving Jareth a dirty look. "Spare my child, and take the girl instead!"

Gavin leaned in close and whispered something quietly to Torok. Torok leaned back and laughed wickedly. He clapped in agreement, "Oui ! Oui ! C'est magnifique!"

Raquel didn't understand what Torok what saying, but his tone of voice and dangerous smile showed that he concurred with the punishment that Jareth had devised against her, if she tried to reveal his secret to Sarah. She attempted to swallow, but found that her throat was dry and scratchy.

Hansel raised his hands to show he promised to keep his silence. Gavin narrowed his eyes and said, "That would be wise of you, boy. There are far worse things than the Gingerbread House that exist within these lands."

Hansel looked at Raquel, and she winced in fear.

Torok antagonized Jareth's anger by leaning over Sarah and pretending he was going to kiss her. He teased in a sultry voice, "The sleeping beauty slumbers, awaiting true love's first kiss. However, since her 'true love' has currently lost his courage, I'll be happy to do the honors myself."

Torok puckered up, and Sarah began to stir. He threw his arms up in the air and remarked, "I'm quite amazing, I must admit! She wakes even before I press my lips against hers. My power of sexuality amazes even myself sometimes! No?"

Sarah whispered, "Jareth?"

Torok smirked and looked over at Gavin, "Bah, but she calls for you. What a waste!"

Gavin pushed Torok out of the way, and grasped Sarah's hand. He whispered, "Sarah?"

Instinctively, her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced around. Torok walked over to stand between Hansel and Raquel. He threw each of his arms around their shoulders and smirked, "Amour! It can build and it can destroy. I think there is passion from both sides regarding Miss Sarah and the Goblin King. No? Too bad Jareth had to ruin everything by threatening my favorite child, and daring me to defeat Sarah better than he. I will allow Jareth's assistance to go just this once, but only because I am a lover, not a fighter. If he cheats again, then Sarah is mine for the taking. Be sure and tell him this, mes amours, that if Jareth steps one more foot out of line, I'll grab his beloved Sarah and take her virginity from her as he stands and watches!"

Torok's eyes glowed brightly and he summoned Snow White away with him. Rose Red was left behind to become a permanent reminder as to what could happen inside of Grimm's Wood.

Hansel and Raquel shuttered, as the last words of the Troll King haunted them.

Another hour ticked away as Sarah returned to her feet. Mysteriously, her ankle had been healed, and she was able to stand on both feet without any problems. Still, the great questions that lingered on everybody else's tongue at the moment was, "How did Sarah manage to escape with her life intact from the powers of the Leanan-Sidhe? ~And~ What had intervened on her behalf?"