Chapter Five;
He watched her with narrowed eyes. Every muscle in his body stood at high alert, every fiber of his being screamed for him to turn and run back to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Everything about this girl's sudden appearance screamed calamity and dripped with a foreboding he couldn't ignore. But he stood as still as stone, hidden in the shadows as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. His heart hummed aggressively in his chest, but no matter how long he gazed upon her, the Faye guard could find no logic in the presence of the small human girl.
It was obvious just by looking at her that she was not a runner; this he knew simply by the fact that she was alone and unguarded by Magic. In all his years in the Underground he had never seen a human, at least not one that had not been summoned by the Goblin King. Something strange seemed to permeate the space around her, something dark and mysterious that almost seemed to electrify air. Hidden behind the smile that spread across her soft features was something that made her look dangerous. Nothing bad had happened in the Underground in a long time, but within a matter of days the Trolls had all but knocked down the south wall and now a human wandered the outskirts of the Labyrinth.
As he watched her stumble her way down the hillside, he glared daggers in her direction. Every moment that passed he hoped his ire would cause her to simply disappear from the world, or to feel his loathing and turn and run. Shari-Lynn, she had called herself. He held back a chuckle at how ridiculous her name sounded in the wind. Of course, it was no worse than Jareth or Farnig or even Ludo but reason did not come easily to the Fae Guard. Especially not when something posed a very real, very tangible threat to his King and soon to be Queen.
She continued to stumble her way towards the outer gate of the Labyrinth, her eyes lifted towards the wonders in the center instead of at the broken earth at her feet. Silly girl. How often that word repeated in his mind as he watched her. She seemed awkwardly clumsy as she stumbled around, mumbling to herself in soft whispers.
For what seemed like ages she stood planted before the large gate. Her eyes were wide with wonderment as she appraised its aged wood and metal baring. Jareth's magic had done wonderful things for the Underground, none as important as forming the Labyrinth itself. All of its changing walls and secret caverns presented obstacles to test the worthiness of a runner. It would not be an easy task for some silly human girl. "What's this?" She asked herself, her smile seeming to grow as she lifted lithe hands and placed them gently upon the rough wood of the gate.
A smile of his own crossed thin lips, his eyes glittering with excitement as he watched her failure. Try as you may, the door will not open for you. One thing he knew for sure, the gates to the Labyrinth could only be opened by an inhabitant of the Underground. For Sarah it had been Hoggle, for her step-mother it had been one of the fairies.
Much to his dismay, the Gates gave a creek.
Slowly they began to drift open, groaning as they went but none the less moving back to grant her access into the twist passages.
"Just… a bit… more." She breathed through her exertion, pushing harder and harder upon the doors as they came to rest, open just enough for the slender girl to slide between them.
"I'll be god damned." The Faye guard breathed, slinking towards the giant walls still remaining hidden in the darkness. Sooner rather than later he would make his presence known to the stranger, but for now reconnaissance seemed like the better course of action to take. The element of surprise could very well save his and hundreds of other lives when the right moment came.
Stealthily he arched his back and leapt into the air, body bounding over rock and stone until he landed with a silent exhale upon the upper wall of the Labyrinth. There was something to be said about the agility of the Faye guard and how, even without using their wings, they could accomplish feats that seemed impossibly. Slowly he stalked; step by step he balanced upon the edge of the great wall following behind the small woman. Her eyes flickered all around her, taking in the mosey walls and the damp foliage covered in sparkling pixie dust. Never did she look up, however, never finding the Faye boy following closely behind her.
It didn't take her long to find the whole in the wall, even without the guidance of the Worm or his wife. She stepped through into the inner circles of the Labyrinth with ease, muttering to herself about beauty and wonder as the Faye guard leapt from circle to circle to follow her.
Very few creatures wandered the inner circles of the Labyrinth, all enjoying some much needed rest between runners. Without Jareth having summoned them to their work inside the Labyrinth, they were more than likely in their homes with their families. Not that he could blame them; it was only the guard who truly worked when the Underground was free of runners. Everyone else enjoyed the freedom and peace and quiet they came to associate with the Faye protection.
Nothing bad ever happened in the Underground.
And maybe that was why Jareth had been so insistent they keep the Troll warning to themselves. Not long after the trolls had left and after Sarah had been scolded for her misbehavior, Jareth had held a meeting of sorts where he promised the people of the Underground that there was nothing to worry about, that they were safe. He assured them that the Guard would be on high alert and that any suspicious activity would be dealt with in a swift manor.
And that was why he followed the girl now.
Normally his actions would have been swift as Jareth had promised the people. Normally he would have immediately incapacitated the girl and brought her to the castle of the Author where a tribune elected by the Faye would decide her fate. He would have made sure that she was removed from their home and sent back to the human world without the memories of this place. But the small traces of her Magic that permeated the air left him reeling and, if he was being honest, a little frightened. Humans did not possess Magic, at least not anymore, and the humans who did were formidable at best. The only human he had ever known to possess Magic in its slightest form had been Sarah, and she had gone on to not only defeat the Goblin King and his Labyrinth but to become the future Queen and the Author. They had been lucky that she had used her powers for good instead of turning against the Underground as humans had in their long distant past.
He had grown so distracted in his own thoughts, lost in the possible repercussions of his actions, that he never saw her eyes swing. He missed the swivel of her body or the turning of her gaze.
"Who are you?"
He all but jumped out of his skin, hands flying to the butt of the sword that hung on his hip. Silently he stood, staring down the human girl. His bright amber eyes never blinked, never moved, he just stared her down in silence.
"I'm Shari-Lynn." She repeated again, taking a step closer to the wall he stood upon.
He did not move. He did not speak.
"You must be a fairy?" She asked, smirking slightly, taking note to his pointed ears.
He huffed, his eyes narrowing but still he said nothing.
"Not a fairy, then. Could you tell me where I am at least?"
Still nothing, he did however leap down from the walls edge to land before her with his sword drawn. He had been taken unawares by the girl once, it would not happen again.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she continued to smile, raising her hands in front of her in mock surrender. "I'm lost."
"You're human." He huffed.
"Ah, he speaks." She grinned, clasping her hands behind her back as she lifted to her full height. "Astute observation, by the way. I am most definitely human." She narrowed her gaze, taking in every one of his beautiful features. "I've told you mine, now tell me yours."
"I am Faye." He spoke, his chest puffing out with pride as the name of his race left his lips. While all creatures of the Underground had great respect and pride in their own races, none had more than the Faye. They were, by far, the oldest of the races, the most agile and the most revered. It was no wonder that most of the elder Wished Aways would eventually become Faye themselves. Even Sarah, the future queen, had chosen Faye had she not become the Author.
"Not human then." She smirked.
"Astute observation." He huffed, sarcastically.
Her smirk became a wide smile. "But you look so much like a boy," She observed.
"A man." He corrected.
"But besides your ears you definitely look human." She continued, unperturbed by his correction.
"We are modeled the same." He acknowledged.
"And you were following me why?" She asked, taking a seat upon a log that rested nearby. Gently she patted the spot beside her for him to join her.
He did not move. He remained quiet for a long moment before finally sheathing his sword and standing upright again. "You should not be here."
"Here meaning this Labyrinth or here meaning this Magical place?"
"Both." He huffed, his eyes narrowing. "Humans should not be able to pass between the realms of the Aboveground and Underground. It should be impossible for those without Magic."
"Yet here I am." She shrugged. "So you've been following me to keep me out of trouble?"
Again he said nothing.
Shari-Lynn leaned forward, her brow raising as she finally drew the same conclusion that the Faye boy had come to a long time ago. "No. You're protecting others from me."
He merely nodded.
"I promise I'm not a danger to anyone." She assured, all but leaping to her feet. "I didn't even mean to come here. There was a cave in and I fell through some rocks and landed on that hill."
"The crest of the runner." He explained.
She nodded, trusting in his assessment. "I honestly just want to get home."
He was silent for a long moment, his eyes flickering between the setting sun and the small girl. Part of him believed her, that she had accidentally stumbled upon some portal in the Aboveground, that she meant no harm and that all she needed was to return to her own world. But the Troll's warning still rang within the confines of his mind, the fear in Jareth's eyes had haunted his memories. "I cannot send you home."
Her shoulders seemed to sag, her very demeanor changing. The smile washed off her face before the words had even finished leaving his mouth. "Then… what do I do?"
"I'll take you to the tribune."
"The who?" She asked.
"He is the wisest of all the Faye; appointed by our King to pass judgment in this world. He will know why you are here and what to do with you." He spoke, a shiver running through his body as the binding Magic that kept his wings hidden slowly stripped away revealing deep violet wings that fluttered behind him like a humming bird.
"Wings…" She breathed, her eyes wide in wonder as she took in the sight of the beautiful Magical boy before her. There was no doubt in her mind now that he definitely was not human.
"It's best we fly," he shrugged as if it were nothing. Faye did not often unleash their wings, and especially not in front of Strangers, but getting this girl to the Castle of the Author was of highest priority and he knew the quickest route to Sarah's domain was over the Labyrinth entirely.
"We? I don't mean to burst your bubble but humans don't have wings." She scoffed, rising slowly to her feet.
"Then you shall use mine." He smiled warmly in her direction, holding out a hand for her to take.
"You can carry me with those? They look so thin." She spoke, peaking around him at the almost transparent appearance to his wings.
He flushed, a dark crimson rushing across his cheekbones. "That is rude."
"Oh!" She flushed as well. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I just…"
"I can carry you." He interrupted. "Take my hand."
"I don't even know your name…" She whispered, lifting her lithe hand and placing it in his.
Gently he tugged her forward, wrapping an arm around the small girl as his wings began to lift them into the air and high above the sprawling Labyrinth.
She clung tightly to him, her arms wrapped around his waist in a desperate fear that letting go would send her plummeting to her death. A part of her, the more reasonable part, knew that he had a firm grasp upon her and that he wouldn't let her die needlessly. Another part however, the less reasonable part, could see her body catapulting through the air as she screamed away her last breath. Fear soon gave way to wonderment as she watched the scenery constantly change beneath them. First Labyrinth, then fields. Everything seemed to melt away from one to another as they traveled farther from the castle at the center of the Labyrinth and closer to the castle looming far in the distance.
Once all traces of fear had vanished, she glanced up at the boy again. His jaw line was striking, the raw beauty of his ageless features leaving her almost speechless as they drew closer and closer to the castle. She finally breathed as they touched down upon the marble balcony on the highest floor of the new castle. Gazing around she was filled with a mixture of excitement and terror, her heart pounding away like a lost child.
The castle had looked rustic from a distance, tall and weathered and on a much larger scale than the castle in the center of the Labyrinth, but now that she stood upon one of the ornate balconies, it was obvious that this castle held every ounce of royal grandeur. Marble spiraled out of sight, eclipsed by silver and gold trimming. Just from the long hall that stretched into the castle before her she could tell that much detail and attention had gone into every beautiful square foot. Pictures of beautiful, and some rather ugly, creatures hung upon the walls next to tapestries and large ornate mahogany doors. This place was not built for the likes of her. Even the Faye boy next to her seemed strangely out of place, regardless of his angled features and ageless beauty.
He gestured for her to step forward into the hall, but Shari-Lynn refused to move.
Confusion swept across his features as he assessed her refusal. "You must meet with the tribune. Your safety is not at risk." He promised, misconstruing her refusal for fear.
Her head shook, long locks swaying around soft features as she brought wide, doe eyes to meet his confused gaze. "Your name…" She finally whispered.
A small smirk crossed his lips, the confusion on his face instantly replaced with pride and a playful edge. "Toby. My name is Toby."
Author's Note: TOBY! *happy spin* I was really glad that Nothing-Everything-Something left a reply asking about Toby. I wasn't actually going to have him give his name here, I was going to wait a few more chapters but you seemed distressed, my love. So there you go! We will get some back story later that will tell you more about how Toby became part of the guard but Toby is very much still around :)
I also want to touch on Jediavenger's reply about Sarah being referred to as little one and girl. While I do agree that young woman would be more appropriate in our standards, you have to keep in mind that compared to Farnig's age, Sarah is a toddler. I like to think that Farnig's terms of endearment (which I very much think they are) also stem a bit from the Queen Mother, who does call Sarah Little Dove. I will make an effort to make her seem more grown up as we go through the chapters, but I think for the plot turns I have planned it is very important to remind you all of just how young Sarah is. It will be very important in chapters to come.
I did also get my first flame! Wooo! I do love constructive criticism and I love hearing about the things you do enjoy and do not enjoy. I will not, however, apologize for Shari-Lynn. She is a very important turning point for this story though she has a very small part to play physically. If you are not interested in reading about anything other than Jareth and Sarah I suggest you stop reading this fanfic now. I do apologize if that seems mean or harsh, I definitely don't mean for it to. But I can promise if that's all you're here for you are going to hate me and be sorely disappointed as we move forward. But once more, to clarify, Shari-Lynn is not a long standing part of this story. But the fact that she fell into the Labyrinth is a very MAJOR turning point as I mentioned with my last post. To my anonymous flamer, I hope you stick around. I really do write these because I like to make people happy. But please keep in mind this fanfic is not about Jareth and Sarah. It is about Sarah and the breakdown of magic in the Underground as the description states.
AwkwardIdeasLeadToThis, I can promise you Sarah and Jareth's romantic relationship is in no jeopardy. They're my OTP ;D
As always, I LOVE YOU ALL!
No joke. This is my favorite story to write and I love seeing how excited, or even disappointed, you are in my chapters.
Stick with me. We haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet ;)
Kaas