Chapter six;
Everything he had known about his magic was a lie.
Jareth could feel his world shrinking down around him, the claustrophobic feeling seemed to wrap its icy grip around his neck and squeeze. He was sure if all eyes in the hall had not been on him in that very moment he would have collapsed under its weight. But he was a King, and Kings were expected to act with a certain poise and grace when presented with calamity. Breathe. He reminded himself. Remember who you are.
The small girl seemed to hold herself high, but she had many tells that gave away the fear and the uncertainty that rattled through her. She shifted, quite obnoxiously, from foot to foot and every couple of moments would brush a shaking hand through her hair. As terrified as Jareth was of her presence, it was obvious that this Shari-Lynn was even more afraid of them.
"You fell, you say?" The Tribune asked, his voice rattling from old age. The Tribune was, by far, the eldest Faye in the Underground. He had lived through Jareth's father's father's father's reign and immortality was but a fantasy when presented to a Faye. Surely they lived for hundreds of thousands of years, but expiration was expiration and they all would pass eventually. Magic was not infallible, or so he was learning.
"Yes." She breathed, her once strong and assertive voice wavering under the eyes of the Tribune. "There was a cave in."
"A cave in," he repeated, closing his eyes and nodding his head as if he could see the moment clearly. He lifted one gnarled hand, his index finger bending slightly as he motioned for the girl to approach his seat. "Come, young one. I wish to look upon you."
Shari-Lynn straightened up, her eyes scanning the room until they landed upon the one familiar face. The carefree look and the warm smile had completely stripped from Toby's face and she noticed now that he stood with the other Faye guards he seemed to regard her with distaste and distrust. Part of her knew this should be expected; they didn't know if they could trust her after all. Her legs trembled as she crossed the distance between herself and the Tribune, silently praying they could not see the way her fear manifested itself. Forward she moved until the Tribune was so close she could smell the ancient smell of a life well lived.
The Tribune smelled of old books, warm water and sunlight. His eyes were a deep ocean blue and his lips seemed to suck into his mouth as he appraised her. She was instantly reminded of her grandfather, wise and carefree as he smoked cigars on the back patio of their two story home. The Tribune seemed to drip knowledge and it was immediately evident why he had been chosen for the task at hand. His hand shook as he lifted it, reaching up slowly until the tip of his right index finger gently pressed into her forehead. Shari-Lynn's gaze went cross-eyed as she tried to assess what he was doing to her face.
"Magic," he whispered, the word seeming to melt as it flooded into her ears. "She is permeated in it."
"How?" Jareth asked, moving forward until he stood directly behind the elder. "How do the humans have magic?"
The pressure from the Tribune's finger increased as he pressed slightly harder upon the forehead of the intruder. "This is an ancient birthright, children born from the ashes of the Great one."
There was a sharp intake of breath as Jareth came to understand the meaning of the Tribune's words. "How?" He repeated.
"Food," a small smile seemed to filter across the face of the elder as if the answer was obvious. "A choice was made, was it not, to leave behind the ashes of the Great One in memorial?" Jareth only nodded. "And these ashes became one with the earth. That is, until a family harvested the earth for… corn was it?"
Shari-Lynn only blinked, unable to follow what the Tribune meant by the Great One and ashes and corn. It all seemed like the lunatic ramblings of an old man. Much like the stories her grandfather had once told her as he lay upon his deathbed.
"So her lineage set a farm upon our holy land and magic was spread through the consumption of food?" Jareth asked, his voice incredulous.
"And the reproduction of her line," the Tribune confirmed. "Small amounts, of course, barely noticeable until one of strong faith emerged." His finger pressed even harder upon her forehead.
"Is she dangerous?"
The Tribune's cold eyes swiveled up to meet the gaze of his King, his lips still pursed in thought. "Not anymore. While her body will always reflect the magic she showed today, it is already beginning to recede. Can't you feel it?" Jareth merely nodded. "We must send her back immediately."
Her forehead erupted in white light, a burning sensation spreading through her as Shari-Lynn fell back and everything went dark.
xxX The Goblin King Xxx
Jareth watched as the body of the small girl tumbled backwards, slumping into a messy ball on the ground at the Tribune's feet. He knew from experience that every memory had been erased from her mind and that in a few hours she would wake up in her bed without any memories from her adventures in the Underground. The Tribune held special powers of his own, not unlike the Author, and his protection magic had kept the Underground hidden from humans for eons.
The Goblin King motioned for Toby to approach, waiting until he stood just before the unconscious girl to speak. "I need you to take her back to her home. Return her to her life and make sure you leave behind nothing. We cannot give her memory any reason to relapse and remember this day."
Toby merely nodded. Gingerly he bent, scooping up the body of the small woman and adjusting her into his arms as his wings unfurled.
"And Toby?" The boy looked back upon his King but said nothing. "Do not dwell in the Aboveground for long."
Toby only nodded again, retreating to the balcony where he would take flight into the setting sun.
Once the stranger and the young Faye were out of sight, Jareth's shoulders seemed to slump. All of the stress and the nerves and his fear seemed to melt away into a strange sense of calm. He had just summoned Sarah to join them when the Tribune reached out and placed a gentle hand upon the King's shoulder.
"I think you have misunderstood, my liege. While the girl may not be dangerous any longer, the damage she has inflicted upon our world is not yet at its end. The events she has set on course have already begun. The rupture cannot be sealed." The Tribune rose unsteadily, seeming to waver on his feet as he did. "The path we are on has been predetermined."
"What do we do now?" Jareth asked.
The Tribune turned sad eyes upon the onlookers, glancing from Faye to Faye as they moved, finally landing upon the ornate wooden door as the Author stepped into their presence.
"We pray."
xxX Later that Night Xxx
Gently she combed deft fingers through his long silver hair, stopping every so often to massage his temples or rub her thumbs across his delicately molded eyebrows. Gazing down upon her King, Sarah could see how the last few days had aged him. He looked older somehow, harrowed by the terrifying events that had come and would come to pass. The Tribune had made it clear that the portal Shari-Lynn had created when she tumbled down into the Underground would continue to grow until the entire veil that separated them from the Aboveground disappeared altogether. There was nothing that could be done to stop it, not without transcendence.
A soft moan slipped over his lips as she rubbed the palm of her hand against his forehead. He reached up slowly, capturing her hand in his own. Gently he tugged her hand forward until he could place a gentle kiss upon the inside of her wrist.
The Author almost physically melted. The last twenty-four hours had been harrowing, and even with the Goblin King now lying in her lap, she hadn't been sure his affections still existed. This, after all, was all her fault. Her selfish nosiness had caused the fracture that had allowed this magical corn girl to not only create a portal, but foolishly fall through. She would not have blamed Jareth if he had called off their marriage and had expelled her to the tower of the Author where she would live out her life in exile. The small pressure of slow but loving kisses upon her wrist left her reeling. Farnig had told her his love was strong, the fact that she had ever doubted it for a moment was almost sacrilegious.
"Corn?" She asked. Jareth had explained everything to her after the Tribune and the others had left them in peace. How the ashes of the Great One had been used to fertilize a field filled with corn and how the corn had imbued the humans who ate it with trace amounts of magic power. How stupid he had been to leave the ashes of one so powerful behind.
A small smile broke across his lips as he continued his gentle kisses. "Corn," He reaffirmed. "How country."
"Can I ask a question?" She asked, continuing to rub at the base of his neck soothingly with the hand he had not laid claim to.
"Hnn."
"Your father is the Great One… isn't he?"
Jareth was silent for a long moment, rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of her hand as he stared into it. For the longest while she didn't think he would answer her quarry, but after eons had seemingly passed, the Goblin King removed himself from his place resting in her lap and sat up straight before her. "He was."
"How-"
But Jareth held up a hand to silence her. "How did his ashes end up in the Aboveground?"
Sarah merely nodded.
"It's a long story… and none of it is happy. Are you sure you want to hear it?" He asked, the look in his eyes half hoping she would and half hoping she would give up on the subject completely.
Again, Sarah only nodded.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Jareth ran his fingers through his hair to brush it out of his eyes and began.
Author's Note:
Firstly, I would like to apologize for my eight month absence. I know this chapter is a bit shorter than you have been used to and probably a bit underwhelming but I wanted to get SOMETHING out as soon as I could. The next chapter is going to be significantly different and will focus mostly around the Great One, AKA Jareth's Papa.
Life has gotten in the way and I cant promise how often I am going to be able to update this story but I know where it is going and how it will end and I am going to try to make an effort to get chapters out at least once a month.
Again, that isn't a promise, but I will try. For those of you who are still with me, all my love!
Kaas