"Crimson - is that another fairy?" Sarah asked and Jareth made a strange noise while Rinna glared at him sternly.
"Not quite," Rinna said. "But she has been known to bite."
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Clarice and Merliah watched Sarah gaze at the castle in wonder. The young woman was listening to the Goblin King and the Guardian explain about the former queen. To her credit, Sarah seemed rather calm as she learned the fate of Jareth's mother.
Do you think she can do it? the young owl asked. Clarice shrugged.
"She won your heart and the heart of the Labyrinth. Jareth worships her. The fairies sing her praises and we're not really touchy feely. I'd say she has a pretty fair chance. Though I admit it will be odd having a queen again after so long."
She hasn't met Crimson yet. Merliah's eyes twinkled and the fairy laughed.
"Merliah, you're looking forward to this aren't you?"
Of course - it's not every day we get a new queen, especially not one who has to convince Crimson of her worth.
"So I just go in and sit on the throne, seems simple enough," Sarah said to no one in particular. Her eyes were trained on the large drawbridge, wondering if it would come down on its own or would she have to find a way to swim the moat.
Rinna bowed to Sarah and smiled. "Jareth and I must leave you now to speak with the Council. We will know when the challenge is nearing completion and return to see how you do - one way or the other."
Sarah was panicking openly now. "Wait, you can't just leave like this - what do I do? How do I get inside? Who the heck is Crimson and is she going to eat me? That's it isn't it - she's some sort of dragon." Rinna shook her head as Jareth leaned in to whisper into her ear.
"Crimson is not a dragon and the only one who gets to eat you is me. Repeatedly." Her blush covered her face and neck quite nicely, he thought. If he had time, he'd like to search her to see just how far the blush covered her body. Later tonight, he promised himself. By then she would be queen, nice and tidy, officially and completely. He was almost giddy with anticipation. Tomorrow they would wed, he would not wait an instant longer.
"All right - go to your meeting and get rid of Famish. I guess I'll have to figure out a way into the castle, right?"
"Well, we can tell you how to enter. A fairy must vouch for you. Clarice?" The fairy captain flew over and nodded. Merliah perched on Sarah's shoulder, nuzzling her neck lovingly.
"Clarice will be your guide for your final challenge." He kissed Sarah then, lightly but with the promises of a dark passion that would never be sated. Sarah gasped into his mouth, pulling him into a deeper, more frantic kiss that left his senses reeling. Pushing him away she grinned.
"Go to your meeting. The next time you see me, I'll be sitting on my throne waiting for you to declare your eternal obedience." Her eyes danced wickedly and he almost forgot they had an audience. He would show her just who would be obedient. He licked his lips and grinned, showing sharp teeth. Leaning closer, he let a gloved hand push back long dark hair before kissing her just below her ear. She shivered as his whispered promise rocked her to the core.
"The next time I see you, you will be taken to my bedroom and shown just what I expect of my queen. What we've done up till now has merely been foreplay." He licked her under her ear, down her throat, then back up to her parted lips where he kissed her hard and fast. Pushing her away this time, he smirked and with a nod to the others, disappeared in a swirl of glitter.
Rinna laughed. "I don't think I could top that exit, so good luck my darling girl and we'll see you soon." She nodded to the others and closed her eyes. A swirl of mist surrounded her, pulling tiny bits of her body into the whirlwind spinning around her. Within seconds, she too was gone and Sarah let out a breath, steeling herself for the task ahead of her. She smiled at Merliah and Clarice with a grin that was excited and nervous. "All right, I guess it's time to claim my throne."
Clarice sang a pure, clear song of peace and love. The drawbridge shimmmered and lowered slowly, revealing a great hall painted in silvers and greens. Sarah slowly crossed over, each step bringing her closer to her future. As she set foot in the castle a chill fluttered through her body like a warning. Clarice shivered and looked at Sarah closely.
"Crimson knows you are here and will be watching. You have one hour to find your throne and claim your place as queen. If you do, all the nobles and royalty of our realm will appear in your throne room to welcome you. If you do not, then the castle will go back into the mists of forever and take you with it."
Sarah stopped looking around to stare at her. Merliah's claws had to tighten as Sarah spun to face the fairy guard. "Take me with it?"
"Um, yes? You'd be imprisioned as an imposter, but no worries - you have already won two of the three challenges. You are sure to win this last - just stay focused on sitting down on the throne. Simple right?" Clarice was smiling widely, trying to be positive. Sarah bit her lower lip and a shaky laugh escaped her as she glared at her friend.
"Simple - yes. What could be more simplet than sitting? I do it every day, right? Okay, let's keep moving."
The three friends walked through the great hall down the corridors leading deeper into the castle. Sarah thought out loud as she looked around the darkened halls.
"Well, a throne should be in the throne room, right? Easy enough, let's start there."
As they walked, they were being watched closely. Crimson smirked. The girl thought to be queen did she? Let her try, she would find it was not so easy. She waited patiently in the throne room. Let the girl prove her worth, Crimson was harder to impress than a bird and a sorry lot of fairies. Crimson had dignity, poise - she could have easily been a queen herself. Hmm, that was a funny thought if you let yourself follow it to completion.
"I wish I knew where the throne room was," Sarah said idly and the door to the correct room burned brightly with a golden glow. Sarah froze, looking at it in anticipation and a bit of terror. This was it - no going back now.
"Well, your highness," Clarice said, smirking evilly. "Go meet your throne."
Sarah shrugged and walked confidentally up towards the door. Just before she reached it, a trap door opened and she was sent hurtling down a long winding chute, Merliah wildly hanging onto Sarah's shoulder, flapping her wings in a frantic attempt to stay with her queen. They landed onto a hard stone floor and Sarah sat there, holding her head, dizzy from their ride.
"Clarice!" Sarah yelled, feeling her arms and legs. The fairy appeared, looking innocent and pleased.
"Yes, my queen?"
"Why didn't you warn me about that trap door - I could have been killed," Sarah sputtered. Clarice laughed, a clear tinkling sound that somehow calmed Sarah.
"Highly doubtful my lady - nothing in this palace will harm you - as long as you follow the rules. I am to be your guide, but I cannot warn you of any traps. You must prove yourself - on your own."
"So you can't tell me how to get out of here - where is here anyway?" Sarah stood up slowly and took a good look around. She was in a square room with no furniture or windows. There were two doors with large golden doorknockers. The doorknocker on the first door was a delicate fairy holding the doorknocker in her hands like a gong, one hand held a mallet, the other a silver disc. She looked innocent and peaceful as she stared at Sarah, waiting.
The other doorknocker was a dark fairy, dressed in black. He looked somewhat like Jareth, all wild hair and piercing eyes that seemed to burn into her soul. She shivered lightly as he smiled. He held a pure black gong and mallet and his bow was a bit - dangerous somehow.
"Well, looks like there is another pretender to the throne, Sylvan," he said to the first fairy doorknocker who smiled sweetly at Sarah.
"I think she looks honest enough," Sylvan said. "Trinner never trusts anyone. Dark fairies are not known for tact. Welcome my lady," she paused and Sarah curtsied quickly.
"Sarah - my name is Sarah and I'm pleased to meet the both of you."
"We shall see," Trinner glowered. "You want out of here, correct?" At her nod he grinned. "Then you will have to choose the correct door. One leads to the throne room, and one leads to the Bog."
"Back to Sir Didymus? Then I could just find my way back," Sarah mused and Trinner laughed. Sylvan rolled her eyes.
"No Lady," Sylvan said patiently. "You'd be in the Bog. Probably drowned but even if not - you would not be fit company anymore."
They gave Sarah a few minutes to realize the implications of that and were gratified to see her shudder in horror.
"How do I choose?" Sarah asked and the two fairies had matching smiles.
"It's quite simple, really," Trinner said. "Answer a question - which is stronger, the truth or a wish? If it's truth, go through Sylvan's door. If wish, mine."
"How am I supposed to answer that?" Sarah wondered aloud. "It depends on the wish - and the wisher doesn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Sylvan asked slowly, watching Sarah's face.
"I mean that the wish can be someone's truth if they wish hard enough. It can blind them to anything else. And the truth can end up being someone's wish if they don't want to face knowing what's real."
Merliah nuzzled Sarah's neck and almost laughed. Her queen was smarter than these fairies, she was sure of it. Clarice sighed and looked at the doorknockers.
"Is she right?"
"Well no one's ever answered that way before," Trinner admitted. "But I suppose she is right."
"Great, so open the right door and I'll go to the throne room," Sarah said happily. The doorknockers glanced at each other and shrugged.
"Which door opens to the throne room again?" Sylvan asked her friend. He shrugged.
"It's been so long, I don't remember," he admitted and Sarah glared at them.
"All right, I don't have a lot of time left, so someone should just open both doors and let me look."
"Can she do that?" Trinner asked Sylvan who rolled her eyes.
"At this point, she can do whatever she wants. She's won, right? Let Crimson sort it out."
"Fine by me," Trinner said and both doors opened. Merliah in her haste, pushed Sarah towards Sylvan's door and Sarah found herself hanging onto the door right over the Bog.
"Help," she cried and Clarice and Merliah pushed her back inside. After a moment of catching her breath, Sarah grinned.
"All right, let's try this again, shall we?"
The three went through the other door to face Crimson at last.