Disclaimer: The plum beast and other challengers are mine. Sadly, nothing else is.
A/N: Last update before 2009! Happy New Year everyone. Enjoy!
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Even if Sarah had being paying attention to the path they took, she doubted she could have remembered her way back to room nine. Elder Tower was a labyrinth in itself, full of winding hallways and staircases which lead to some floors, but not others. There seemed to be no method to the madness of construction. And yet, not once did the group double back or come to a dead-end. She appreciated that her guard at least knew where they were. She didn't appreciate the lack of elevators.
Just as Sarah was about to ask for a break, she found herself lead down a hallway with uniquely high ceilings. This was by far the grandest passage and Sarah watched in trepidation as the twin glass doors at hall's end grew after each step. A nasally voice echoed behind her before they had the chance to open.
"I fail to see why all these amateurs are even here. It's not like they stand a chance."
Sarah bristled. Even though she wasn't Fae, she figured that she had as good a chance of anyone at winning this game. For starters, she'd already completed the Labyrinth once. How hard could a second time really be? And of course she had friends to help her through again. If they didn't ignore her such as Sir Didymus did, that is.
She regarded the owner of the offending tone in order to give her a piece of her mind and size up the competition. Upon sight, Sarah's confidence wavered.
Oh shit.
The woman radiated pure energy. And she was simply standing there, hands on the hips of her plum ensemble. Her azure eyes, wide and shining, were fixated directly upon Sarah with a look that screamed disgust. The woman was surely a fellow competitor; Sarah could have matched her face to at least half of the portraits hanging in the hall of holding rooms.
Needless to say, she was not a welcoming sight.
"I thought I sensed a mortal nearby. They really are letting anyone compete now." She sniffed arrogantly. "Don't you know it is rude to stare?"
"Peace Lady Melina, I'm certain she means no harm…" a mature woman in coordinated plum garb grabbed the competitor's shoulder in warning.
Sarah presumed her to be the vile woman's Watcher, although she seemed much older than Eran. She turned back to regard Jareth. Sarah had no guess to his age. In her mind, he was ageless.
"Pardon us, Madam, but you must forgive Sarah. She has yet to learn when to mind her own business. Mortals." He shrugged as if that explained it all. "Yet the rules are the rules, yes?"
"Hey! I didn't—" he cut Sarah's voice off just as he had on the bridge.
"Like I said, she has a few things to learn before the start. Better odds for you I suppose." Jareth bowed, an action Sarah raised her brows at, and gestured for the plum beast to pass them into the glass shielded room. Her Watcher followed on her heels until they were out of sight.
Jareth flicked his wrist to release Sarah's bonds and she immediately crossed her arms.
"I didn't do anything," she growled.
"Doubtful. But it does not matter. You should learn to avoid her at all costs. You are no match for Lady Melina. She is stronger, wiser, and more…mature."
"Mature?! She trod all over me for no good reason." She glared at the pale monarch. "And you were no help at all. I could have handled it better myself."
He scoffed. "Indeed. Well. You shall have your chance it seems. Come, we're being summoned inside." He instinctively placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her and she jumped an inch. Realizing what he'd done, he quickly dropped the arm.
"Right," he cleared his throat, "we better hurry."
They were met at the door by a well-dressed guard and shown through the translucent gate. An unreal sight greeted Sarah as she entered.
The room was strikingly similar to the Roman Coliseums she'd seen copied onto her history books. So much so that she expected a Trojan carriage or a lion to rush from one of the four other glass entrances. Lions, Sarah mused, might be preferable to what did rush in. She could at least predict them to instinctively growl and attack. No such luck with the folk in this bizarre place.
The numerous other beings already inside were milling in colorful groups of silken robes and comfortable tunics. Sarah spotted a clump of unsightly orange linens parading through the gateway across from her own.
"Are all of these peo—I mean beings, here to participate? There must be thousands…" Sarah remarked worriedly.
"Just those wearing the colored tunics. The others are Watchers, or more likely, anxious bidders. The mass should disperse once they take their seats."
"Bidders? Hmph. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is a 'game' after all. Next there'll be angry brawls in the stands and we'll be pelted with tomatoes…" she grumbled.
"Tomatoes?" He laughed, a highly unnerving sound, and grinned deep. "Peaches perhaps for you. But if you'd prefer I send you tomatoes, so be it."
"Hunh? Send me tomato—" But she was cut off again by an announcer's call.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Watchers and Bidders, please find your places. The Game is about to begin."
"Perfect. Now, don't do anything unwise, Sarah. Just stand still and behave yourself. Don't defy me." Jareth insisted on her playing the obedient mortal.
Not even if he shoved a hundred peaches down my throat, the bastard. First he tells me nothing, then he mentions bits and pieces which make no sense, and then he assumes I'll just take it calmly as it comes at me? I don't think so.
I'll show him just how well behaved I can be.
Jareth smirked and glided up the nearest staircase to his seat as she finished her thoughts. Sarah was quickly herded into stadium center with the other apparent contenders and lost herself in the wild mash of energy. There were probably ten others overall, maybe eleven, but the crowd easily felt like hundreds. She tried to memorize some of their features.
The man and woman in the unsightly orange had curly golden-brown hair and the plum woman's blue eyes. Sarah assumed the pair to be siblings. Adjacent them was a girl so petite, she had wrapped a thick brown belt around her rose tunic to keep it from draping far over her legs. She was blonde and Elvin faced, with long pointed ears and sun-kissed skin which shone spectacularly. Farther down the cluster was a trio not hard to miss. They were the most brilliant in appearance, possessing fiery red locks which stood out against their emerald ensembles. The two men and one woman had their backs turned and were chatting amongst themselves, but Sarah could picture their chiseled faces and glittering eyes in her mind. A heavy-set man in wine, a lanky boy in cobalt blue, a freckled couple in a golden yellow, and the plum monstrosity she had met earlier rounded out the assembly. It seemed the entire group was blessed with glowing skin and eyes of varying ocean tones. Sarah felt entirely out of place.
The messenger who guided her down stepped in front of the pack. "Challengers and guests please welcome the Elders, Their Majesties High King Cáel and Queen Amarette."
By the final syllable of the pronouncement, a grand clock had begun to strike in long, even tones. Sarah counted thirteen echoes before a vision shimmered into Coliseum's center. Even without the epic introduction, she could have guessed the titles of the pair. Their robes were draped in rich stones and gold filigree crowns adorned their auburn heads. They were nobility in its highest sense; elegant and proud. The Queen smiled warmly in Sarah's direction and she squirmed a bit in her gaze.
Her feelings of inadequacy were becoming far too common.
The King moved to speak first, spreading his arms wide. "Greetings loyal subjects of the Underground and welcome to the start of another Game. Before the Preliminaries commence, let me first thank you for your patience in this matter." A few crowd members whispered to themselves and he continued, slightly louder, "We have all had time to acknowledge Lord Bertram's peculiar passing. It is time to choose his successor and repair the bonds which have weakened our once glorious lands." He gestured to his wife.
"Competitors, take your places!"
The mass scattered across the floor as each claimed a pocket of the room. A few stretched, others yawned, and the heavy-set fellow starting cracking his knuckles in a sickening fashion. Each had their own way of preparing for the start. Sarah's was to stare blankly at the elders.
Now what?
"Let The Game begin!"
In an instant, Sarah was illuminated by one of twelve grand spotlights. She watched rapt as the petite girl to her left closed her eyes in concentration and began to glow a vibrant gold. An unnatural wind picked up in the chamber, gusting around her person, and ruffling her silky layers. Dragging her glance from the sight, Sarah saw that each of the other challengers was in a similar glowing trance. Some were brighter than the rest while others were chanting softly and seemed to be hovering in place. Others still were beginning to wander through the grounds, colorful ribbons of light trailing in their wake.
Sarah stood spellbound on the spot, drinking in the luminous mirage. She was unaware of the approacher behind her until she felt a shove against her back.
"Watch it, mortal. I don't want your vile smell all over my robes." The plum woman sneered in Sarah's face. The shower of spit sent Sarah reeling.
That's it. That bitch is going down.
Sarah clenched her muscles taut and spun to face the beast called Melina. She was furious and confused, a dangerous combination for any being, and wished that she could do something, anything, to put that ugly plum in her place.
Something warm tickled Sarah's ribs.
Without warning, an invisible force tossed Melina across the floor. She slid nearly thirty feet from Sarah before jumping, wild and startled, to her feet. Her ocean eyes bulged round.
"How…? HOW DARE YOU THROW ME!" an unpleasant screech echoed through the arena. If the sudden movement hadn't captured the crowd's attention, the piercing shriek certainly did.
Sarah stood speechless. Someone was clearly helping her even the score. She made a note to pay close attention to the crowd, and perhaps the petite girl in rose nearby. She focused her attention back on the screaming plum as the spectators hurried closer.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! NO RIGHT AT ALL!"
She thinks I did that?
Sarah threw her hands up in aggravation. "I don't know what you're talking about. There's no way I could throw you across a room when I didn't even move!"
"That's enough Sarah. I believe your round is over."
Immersed in her standoff with the vile plum, she failed to notice a warm presence sidle up beside her. A familiar scent of burning sandalwood invaded her senses and she lost herself for a brief moment in the magic. Until she realized why the scent was so recognizable and pulled away from the monarch.
"Leave Lady Melina be and stop behaving like a child."
"You actually think that was me?" Sarah was growing more and more confused.
"Jareth, control your charge or I'll do it for you. You know the rules almost better than I in this matter. She is finished here. Take her back to wait for the second stage." The High King's command warranted no argument.
"Of course, Cáel. It will not happen again." He edged towards Sarah once more, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to his chest. In an instant, they faded from the chaos.
~*~
The pair reappeared in Jareth's tattered throne room a second later, completely oblivious to the Coliseum's current bidding frenzy.
"You certainly have a knack for trouble, don't you?" He was still holding onto her waist and her heart unconsciously raced with the close contact. "Still disobeying my orders at every turn. You may have severely jeopardized your chances, you know."
He clicked his tongue in disapproval and unexpectedly released her. Calling a crystal to his palm, he spoke into its depths.
"Sir Didymus, Toffee. Throne room. Now."
The first name caught Sarah's attention and she anxiously awaited a second glance of her old friend. She was not disappointed. The beast trotted in the throne room half a minute later and knelt as best a fox could before the King. The goblin girl followed close behind him.
"Didymus, take Sarah back to her room while I figure out what to do about her outburst. Ensure she stays in the room this time. I will fetch her in an hour to bring her to the second stage." He shooed him off and ran a glove through his mangy locks. "Go."
"Yes, sire. Right away."
"Come M'lady, we best be going." He pawed in front of her out the doorway and she followed him down the hall. Jareth waited until they were out of earshot before he gave his second set of commands.
"Get Sarah something fresh to eat. Make sure you mix in another dose of strengthener and that she eats the entire meal. Is that understood, Toffee?"
"Of course, sire. Every bite eaten."
She too hurried off down the hall and Jareth was left to reflect in peace.
I knew you had it in you, Sarah, but that was a bit more spectacular than I was expecting. Let's hope it at least caught you the necessary attention from the bidders. Your chances rest partly in their hands.
He moved to look out at the Labyrinth below him. Even though less than a day had passed since Sarah's arrival, the maze was quickly reverting to its original form. It was just as he suspected. She had taken too large a piece of the Underground with her when she left.
Jareth thought of his latest travel maneuver and berated himself for blatantly relishing her close contact.
And that piece included part of his heart.
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The grand second stage is next! I hope people are still enjoying the story. It's sometimes hard to tell, but I'm loving writing it so that's part of the fun! Thanks for reading.