Holy crap, it's been forever! Or at least it feels like it. I got caught up in life and internship and all sorts of things that like to swallow time whole. Thanks to all the awesome people who have been checking in and reading regularly! It's really been the motivating factor for me to try and get new chapters out so you guys can have something to read.
Fairer Tales 12: Action and Reaction
To say Kern was hiding is something he would have never admitted to anyone, lurking, he felt, would be a more appropriate term, he would even go as far to say avoiding, but hiding wasn't true. Not completely true anyway.
After last night's debacle with the wolves and the interruptions, he wasn't ready to approach the queen without the girl she so desired. He was no fool, he saw what had happened to others who had disappointed her in some way, he wasn't prepared to deal with the consequences of coming back empty handed. So when she swept into her quarters and began glancing about the room, searching for him and not finding him instantly, he contemplated bleeding deeper into the shadows and simply disappearing off to somewhere else for a while as her face changed from calm to slowly more perturbed.
"Kern? Kern I know you're here, come out at once." Queen Megara called from the center of her room. When no immediate response was given, her disposition soured. "Kern."
The warning in her voice not lost on him, Kern slowly leaked out of a dark corner near the window, not daring to move any closer to her reach than absolutely necessary.
"Well? Where is she Kern?" Megara watched as the shadow man's eyes flickered, she could see the gears turning behind them, contemplating his next move in silence.
"Kern!" her irritation evident in her voice, Kern stepped forward, slowly, buying himself some time.
"There was a … slight problem."
"You don't have the girl?" The queen's voice was practically shrill at this point. "You returned without the girl!"
"There was a complication, my queen, a slight inconvenience."
"An inconvenience! Well I see you managed to make it back here, with your tail between your legs, so it must not been that much of an inconvenience!"
"My queen, please, this is not going to be as easy as we once hoped."
"You have but this one moment to explain yourself Kern, and you had best make a valiant effort."
Taking a breath, Kern recounted his tale of the night before; once he finished Megara seemed to have lost some of her murderous look. "Someone within that home, my queen, knows of our kind, they know how to defend themselves against us and keep us at bay. If it were only the cast iron ornaments throughout the house, then I wouldn't be so worried; it's the fact that those wolves appeared is something that I'm not quite sure how to deal with. There are quite a few things set about to protect her, getting a hold of her is going to be far more complicated than expected, as I said. And the strangest thing out of all of this is that I'm not even sure that the girl is aware that she is being guarded."
It was a long, tense moment before Megara spoke; sifting through all of the information she'd been given. This would be the second time that the girl had slipped from her grasp, and the blaringly obvious issue was that each time she'd left the task up to someone else. While Kern's concerns were valid, they weren't getting her any closer to what she wanted, what she needed, which was the girl here, in front of her, now. Sighing, Megara pinched the bridge of her nose, saying nothing, leaving Kern to become more uneasy with the continued silence.
"It would seem," she began slowly. "That you have failed me, Kern, with this… simple task that I have given you. It would also seem, that I have been a fool in continuing to entrust others with this task instead of doing it myself. This evening, as the sun sets, you will take me to the domicile, you will show me where her room is, and I will take care of this as I should have years ago."
Jareth had made his way to the woods behind the house of the girl named Alice, eyes trained on the window of her room, waiting. The change in the air was his first signal that he was not alone. Turning casually around Jareth's mismatched eyes landed on the scowling face of his cousin, arms folded, clearly cross.
"Why cousin, I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Cut the theatrics Jareth."
"Oh, looks like someone's upset." The Goblin King taunted, his grin growing wider as his cousin became more visibly annoyed.
"Jareth is this where you've been? This is what's had you so preoccupied? Neglecting your duties, so you can what? Stalk some human child?"
"For your information, dear cousin, I haven't been neglecting my duties, everything is in place, just as it should be, so if you're going to attempt an argument you should at least have more valid evidence."
"Jareth I-"
"You know I'm surprised at you cousin, I didn't think you followed the same thinking of others within the Underground, I thought you were fine with mortals."
"Jareth don't make this about me! You know more than anyone I couldn't care less, you're the one who's not thinking of the consequences. What exactly are your intentions with this girl? There are plenty of mortal women that you could chase around in the Underground, why bother yourself with continuing to come up to the Above?
"Have you even thought past your own immediate actions? What are you going to do exactly? Expose yourself her? Woo her? Expose her to magic? Then what? Just leave her here? You know what happens when mortals from the Above are exposed to our magic; their world is so starved for it that they'll become addicted to it, the girl with wither and die, a painful and lonely existence after you leave her here, have you considered that at all?"
Derrick watched as his words seem to have little effect on his cousin's demeanor, his expression and his current stance giving off the air of complete ambivalence. Jareth's eyes drifted from his cousin's face back to the second floor window and back again, a simple shrug being his only response.
"I can't believe this." Derrick sighed, exasperated, shaking his head in disgust. Derrick had seen this many times before, and it always ended horrible for the female involved. For whatever reason, Jareth would pick some hapless victim, for that's what they might as well have been, victims, and would set his sights on them, pursuing them until the end goal was reached and then would push them aside like a child who had lost interest in an old toy. Then, after a brief moment of what seemed like clarity and proper judgment, he would do it again. Derrick attributed it to the goblin nature that his cousin had in part, embraced upon taking the Goblin throne, but this instance was different, his rash behavior had never brought him Aboveground before; he let his gaze follow Jareth's line of sight to the window on the second floor that was still empty.
"Jareth, please, what do I have to do to convince you to stop this?"
"Stop what cousin? There's nothing wrong with simply watching."
"We both know it never stops there." Derrick muttered, locking eyes with his cousin once more. Their staring episode was cut short by the sound of the screen door on the back of the house exploding open and a small boy running off the back deck talking excitedly over his shoulder. The next one out of the door was the one Derrick could only assume was the poor soul his cousin had set his eyes on. Garbage bags in hand she made her way down the deck stairs joining the small red headed boy in the yard, bits of their conversation making its way over to wear they stood hidden.
"How hard did you hit her?"
"No Georgie, we're not talking about this."
"But dad said you guys got into a fight! And Abigail's a jerk, you should have kicked her too!" Derrick watched as the girl rolled her eyes while tossing the bags into a bin and slammed the lid down.
"Georgie, let it go please. It was a fight, it was stupid, I don't want to talk about this, right now. And you know what Abigail may be a 'jerk' as you put it, and you know what may be worse, but Gigi's already peeved at me about this and the last thing I need is for you to get all excited about this whole thing."
"But, she's-"
"I don't care Georgie. Just promise me you'll let it go." After some consideration Georgie nodded his agreement, bringing a small smile to the girl's face. "Good. Now go on, I'll be in after I drag these to the curb." The small boy ran ahead, back into the house, as the girl turned to continue her task.
Derrick's attention turned back to his cousin, and his heart sank at what he saw, the look on his face confirmed Derrick's earlier assumptions. His eyes were nothing but predatory having not left her once since she had appeared. Jareth's posture changed as the girl moved towards the heaviest bin, tipping it back on its wheels to drag it easier.
"Alice…" he called softly from his hidden position.
"Jareth, what are you doing?" hissed Derrick, stepping forward. Ignoring his cousin, Jareth continued, a little louder this time.
"Alice…" the girl froze, letting go of the bin, head spinning around looking back at the house to see if someone had called her, her face twisting in confusion.
"Alice." He called again, eyes dark, a grin blossoming on his face as she turned, now facing in their direction. "Come here, Alice."
"Jareth!"
"Come now cousin you said so yourself, leaving her Above would be such a terrible thing."
"Jareth stop it!" Derrick took hold of his arm in an attempt to get his attention, but Jareth merely shook him off. "Jareth you can't seriously be considering taking her Underground. Jareth! Answer me!"
But Jareth wasn't listening, his eyes locked on his Alice as curiosity got the best of her as she moved closer to the edge of the woods. All he needed was for her to come a little closer…
"Alice-"
"ALICE!" the girl jumped turning her attention back towards the house, to the man standing on the deck. "Alice leave the bins and come inside, dinner's ready!"
"But-"
"Just leave it, you can get them in the morning, come inside!"
"O-okay!" she took one last look back in the direction of Jareth and Derrick before jogging back to the house, up the stairs of the deck, and back inside. Derrick let out a sigh of relief at the timing of the man on the porch, Jareth however was not nearly as pleased. As the sun continued to set, Derrick once again began to plead with his cousin.
"Come let's go, we can discuss this back Underground."
"There's nothing to discuss, cousin." was Jareth's snarky reply as he turned to face his cousin. "I…" his words trailed off as his eyes fixated on something just over Derrick's shoulder. Confused Derrick turned around searching for the thing that had caught his cousin's attention. But as he searched he found nothing.
"What?"
After a moment Jareth shook it off, turning his attention back to his cousin. "Why are you meddling in my affairs?"
"Meddling in- Are you serious? Jareth I-" but Jareth didn't wait to hear what his cousin had to say, in a flash of sparks and magic he disappeared from in front of his cousin. "Oh no, you're not getting off that easy."
Derrick growled as he let his own magic sweep him up, carrying him back Underground. After a few failed attempts at locating his cousin in his usual haunts within the castle a furious Derrick appeared in Jareth's study to find him lounging in the chair behind his desk, feet propped up in front of him, lazily tossing a crystal orb from hand to hand.
"Jareth, we need to speak, now!"
"Derrick, go away, I haven't got time for your complaints."
"Make time." Derrick bit out slamming his hands down onto the desk. Jareth's eyes flicked up to meet his cousin's, standing, both fae's stare clearly showing their unwillingness to back down.
"Have you gone completely daft!"
"Get out Derrick." Jareth growled.
"No! I'm not leaving until we discuss this!"
"Why don't you simply admit that the reason you're cross with me is because I simply didn't let you in on my little secret."
"Jareth we're not children anymore! I couldn't care less who you plan to pursue or bed but for all that is sacred think about what you're doing!"
"Again I don't see where any of this is really any of your concern."
"My con- You don't- I should-" Derrick let out a low growl of frustration, his face in his hand as he tried to calm himself.
"Come now, Derrick," Jareth grinned letting himself fall back into his chair, feet returning to their upright position on his desk, calling forth a crystal orb, letting it run over his fingers. "You said so yourself we're not children anymore."
Jareth watched as his cousin glared at him over the top of his hand.
"Oh come now cousin!" he mocked. "What are you going to do? Run and tell my mother on me?" Jareth watch as a light came on behind Derrick's eyes. A large mischievous grin made its way across his face as the idea took hold.
"What are you think-" Jareth's hand halted the movements of the crystal he'd been playing with, his eyes darkening as he watched his cousin. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Nanny!" there was a brief pause before a familiar feeling of static from magic filled the air, an instant later Nanny stood looking slightly annoyed as the flurry of glitter and sparks died down.
"What are you boys up to now?" Nanny inquired after a quick look around. "It doesn't look like anyone's bleeding or drunk so why am I here?"
"Wow Nanny I didn't know you had so much faith in our behavior." Jareth commented flatly turning away from the two of them in his chair.
"Well considering the behavior you've both exhibited in the last few nights, and let's not even get into the years of your childhood that I kept up with the two of you trouble makers. So I'll ask again, why exactly am I here?"
Nanny looked at the both of them, quickly surmising that an argument of some kind was raging and she had been pulled into the thick of it. By the looks of it, both boys were close to boiling over, but the one she was most concerned about was the one who had turned away; Jareth's temper was nothing if not nightmarish when it reached a head, attempting to talk him down was next to nearly impossible. They stood in an awkward and unsettling silence for a moment longer before Derrick finally spoke.
"Jareth's started up another one of his 'games'." He spat out the last word as if it put a sour taste in his mouth. "Only this time he's set his sights on a mortal girl."
"As much as I don't approve of these 'games', what would you have me do Derrick? This is not the first mortal that Jareth has pursued, I'm sure you've both shared stories of your various conquests." Nanny watch as something close to maybe remorse, or was it sheepishness flash through his eyes at her comment on their past behavior.
"She's from Above." At this Nanny started, but managed to keep her composure, masking her shock and slowly growing concern with a face of indifference. However, Jareth took her silence differently.
"Come Nanny, you've missed your cue. This is where you rally with Derrick, as he so wants you to, and set to task attempting to tell me how horrible my actions are and how I should be ashamed of myself and whatever else have you. Better yet," Jareth continued, anger obvious not only in his eyes but now in his demeanor as well. "Since you two seem to be having this conversation well enough without me, why don't you continue to do so, I obviously need not be here." And in a explosion of magic Jareth left the room, a smothering silence filling his wake.
"Jareth! Blast it Jareth! We're not done-"
"Leave it alone Derrick." Nanny warned. "You and I both know that attempting to talk to him in the state he's in will only drive him to what he's planned more. Besides, I can tell, he's already made up his mind on what he wants to do. As unfortunate as it will be for the girl involved, we'll just have to let this run its course like the others, and hope that maybe he'll lose interest in her before he gets himself in to deep." Nanny turned to leave, she'd really hoped that this behavior had just been a phase, Derrick had seemed to grow out of it some, disappointed didn't describe how she felt, more disheartened truth be told. As her hand came rest on the latch of the door, something crossed her mind, slowing her in her steps.
"Derrick, why is it that you have such an interest in this particular case? It can't just be because the girl is from Above."
Derrick sighed, shaking his head, not making eye contact with Nanny.
"Derrick, what is it now? Tell me."
"You wouldn't by chance remember Jareth's last 'game' would you?"
"Remember? I would have to be completely daft to forget that utter disaster! Why?" Derrick gave Nanny a wary look.
"Because, she's back."
Queen Megara stood outside of the house that held the girl she'd come to claim.
The dark of night cloaking her, she watched the house thinking of her next move. From where she stood in the shadows she could just begin to sense the cast iron within the house meant to keep her kind at bay; the doors and the girl's window weren't the only places they could be found, they had be strategically placed throughout the house from what she could tell, leaving her no real entrance into the house. This however, did nothing to discourage her.
"Kern." The shadow man silently appeared beside his queen, waiting patiently for her next command. "When you were watching Jareth, did you notice anyone who felt any animosity towards girl?"
"Yes," Kern began, as he recounted the day he'd spent hovering just a few steps behind the young Goblin King. "I believe so. A girl, young, about her age, why?"
"What was her name?"
"Her name? Abigail? Abigail, I believe." The shadow man's curiosity perked at this blossoming development.
"Do you happen to know where this Abigail resides?"
"Yes… I believe I do."
"Then show me. Now." In less than a blink, Kern had swept up the shadows around them and carried himself and his queen off, appearing a breath later in front of the Connelly residence.
"Would you like me to accompany you inside my lady?"
"Silence." Megara snipped, holding up a hand. "Let me think." The house stood quiet, most of the residents appeared to have fallen asleep, though the few lights she did see within suggested that the one she wished to locate might still be awake. The question was how to proceed next. Mortals had always had been strange creatures, even more so now. In the past she'd either been almost immediately worshiped and feared or shunned and avoided by those who knew better. With mortals in the Above now having such little magic left in their world, their belief in such things was dwindling as well. Merely appearing to the girl may hinder her more than aid.
"Stay here until I call for you." Megara cloaked herself in a glamour of invisibility before appearing inside the house. Walking around she found her way to and up the stairs and to the bedroom of a young teenage girl. She sat on her bed scribbling in a notebook as a box on her dresser flashed images and sound.
"Abigail, it's getting late, you should go to bed." Megara turned from where she stood, unseen, in the center of the room, to find a woman standing in the doorway.
"Why bother?" the girl muttered to her mother. "It's not like I have school in the morning."
"There's nothing we can do about it now. Try not to stay up too late."
"Whatever." She snipped under her breathe as her mother left. Moving to the girl's side Megara looked over her shoulder to see the content of the notebook, a sinister smile blossoming on her face at what she saw.
"Stupid Alice," the girl grumbled tearing out the page on top, crumbling and tossing it at the waste bin near her desk. "Ruining everything, now I can't even go to the stupid dance."
Megara watched as Abigail went back to scribbling furiously in her notebook, waiting. The girl was furious, her demeanor as well as her writings made that more than evident, she was simply waiting until the opportune moment to act.
"Stupid Alice… I wish… I'll get you back for this, you just wait."
"My dear I think I may be able to be of some assistance." Megara appeared before the girl, her sinister intentions hidden behind a mask of feigned concern. The startled girl backed into the corner of her bed, mouth agape, color draining from her face.
"W-who are you? How'd you get in here? What are you?"
"First why don't we make sure we have some privacy hmm?" Megara painted on her best sweet smile as, with a simple flick of her hand, the door to Abigail's room closed and latched, as well as the sound on the television turned up enough to cover their voices.
"W-what? How did you do that?"
"Why, with magic my dear, of course."
"Magic?" Abigail eyed her suspiciously. "Really magic? What and you're supposed to be some sort of fairy godmother or something? Sorry lady, I gave up on such fairy tale fluff a long time ago."
"Good, then we're at least in agreement about something." The sweet smile fell from the queen's face, replaced with the intimidating façade many of the maids who attended her had been exposed to for years.
"I am no fairy godmother, child. I am a queen, a fae queen, and I assure you I am nothing like the silly fairy tales you grew up with. I am here because I heard your wish."
"But I didn't actually wish for…" but Abigail's words failed her as she was caught up in that icy gaze, reassuring her that her interruption was not welcome. Watching the girl cower, Megara paused, to rethink her current direction. Absolutely terrifying the girl wasn't the best way to proceed. Sighing she sat on the bed, placing a mask of concern on her face.
"My dear I'm sorry, you see I am quite taxed, at my wits end for you see, for all the powers I have as a fae and as a queen there is a problem that I have that I simply cannot solve on my own."
"Problem? What kind of problem?" Naturally, mortals are always so easily swayed, this girl is no different.
"You and I both seem to share a problem person. Alice." Megara noted how a fire seemed to light up behind Abigail's eyes.
"Alice? What about her?"
"For quite a long time her family has been at work against me. I cannot tell you how for, you see, it would take much too long of a time to explain it and my time here in your world is brief. She has become a stumbling block and she's keeping me from my goals. I noticed that she has done the same with you, and I thought, you might be able to aid me in my endeavors?"
"Aid you? What's in it for me?"
Sly girl, I'll give her that much. "Of course I would reward you for your services."
"How though?"
"I assure you, it will be quite the reward, more than you could ever expect, my dear. More than your wildest dreams could conjure. You seem not like most, riches and power is what I see for you."
"Now that sounds promising." The queen watched as a sly grin moved across the girl's face.
"So we are in agreement?"
"Yes, I'll help. What do I have to do?"
"As I've said my time is short here, but I will be in contact with you. Here take this." Megara handed Abigail a small embroidered pouch. Upon opening it she found a small golden compact inside.
"A mirror?"
"Keep it close and I will bet in touch with you when I need you."
"Okay," Abigail mutter as she inspected the new trinket. "But how…" But looking up she found Megara gone. Glancing about her room for a moment longer, Abigail put away her things and turned off her tv, her light and settled herself into bed. From the curb Megara and Kern watched the queen's newest pawn slipped into a deep slumber.
"What would you have me do this night my queen?"
"This Abigail will only become more useful to me if I use her anger against her, send some of your kin into her dreams, search through them for something useful, and be sure to begin exploiting them as soon as possible. Notify me immediately if you find something particularly interesting that may serve us as especially useful."
"Yes my queen." Kern bowed deeply. "And what of Alice?"
"As for Alice," Megara began as she walked onward, the dark of the night surrounding her, enveloping her as she prepared to cross the void between this world and her own. Glancing back at Kern over her shoulder, Queen Megara paused, a sinister grin once again making its way across her flawless face. "Take who you have available and continue to pay her a visit. She may be guarded at night, but she's not constantly under supervision. The more we unsettle her the more likely she is to be susceptible to our whims, which will make it even easier to ensnare her when the time comes. And oh what a glorious time that will be."
Kern once again swept into a deep, dramatic bow as Queen Megara vanished into the night, leaving no trace of herself except for the lingering ghost of her callous laughter.
And that's it for Chapter 12! Things are moving along pretty well.
Thing are happening, once one thing gets untangled another bundle of mess comes up. It's all so intriguing! :)
I hope you guys are enjoying, thanks for those who keep commenting/reviewing, I love sending people messages :)
Here's hoping I can get the next chapter out sooner! :)