Chapter Five:
Sarah's eyes were wide, her lips parted slightly as she gazed upon the tall man now standing before her. He was slender but his muscles were well defined. His skin was pale, his hair a dark contrast to his soft features. It fell in straight tresses around his broad shoulders and highlighted his almost unearthly blue eyes.
"Sarah." He breathed her name like a prayer, a smile resting upon his thin lips. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the child who saved a child."
"Who are you?" She asked, her voice steady. She already knew the answer to her question thanks to Sygel's warning. The Fae General would come to her in the fourth hour and there was no doubt in her mind that this was the same man.
"Farnig." His smile did not falter. "Gracious servant to his royal majesty the Goblin King and General in the Fae militia. At your service." He bowed low, his right arm crossing over his chest as he moved.
Slowly she pulled herself from the safety of her friends, ignoring their protesting, before curtsying awkwardly back at him. "I understand you're here to give me options?"
"All of them. Yes." Farnig frowned slightly. "The choice is your own should your runner fail."
"Like yours did?" She asked inquisitively.
"Yes." His voice seemed almost sad, like years had not softened the blow of being unwanted and unloved. After a moment, he held his arm out to her. "We'll start with the goblins."
She reached out hesitantly, grasping gently at his elbow before they teleported away. This time, teleporting convinced her that Jareth was purposefully making her suffer. The Generals teleportation was fluid, almost as if his power was flooding through and stabilizing her. She felt strong.
The home they were now standing in was small, coated in earthly colors and filled with the type of knickknacks she was sure would make Hoggle faint. There were metal pots and dented hubcaps, tires and other items from the Aboveground she was sure had been lost or abandoned by their human owners. She could hear the giggling of goblins from the surrounding rooms.
"Sarah!"
Her eyes snapped to the doorway where the goblin stood, a wide smile upon her lips. "Sygel!" Sarah grinned, lowering herself to her knees to hug the tiny goblin girl. "What are you doing here?"
"This is my home." The goblin girl grinned.
"I thought it best you visit a goblin you've already met." Farnig explained, lazily shrugging his shoulders.
"And what are you showing me here?" Sarah asked, keeping her attention on the small girl she now held at arms length.
"My family, of course." Sygel laughed, grasping Sarah's hand and yanking her gently to her feet. "Come. This way. Through here." Sygel pulled Sarah along behind her as they entered a room even larger than the first. It was crowded with goblins of all heights, ages and genders. They ran around each other playing games and it almost seemed like they were shouting over each other to get the last word. Sarah was suddenly reminded of a family of rabbits in a small den.
They all grinned, eagerly bouncing around each other for chances to shake her hand or climb up her leg. They laughed and played and tugged her this way and that, each shouting a louder question than the last. Was she really a runner? Was she really a wished away? Had she really defeated the Goblin King and defeated the Labyrinth? Would she become one of them?
"Goblins are like children."
Sarah jumped, her hand flying to her chest at Farnig's closeness. She hadn't noticed him follow them into the second room and she definitely had not been expecting him to lean in and whisper in her ear either.
"They bond together almost instantly, forming huge family groups that all live together. They play and tease and cause all sorts of trouble but they are the most loyal breed of creature." He explained, gesturing to where a large group was knocking things over as they wrestled each other.
"Is that why most of the goblin wished aways are children?" Sarah asked, lifting a relatively small goblin into her arms and cuddling the small child.
"The goblin nature is most enticing because they are easy going and free to act their age." Farnig explained with a lithe smile. "The goblins all work for the kingdom. Most are servants and some travel to the aboveground with Jareth to watch the children."
"They are adorable…" She watched their childish innocence as they tottered along through their games. Still, she felt left out. Like she had outgrown the childish things and their childish ways. "I don't think this is where I belong." Sarah finally spoke, offering Sygel a sad smile.
The little goblin only shrugged in response. "It's the magic you'll be accepting, not the people. We will still love you no matter what you choose."
"Thank you." Sarah breathed.
"Then we're off to the next." Farnig spoke, lifting the little goblin from Sarah's arms and placing her down at Sygel's feet.
"I'll see you soon?" Sarah asked, grasping again onto Farnig's arm.
The little goblin nodded her head enthusiastically. "Count on it."
Before Sarah could open her mouth to speak, her surroundings had changed once again. This time she was standing in the center of a great hall filled with silver trappings and ornately decorated walls. It smelled of lavender and honey and she could swear she heard the light chorus of voices in the distance.
"This is the girl?" Standing in the center of the room, only a few feet away from where they had teleported in was a slender brunette woman. Her features were soft and familiar, her bodice draped in silver robes spun like moonlight. Every movement was graceful, every word calculated.
She was beautiful. It wasn't the type of beauty that Sarah was used to. Not the skinny, wearing too much makeup kind that she saw every day of her life. This was raw beauty, permanent and elegant. This was magic.
"This is, your highness. The child thief." Farnig explained, once again bowing low.
Sarah wanted to protest, to argue that Toby had been her brother from the start and that if anyone was stealing children it was most definitely Jareth…. But no words came out.
"What a curious child." The woman circled Sarah slowly, watching her with curious eyes. Every so often she would reach out and brush a strand of Sarah's dark hair back into place or graze her fingertips across her soft features.
"Who are you?" Sarah asked, her voice a mystified whisper.
"Why, the Queen Mother, of course." The woman smiled lithely.
"You're Jareth's mother?" Sarah's tone was incredulous as she took in the Queen Mother's every feature. "I mean no disrespect… but why are you my second option?"
"Because I was a wished away once, sweet dove."
Xxx Jareth xxX
His very breath caught in his chest, his eyes watching as his mother circled Sarah like a hawk. This was the exact moment where Sarah would decide her fate. If she accepted the magic of Fae, she would live the rest of her life in peace. She would be freed from the danger of his magic and he would be freed to pursue her in whatever form he felt most comfortable.
"Do not ruin this, mother." He breathed.
As if she could hear him, his mother lifted her gaze to his through the crystal's glass.
Xxx Sarah xxX
"But I thought Jareth was of pure blood?" Sarah asked, recalling the many minor details of the Goblin King stories she had learned as a child. The King was the last line of pureblooded Fae, gifted with unparalleled magic that was used to sustain the many creatures of the Underground.
"His father broke many rules in taking a wished away for a mate." The Queen Mother laughed, taking a seat upon a high stool and motioning for the girl to do the same.
"You were a wished away who chose Fae magic?" Sarah asked, though her question sounded ignorant even to her own ears.
The Queen Mother smiled patiently. "Who can recall such far off years? But yes. I was wished away in my teen years and my runner never made it through the first gate. The Fae were kind and mysterious and intriguing. I had never been what most would consider beautiful, but Oriel was fascinated with me."
"Oriel?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide.
"Jareth's father. The previous Goblin King." Farnig explained.
"Fae magic comes with its charms, sweet dove." The Queen Mother began again. "We are the face of the people. We run the militia and train vigorously. We dabble in magic and charms. Most of our people are healers and some are the keepers of the aboveground."
"The aboveground?" Sarah interrupted.
"How do you think plants grow? Or babies are soothed in the middle of the night?" The Queen Mother laughed. "We have a gift. Though not many choose to use it. Most stay in the Underground where we are safe and protected by the King. Most choose to occupy positions in his court, making the Underground a safer place for all. Still, some choose to return to the aboveground once their runners fail."
"You can do that?!" Sarah was on her feet now, her heart hammering in her chest. "You can return to your family?"
The Queen Mother frowned. "You've done poorly, Farnig. Have you not prepared her with all of her choices?"
"I was working up to it, My Lady." He bowed again out of respect. "Your son was very particular that some options be lessened."
Confusion captivated Sarah's features. "Jareth didn't want me to know I could return to my home?"
"Sweet dove… the option is to lose your memories and return to the aboveground without them. You would never remember the Labyrinth or your friends or your previous family. You would, essentially, start anew." The Queen Mother explained, her lips pulling down into a frown. "It is not an easy choice to make."
"Jareth has been infecting her with his magic for two years." Farnig sighed, watching as the Queen Mother froze in a mix of shock and fear.
"He's what?" She rounded on the General, her hair whipping around her dangerously. Sarah could feel the rushing of raged magic spiking through her but none of what Farnig said made any sense. "He's signed her death warrant. Does he know what he has done to the child?"
"What? What has he done to me?" Sarah whispered, afraid to bring the wrath of the Queen Mother down on her head.
"He's killed you." She snapped, slowly regaining her composure. "If you choose to leave the Underground or if your runner succeeds, his magic will slowly rip you apart from the inside out. It will stop your heart and drown you with air. There is a reason only few of the Fae choose to venture into the aboveground, a reason only Jareth can remain for extended periods of time."
"Tell me!" Sarah begged, her heart accelerating in her chest. What could be so bad it had enraged Jareth's mother?
"The aboveground is toxic to those afflicted with magic. Returning to the aboveground would have the same effect on your magically enhanced body as plunging a dagger through your chest." Farnig explained.
"Enough."
All three sets of eyes turned to see the Goblin King standing in the doorway, a fearsome rage spreading over his features. "Your majesty." Farnig bowed respectfully.
The Queen Mother, however, remained tall. "You've betrayed her, Jareth." She chastised. "This child's blood is on your hands."
"I know what I am doing. I know what I have done." He admitted dismissively.
"You've taken the choice away from her completely!" His mother practically snarled.
"I've chosen." Sarah whispered, watching as both turned shocked faces in her direction.
"You what?"
The bell tolled as the end of another hour passed.