A/N: Thank you to everyone who takes the time to give my story a read, this is my first Labyrinth fanfiction, and I was nervous as all get out about posting it. There isn't going to a set schedule for me to upload the chapters as I have work and real-life issues to deal with.
An AMAZING WORD OF ADVICE FROM THE WISEMAN (and maybe a wisecrack from his hat) for Alexpos82 and Rebeki for the follows of the story! I was absolutely blown away to get those notifications in my email!
And a special MAGIC DANCE for Alexpos82 for the favorite! I really appreciate it!
[In reply about Chapter 18 from Guest 2021 on June 18th, 2021: Of course he screwed up, it's Jareth. Can't expect him to be Kingly all the time?Hmmmm, maybe she will, maybe she won't. We'll you for the review.]
[In reply about Chapter 18 from ndavis77 on June 19th, 2021: Well, it could be worse? They could still be both stuck in that stone cell awaiting whatever fate that master-person had for them…muahahahaha…But I'm not that mean. Or am I? Thanks for the review.]
Please leave a review if you have time, I would love the feedback. And without further ado…
I do not own anything except any OC characters that I choose to add into the story. Thank you.
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XIX.
Sunrise awoke Jareth per usual, but something was different this morning. There was a 2nd presence at the back of his mind, but it felt normal and like it belonged there. He stirred slowly and the presence flared as if disrupted, but familiar. Then Jareth realized it felt exactly like the presence at supper and from his study. Without opening his eyes, he let a smile form on his face as he said quietly, "Good morning, Sarah." The presence flared again pleasantly as he opened his eyes and noticed Sarah peeking at him from under the covers. Her hair was tousled from sleep again, but her eyes held a look of both curiosity and confusion.
"Morning Jareth." She replied, taking a minute to survey her surroundings. "I see I didn't end up in your bedchambers again…not that it would be bad, but you know, just awkward to explain…I mean…" Sarah stammered out, as she fiddled with the edges of the duvet.
Jareth sat up and held a hand up to Sarah with his palm facing her, which made her pause. "Do not apologize. You are not the one at fault. Never think that. My family and their ginormous egos that love to put their polished boots in their mouths are the ones to blame. Do not waste your breath on them either. They should be apologizing to you. Which they will, later. And no, you cannot change my mind about it." Jareth gave her a gentle smile as he felt the questions bloom each time but felt her shrink back as he answered each of them quickly. "Besides, there are more important topics that need to be discussed, especially now that my erroneous family brought them up."
Sarah peeled back the covers back and took a step out of the bed. "At least let me freshen up. It will only take a moment." She said, matching his smile with one of her own.
"Of course. I have not elsewhere to be. Trust me on that." He replied and was relieved to feel a comforting brush against his mind when he said that. Jareth wasn't sure if she was even aware of what was going on. As he watched Sarah disappear though the bathroom door, he realized that he could still feel her presence in his mind, almost like she was still in front of him. He gently nudged against her mind and through the open doorway, he heard an audible gasp.
Sarah came back into the room, her face looking freshly washed and dried. "What was that?!" She asked, her eyes wide. She sat on the bed across from the chaise lounge, pulling her feet up, sitting cross-legged. The nightgown fortunately was long enough to cover her knees.
"That, Sarah-mine, is our bond. Do not ask me how it came to be, for I know not, but Ayden is trying to help me find out. I noticed it last night at supper, just before you fainted. It helped alert me to catch you." He replied. It seemed not the time to Jareth to tell Sarah that he had felt her passionate relaxation session from yesterday.
"Bond? Huh…that's certainly…uh…different. You think I might have noticed it sooner. Has there been any other developments that I should be aware of? What's this tournament business and Beltane mess about?" Sarah asked.
Jareth sighed, hoping that she wouldn't have jumped right into the serious questions right away, but after everything, he couldn't expect anything less from his champion. "I would expect that I have to start from the beginning or none of this will make any sense." He stated, before taking a deep breath. "Do you remember what I offered you?" He asked, tentatively, while avoiding her gaze.
"Yes. And I did apologize for that. I realized when I was older what you were actually asking for." She responded, noting his lack of eye contact.
Jareth continued to avert his gaze to stare pointedly at the pattern on the throw blanket that was covering his legs. "As I have never openly offered that particular position to anyone before, I assume, the Labyrinth, without my knowledge of course, somehow chose it upon itself to forge a magical bond between us. Not just familial, but also of the love variety. As I returned both you and young master Tobias back to the aboveground, I can only imagine that it halted the bond process, and although weak at the time, it still tethered you to myself. Although, I am only speculating of course. Do you follow me so far?" He asked, still not meeting her gaze, even though Jareth could feel Sarah's eyes on his face.
Sarah nodded, "I do. Please continue." She answered softly.
Jareth took another deep breath. "I can only surmise that the years passed and both of us were none the wiser. That is until the beginning of this year. I can only assume the Labyrinth was tired of us not completing our bond, and so it chose to intervene. Though I can only speculate, but I doubt that not all of it was on the Labyrinth's own volition." He answered.
"How so?" She asked, shifting positions on the bed, trying to make herself more comfortable.
"This year marks the 2,197th year after my birth. There is a prophecy of sorts, which I did not think held any sway, but seems I was wrong. I will recite it for you since I have long since memorized it.
'Thirteen by Thirteen, as years of the sky,
One with six along with the nine.
History repeats, the years that pass by,
Sum of the time, of dawning sunshine.
Opposing hearts clash, but do not lie,
Decisions are made, causes both to pine.
Apart so they say, but oh do they try,
A bond solidifies, as hearts do,
Bridging the gap between you.
A challenge to test, trials to pass through,
Thirteen can try, and then become two.
Hearts must be weighed, surely you knew,
One will reign Queen, her heart must be true.'
And as it stands, you might have noticed that my kingdom favors the number 13. 13 goes into 2,197 a total of 169 times, and that might not be such a huge deal, but 13 goes into 169 exactly 13 times. Due to this Ayden and Lorcan have tirelessly helped me research why this might be connected to all these strange occurrences that have been taking place."
Sarah pondered the prophecy and what Jareth stated as she went back over the numbers. Her eyebrows raised, "So you guessed that the prophecy had something to do with you?" She asked.
"I could only speculate at the time. The prose had been written 3 years before my birth. I had not even begun to be a passing thought in my parent's minds. Children are quite hard to conceive for fae kind. I was not planned, though I was a pleasant surprise. Along with my youngest sister Avalina, after a few more hundred years further down the road." He replied, picking at some loose fibers on the throw blanket.
Sarah wasn't sure how to take his statement about the conception subject because she hadn't remembered reading that anywhere in her research for her books. She was also still amazed at how ageless they all were. "So, assuming you are in your 2,000s, your mother must be…" She trailed off, staring intently at Jareth.
Jareth looked up at the wall and replied, "In her 10,000s. If I recall correctly, she just passed her 12,462nd birthday. But age is only the number of years we have been alive. We can choose to fade and leave for paradise whenever we feel the time is right. My grandparents chose not to fade until well into their 50,000s." He remarked, still not meeting her gaze.
"Essentially your kind are immortal?" Sarah asked softly.
Jareth nodded.
"But that still doesn't explain the tournament…" She started to say, when Jareth interrupted her.
"I said I was starting from the beginning, but I may have deviated for a time. Apologies. May I continue?" He asked, his gaze still boring a hole in the wall.
"Yes. I'm sorry, please continue." Sarah answered.
"Thank you. As I previously stated, the prophecy came up as a subject shortly after the year began. I had not thought about the prophecy in quite some time, since my younger years in fact. Ayden solved the numbers a few years ago and has been slowly trying to translate the rest." He paused, taking a deep breath. "And what does this have to do with our situation, you ask? It seems to be only one piece of the puzzle. Before your unfortunate trip to the stone cell, several other events had already taken place." He let his gaze slide back down to the throw blanket on his lap. "Do you recall my twin-brother asking about the impending company?" He asked, quietly.
"Yes. Something about the preparations for the tournament were almost finished and all that was left were the challengers?" She answered, confused.
Jareth sighed deeply before he spoke, "A few months ago, I started receiving correspondence from several kingdoms in the land that select families who had eligible daughters had received letters that invited them to compete in something called the King's Tournament." He paused as he took a deep breath, "Now I had heard tales of such an event but did not actually believe it existed. In the back of my library, Ayden found, much to my dismay, an ancient tome full of other instances of King's tournaments. Full accounts in fact. Written by someone called the Tournament Overseer, who seemed to be the keeper that presided over the game. Possibly for rules and such, or as we deduced, keeping a semblance of order. Each tournament was crafted specifically for the current reigning King at the time. Reasons ranged from land disputes, to choosing who to marry their daughters off to, even to prevent great wars if the king was undecided. As soon as Ayden touched the book, he said he felt a deep connection and that the Labyrinth had chosen him as Overseer. Knowledge rippled through his mind and immediately he understood what must be done. I tried to ask him, but Ayden said the rules forbade him from speaking of certain aspects of the tournament. But he told me what he could. He said the Labyrinth was involved, my kingdom was at stake, and my- the Labyrinth's heart the prize. Ayden apologized and could tell me no more. I did not press, though I wanted to. I had many a question. He said everything was going according to plan." He paused as he heard Sarah's intake of breath at his statement.
"Which is what you said to me." She stated.
"Precisely. What Ayden couldn't foretell was that before all of this, I had been investigating a devious plot within my inner circle. Someone was planning on trying to take my kingdom. As it stands, as soon as it was revealed at the council that the King's Tournament had been invoked, it seemed as though my would-be attacker had to accelerate their plan." He said.
"Cue the kidnapping." Sarah replied, sighing softly.
Jareth turned his gaze to finally meet her eyes and Sarah could tell that this was very difficult for him to talk about. "Correct. I had not anticipated that the traitor had wormed their way through my defenses enough to leave me open to an attack of this caliber. But as I said before, stipulations were in place should something like that occur. I am to assume that my attacker did not realize this."
"Yes. I gathered that from before. What does this have to do with Beltane, though?" She asked, still a bit confused.