Chapter Twenty-Eight
They materialized in Jareth's solar, the warriors that had accompanied them bowing to her with a smile before exiting. Lily gave Sarah a mischievous little wink before whispering in Garthan's ear. He exchanged a heated look with his wife before they took their rather quick leave. Koriane and Danovan (the Elven male valet that had come along) took quick charge of their luggage. Sarah was encouraged to change out of her traveling gown and into something more comfortable.
She returned to the solar to find a lovely breakfast laid out on the table. Everyone in their party had preferred to transport back to the Goblin Kingdom as opposed to taking breakfast with the High Court, and by this time, Sarah's stomach was rumbling quite loudly. She was soon joined by Jareth, also free of his traveling clothes and wearing a much more casual outfit of a fine woolen tunic and breeches. He motioned for her to sit at the table with a soft smile. Breakfast was a pleasant affair; the kitchens having outdone themselves with a selection of baked goods that rivaled anything she'd ever had Aboveground. After they'd eaten, Jareth took her hand and pulled her up from her chair.
"Uh, Jareth? Where are we going?" she asked with a curious smile.
He grinned back at her, "I thought you'd like to… 'relive old memories'. Take a tour of the Labyrinth, but this time… not as a runner." As he saw her delighted expression, he whispered, "Close your eyes, love." When she'd opened them again, she was standing outside of the Labyrinth, the castle and city visible in the distance.
Oddly… the very air seemed different from the first time she was here. She remembered an almost orange tone to the sky when she'd made her Run, but today, it was clear and blue. The landscape was different as well. It looked… desolate during her Run. Now, it simply looked like the beginning of Winter. Speaking of which… she noticed that Jareth had conjured a cloak around her to ward off the chill. Before her stood the giant gate she remembered. But even that seemed… different. The first time she stood here, the Labyrinth appeared ancient, almost decrepit. This time, the foliage was trimmed, the blocks from the walls weren't crumbling and the ground beneath her feet was of a fitted cobblestone instead of just dirt.
"Jareth… why does it look so different?"
He pulled her gently toward the gate, "Just as I was altered to appear as you expected me, so did the Labyrinth. In many ways, it changes itself to fit what the Runners think it will be. It also depends on the motivation of the Runner." Slipping his arm around her, he kissed her temple, "The Labyrinth liked you. So, the traps and puzzles it prepared for you were tailored to match that liking. Logic puzzles. Perspective tricks. They were by no means easy to overcome, but as you noticed, the worst thing you faced was being taken back to the start."
The gates opened by themselves, giving out an ominous rumbling sound. Jareth laughed, "See? It knows you're here." For the next few hours, they meandered through the Labyrinth. She was delighted to see the Worm again, and this time his Missus came out to greet her as well.
After exchanging some pleasantries and continuing on their way, Sarah looked over at Jareth with a bit of puzzlement. "Are there a lot of… sentient creatures like the Worm Underground? I mean… a lot of this world seems to be an echo of Above, but we don't have talking worms or rock callers. I just… I don't understand." She frowned in thought for a moment. "Where are we, Jareth? Is this another world? Another dimension? Is this…" she indicated all around her with a wave of her hand, "really real?"
"Is it another world? Yes and no. I suppose the best way to describe it so you can understand it would be to say that it is… Earth."
"So I can understand it?" she said, laughing. "We're not insinuating that I'm a bumpkin again, are we?"
"Oh, no, love. In all honesty, I don't understand much of it myself, and what I do know… you might not have a basis for comparison." They came upon a courtyard in the Labyrinth, which had what looked like a central park-like area. There were several carved stone benches and a seating area with a table near a tinkling fountain. Laid out on the table was a light lunch, which Sarah appreciated after the hours of wandering through the Labyrinth. After they ate, Jareth sat back and sipped at the iced tisane they were served with lunch.
"I suppose the best way to describe it is that we are in a parallel universe, on an alternate version of your Earth. It's parallel, but we call it 'Underground'. I don't really know why. I don't even know who discovered it, it was so long ago. Magic was strong here, much stronger than on your Earth. The creatures and plant life were different, many of them magical as well. Some were even sentient. The Fae established colonies here and eventually built Ardalon. Legend has it that other magical beings from your Earth crossed over to establish colonies on this world. The Strigoi for one. Elves and Dwarves too. The Goblins were already here since the Fae brought us over to build their city and do their labor. When the Sundering happened, all remaining magical races crossed over here, taking most of the magic of your Earth with them."
"Why did the Sundering happen?"
"It depends on who you ask. The Fae say that it happened because the humans grew so savage as to threaten their very existence. The Elves and Dwarves say that the human population grew so large as to encroach on their territories and they needed a new home. The Goblins… at the time, we were under the thumb of the Fae and were inclined to view their enemy as our potential friend, so you can be sure they did everything to keep us away from you. The truth is… probably a mix of the two. I do know that at that time, humans were viewed as incredibly dangerous."
"How could we be dangerous to you? You guys have magic."
"Yes, we all have magic and you do not. But what you do have… is imagination. That, and a fertility rate which was phenomenal for a sentient species. Our lifespans were longer than yours, yes. But only by a factor of ten. A human might live 80 to 100 years. A Fae or a Goblin might live 800. But in exchange for that lifespan, our fertility was curtailed. The Fae had always been slow to reproduce, but when they relocated here, it slowed down even more. A trade off for the even longer lifespan that living here had granted. Goblin lifespans extended as well, but our fertility remained unchanged."
"Then why still keep contact with the Aboveground?"
"The Elves and Dwarves do not. The Fae consider the Above to be their personal amusement park. The Strigoi… their numbers were so small that they needed humans to keep a viable breeding population. For the Goblins, we come Above as part of the bargain I made with the Labyrinth."
"So… if this is an alternate Earth, is it… the same? I mean the geography?"
"The parts that are known do seem to echo the Aboveground geography. For instance, Ardalon is located in the equivalent of Northern Ireland."
Sarah thought for a moment. "Okay, so… if this planet… this world… is a 'copy' of Earth, then where is the Goblin Kingdom? In relation to Ardalon… or Ireland?"
"It encompasses the area you know as the countries of Austria and Croatia."
She shook her head in amazement, "So… if I were to go out into space, right now and look down on this world… it would look just like Earth?"
"Probably. Although… with magic, some things might have changed. But I believe you would still see a resemblance between the two worlds."
"That's… fascinating. And you guys still haven't explored the entire planet yet?"
Jareth laughed, "And now do you see why the Fae think humans are so dangerous? Underground societies tend to be… rather set in their ways. Change occurs very, very slowly. It wouldn't occur to them to explore just for the sake of exploring. But a human…" He leaned over and kissed her, "Nothing is beyond your imagination. It's why we Goblins admire you so."
After exploring the Labyrinth, Jareth led her into the castle, retracing her journey from her Run. She looked around at the throne room where he held Local Court, noting the multitude of Ughlánas and the flocks of chickens running around.
"Toby remembers this room. Remembers you," she said, as she smiled. "He told me that you and the Ughlánas sang to him. But I have to ask… how do you keep it so… clean?"
Jareth laughed, "You call this clean?"
"Well… it's not as bad as I expected. Certainly not as bad as the first time I was here," she said, giggling.
"I wish I could take credit for it, but in truth, it's all Lily. She has the Ughlánas clean their side of the castle on Sunday mornings. This room is actually bearable by the time I come here on Monday afternoon." Jareth led her through a hall that looked familiar, and sure enough, it opened onto what she called the 'Escher Room'. Grinning mischievously, Jareth led her to one of the stairways. "You needn't worry, love. The magic in this room makes gravity optional. Similar to the dance floor in Ardalon."
"I've always wanted to ask you… why the hell would you have a room like this here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he said, still grinning. "The Ughlánas like to play tag and Hide and Seek here. I enchanted the room originally as a jest on them, but they enjoyed it so much…"
Sarah was still sometimes surprised at the level of care and consideration he showed for the people (and creatures) under his protection. How many rulers would even care that their subjects were entertained, let alone expend personal energy on something they enjoyed, just to please them?
Leading her from the room onto a stairway that (thankfully) didn't end in thin air, they climbed up to what must have been the tallest tower in the castle. They passed a lot of doors on the way up, guest chambers, from what Jareth had told her. At the very top was an observation chamber, which boasted a 360-degree view from the windows that encircled the room. All around the castle, she could see the city below, and beyond that, the Labyrinth. She had never really appreciated the scale of it until she saw it from this vantage point.
They settled themselves into a window seat, her back against his chest, his arms wrapped comfortably around her. As they watched the sun go down over the Labyrinth, Sarah sighed.
This was home.
As promised, Jareth brought her back to her apartment right after sunset and altered time so it was Halloween night. The Ughlánas cheered when they saw her, excited to start their Halloween celebration. Sarah picked up the blood oath talisman, opened it and pricked her thumb with the spike at the top. When she pressed her thumbprint to the parchment, there was a slight blue flash, and the parchment disappeared. She handed it back to him with a smile. He returned her smile, then bent to kiss her.
"Thank you for coming with me to Ardalon, Sarah."
"It was my pleasure, Jareth."
Their goodbye was cut rather short by the enthusiasm of the Ughlánas, who were clamoring to begin trick or treating. Laughing, Jareth told her he'd see her later and transported back to the castle. Sarah hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower and change into her costume. This year, she was going as a pirate. As she rounded up her little gang of Goblins, they hustled out of the apartment and down the stairs to the entryway. She drew up short, utterly shocked, then ridiculously pleased. Jareth stood in the foyer of her building… dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. She couldn't keep the grin off her face as she walked up to him.
"You know… if I had made the wish after I'd seen Pirates of the Caribbean, I think you would have been dressed like this during my Run," she said as he kissed her.
The Ughlánas thought it hilarious that their King was joining them for the Halloween fun, cheering when he asked, "Shall we go, me hearties?"
Later, as they were relaxing on her couch, a glass of wine in her hand and a bottle of Guinness in his, watching as the Ughlánas sorted through their candy, he asked her if she would be going to her family's home for Thanksgiving.
"Yes. I wouldn't miss Karen's turkey for the world," she answered. Then she looked over at him shyly. "I don't suppose you'd… maybe want to come for dinner?"
"I'd love to, Sarah. I have the representatives from the Steelshank Clan of Dwarves coming around that time for some trade negotiations, but I can spare a few hours to try this vaunted turkey you keep telling me about."
Sarah beamed at him with joy, "We'll need to come up with a story… something to tell my family."
"Hmmm. Otherworldly King would be a bit too much, you think?"
She laughed, "A bit."
Jareth frowned in thought, "Well… perhaps something with a grain of truth to it. We can say that I am from Ireland, which is true in a sense. My ancestry is Irish… if we are speaking in terms of location."
"Okay. That works. Now for your profession. Child welfare worker, while somewhat true, just won't fly with them."
"How about CEO of Underground Enterprises, Inc.?" he said with a sly smile.
"Knowing my dad, he'd probably check it out. Best if we stay to things that can be verified," she replied.
"Ah, but it can be," he returned, openly grinning now. "I really do own a corporation called Underground Enterprises, based in Ireland."
Sarah looked at him with open-mouthed shock. "You do?"
He nodded, "I like to be prepared for all contingencies. It seemed like a good idea to have some sort of holdings here Above. I established it back in the 1980s, although we should probably say that it was my… father that started it way back when." He frowned then, "Or my grandfather… I suppose we need to fix my age at something acceptable."
"Well, based on your glamor, I'd put you at 28. So… yeah, your grandfather established it in the 80s, then your father ran it, now you."
Jareth waved his hand and an object appeared in his hand. He held it out to her to see. It was a passport, with a rather adorable photograph of his glamored form. It had fair reproductions of stamps from all over the world. She noted with amusement that he'd picked Valentine's Day as his birthdate.
"All right, so that covers your background. Now… how did we meet? It's going to look a little strange that a 23-year-old met a 15-year-old…"
"Not if it's innocuous. I was in town six years ago, visiting a family friend. I was walking my friend's dog and met you at the park. I thought you a charming child at the time. We exchanged pleasantries then parted ways. Years later… you discovered we had a mutual friend while in university. They gave you my contact information and you wrote to me. I remembered you. We struck up a correspondence, and when I was in town last Thanksgiving, we met at the park for an hour or so."
"I can even say that I had a crush on you back then… which is true," she said with a flirty smile. "And when I discovered that this mutual friend knew you, I thought I'd take a chance and write to you."
"And… every time I came to the States on business, I came to see you. Yes, I think that will work nicely."
Sarah nodded in agreement, "It helps that one of my cousins saw you walk me home last year. You wouldn't believe the interrogation I got at dinner that night." She looked at him a little uncertainly. "Speaking of interrogation… I don't know what Underground dads are like, but I'm pretty sure you're in for an interrogation of your own. Karen will probably be openly making wedding plans and Dad… well, he's going to be putting you through the third degree. If you thought Garthan was a good interrogator, you ain't seen nothing yet. Are you sure you're ready for that?"
Jareth gave her a soft kiss, "Precious, I wouldn't expect anything less."