Jareth conjured a witchlight, squinting in the darkness.
He was in a pit of some kind, about ten feet on each side. Above him, the hole or passage he'd dropped from had disappeared. He wasn't even sure how far down he'd fallen, as his impact was minor… almost as if he had floated down.
For a moment, he considered transporting out of the pit, but some instinct told him to stay put. He had a feeling that whatever consciousness existed in this crazy place was going to try and make contact with him.
With that in mind, he sat in the middle of the pit, the witchlight hovering above him. He felt his body relaxing in spite of himself… as if it sensed that he was safe here. It was madness to think so, but that's how it felt.
Then he scented it… the faint smell of peaches. As the scent got stronger, his body relaxed even more. His eyes started to grow heavy. He was distantly amused… it couldn't get him to eat the peach, so it changed its plans. His eyes closed, he felt himself being gently laid down, but he was still… awake. Sort of. Dreaming maybe…
*Who are you?*
Without opening his eyes, he whispered, "Jareth. Jareth Danaaru. King… of the… Goblins…" Well now, that was interesting… he hadn't intended to answer truthfully, but whatever this was… he was compelled to.
And… it wasn't a voice exactly. At least, not a voice for his ears. He got the vague feeling that it was female, although he couldn't imagine why.
*Why have you come here?*
Ah… how to answer that question… "I've come to find a haven for my people."
*Are they lost?*
He felt the echoes of despair wash over him. "They will be… if I can't find them a home."
*Show me.*
Now, how the hell was he supposed to do that? Before the thought had even coalesced, he found his mind playing out his memories… along with the emotions.
His grandparents… he was just a baby the last time he'd seen them… he watched the memories right along with the entity of this maze… vaguely shocked when he recalled that his grandmother had sacrificed herself so that his mother could escape with him… he didn't remember seeing that…
His mother. His father. His heart ached as he watched them. Saw them rallying the Goblins… saw the escape to the hinterlands. Saw his parents standing over his bed looking down at him, worry on every line of their faces. He could feel the tears leaking from his closed eyes as he relived the moments of laughter, warmth and affection that made up his early childhood. Then he watched as Merriane brought young Garthan to Vesryn… saw his mother embrace the child…
Saw himself, at first dubious when presented with this boy… then his conversation with his mother that had changed his attitude. Then Vesryn bringing Randel to their little hovel. He remembered that time… when Randel didn't speak, and they didn't even know what to call him. Saw himself and Garthan take him under their wing… saw him speak for the first time, telling them his name. Saw Vesryn training them. Watched their missions… the sabotage… the camaraderie… the brotherhood.
And then the memory he dreaded most.
Saw his parents… dead. Saw himself in the woods, howling in agony, chopping at a fallen tree with his sword. Saw Garthan and Randel, equally anguished, reach for him, their circle… saw the Goblins acclaim him as their King…
Saw himself planning this expedition with Randel and Garthan in the tent… the years of hardship… the labor… the dirt, pain and blood. His fear… his absolute terror that the Fae would find his people and he'd have to watch as they were slaughtered before his helpless eyes…
*I see.*
The memory show complete, Jareth laid there… his spirit drained. For long moments it was quiet, both in the pit and in his head.
*I can give you the haven you seek. But I demand a price, Goblin King.*
The center of his mind tingled… a vision coalesced… a castle, in the distance. Around it, a fair-sized city, made of differing districts… peopled with Othánas, Ughlánas and other races… around it… the Labyrinth… huge… encircling the entire city and the farms that supported it…
"What… what would you have of me?"
*That you provide sanctuary for anyone who seeks it in good faith. That you retrieve the lost, the lonely, the broken, the unwanted. Retrieve them and bring them here.*
The vision expanded… Aboveground… children… wished away by unworthy caretakers… the Labyrinth intended to bring the humans down Below.
"Humans… bringing them Below… would that not create the same problems we fled at the Sundering?"
*Not if they become one of us. Together, you and I can change them… to Fae. To Othánas. To Ughlánas too, if they cannot survive otherwise. You have the skill, I have the power you would need.*
Jareth saw the potential immediately. If the humans were changed to Othánas… it would help to mitigate much of the population problems they were currently experiencing. But why the Fae?
*Leverage, Goblin King. Their fertility problems are much more acute than yours.*
Well, that was true. And it might be centuries before the Fae found them in any case…
*I will watch. I will choose those to come Below. You will retrieve them. Change them.*
"How? I mean… what is it that you need me to do in order to… aid you in this endeavor?"
*We shall need a way of spreading the legend of the Labyrinth to those Above. Those who know the legend can then wish the children to me. To us. You will offer them their dreams in exchange. But like so much else… their dreams might not be good for them in the end.*
"It sounds like… a fairy tale."
He could feel a faint sense of admiration from the entity.*Yes… that would do nicely. And as it spreads, more children around their world can be saved.*
"But… what if the caretaker regrets their wish? People… even Othánas, sometimes make idle wishes that they don't really understand the consequences of."
*Then they may make their way through the Labyrinth. You will design tricks. Traps. Ways to delay them. Lethal and non-lethal defenses. Depending on the motivation of the Runner of the Labyrinth… I will choose which tricks to play.*
At this, Jareth was very uncomfortable. The entity must have sensed this since it projected an almost soothing feeling to him.*Fear not, Goblin King. Only those with the darkest hearts will face the lethality of this maze. The ignorant will merely be tested and teased, not harmed. Should their hearts be true and they solve the Labyrinth, they may take the child back.*
It occurred to him… the size of the Labyrinth… extending to encircle the Goblin city… he couldn't ask for more formidable defensive walls…
*Exactly so. And the lethality of this maze would grow exponentially in the face of an invader.*
Jareth felt as if the weight of a thousand anvils just lifted off his shoulders. He was tempted to agree…
*And thus, we both get what we desire. You get a haven, a safe place to build your Kingdom. I get assistance in rescuing the lost… and with your help, a broader hand to intervene.*
"And you would have my word on that? That I will do this in exchange for that haven?"
*Not just yours, aroon. You are promising for yourself and your heirs to come.*
There wasn't a choice, really. And to be honest, he could even admire the mission.
"I swear it. For myself and my heirs. That we will work with you to rescue the lost, in exchange for your protection."
*Done.*
There was a blinding flash, bright enough to penetrate his eyelids… and Jareth knew no more.
He woke to a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in that central clearing, lying on the stone bench by the peach tree. Randel's hand was on his shoulder.
"When you didn't come out, we thought we should come after you. I didn't expect you to have fallen asleep," he said with humor in his voice.
Jareth sat up and looked around. It was almost sunset. Something of his confusion must have shown on his face, as Randel's eyes narrowed at him.
"What happened?"
"Later… I'll tell you later. For now, we need to make plans. Need to start bringing our people over."
"Then… this is it?"
"Yes. This is it. This is our Haven."
Author's Notes:
Aroon means 'darling' in Gaelic.
And now you know how Jareth got mixed up in the whole wished-away thing, and how their city got its name (Caladh means 'Haven' in Gaelic).
Note… the Labyrinth is not asking Jareth to take in just anyone. Only people seeking sanctuary "in good faith" are to be considered. The Labyrinth (as we know) can read the motivations of the runners, so it also can read the motivations of those seeking asylum.
Jareth's experience with the enchanted peach (although he didn't eat it, he recognized it as the source of his dreaming) was so benign that he didn't see a problem using it on Runners. Obviously, Sarah saw it differently, but the reason he used such a 'Fae' trick in the first place was because it was used on him, and he felt that it was harmless. Jareth has a habit of erring on the side of expediency, and likely didn't give much thought to it beyond that his end goal was with good intentions.