*Hello, my Lovelies, I know it has been far too long but as always, I promise to never abandon you, or a story once started. *
**Not mine still**
Chapter Eighteen
Unmasked
As Sarah stood in the darkness, certain now that she was in fact alone, all she could think of was long past memories. A pit of hands, a dark oubliette, damp tunnels full of "false alarms" that warned of impending doom.
While past memories were uncomfortable, this was on a new level, the difference now was that the silence wrapped around her like a heavy blanket broken only by the "drip drip" of water somewhere. The fact that she seemed completely alone was much worse than the darkness, but its inky blackness was not a far off second.
So much for a "quick pass through a tunnel" that Hoggle and Didymus assured her of not more than ten minutes ago. Yet somehow, between one step and the next, Sarah was alone.
"Hoggle?" Sarah hissed in the darkness. Her fear spiked as the silence continued. "Ludo?" she tried next. Sure they wouldn't have abandoned her intentionally she was also sure that something was very wrong. When the silence stretched and no reply was heard Sarah decided that going forward was better than backwards, and so began slowly moving again. Below her shoes felt gritty, like dirt or maybe sand. Her left hand running along the wall at her side felt of rough stone at first but soon shifted to the distinct feel of bricks.
A dimness began before her, on her right and in the shape of an opening. Sarah approached with caution and peaked around the corner heart in her throat unsure what would greet her. A long stretch of red brick before her, curving into a tunnel, light coming from some unknown location. Her body and mind both skidded to a halt at the sight. Memories flooded her, the run in with Jareth all those years ago. Running for her life with Hoggle, the cleaners right behind her.
Sarah froze, unsure what the Labyrinth would throw at her. After all, her previous experience in this place was full of twists, turns and unexpected dangers. True she found some friends but overall, she had learned that nothing was what it seemed here: not even the King himself. Her skin prickled, uncomfortable with this change she tried to calm herself. "I just got turned around, they will find me." She assured herself, but the silence stretched on and so did the shadowy darkness.
Somewhere in that deep darkness a small giggle broke the oppressive silence. "Or they left you for dead, the citizens of the Labyrinth are wildly unpredictable." a soft feminine voice informed her.
Sarah froze, scanning around for the person. A woman seemed to materialize out of the shadows. She was gorgeous, raven black hair, stark blue eyes and pale skin. In her own mind all Sarah could think of was Snow white, except older and maybe not nice. Clothed in a deep blue gown, her neck crusted in a glittering of gems she stood with chin held high; an aura of power coming off her. Something inside Sarah's gut screamed that she should run from this person. But Sarah did not relish the idea of running blindly in the dark from someone... Yet.
The woman sneered down at her, "No point in running girl," she said, as though guessing her thoughts. "As Queen of this Land there is nowhere, I cannot track you."
It was her. Corvina. Her memories supplied as Sarah's mind stuttered in shock and worry. What did she want, why had she not attacked yet? Feigning bravado, like she once had with Jareth, Sarah crossed her arms, "Why would I run?"
The woman laughed, small hand covering her mouth, her shoulders shook with the small chuckle. "I could kill you." she said through a toothy grin.
Sarah glared at the woman before her. This was Jareth's enemy. She was the villain here, and not a legitimate queen despite claiming to be one. "So could a lot of things," Sarah huffed, plucking up her courage as best she could, while reminding herself that ever since Jareth fell back into her life everything was dangerous.
"Mortality is quite the frail state to find oneself, while in this world." admitted Corvina. "Your world, while indeed wrought with dangers, is nothing compared to what could befall you here." The woman leaned closer to Sarah.
Inside she was afraid, it was unavoidable, yet curiosity pulled in a nagging sort of way at the back of her mind. Jareth had told her that Corvina was half Fae, but he seemed to know little beyond that. Maybe she could get some more information, aside from that, Sarah had to admit, she wanted to know this woman's story.
"What could you possibly know about my world?" Sarah huffed. Bluffing her own knowledge to see if Corvina would give anything away.
The Goblin queen paled ever so slightly, though she quickly recovered. With a soft smile she tutted at Sarah, "My mother was human, most of my life was spent in that place." Corvina began. "So, I am quite aware of how easy it is to die."
"So, you, a mortal like me took the Goblin Kingdom from him?" Sarah feigned a laugh, "I find that hard to believe."
"Half." She hissed. Corvina glared, magic rolling off her with a sharp vibration Sarah now recognized, and despite her attempt to remain unfazed she couldn't stop herself from flinching away from so much anger.
"My Father," She spat out with so much bitterness that the air hummed with her emotions. "Took my mother, used her, while taking from her any chance at happiness." she paused her face flickering with sorrow for a moment. "I'm sure you don't need the details but let's just say that, obviously, I was the result. " She added with a wave to indicate herself.
The world seemed to shrink in. Closing off the air around her as she tried to connect the dots Corvina was placing. As much as she feared that it was so, she simply could not believe that it was Jareth who Corvina was speaking of. Sarah could almost feel her heart freeze, blood running cold at her words, her tongue went dry as old bread, but his name still left her lips in question, "Jareth?" She whispered.
The queens face flickered through a few emotions. Anger, amusement, even a small amount of pity before she laughed loudly. "Oh, my poor little girl!" Corvina said even as she looked down her nose in contempt, "While I wouldn't put it past him to have a slew of Half-breed children," She sniffed indignant, "I am not His child." She shivered in disgust.
Not His Child... A ringing began in Sarah's ears, her breath no longer stuck in her throat. The relief that washed over her was so consuming that Sarah nearly missed Corvina's next words.
"As luck would have it, I look like my mother." Corvina continued, oblivious to Sarah's state, "Our Father's blond hair and blue eyes were not passed on to me."
Siblings, or rather, half siblings but that was the connection. It sort of made sense, like a sibling rivalry. Sarah did know a bit about those.
"I at first suspected you of the same infatuation my own mother suffered. Mortals are weak to the allure of the Fae after all."
Sarah could feel the heat rise on her face as she recalled a kiss not long ago in an open glade. Pushing away the emotions and willing away her own thoughts on that subject and away from any connection that might have grown between them Sarah rolled her eyes, "He has been trying to get rid of me since the beginning." she said deciding to see if she could turn this in their favor.
"At first perhaps," Corvina admitted as she stepped closer again, eyes scanning Sarah from head to foot. "And yet he keeps you. He must need you for something, what is it?" she wondered, voice light, unthreatening even as though simply asking Sarah's favorite color.
"I am nothing to him." Sarah said, doing her best to make her lie sound believable.
The woman laughed, "I am not blind to what has been happening." With a slight flourish, not unlike Jareth's own hand motions, a crystal appeared.
Unable to resist the urge to back away Sarah tried to hide the motion by dusting off her pantlegs, "I've seen that trick before," Sarah said, hoping she sounded disinterested.
"And I have seen your entrance into this land Sarah Williams." The queen informed her. "You have risked much when you could have remained within your own world and left him to fight his own Battles." Corvina leaned closer. Sarah refused to move, despite wanting to back away from this imposter queen.
"That is what friends do!" Sarah bit out, "I don't know what your kind does, but I watch out for my friends!"
"My kind?" Corvina blinked, looking confused. "I have no kind; I am unlike any Fae or mortal!" She snapped, throwing her arms up and spun away from Sarah. The crystal tossed aside, only to vanish moments before it hit the brick wall. "I am not as frail or pathetic as your kind, nor am I so foolish and sure as his!"
Sarah almost smiled as that little outburst gave away a bit more. Harboring so much anger toward both of her halves showed that she felt unwanted by both. "And yet," Sarah began, looking down at her nails, doing her best to mimic Jareth's attitude. "You're losing to him, aren't you, avoiding a direct fight because you know you cannot win?"
Magic washed over her again, hot with anger. "With Jareth dead that will no longer be an issue! The Labyrinth and all the power will be Mine!" Corvina sneered.
"This kingdom is his," Sarah insisted, "he is the Goblin King!"
"Jareth was a Failure. This is My kingdom!" Corvina stressed. "This is MY destiny, This," she paused and with a flourish a crown appeared on her head, "is MY crown!" Sarah couldn't stop her unsteady steps away from so much anger. "This Kingdom was meant to be mine, but Jareth's cow of a mother STOLE my chance from me when she Murdered my Father, leaving me trapped in that vile mortal realm where Magic was dwindling, and I was left alone. I had to fight to get this kingdom all alone."
"So, you steal from him because you have Daddy issues?" Sarah scoffed, though even as the words left her mouth Sarah wanted to call them back.
"Did he earn it?" Corvina snarled, "Did he fight for it?" she demanded. "This Kingdom is one he did not even want; he doesn't deserve what was simply handed to him!" Magic began to move, and Sarah felt a panicked need to run but found nowhere to go. Looking behind her Sarah saw that the opening she came through no longer existed.
Sarah's eyes looked for an escape, but somehow the tunnel was now a domed cave like room. Oubliette, her memory remined her. Sarah was trapped. "He fights for it now," she insisted, determined to defend him.
"Indeed, he does." Corvina nodded, "But I am not about to lose all that I have worked for to him." She said quite calmly, "I must go now, but never fear, I will be back for you."
Sarah swallowed against her fear, "Whatever your plan is, he will still win, he will dethrone you." Sarah said with a surprising amount of conviction given the circumstances.
"He will try." Corvina admitted, reaching out a jeweled hand she patted Sarah's cheek. "Though, you are right, I cannot take him head on. He may be more powerful than me, but I am more clever. I have been watching, and you have told me more than you might think." Sarah's heart raced, somehow knowing that her time with this Queen was running short. Feeling that she should say something, but at a loss on what that was. "I now have something that he may want more than this Kingdom." The smile Covina had as she said the words hit Sarah like a physical blow.
With that final word, in a dramatic puff of glitter and magic, The goblin Queen was gone. Corvina's parting words rattled around in Sarah's mind. Corvina planned to use her as a bargaining chip in getting Jareth to give up the throne!
Darkness now enveloped her and with it an overwhelming sense of dread. With nothing else to do Sarah sat against the cold stone floor. "Jareth!" she called, though somehow she knew that in this place he would not hear her.
*End*
Up Next, Sarah is surprised by how easy getting away can be, but also how unexpected the consequences of doing that can be.**