Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be
Your Slave
Thank you for the wonderful Lhiata for betaing!
You can adjust to just about anything, granted you don’t
struggle against it. Sometimes you have no choice. You can get used to not
waking up to somebody, wrapped in the warmth of their arms. You can get used to
not passing somebody you used to see everyday.
You can even get used to a new world.
David had gotten used to not seeing Beth the moment that
he opened his eyes every morning. It had taken weeks of bleary eyed confusion,
wondering where she was. When he opened his eyes now, he expected to be alone.
And he was.
Sarah had gotten used to her new home. She knew and had
finally accepted the fact that there was no way for her to return to the
aboveground. It didn’t mean that she liked it, or that she wouldn’t have sold
her soul to return to her parents, with a baby in her arms, but she was now
using her energies to improving the encampment, rather than trying to escape it.
Part of her still hated herself for what had happened, and
when she went to visit Toby in the city she was still wracked with guilt. He no
longer recognised her face, this happened to all the Goblins, David has assured
her, they simply forgot their previous lives.
All the members of the encampment
have been through this transition, once they realised there was no way for them
to return home or to change their loved ones back they started working towards
making the encampment a safer place. After all, everybody needs a home, even if
it is not the one you would have chosen.
Two months had passed since Mary had
been laid in the ground and life had moved on. Alice, who had witnessed the
scene of her demise, was now returning to her normal state, though she still
seemed to be rather shaken up. She also seemed rather lonely, missing her best
friend. Beth did her best to keep her company, though Sarah suspected that it
was half to keep an eye on
She was finally enjoying some well
earned peace and quiet, sitting on a patch of soft grass in the ruined
monastery, soaking in the early summer sun, when a shadow fell over her face.
She glared up at whoever was
blocking her light, squinting in the brightness. “Do you mind?”
“Nope, not one bit”
David replied cockily. “Come on, get up, I’ve got something to show you.”
“What now?” she
groaned, “I only just got to sit down”
“Trust me, you want to
see this!” he assured her.
Sarah didn’t trust him; in fact she
was highly sceptical that he had anything that she actually wanted to see. Last week he’d shown her
some ‘amazing’ toadstools with the ability to completely heal burns. However
the only side effect was that they smelled like the Bog of Eternal Stench.
Seeing the unconvinced look on Sarah’s
face, and remembering how unimpressed she’d been with last weeks toadstools he
decided to reassure her. “It’s nothing weird! I promise.”
She sighed impatiently as she stood
up, still not convinced “Why don’t I believe you?” she replied jokingly, and
she started to brush the dirt off her jeans and shirt, glancing across the
clearing for somebody who she could inform of their outing.
Beth was watching with a frown. It
was understandable that she was jealous, Sarah concluded, after all, it wasn’t
that long ago that it would have been her that David would have been dragging
into the woods. “We’re just going for a walk” Sarah yelled across to her “Be
back in a couple of hours, okay?”
Beth nodded and turned
away.
Since their break up there had been an
unofficial dividing of the camp into Beth’s side and David’s side. Everybody
still spoke to each other but Beth had become fairly withdrawn from certain
people, and Sarah was included in that group. Not that Sarah really minded,
after all David was her best friend. Sarah had realised that recently Beth had
noticed how close she and David had become and the older girl had stopped
confiding in her. However David’s closeness more than made up for any distance
on Beth’s part.
The forest really was beautiful this
time of year; Sarah smiled to herself as she followed David down a small
winding path. The sunlight poured through the trees, providing nourishment for
all kind of wildflowers and exotic-looking plants. David was whistling
cheerfully and seemed to be more relaxed than he had been since Sarah’s arrival
in the labyrinth. As normal he wasn’t overly chatty, but he broke the silence
to answer Sarah’s queries into how much longer the trip would take and to point
out trees that he found interesting or useful. They were walking deep into the
heart of the forest, much deeper than Sarah had ever previously ventured. The
paths were becoming more and more unclear and more than once Sarah began to
wonder if they were losing their way, but David continued, unconcerned and he
seemed to know where he was going, and as Sarah didn’t think she could find her
way back she had to trust him. And she did, with her life, if need be.
The forest was becoming lighter and
more airy, compared to the part of the forest that they were currently in the
area containing the encampment felt constricted and oppressive. As Sarah and
David wandered deeper and deeper into this part of the forest she could feel
her worries peeling away like pollen floating off onto the wind. A soft breeze
blew her hair into her face and she lazily pushed it back, feeling better than
she had in months, though this contentment niggled in the back of her mind. The
sad thing was, she reflected, was that she was coming to see the labyrinth as
home. Her memories of the aboveground were becoming hazier and hazier, she
could still remember her mother, father and Karen, but she was forgetting
things too. The exact lines on her father’s face, her
mother’s tinkling laugh and her step-mother’s warm smile. They were all now
passing beyond recollection.
Her thoughts were interrupted as
David pulled aside some low branches and ushered Sarah under the brightly
coloured leaves, which tickled her neck as she ducked below them.
“We’re here,” he
announced.
It was like something out of a
dream. They were standing underneath an old oak tree at the edge of a forest
glade. The sun was warm on Sarah’s face, but there was a deliciously cool
breeze, which was causing the flowers to nod and whisper gently to each other,
and if she hadn’t known better she could have sworn that they were gossiping
about her. But Sarah, who had loved “
“Oh David, it’s...magical!”
she sighed, before breaking into a huge smile as she watched the fairies that
had now arrived dart from flower to flower, looking for nectar to take home to
drink with their evening meal.
“You ain’t seen
nothing yet, kiddo” he smiled back at her before nodding at the far side of the
clearing.
Sarah’s eyes
widened in astonishment at what lie before her.
Even years later on her deathbed,
the memory of what she saw that afternoon still brought tears to her eyes, and
though she would visit that clearing many times throughout her life she never
forgot that feeling the first time that she laid eyes upon them. Two unicorns stood
shyly under the shade of a large tree, venturing out into the sunlight
cautiously, whickering to each other softly. They were so white that the sun
seemed to reflect off them and they appeared to be almost bathed in light. It
was a heart breaking beauty though, for nothing could ever compare to these
magical creatures.
“Aren’t they
incredible?” David whispered to Sarah conspiratorially, a huge grin on his
face, and Sarah found the expression mirrored on her own.
“I’ve never even
imagined anything like it” she replied, saddened as she watched them slowly
walk away and then vanish into the thick undergrowth from whence they came.
“This is to be our
secret!” he suddenly rounded on her and she’d never heard such firmness in his
voice before, “Only the two of us can know, I’ve never shown anybody this, not
even Beth.”
“Of
course David, but why?”
He sat down on a dark
log, covered in acid green moss and Sarah perched next to him.
“These creatures,
they’re so innocent, so pure, unlike the rest of the creatures here. If the
Goblin King and Queen were to find them…I don’t know what they would do.”
“The Goblin King
doesn’t know they’re here? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“I guess it is a bit
strange, I always figured that they were brought through from the aboveground
with the rest, by accident I guess.”
“A mistake…” Sarah
spoke thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I suppose.”
“If the Goblin King
and Queen are capable of making the mistake of carrying unicorns without
knowing it…We need more information…” she trailed off.
“But
why?” David looked puzzled.
“Because knowledge is
power,” she said decisively “And we don’t have any.”
“Power?”
“Or knowledge, for
that matter” she replied wryly.
A light flashed in
David’s eyes “Before us, before the encampment, I mean. There were a group of
people who lived in the castle. With the permission of the
King and Queen, of course. But then something happened. One of them did
something, I don’t know what, maybe they offended or threatened the Queen, like
I said, I don’t know the details. But they killed
them, every last human in the castle, save one. He’s practically mad now. Lives on the borders of the forest near the Bog of Eternal Stench.
And I once heard him speak of a room, an enormous room filled floor to ceiling
with books.”
“A
library!” Sarah whispered
her eyes shining with possibility.
“Many
of the books, written by humans for generations, detailing the entire history
of the Labyrinth, as well of that of the Underground and even the Goblin King
and Queen.”
“We need to find this
room. We need to find directions on how to get there.”
“And how to get into
the castle unnoticed, we can hardly stroll up to the door and ask for
permission to peruse their library and look for weak points, now can we?”
“And then we have to
get there.”
The walk back to the encampment was
mostly undertaken in silence as both David and Sarah were lost in their
thoughts, pondering on the possibility of breaking into the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. To David’s knowledge, no such feat
had ever been embarked upon. As they reached the borders of the encampment
Sarah broke the silence.
“We should ask Beth
for help. Nobody knows the labyrinth like she does.”
“No” David’s tone was
forbidding “she’s the last person we should include in this.”
“I think she could
really help us on this.”
“Trust me, she
wouldn’t. She would interpret this sort of action as war mongering, and she is
desperate to prevent any conflict between us and the Goblin King. You do
understand the relationship between Beth and the Goblin King?”
“No, nobody’s told me
anything. It does appear to be slightly odd though.”
“Beth and King Jareth
have a unique…” he paused, searching for the right word “arrangement. When the
encampment needs something from him, and we frequently do, or if he needs
placating over something she… I don’t know how to put
this. She…” he paused again “She offers herself to him”
“You mean she sleeps
with the Goblin King?” Sarah’s face wrinkled up in horror, which melted away
seeing the pained look on David’s face.
“It’s done for the
good of the encampment Sarah, not because she wants to, I want you to remember
that next time you see Beth. She’s sacrificed a lot for us.”
“Including you” she
half whispered to herself, as reality dawned on Sarah “That’s why you guys
broke up”
“Beth and the King
Jareth’s arrangement was formed long before I entered
the picture, and Beth refused to change a perfectly good alliance simply for
the sake of my feelings. And I couldn’t stand by and watch her go to him any
longer.”
“Oh,
David.” Sarah sighed as she
wrapped her arms around him “We’ll fix this, somehow
we’ll make it right.”
In the meadows beyond the forest
containing the encampment in the long grass, near the spot where Sarah had
first encountered the Goblin Queen, laid Beth, basking in the golden afternoon
sun.
She missed David.
She hadn’t seen their break up
coming and it had hurt, gut wrenching and tear jerking. When he had said he’d
had enough she didn’t believe him, after all he’d said it before. And now she
really missed him, but she was too proud to say so. It would change nothing.
She could not break off her liaison with the Goblin King and David would not
take her back unless she did.
Her musings were interrupted as a
shadow fell over her face, blocking out the sun. Beth jumped as she realised
that a figure was standing over her.
“Hello Jareth” she
said calmly, regaining her composure.
“Beth.” He greeted her
almost mechanically as he sat down next to her.
His long legs bending in powerful arcs, the silk of his grey britches
clinging to his every curve, his black shirt, unbuttoned to almost his waist,
moving softly in the wind.
“What do you want?”
she asked, almost not caring.
“Why Beth, what makes
you think that I want anything?”
“Past experience” she
muttered, more to herself.
“Beth, I’m hurt.
Perhaps I simply wanted to gaze upon your beautiful face, hear the lilt of your
voice.” He paused wickedly “I heard you and your little boyfriend broke up” He
remarked as if speaking of the weather.
“Why are you here
Jareth?” Beth sighed, already tired of his games.
He turned and looked
at her, his eyes meeting hers.
“I think I’m in love
with you.”
Beth burst out into hoots of
laughter. All the pent up stress and anger was let out as she doubles over
until her sides ached and there were tears in her eyes at Jareth’s declaration.
“No you don’t” she
told him when she finally stopped laughing.
“Well I might” he
replied petulantly.
“Don’t be ridiculous
Jareth” she told him “you don’t even know what love is.”
“Well it never really
seemed like and interesting subject to study” he said, inspecting his nails as
if the conversation bored him. “So why did you and your man decide to part ways
then?”
Beth glared at him
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“It wouldn’t have
anything to do with me now would it?” He feigned innocence, “Or perhaps he has
a newer model, from what I’ve heard.”
“I hope you’re having
fun!” she told him angrily.
I’m just full of the
joys of spring..” he replied, “Little birdies flying around…lambs skipping…new
life and all that…”
With that remark, he
simply disappeared.