From: "Alorin Danya <[email protected]>" <[email protected]>
Date: Wed Feb 12, 2003 2:04 am
Subject: "The Thief, the King, and the Son" Ch. 13/?
"The Thief, the King, and the Son" by Alorin Danya
A/N: Kiddies, now would be an opportune time to go and read "Linda's
Wish." If you haven't already done so, a few of the characters
mentioned in this chapter…and throughout much of the rest of this
story are quite prominent. So if you want to be in full
understanding, please go read it first. LW is ff.net story 877363.
ALSO, since I have it finished, check out my cast page at
http://www.geocities.com/alorin_danya/TKScast.html. A HUGE thank you
goes to Cormak and Scattered Logic for telling me how to do one of
those.
Chapter 13: The Summons
Irene and Robert were waiting at the garage with flashlights to help
everyone remove their wet clothes before they went into the warm
house. Everyone was quick about getting inside; wanting to keep the
cold air from entering the still warm house. Sarah was glad that her
dad shooed Merlin inside with the rest of them. There was no telling
how long this blackout would last, and she would hate for the dog to
get too cold. Sarah didn't bother removing her drenched sweater; it
was bad enough she had to take off her wet jeans, there was no way
she would strip down any further. She ran to her room in the dark,
tripping over the things in her closet as she tried to feel for
something warm to wear. Robert led the boys up to their room to
change into warm pajamas after having handed Roy and Jareth some of
his flannel clothes. Once all changed, they gathered in the living
room to decide what to do.
The boys were ordered to stay huddled together under a blanket on the
couch while Merlin lay down in front of the couch, woofing
occasionally from the confusion going on around him while the adults
tried to figure out the arrangements for the night. Sarah started
searching for blankets. Robert, although clearly not feeling well,
got logs from the garage for the fireplace and with Roy's help got a
blaze going. Irene had lit some candles in the living room, but she
pulled Jareth with her to search the house for more.
Jareth did his best to search for more contraptions of illumination
called flashlights; the idea that such independent sources of light
could exist without the aid of fire or any magic fascinated him.
Irene told him to search different drawers and cabinets in the
kitchen, but he only found one in the entire room. The red head
woman entered the room, laying a handful of different shaped candles
on the table before pointing the flashlight she held in Jareth's
direction, causing his shadow to form on the cabinets behind him. He
had to squint from the bright light shining at him.
"Turn that away." Jareth growled, bringing a hand up to block the
light.
Irene giggled but flipped the light off, and reached for a box of
matches, "Any luck?"
"One." Jareth answered, walking over to her and placing it on the
kitchen table with the candles, "I suspect it will become cold
without your…electricity for heating devices."
"It shouldn't be too bad." Irene said, lighting a jarred candle that
gave off a warm, sugary smell, "Power's never off for more than an
hour or two. Besides, Robert's got a fire going in the other room.
We'll just stay in there until the lights come back on."
Irene reached for another candle jar, eyeing Jareth in the
process, "So, did you have fun in the snow?"
Jareth smiled faintly, "I will admit, if we had snow in my world, I
would have enjoyed it as a child."
"Did Sarah have fun?" Irene asked slyly.
A frown immediately struck Jareth's eyes, remembering that one moment
that solidified Sarah's knowledge of the Goblin King; he had to admit
she knew him, "She is terrified of me."
Irene straightened, a hint of anger in her tone, "What? What did you
do?"
Jareth raised a challenging brow to prove he would not be
intimidated, "Nothing." Yet he had to look away as he confessed, "But
I must have sometime made her fear me."
"You admit it then. Beyond the fact that she was wished to you as a
child?" Irene pressed, "You admit you've met her after?"
Trying to hold his resolve, Jareth closed his eyes as he said, "It
doesn't matter. After this night she…you ALL shall never see me
again."
"What are you saying?" Irene's voice shook, showing her shock.
An icy glare met Irene's green eyes, "The book is somewhere in this
house; your own words. I will find it, and I will leave."
They stood there, staring at each other in silence for mere moments
before Irene hissed, "You coward."
Jareth took a step towards her in retaliation, but before he could
say anything, Roy barged in, "You found more lights? Rob needs…"
Roy noticed Jareth's stance, how he was nearly looming over
Irene. "What's goin' on in here?!"
Irene moved away, unfazed, "He's still denying the truth." Then she
turned to Jareth, "Well, fine then. Find the book. Run from…"
"Tell me where to look." Jareth calmly interjected.
Roy came and stood boldly as close as nose to nose as possible with
the Goblin King, the dim light from the candles reflecting in his
brown eyes, "You want to leave that badly, fine. I'll find it for
you. I know where Sarah hid all her fantasy crap after Brendon was
born."
"Then you'd better get it." Jareth could see Roy's body tense at his
words and was prepared for the man to strike him when he saw Roy's
fists tighten.
But Roy kept his cool and instead left the kitchen, punching the
doorframe as he went. Roy's mind fumed as he walked up the stairs to
Sarah's room. He would find that god damned book and get that
bastard out of their lives for good.
In his angered state, Roy nearly didn't notice the electric blue glow
seeping from the crack below Sarah's door…but he froze when he heard
multiple voices within.
***
Sarah searched all over the upper rooms for spare blankets, holding a
jar candle in one hand and cramming what blankets she could find
under her arm. She had nearly forgotten the stash of blankets Karen
had started in the hall closet outside the bathroom until she opened
it. Placing the candle on one side of her feet and the blankets on
the other, she reached for the blankets on the top shelf. As she
stood on her tippy toes, reaching up as high as she could, there was
a noise like shattering glass from another room, startling Sarah and
causing her to loose her balance.
Her heart leapt with worry when she knocked over the candle in the
fall, the wax running onto the carpet as the jar lay on its side.
Sarah cursed as she hurriedly grabbed the jar, and hissed as the wax
dripping down the side stung her hand. She groaned from the pain in
her hand as she set the jar upright on the floor--but her breath
caught in her throat when her eyes landed on a light, and it wasn't
coming from the candle's flame. The radiance was coming from Sarah's
room; an electric blue, other worldly light that gradually became
brighter, illuminating the entire hallway yet fading in wavy
patterns, as light often does when reflected through water.
"No." Sarah whispered, though barely able to with the heart wrenching
panic flowing through her, "not now."
This light wasn't unfamiliar to her; she had seen it once before,
just after Brendon was borne, thirteen months after journeying
Underground. The kings of the Underground had gathered to contact
the bearer of the magic they sought. She had been scared beyond
death that they had come for her son then, but they knew nothing of
him. The kings confirmed they detected the magic within her. She
didn't want to believe she had magic. She didn't want to know that
the Goblin King had been telling the truth about why he had hurt her
the night she had bared her very soul to him. Six years ago, the
kings had not been able to make her come, and she had started to
loose the fear that they would come for her again.
Until now, they never had.
Sarah slowly entered her room, unsure of what she would find, but as
before, her vanity mirror glowed with the ethereal glow of another
world. She closed the door behind her, praying she would be able to
make this go away before any of her family found out. Turning to the
mirror, she saw many of the same faces she had previously encountered
sitting around a table. There were eight of them at least that she
could see, but only one rose, the one chosen to speak for them. The
woman looked no older than Sarah, save for her pale eyes that held
the knowledge of centuries. In the back of Sarah's mind, she thought
this Fae could be compared to Aphrodite, with her golden hair and
lithe form. Yet it were the woman's eyes that warned Sarah not to
esteem this woman; they were mocking, cruel, and hateful.
The woman smiled broadly as she watched Sarah step near the mirror,
but not too close; the little human was afraid, "We have waited some
time for your return. Did we make our intentions unclear?"
Sarah straightened boldly, flashing a glare at the woman, then at
those who sat around her, "Did I not make mine? If you really needed
me, why are you just calling on me now?"
"It is very difficult to penetrate the gate separating our worlds;
much magic was needed to contact you. Many years, many lives for
this one conversation…"
"Lives?" Sarah breathed, not understanding.
"Yes," the fae's pale eyes smiled, showing how little the fact
bothered her, "but what do you care? As you said at our last
meeting, what happens in our world is our problem."
"Gelyna…" A male voice warned the fae woman. Sarah saw that it came
from a creature she could only describe as a troll with pale green
skin and thick brown horns, yet an striking head of long, red hair.
His hand was gently holding that of a petite woman, who's soft brown
eyes met Sarah's with concern; a concern for Sarah. This small fae
nodded to her, causing her brown hair to fall behind her pointed
ears, showing Sarah she was an elf.
She then whispered something in the troll's ear, and he addressed the
council, "If it is permissible, my wife would like to address the
Goblin Queen."
The other's nodded, but Sarah didn't notice. She was distracted by
the title they had just given her, "Gob…Goblin Queen?"
"You are queen." The petite elf said as she rose, her brown eyes
pleading to be believed. "That is why you must return to the
Labyrinth, to control it again. Only you can."
"Control…what has it done?"
"Destroyed everything it touches. It is so erratic, we never know
where it might move to next." Gelyna huffed, "And there are humans
escaping from it…"
"Hold on!" Sarah interrupted, "There are people in it? Not just
Goblins?"
A redhead Fae king stood up from his chair at this, "Do you know
nothing!? Did you not learn of the gate's power before you killed
the Goblin King?"
"What? I didn't kill him." Sarah protested.
Gelyna's smile was deceivingly pleasant, "Then how did you get the
magic?"
"Princess Gelyna, please." The petite elf approached and placed her
hand on the golden haired Fae's arm, "let me speak with her."
Her glaring eyes ever constant on Sarah, Gelyna took a step back and
let the female elf approach the mirror. Observing this elf, seeing
how she was unlike the others in the room, that she was not openly
confronting Sarah or accusing her, made Sarah feel she should listen
to this Fae. Her brown eyes were kind, and looked at Sarah as if
they were already friends.
She curtsied before returning her eyes to Sarah, "Your majesty, I am
Cestral, an Elvin princess and Queen of the Trolls. I know you have
not killed Jareth…"
"How do you know? No one else believes me." Sarah instinctively
snapped, regretting it as soon as the words were said.
Cestral did not seem insulted, "Amongst my kind, I am a seer, and I
have never seen the Goblin King's death by your hand. We know he
left the Underground, even before we first contacted you. Do you
know where he is?"
Sarah looked away, suddenly uncertain as to how to answer…what she
believed, "I might."
Cestral's eyes brightened at this, but before she could speak, her
husband, the troll king, stood, "Cestral, it does not matter where he
is. That can be sorted out later," He then turned his eyes to
Sarah, "But you MUST return to the Labyrinth. It is your duty to
control it."
When Sarah shook her head absently, Cestral said to sooth her, "Your
majesty, I know Jareth gave the magic to you…"
Sarah's eyes flashed back to Cestral's, "He made it quite clear it
wasn't given willingly. He said I stole it."
"Did you?" Gelyna interjected.
"NO." Sarah shot back, "I don't even know how I got the magic
EVERYONE says I have, yet alone use it."
"That is why you must return," Cestral said, "that we might teach
you."
"I…I," Sarah's mind raced. She couldn't just leave, there was so much
here she had to take care of.
The mirror's face, like a window to the Underground, was loosing some
stability. It's once smooth surface was beginning to ripple at the
edges. The kings collectively tensed.
"Do not think, come now while the link remains open!" The red-haired
king shouted.
Sarah stepped away from the mirror, "I can't…my son needs me. I have
a life here."
"Do you have a kingdom to rule there as well?" the king's voice was
beginning to break up, another sign the link was fading.
"No. Life's different here."
"Yet your decision is no?" the troll king asked.
"Yes." Sarah said, backing herself nearly against her bedroom
door, "If I had more time…"
"We've given you enough time." The red king sidestepped the table,
heading straight at the mirror. "We will not waste the lives of
hundreds of gudgells again, just because some brat queen is…"
The room went black, the link broken.
Sarah stood with her back against the door, her blood pounding in her
ears and her chest heaving heavily. She had been so certain that the
man was intent on coming through the mirror and dragging her
Underground. Last time, she didn't have that fear; the link was very
week and they had barely been able to speak with her at all, just
telling her the duty she had with the magic. This time, she had been
accused of murder and they were furious enough to make her return.
Leaning against her door, she lifted sad eyes to the ceiling,
thanking whatever forces that prevented things from getting any
further. She didn't even realize that she had started to cry until
the electricity suddenly came back on, the light allowing her to see
the tears streaking down her cheeks in the mirror's reflection.
Shaky steps took her to the nightstand beside her bed, which had a
box of tissues. She pulled them out as she sat upon her bed, and
after whipping away the tears, she laid her head upon her pillow,
hoping the last five minutes had just been a bad dream.
********
"What the HELL happened!!!"
Everyone turned to Gelyna as she stood like a mad woman when the link
broke. Many indifferent glances were given her, daughter of the
Empress. Instead, the kings adjourned, each rising to return to
their respective kingdoms. She was ignored when she ordered them to
reestablish a connection. They didn't care what she said; she had no
authority over the decision that had already been made on what would
take place if the Labyrinth's queen did not return at this meeting.
But Gelyna did not agree with it. She didn't want the human to
return to the Underground alive, not when this particular human was
prophesized to one day dethrone her mother.
"My girl, leave it be," Frokna, king of the trolls growled as he rose
from his seat.
"You know what rest's on that human's head!" Gelyna fumed.
"We all do," Frokna bellowed, "But we must wait and try again when
the magic has been regathered."
His small wife came to stand by his side, giving the Empress's
daughter a glare, though to anyone else, it would have seemed no
expression at all. "It is a shame more gudgells have to die. There
are so few of them left. If only Sarah understood…"
"Well, it must be done, doesn't it?" Gelyna chided. "If only that
brat human would just die, maybe the magic would…."
The troll king, though smaller than the Empress's daughter, charged
her, staring hard up into her eyes, "If that girl were to die in her
world, the magic to control the gate would be lost to us forever!"
Then Frokna sighed and stepped away, "No, we must bring her here.
Until that occurs, her fate cannot be decided."
The red-haired king approached behind Gelyna, having been
eavesdropping on the conversation, "Once she's here, her death is
eminent."
Gelyna smiled at him, though dismayed by his presence, "I'm not going
to kill her. I don't want her magic. Who would want to rule a land
so goblin infested."
"Better goblins than humans." The king's thin lips sneered.
The Empress's daughter gave him a teasing grin, "Come now, Troy. You
know you would have no fun if the humans were to stop multiplying."
Troy returned her grin, "True, but they can multiply without more
entering from the other world. The newer ones are so self-
righteous. They don't know they are to be controlled." Troy noticed
the troll king shift the weight on his feet and slightly growl. He
went over to the troll, placing a comforting hand to his
shoulder, "Oh, Frokna, did I offend you? Just because you do not
enslave humans in your kingdom doesn't mean you have to tolerate
them."
Frokna raised his eyebrows at this, rolling his shoulder to remove
the unwanted contact, and letting a hand straying up to rub a horn as
he considered how to answer, "I do tolerate them to an extent. They
have caused no harm in…"
"No Harm!?" Gelyna shouted, "They killed the six queens. They tried
to…"
"That was six hundred years ago." Cestral interjected quietly, so
quietly it was almost missed.
But Gelyna heard her, "What? So because it happened within our
lifetime but not that of those humans currently living, they
shouldn't be punished for it?"
The hard stare the Empress's daughter was giving Cestral made the elf
loose any self-confidence she had before, even though her husband
grabbed her hand in support. Cestral lowered her eyes, "I don't
know. I only know…"
"Go on, say it." Gelyna snapped, then mocked, "You only know what
you've seen in those stupid dreams."
Troy joined in, sounding very sympathetic, though his trickster eyes
spoke otherwise, "I know what you've seen, and it looks like it might
never happen if she's not willing to come."
"Not that it wouldn't make my mother ecstatic if her throne remained
unchallenged forever. I wish she would come so I could…" Gelyna
wrung her hands, and then huffed, "Why would that human choose to
stay in magic forsaken world?"
"It is her home," Cestral interceded, "Would you want to leave your
world, your family for…"
"Family?" Gelyna's pale eyes narrowed in curious thought, "Family."
A wicked grin slowly crept upon her lips, "She'll have to come. Why
didn't we see it in the first place?!!"
"What are you rambling on about girl?" Frokna asked.
Gelyna ignored the troll and started walking away, "I must speak with
my mother about this."
The troll king and his wife exchanged worried glances. Anything the
Empress's daughter had planned would not turn out well; they didn't
have to have a vision or dream to predict that.
*********
The boys were ecstatic when the electricity was returned. Mr.
Williams was dosing off in an armchair, oblivious that the lights had
even come back on. Joey immediately wanted to return to their video
game up in Toby's room, but Irene kept a firm hand and gave the
option of watching a movie or going straight to bed. Being too
awake, the boys chose to watch a movie. Jareth just watched the
activity around him as he sat on the couch.
Irene answered the telephone when it rang, and she immediately got
into an argument with whomever was on the other end, "I'm sorry you
had to keep trying…It's not our fault, we've got a storm here, the
electricity was out…Yeah, he's here. Hold on."
She didn't want to wake her brother when he was obviously not feeling
well, but a long distance call was not something that could be put
off. She gently shook his shoulder until he woke, "Rob, it's Linda."
Robert immediately stiffened as he sat up in the chair and took the
portable receiver from her, "Hello. Yeah, Happy Holidays…We're doing
fine." He sounded exasperated, "No, we're staying home this
Christmas, why?…How long? Until Friday? I'm not sure if Sarah
will….You're where? L.A. And you be here when?" He sighed, "We
probably won't be able to pick you up…Alright. Just give a call
first. Yes, I'll tell them all you love them. Bye."
Robert placed the receiver down on the coffee table next to his chair
before slumping his back, bringing his hands to wipe the grogginess
from his eyes.
Irene gawked at her brother, "She's not seriously coming here?"
"Yes, tomorrow in fact." Robert said, standing up, "And I'm going to
have to pick her up from the airport in the morning. So I'd better
get to bed."
Irene crossed her arms as she flopped back down on the couch. She
looked to Jareth, the only person in the room paying attention to
her, and mumbled, "Sarah's not going to like this."
***
"Sarah?" There was a knock on her door just moments after she lay
her head down. It was her uncle.
She sat up and sniffled, "Yeah, you can come in."
Roy stepped in, concern already written all over his face, "Are you
okay? I found the blankets, your candle in the hall…"
Sarah rose from her bed, avoiding his eyes to he couldn't see her
tears. "I'm okay," Then she smiled, trying to get off the subject of
why she was upset before it could really be brought up, "I see they
got the electricity fixed."
"Yeah." Roy returned her uneasy smile, "I guess we searched the house
for nothing."
Roy tried not to let his concern show; if Sarah saw, she might know
he had heard what had gone on in the room moments before. Moments,
it was more like half an hour ago. But he hadn't the nerve to knock
then, and it was obvious Sarah didn't want anyone to EVER know that
she had magic, that beings from another world demanded her presence.
Hell, what could be done about it anyway? They were there, she was
here; why bring it up if she would never go to them.
Roy shrugged with his shoulder, indicating outside the room, "I think
I heard them start a movie downstairs."
Sarah swallowed as she nodded, walking passed her uncle and down to
the others.
Roy remained in Sarah's room, still stunned from what he had heard
happen in this room. So Sarah had Jareth's magic; that's why the
king was so helpless. Although it did not explain why the Goblin
King had no memory of such an event happening. It made Roy even more
confused, but somehow it dulled the anger he had towards Jareth.
Sarah had admitted, at least to those people, that she might know
where the Goblin King was, despite not knowing how she had his
magic. Roy breathed out: he just wished he was bold enough to ask
Sarah straight off what was going on.
Roy turned to leave the room when he remembered what it was he had
come up for in the first place; to find the book. For Jareth.
Should he even tell the Goblin King he found out why he had no
magic? Maybe he should; he had no reason to disbelieve Jareth's
amnesia, so maybe if the King knew, he might know of a way to remove
the magic from Sarah. She had no desire for it. `But then,' Roy
thought, `what if he's a jealous man. What if he thinks Sarah meant
to steal his magic? What might he do to her?'
Roy tried to force such disturbing thoughts from his mind. Jareth
hadn't shown anything but a kind of soul drenching devotion towards
Sarah; Roy couldn't imagine the king doing anything to harm her.
Maybe Jareth was right, that he should leave through the book as soon
as possible. Maybe if the king was in his rightful home, the magic
would automatically return to him and Sarah wouldn't be bothered any
more about magical matters. Roy nodded to himself as he began to
search the room for the book.
***
Sarah groaned when she saw that the movie the boys had decided to
watch was "A Christmas Story." She couldn't stand that film. No one
ever really got their tongues stuck to light polls in real life,
she'd never seen a `leg' lamp before…and the Santa scene just creeped
her out. But Sarah looked for a place to sit anyway. Irene sat on
one end of the couch, Mr. Johnson on the other, and the three boys
were wrapped up in blankets, lounging on the floor in front of the
television with Merlin. The only person missing was her father.
Sarah went over to her aunt and kneeled in font of her on the
floor, "Where's dad?"
"He went up to bed once the electricity came back." Irene then
looked at her niece; it didn't take her beautician-keen eyes to
notice the puffiness around Sarah's eyes. She leaned down and
whispered, "Have you been crying?"
Sarah saw Mr. Johnson look over, having heard Irene's whisper, and
she really didn't want to feel his eyes on her. Sarah shook her
head, "I'm fine." She moved to get up, "I think I'm going to bake
some cookies."
"This late? Are you sure?" Irene said.
Sarah nodded and headed to the kitchen, "It will give me something to
do." I just really want to be alone right now.
Perhaps had he been more familiar with the culture, Jareth might have
enjoyed the comical movie, yet he seemed to be watching the reaction
of the children more than the film itself. Toby was the one who
laughed the loudest, and at the oddest of places. Joey pretended as
though the movie was beyond his intelligence, though he was caught
laughing aloud quite often. And Brendon, well, the little boy had
found a nice cozy pillow in the form of a sheepdog and was dozing
off; Merlin didn't mind a bit.
Jareth leaned over to Irene, "Should Brendon be off to bed?"
Irene hadn't noticed the boy before and smiled motherly at the sight
of him, "I suppose he should."
Jareth nodded and moved off the couch, but Irene suddenly snatched
his arm, "What do you think you're doing?"
Jareth did his best not to glare at her for stopping him, but he
understood that she didn't trust him, "I'm going to take the boy to
his bed, if you would be kind enough to tell me where that might be."
Irene blinked, not knowing what to say. Something in her wanted to
laugh at him and point a finger and say `see, you have feelings for
the boy. He is your son.' But the king's glance was too serious for
her to try, and she stuttered, "Up stairs, second door on the right."
The king nodded and moved to pick up the small boy, who instinctively
latched his little arms around Jareth's chest in his sleepy state.
It wasn't until Jareth was halfway up the stairs that the boy
realized he was being moved and jerked his head away from Jareth's
shoulder to see who was actually holding him.
Brendon smiled, but then looked around confused. "Where are we going?"
"You are going to bed. You had fallen asleep." Jareth used a tone
that let the boy know he would not be challenged.
"But I'm not sleepy." Breni didn't whine, he just stated it.
Jareth smiled teasingly, stepping onto the top of the stairs, "Then
why had you fallen asleep?"
Breni just looked away and huffed, knowing he'd been caught.
Jareth entered the second door on the right, only to find the room
had two small beds, "Which bed is yours?" The six year old refused
to answer, so Jareth placed him down, where the child promptly sank
to the floor in a pout, crossing his arms and refusing to move.
Jareth laughed to himself at how uncooperative the boy was. It
reminded him of himself at that age. Jareth lowered himself and sat
Indian style beside the boy, looking intently at him, waiting for him
to meet his eyes. He hadn't learned nothing in his centuries of
working with children. Brendon fidgeted, doing everything he could
to avoid his stare, until finally he gave in. At first his eyes held
a defiant glare, but the longer they looked at each other, the harder
it was for the boy to keep from giggling. Jareth smiled too.
"Hey, you're eyes are funny like mine." Brendon said, pointing at
Jareth's nose.
Jareth frowned, "I know."
Breni stood up on his knees and peered his face into Jareth's, and
whispered, "I ain't seen anyone like me before."
They stared at each other for only a moment; Jareth couldn't stand to
look into those eyes any more than that. The more he did, the more
he saw himself in this child.
"Brendon," Jareth said softly, too convicted not to ask, "What do you
know of your father?"
Brendon sank down to the floor, "I never met him. But Mom says he
hurt her. She has a scar on her neck, I think he gave it to her."
"Scar? How did…"
"Hey, I thought I heard voices," Roy said as he sauntered into the
room. "What are you two up to?"
Jareth gracefully rose from the ground, nodding once to acknowledge
Roy's presence, "Brendon was just going to bed."
"I was not." Brendon pouted.
"You were." Jareth gave him a firm yet gentle eye, "Now lay down."
Brendon marched over to his bed and harshly tossed back the blankets,
covered in a pattern of his favorite things; race cars. He then
threw his head onto his pillow, turned his back on the two men, and
pulled the blankets up over his head. They heard his muffled voice
shout, "Turn off the light."
Both men shared a chuckle at Brendon's display as they left the room
after turning off the light.
"Well," Roy breathed out, stopping in the middle of the hall and
holding up the red leather book, "I found it."
"Good," Jareth reached out a hand for it, but Roy pulled it away.
"I need to tell you something first." Roy didn't want anyone else,
not even Irene, hearing what he was going to tell Jareth, and there
weren't many places in the house where they could find privacy at the
moment. "Follow me."
Jareth followed Roy, trying to be patient with the man and understand
why he just didn't hand over the book so he could leave. Roy led him
the short distance to the bathroom and quickly closed the door behind
them.
"Well?"
Roy didn't waste any time. He whispered loudly, "There were these
people talking to Sarah, wanting her to come back, but she doesn't
want to go. But they claim it is her duty because she has the only
means to control the Labyrinth and…"
Jareth instantly stepped forward and placed a hand on Roy's shoulder
at the mention of his kingdom, "Stop. Go back. Who was talking to
Sarah? When was this?"
"Not half-an hour ago. I don't know how they got into Sarah's room
or how they left, but I think they were from your world. They
accused Sarah of killing you and stealing your magic."
"We know that hasn't happened. What else did you hear?"
"They want Sarah to return. They said the Labyrinth was destroying
things." Roy paused, trying to remember anything else of use.
Jareth cringed inside. He had feared that without his presence the
Labyrinth would be uncontrollable. At least he knew the maze hadn't
been destroyed. "Any more?"
"I don't know. It only happened in like, three minutes. Then they
were gone."
"They? Did you catch any names? Do you know how many were present?"
Roy nodded. He had already gone over everything in his head many
times to try to make any sense out of it all. "There were only four
that said anything. First was a bitchy princess, I think they called
her Gahleena."
Jareth chuckled at Roy's apt description, "Bitchy hardly describes
her."
"What? You know her?"
"Gelyna is daughter to the Empress of the Underground," Roy could
tell Jareth certainly didn't like the princess by the way he spat out
her name, and that he offered nothing more of her.
"Then there was this nice lady with a soft voice that was friendly
with Sarah who called herself Cestral."
Jareth breathed out. "Cestral." Not that he expected anything at
all, but hers was not a name he had expected to hear. Knowing she
was involved somehow, he wondered if his present lack of memories
could have anything to do with her. Cestral held so many secrets,
secrets that had only been hinted at in the past--with what he
remembered of his past. He remembered Cestral had tampered with his
memories…everything to do with Sarah after he released her as a
child. Cestral had allowed him to know she had taken those
memories. Only a true friend would have been so honest of such
thievery, and Cestral was a true friend.
"Who is she?"
There was a fondness to Jareth's tone when speaking of this other
woman, "Cestral is a dear friend."
"How dear a friend?"
Jareth didn't like the insinuation Roy was implying, "We were
childhood playmates, and she is now my confidant, nothing more.
Besides, I doubt that she would leave her husband for the likes of
me." To get back on subject, Jareth asked, "Anyone else present?"
"Two men, but their names were never stated." Roy said. "So…what's
going on? What does it have to do with Sarah?"
Jareth shook his head and snatched the book from Roy's hand, "Sarah's
involvement with this will have to wait. It is imperative that I
return at once."
Roy stood there and watched as the king leaned his body against the
bathroom door as he examined the book. He first touched the front
cover with an open palm, looked to the bathroom mirror, then placed
his hand on the back cover, looked to the mirror; than began flipping
through it's many pages, his face becoming more desperate with every
page.
"I can't. I…there is no magic within me, or I could open it." Jareth
scoffed at himself, "I completely assumed it had something to do with
this world, but it's me. But I'm Fae…"
Roy huffed as he jeered, "Maybe that's because, DUH, Sarah has your
magic."
Giving Roy a disbelieving eye, Jareth slammed the book shut, "That is
impossible. The only way she could have gotten any of my magic is if
she had drained me of my blood, which is not the case since I am very
much alive, or I gave it to her."
"So you're saying, you wouldn't have given it to her?"
"I think not. The Labyrinth is wild, tempered, difficult to control
at best of times. I wouldn't want anyone else to bear such a burden."
"She has it though, but I heard her tell them she didn't know how she
got it either." Roy breathed out, "So what are you going to do?"
Jareth laughed nervously, "This is much to think of at once. I have
to figure out a plan."
"Do you know how to get the magic out of Sarah? That's the important
thing, right?"
Jareth shook his head, looking away from Roy, "The magic will forever
remain in her."
"What?! Why?"
Jareth slowly brought his eyes to Roy, "Her death is the only means
to remove it."
Roy tensed at hearing this and he grabbed Jareth by the collar of his
shirt, "If you touch her…"
"Oh, come off it." He shrugged his shoulders and pushed the man
away, "I have no intention of harming her."
Roy still pressed, "So, what? You're going to drag her to that place
and make her do it all against her will!?"
"I DON'T KNOW!!!" Jareth shouted, furious eyes telling Roy to back
down. "There is nothing that can be done presently. I have to think!"
No matter how much Roy comprehended that the Goblin King needed
everything to sink in before he could make a rational decision, he
was highly concerned for his niece, "Are you going to talk to Sarah?"
"I don't believe she wants anything of my world in her life, let
alone myself." Jareth breathed in quickly, then slowly let it out, "I
want her to remain as unchanged as possible. Only when it becomes
necessary will I approach her about it, and at present it is not
necessary."
"But, if your Labyrinth is destroying…"
"They have been without my presence for some time it seems" the king
interrupted, "A few more days will not hurt them."
They left the seclusion of the bathroom and ventured back
downstairs. Roy sat with his wife on the couch and Jareth took a
seat in an armchair. Jareth stared at the leather book in his
hands, wondering how his life had turned into it's current state,
what the future would be since he obviously wasn't regaining
knowledge of his past.
Irene noticed how solemn both men were, but the moment she opened her
mouth, Jareth pushed himself off the chair, leaving the book on the
coffee table before leaving the room, muttering, "I need a drink."
***
Cookies weren't enough; chocolate chip cookies only took a few
minutes to stir together and pop into the oven before they were all
done. Sarah needed more of a distraction than that. Finding a bag
of flour in the back of a cabinet, she set out to bake bread. The
kitchen was cluttered with all the bowls and supplies she had pulled
out for her project, but she looked forward to cleaning it all up; it
would be another distraction from her thoughts. Bread needed time to
rise, and had to be kneaded a few times. And in between the rising
and kneading, she picked up the kitchen; but that only took a few
minutes too. She looked over at the microwave clock, which she had
reset after the blackout; she had only been baking thirty-six
minutes. The bread could take 2 hours to rise, and she'd only been
working 36 minutes. And the last batch of cookies was only 3
minutes away from being finished. She laughed to herself. So much
for a distraction.
Altogether, Sarah had managed to bake about four dozen cookies, but
she put only a few on a plate to take in to the others. But as she
was exiting the kitchen, she was almost bulldozed by Mr. Johnson as
he came whizzing by. He briefly apologized but continued on.
Curious, she stayed a moment to see what he was doing and saw him
open the fridge. Figuring he was only hungry, she went on to the
living room. That god awful movie was still playing, Toby and Joey
were still intently watching, but they immediately forgot it once
they smelled the cookies. Each grabbed three before sitting back
down in front of the television. The boys had been in such a rush,
that it took her a moment to notice someone was missing.
"Where's Brendon?" Sarah asked with concern, prepared to yell at the
other adults for not keeping an eye on her son.
"He's asleep. Jareth put him to bed," Irene answered.
"You let him do it alone?! I don't know that man from…"
"Pipe down," Roy said, "Geez. I was with him. Breni tried to
wheedle his way out of it, but J kept his cool and Breni didn't whine
about it. You can go up and check on him yourself."
"No, that's…okay I guess." Sarah left, a bit bewildered. Brendon
never went to bed just because he was told to; she should know, she's
tried for six years. She wondered what methods Mr. Johnson knew that
she didn't.
Sarah returned to the kitchen to find Mr. Johnson drinking directly
from the wine bottle her uncle had bought that evening.
"You aren't an alcoholic, are you?" Sarah tried to sound as though
she was teasing him, but she was quite serious.
Jareth jerked up, startled at hearing her reenter. He placed the
bottle on the counter next to where he stood, "Not often. I have
things on my mind."
"Don't we all." Sarah said, folding her arms as she went back to sit
at the kitchen table and watch the bread rise in the bowl she'd put
it in. She stared at it as though it were the most interesting
pastime in the world.
Jareth followed with his eyes to where she was looking as he went to
sit at the table with her, finding only a cloth-covered bowl. "What
are you doing?"
She didn't make any move to acknowledge he was sitting with her, but
eventually she stated, "I'm watching the bread rise."
Jareth looked again, but nothing happened, "How long will it take?"
"An hour or two."
"Sarah…"
"Ms. Williams." She corrected.
Jareth sighed, "You cannot keep avoiding me. We need to talk."
Sarah's heart skipped a beat and she widened her eyes in alarm as she
turned to face him, "We do?"
Jareth looked away, uneasy with having to talk with her when she was
quite uneasy with him. He prevented himself from showing any outward
sign that he was troubled. The longer he kept the façade that he was
not the Goblin King, perhaps she would be more comfortable with
opening up.
He looked back to her as he began, "Ms. Williams, you and I seem to
be at an odds, but I am unsure as to what I might have done to have
caused this. I've done nothing but tried to be…charming with you,
and you've been resistant to no end. Though you attempted to be
civil after dinner and outside…it was difficult for you, wasn't it?"
Sarah didn't know how to answer such directness. She had no reason
to treat him the way she had; only she knew her own mind, her own
experiences. Even if she believed this man to be the Goblin King
incarnate, it didn't mean he knew anything of it and she had no
reason to take it out on him. Ashamed, she turned her head from him.
"I'll take that as `yes'." He laughed softly, "Well, I see only two
options to rectify our differences. Either you explain to me, in
detail, why you despise me, or we begin our acquaintance anew and
forget we met previously today."
He was actually being serious; his mismatched eyes held steady when
she returned her gaze and he waited patiently for a response. Sarah
couldn't believe that he was actually willing to forget how she had
treated him and that he still wanted to befriend her. But no matter
what, she was NOT going to tell anyone what she thought of his origin
until it was absolutely necessary; he hadn't given her a reason to.
Slowly, she reached out her left hand to him, "Hi, I'm Sarah
Williams."
Jareth relaxed a bit, but wasn't relieved. Nothing could fully
relieve him until he was back in his own world. He extended a steady
hand to hers and held it softly, "Jareth Johnson."
She was glad he didn't keep her hand when she gently removed it from
his and placed it on the table. It was always awkward knowing what
to say to someone you've just met, but it was more awkward now, since
they really had met previously. She didn't know what to say, or know
if he even wanted to talk.
But Jareth wanted to. He wanted to desperately ask her every
question that rushed to his mind once his fingers brushed against her
ring as he took her hand. He knew that ring, with its stone as red
as blood and band engraved with an intricate maze. The ONLY reason
it would be on any woman's finger is if he had given it to her in the
marriage bed.
"Roy said you put Breni to bed." Sarah said, breaking the
silence, "He didn't cause any trouble, did he? He usually fusses."
Jareth raised his eyes from the ring to meet her own and had to
rethink her question before he answered, "Brendon had a moment of
refusal, but he cooperated."
"I'm surprised. He hates it when he has to go to bed and everyone
else stays up."
Jareth smiled, "Doesn't every child."
Sarah raised her brows, "You say that as though you know. You have
any kids you didn't write down on your dependants list I should know
about?"
Jareth knew the answer he had to give her, but at last, he didn't
believe it any more. He knew he had a son. "No. No. But I have had
younger relatives."
"Do you miss your family in England?" Sarah asked, resting her cheek
on her hand as her elbow propped against the table. She figured
there could be no better way to get to know this man than to simply
talk with him, if he was willing to answer.
Even if he had the desire, Jareth had no confidence to fabricate a
story. But now; now that he knew Sarah was already his bride, he
couldn't lie to her. He had made a promise to himself never to hide
the truth from the one he promised himself to if it could be
prevented. He had seen too many marriages destroyed by lies in his
many centuries. Yet he couldn't bring himself to give the entire
truth now. There was still so much he needed to know.
"It is surprising, but I do not miss my home as much as I should."
Jareth frowned and looked away, "And I doubt that I am missed."
"Was your family messed up? Is that why you left? You weren't happy?"
"You could say that." Jareth paused, wondering how to share his life
with her without revealing too much of his identity. He truly did
sense that she hated the Goblin King, and he in no way wanted to have
her angry. If the magic was inside her--and he wished he had some
way of knowing for sure--he didn't want her upset enough to use such
power against him. "My family is quite wealthy, but our wealth has
not brought with it joy. I've hardly known joy. I never knew my
real mother, and it wasn't until my father died in my youth that the
woman I had called mother disowned me."
Sarah was shocked, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad
memories."
Jareth shrugged it off to reassure her, "It is of the past, and I had
no good memories to compare them to."
"Were you an only child?"
"No, I do have a step-brother. I suppose I did enjoy his
companionship while it lasted." Jareth smiled slightly at remembering
his younger brother Corbin, who must be grown and running their
father's kingdom by now. Presently, Jareth wasn't certain if he
would ever see his half-brother again, or even his world for that
matter. Being in this magicless world, he should have felt alone,
but he didn't. Something had led him here to this family; his
family. Before he saw the ring, the Williams' and the Carlsons' were
merely nice people who had taken in a stranger, but now…Roy was his
uncle. He nearly cringed at thinking that and thought it best to
turn his mind on other things, like building a relationship with his
wife. His life, for the moment, was here, now, with her.
Sarah watched as he sank into his own thoughts, feeling guilty for
having brought up things he might not have wanted to remember. To be
an orphan and not even loved; she was lucky to have both parents,
even if she didn't receive love the way she thought they should give
it. Mr. Johnson wasn't very expressive with his face; he hadn't been
since she met him. He either smiled when things were amusing to him,
or he remained indifferent. But his eyes; there was much to be seen
there, even if she didn't know what he was thinking. But whatever he
was pondering at the moment must have intrigued him, for his eyes
held a boyish curiosity.
He turned his eyes back to Sarah, "I am here now. America is a place
of new beginnings, is it not?" At her nod, he continued, "I want to
start anew all aspects of my life."
"That's admirable."
Curious of her life since he had done his fair share of voicing his,
he asked. "Toby is only your half brother, is that correct?"
Sarah nodded, "Yeah, but I'd love him just the same if he weren't."
"Did your step-mother accept you?" Jareth asked
"It is more `did I accept her.'" Sarah laughed softly, "I was such a
brat when she and my father got married. It wasn't until I was
pregnant…with Breni that I realized how much she really loved me.
There she was dieing from cancer and she still gave us more attention
than herself."
"Did you love her?"
"I hate to admit it," Sarah sighed, "But I think I loved her more
than I love my own mother, and SHE'S still around. When she comes
around."
"Your mother, the actress." Jareth held back a sneer. He knew Linda
from the past, and from the way Sarah and her relatives mentioned
her, the woman hadn't changed her ways. "Why do you despise her?"
"Because, she's never round and…" Sarah was afraid to say out loud to
him what she's never admitted to anyone else, but she blurted it out
before she could help herself, "she basically admitted she gave me up
as a child. Her career was more important."
"But she wants to be with you now." Jareth pointed out, having
overheard the phone call of Linda's desire to visit.
"Only because she feels obligated. She know it's her fault that I
got…" Sarah immediately shut her mouth.
Jareth realized Sarah was unwilling to speak further, and he didn't
want her to feel uncomfortable, "You don't have to speak of anything
you do not wish."
Sarah had never gotten this far in telling anyone her feelings, and
now that she had, her heart wouldn't let her stop; she needed
release. "She…she virtually introduced me to Brendon's father."
Jareth tried to look nonchalant at hearing this, "Your aunt believes
you didn't remember his father."
"Yeah," Sarah scoffed, "Well, he's not the kind of guy you can
forget."
"And what kind is that?" He did his best to make the question sound
natural.
Sarah stiffened anyway, "Why do you want to know?"
"You obviously hate him. I want to avoid doing anything that reminds
you of him," He didn't know why, but he believed his words more than
anything else he had said that day, and he said quietly, "I don't
want you to push me away."
"Jareth, I…" Sarah lowered her eyes and her heart quickened, getting
the impression he was implying he wanted to be more than friends.
He put a finger to her lips, "Don't. Your friendship is all I ask.
Just know that if you are willing, I would like our relationship to
be more."
Sarah raised her eyes back to his. He wanted to date her? "We've
only known each other a day."
"No," Jareth smiled, glancing at the clock, "We've known each other
for nineteen minutes."
Sarah too smiled, remembering that they had re-acquainted themselves
for the first time that short time ago. Then her smile faded as she
said, "I don't know if I'll be able to give anything other than
friendship, even if I am willing." She said the last bit, bringing
her eyes to his. "But I can try."
"That's all I ask."
Sarah couldn't just believe what she'd just said. She had just told
a man she'd let him pursue her. Before she could change her mind and
take it back, she made herself stand up, and as she grabbed the bowl
of bread, she said, "This can wait until tomorrow. I'm going to go
see where you will sleep tonight…." As she nervously opened the
fridge, she rambled on, "You'll probably sleep with me since the
guest room will be…I mean, you'll be in my bed, and I'll be on the
couch." Before she could say anything else stupid, she shut the
fridge and quickly left the room. "Bye."
Jareth just sat there thinking how adorable she was when she was
nervous.
A/N #2: Well, I got this chapter out quicker this time; only 3 weeks
instead of 2 months or longer between chapters. Didn't I tell you
magic would come in Ch.13? I think I stated it in a previous a/n,
but I had no idea of how this story was going to go then…I don't know
how I predicted it so correctly since I don't even use an outline.
The story just comes along chapter by chapter, although I do have a
forecast planned. But I hope you all enjoyed the thirteenth chapter
and are ready to read more.