chapterthree

"Queen of the Goblins?" Fern asked in disbelief. "But I always thought Jareth wasn't married!"

Joconde smiled. "Well, he wasn't, my dear, when your mother knew him. But after she refused him, he came to me."

"You already knew each other?"

Nodding, Joconde started to play with her diamond ring. The sun shone through it and sent rainbows dancing on the cold, stone walls of the labyrinth. "Yes. We've been very good friends for years. All of our lives, actually. He was heartbroken when your mother left. At the same time, he was mad beyond reason. No one had ever stood up to him like that before. I'm sure on some level he respects her a great deal for that."

"Yeah, okay," Fern said, bored. "So, what? My mom left him and, what? He went to you?"

"In a way. I've always been the one he turned to when he needed help or comfort or whatever. He came and found me - I lived in a castle in another city far from here - and I told him that all he needed was a woman who would appreciate what he was offering."

"Meaning you."

Joconde smiled and looked at Fern. "I meant a woman who would appreicate all that he was offering. He took that to mean me, but that wasn't what I was originally intending."

"Oh, no, of course not," Fern said sarcastically. Sighing, she glanced all around her and felt the hard walls that enclosed her. "So, tell me, how do I get outta here."

"It's a Labyrinth, my dear, you have to solve it."

"Oh, well, yeah, sure, but like isn't there some kind of shortcut you can tell me about? Make my job easier and all."

"And take the fun out of it? I think not." She smiled again and started to walk away. But, then she turned to face Fern. "Just remember, Fern, that everything seems possible in here and nothing is what it seems."

Jareth didn't hear the door of the throne room open. He was too busy gazing into the crystal balls he had sitting before him. Inside the balls were fleeting glimpses of Sarah as she tried to figure out how to save her daughter from the labyrinth. He watched her silently, like the gods of Olympus watching the mortals, amazed at how beautiful she still was, even after all these years. He was so involved with the woman in the crystal spheres, that he didn't realize his wife was standing in front of him until she spoke.

"You're still in love with her," Joconde accused.

Jareth flashed his eyes upward. "What?"

Joconde shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe this. You're still in love with Sarah!"

"I can assure you that I am not-"

"You are! My God, Jareth. After all this time and...you never stopped loving her, did you? You never stopped loving her - even after she turned her back to you - and, what's more, you're still in love with her! That's why you brought Fern here to begin with, isn't it?"

Jareth just watched her, his eyes taking it all in. Joconde stood before him, hands on her hips and her eyes blazing. "My dear," he said calmly, playing with the crystal balls in his hands, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She took a step towards him. "This is something I didn't think even you were capable of, Jareth."

"Joconde," he said, shaking his head, "whatever you're thinking I'm doing -"

"To bring Fern here to solve the labyrinth is one thing," she explained, her hard gaze never leaving his face, "but to use the child to get to the mother is beyond any realm of sanity."

"I'm not using Fern -"

"Then why did you bring her here? You never explained that to me, Jareth, and yet you expect me to go along with your little 'game.' Well, I'm done playing. You can't change the rules as you go along and you can't make them up, either. So explain to me why Fern is here or you can expect to continue this venture on your own."

Sighing, he watched her. He rose, and the folds of his dark cloak fell all around him. He was a tall, proud man, with cold eyes and willow-blonde hair. She stared back at him with the same intensity. "I brought Fern here," he said, "to make her solve the labyrinth. Nothing more, nothing less."

"And Sarah?"

He paused, not sure of how to proceed. "I want to make her suffer, Joconde, the way she made me suffer."

"And forcing Fern through the labyrinth is your way of doing that."

"Yes. When Sarah left me, I lost a part of myself that was very dear. I lost the love that I had for her. By bringing Fern here, I'm making Sarah feel the pain I felt. It has nothing to do with me still being in love with her. Which I'm not by the way." He went over to Joconde and ran a soft finger down her cheek. Cupping her porcelin face in his hands, he smiled. "You're the one I married, Joconde, and I've loved every moment I've spent being your husband. I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Good," she said, "because it would be very hard to get rid of me."

He smiled and stroked her soft hair. "Promise me," he said, "promise me you'll never leave me."

She smiled back. "You couldn't get me to leave even if you tried."

Fern was tired of walking. In the past hour she'd been up and around so many corners they'd all melted into one and she had no idea if she was any closer to the castle or where she'd started to begin with. She had a vey bad feeling that all she'd managed to do in the past hour was walk in a complete circle and hadn't gotten any closer or farther away to her goal.

"I can do this!" she cried out. Sobbing, she slid her way down the wall and sat on the ground. "I can't do this!! I give up!! I'll do anything! Just get me outta this awful place!!"

"What's all that racket!" a voice asked. Surprised, Fern stopped crying long enough to look up and see the little man that was moving towards her. "Who are you?" he asked suspicously, his eyes moving over her.

"I'm Fern. Who are you?"

He didn't answer. "Fern, eh? You look familiar to me."

"Well, my mother once went though this labyrinth a long time ago. Maybe I remind you of her."

"Your mother? Who was she?"

"Her name was Sarah."

The man's eyes widened. "Sarah? Your mother is Sarah?" Fern nodded and the man offered a hand, which she shook. "I'm Hoggle. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Fern stared at him. "Hoggle? You're Hoggle?" He nodded. Sighing, Fern stood up. "Okay!" she called out to the heavens, "Okay. I give up. The joke's over. You really had me going there with the chick pretending to be Jareth's wife and all, but this whole Hoggle bit is a little too much for me to deal with. I just want to go home!"

Hoggle looked at her. "Who are ya talking to?"

"Whoever's in charge around this place."

"You don't know who that is?"

She looked down at him. "Jareth, right?" Hoggle nodded. Fern sighed. "This isn't a trick, is it? I'm really here and I really have to solve this labyrinth if I want to get back to my house, don't I?" Hoggled nodded again and Fern sighed again. "All right. If that's the way it has to be."

Then she turned and started to walk through the labyrinth, Hoggle at her heels.