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 Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:55 pm
.:: Chapters ::. 1. Corsetry, Part I2. Corsetry, Part II3. Reasons and Temptation 4. Emotional Insight 5. Losing Time 6. More Errant Summoning 7a. A Short Rest... For Helpers 7b. A Short Rest... For The King and His Lady 8. Facing The Jabberwocky 9. As The World Falls Down Epilogue? .:: Cast ::. Sarah Williams :: The Captive Jareth :: The Hero Cheshire Cat :: The Watchful Mastermind Robin Hood :: The Aide Mirage :: The Antagonist Fashir :: The Referee Assorted Wonderlandians and Goblins :: Teachers and Aides
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:13 pm
.:: Chapter Three ::.
Reasons and Temptation Sarah & Chesh:
Sarah woke up slowly, unsure of where she was. With a quick glance, she was in a small glade, surrounded by trees and hedges with rose vines so tightly woven among them that she would be unable to crawl through the hedges to escape. The only way out was through a dark, wooden door in one hedge. It, too, was carved in roses, with a domed top and a small circular window-space near the top. But that wasn't the strangest thing about this place. No, not when the grass, vines, and leaves on the tree and rose vines were silver, the tree-trunks a pale light purple, the hedges a green so dark it was almost black, and the roses gold. And in the center of the glade was a majestic tree that seemed to stand out from the rest, on a hill at the far-end of the clearing, its branches reaching higher than the others, setting it apart from the rest, a ring of open sky between it and the other trees that made a protective roof on the clearing. If she hadn't known better, she might have thought this was Jareth's domain.
"Oh, so you've finally woken up," a soft voice said from the closely woven canopy above and a swirl of dark and light pink spiraled down before twisting into a striped bobcat with eyes that matched the roses. Sarah took a step away from the much larger creature, as the cat was a bit bigger than she had known bobcats to be. And that made it even more bigger than she was.
"Please, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I'm sorry I had to bring you here, but it was for something very important, I promise you," the cat spoke again in a voice leaning towards effeminate. It even took a couple steps away from her, giving her space.
"Why, then?" Sarah asked, glancing away from the cat for a moment before flicking her green gaze back to it. She watched as it turned a little sheepish and smiled.
"Well, to be honest... We wanted to know if it was true."
"If what was true? And who's we? Who are you?"
"So many questions, though understandable. Let me answer in a better order. My name is Cheshire and I am a forest guardian, namely of the Oasis and the forest we are currently in. We, is myself and two others, though I feel that they should introduce themselves on their own time. And for what is true... I'm afraid that is not something I can tell you now. Know, though, that there is someone coming to take you home. Here..." The cat moved then, to a pool of water that sat at the edge of the glade, running out of it from a tiny creek. At least the water was clear, though no fish inhabited it.
The cat stopped at the edge and dipped one paw into the water, drawing it up slowly. It raised the paw and traced a downward arch in the air. The droplets of water remained, dripping down until a reflective oval of glass set in an ornate silver frame sat propped up in a small stand on the ground. It was a little smaller than the cat, a little larger than Sarah. She approached it, frowning over its creation.
"Touch the frame," the cat said softly, and without thinking, Sarah did so. As if she had touched water, the surface of the mirror rippled and resettled to no longer show her reflection, but to show Jareth, running through a hedge-maze of the black-green plants. There were more flowers in these hedges, though they were painted every color imaginable and turned to watch him as he ran by before turning to one another to whisper to each other over the running king. What was he doing?
"We thought it should be his turn to run the Labyrinth," the cat purred in her ear, its eyes reflected in the mirror. "We shall all see where loyalties lie, shan't we?"
Sarah turned at those words and found... nothing. The cat was gone, vanished as if it had never been there at all. All that remained was herself and the mirror, the only sounds the trickling of the water and Jareth's breathing as he traversed the maze.
"He's running the labyrinth... for me?"
Wonderlandians:
As Sarah watched, the section of maze opened up into an open area with a green lake in the center. Within the waters, a gorgeous pink otter splashed two other beauties on the bank, one a pristine white and the other a glowing gold. They started at the sound of the male who intruded on their play, but all three pairs of eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh, why hello," the pink one said in a voice that trickled like a soft brook.
"Oooo, sister, I saw him first," the white one cooed in response to the pink one's comments, never taking her eyes from the Goblin King.
"Sisters, sisters, let's not fight. I'm sure this delicious dandelion will come play with all of us," the final female purred with a seductive narrow to her eyes.
Sarah:
Back in the glade, Sarah's eyes narrowed on the three females in the magic portal. Could they BE any more obvious??
Jareth:
Jareth came to a stop as he warily approached the three beckoning femmes by the water's edge. From what he gathered so far, this world's interpretation of his Labyrinth felt like it was mocking his kingdom. He presumed the idea of the Powers at Work here were to send him through the trials that the victims of the Underground experienced without giving him the home advantage. Still, they could've tried a more creative approach. Better yet, he'd be more content had they never taken Sarah at all. But the incarnate made it clear that his companion wouldn't be going anywhere unless they saw results.
The realm's choice of color was a startling contrast in comparison to the Underground. The Goblin King hadn't seen so much vividness since the Great Conjunction in the world of Thra. He presumed by the nature of order (or lack thereof) on this plane, that this was most likely Underland. Or Wonderworld. Or whatever they called it... At least with that in mind he had an idea of who else might be behind this.
The cast of characters here (or the few he passed by) were an oddity. Most of them small, neatly dressed forest animals, much unlike his goblins. However, many of the inhabitants had an aloof or maddening quirk, which Jareth was rather used to from his own subjects, but treated with an initial caution all the same.
The male gave the three temptresses a bemused look at their flirtatious actions, but gave his head a slight nod to return the pink one's greeting. One would assume a mermaid to be more likely to coax a male over to their watery abode, yet these three gave the impression of... flowers, somehow. "As delightful as it is to be compared to a weed..." he began, giving the golden one a quizzical glance for the new-found nickname. "I'm afraid I'm a bit pressed for time. If you'll excuse me, I need to know the fastest route to the center of this... hedge maze." ...and bog whoever's responsible for this mess once I find Sarah.
He gave a brisk flick of his tail, no intentions to stop for too long.
Wonderlandians:
"A weed?! Where?!" the white female gasped, looking around fearfully and grabbing the gold female to cling to. They obviously didn't treat dandelions as weeds. the gold female only sighed and patted her sister's shoulder.
"No weeds, no weeds. Just a handsome male with a sadly one track mind," the gold female replied, batting her big gold eyes at Jareth. Her pink sister laid her paws on a rock sticking out of the water and rested her chin on them, her tail flicking back and forth above her head.
"Yes, yes, one track. One track indeed. Whyever would you wish to go to the center? The One Who Moves In Shadows guards the center."
"The One is quite powerful."
"No one goes to the center. Why not stay here with us?"
"We don't bite..."
"Unless you ask," the white one finished, her fear gone as she still clung to her sister, lightly rubbing the top of her head against the side of the gold female's neck.
Jareth:
Jareth watched bewilderingly as the white otter took offense to the term 'weed'. This... might take more time than he would've preferred. "Well I suppose I'll be the first then, wont I?" he responded wryly.
"Now then," the elder added with a pointed grin, flashing a sharp set of canines at their "biting" offer. "That wouldn't do. I might bite back." There really wasn't any playful effort in the tease though. Rather, it was something he might do to ward off a tempted fairy.
He studied the three sisters carefully. "As flattering as it is that you'd like me to stay around, pray tell, what fate do you fear to fall upon me should I venture to the center?"
Wonderlandians:
The sisters all looked at one another questioningly, completely ignoring his warning tone.
"The One will undo you."
"The One made all that is."
"Why are you so determined to intrude upon the center? Are you a thief?"
"The One destroys thieves. Are you missing something?"
"If the One has taken something from you, perhaps you didn't deserve it in the first place," the pink one finished, one delicate eyebrow raising ever so slightly, a small smile on her face. The gold one's eyes narrowed slightly in a thoughtful way. The white one's eyebrows rose and her head tilted to one side.
Sarah:
Sarah watched the exchange in the mirror, a frown on her face. Jareth was much more determined than she had expected him to be, but this entity the females were speaking of... It didn't make much sense. Was the cat she had met, Cheshire, was that the One? Cheshire didn't seem the violent type. There was certainly another entity that was orchestrating this, but was one of them violent? She laid down in front of the mirror, curling up to watch what the cat was showing her.
Jareth:
"A theif? Hardly." he responded tersely. He received the vague impression of Moirae-esque nature from these three, or rather more like the Weyward Sisters from Shakespearean tales, merely due to their eerie bond to one another. Albeit their insight hardly resembled anything of a soothsayer. Their knowledge of 'The One' wasn't very enlightening. Jareth debated whether or not they spoke of the incarnate, but he knew this wasn't entirely her set-up.
"I'll be the one to decide whether 'The One' has a say in my life." the Goblin King uttered. The indigenous here must have been unaware the standards of fair-folk. Fae kind did not take lightly to others playing the role of god.
The fact that Sarah's life was being bargained irked him the most. No one should have been dictating her life either. Yet this all felt like they were being used as two game pieces on a giant playing board.
The angelic male ruffled his feathers in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "All of your theories aside -- as you are doing little to nothing to change my course -- I'm here to return the one at the center of this questionable maze to the home from which she was wrongly taken from." he stated firmly before turning and looking around for a path in order to take his leave from these nymphs.
Wonderlandians:
The sisters looked at one another again and whispering among themselves. Little snatches like "For granted" and "The One" and "Help him?" became audible, but nothing more and every so often one of them would look at him. Then finally, they broke apart and dispersed. The pink turned and dove into the depths of the teal lake, the white fled into a clump of amber bushes. The only one who remained behind was the gold one, who took a few steps towards Jareth, a soft look on her face.
"Everything happens for a reason, highness. We really wish you would have stayed, it's been so long since we had company," she said with a sigh, her gold eyes reflecting a presence of mind that belied her speech and actions. She stopped when she was a few paces from him and turned to look at a small path that led into a section of maze made by a path in a forest, the path red through the dark green grass, a path that hadn't been there before.
"There is your path, King. Many wishes of luck finding what you're looking for," she said before blowing him a kiss as the wind blew her apart into golden rose petals.
Jareth:
Jareth actually stood still for a moment, quietly staring with thoughtful, mismatched eyes at the place where the golden otter dissolved as he took in her words. Perhaps their intentions had been nothing but a mere innocent request afterall. He realized he was going about this a little headstrong and bitter-minded, but truth be told, the fae didn't want to waste any time he could be using to look for Sarah and getting her out of here.
With Mirage involved somehow, Jareth felt there was some sort of twist to this scenario. The uneasy apprehension gave him all the more reason not to stall in one place for too long.
With a brisk flick of his wrist, the male conjured a crystal, closing his eyes as the the depths of the orb fogged. The image was slightly unclear, due to the interference, but Jareth could make out Sarah in the glade, very much safe and well, as she was before, while looking into some sort of mirror. Ironic, how this girl had once tore down his castle to defeat him, and yet here he was, willing to tear this place down to save her. "What have you done to me, precious...?" he murmured softly to the orb as he opened his eyes yet again.
Letting the crystal fade out of existence, he bounded forward and, giving a powerful thrust of his wings, glided swiftly through the new path into the look-a-like labyrinth, prepared for whatever else was ready to come at him.
Sarah:
Sarah felt like such a voyeur watching Jareth, especially when he conjured the crystal to no doubt look upon her. She reached out and touched the mirror, a small frown on her face. The image rippled under her paw, but reformed as Jareth came upon the next denizen of this strange world.
Wonderlandians:
A waist-coat-wearing, white rabbit sat at the side of the path, holding a large silver pocket-watch. He was very old and his eyes were cloudy with age. One paw tapped at the face of the watch as he muttered to himself, "Oh dear, oh dear" over and over again. Beside him, the path forked, a crooked sign pointing to This Way and That Way and Wrong Way (The way Jareth had come).
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 7:07 pm
.:: Chapter Four ::.
Emotional Insight Back in the glade...
Fashir:
He appeared behind her and watched over her shoulder for a moment before speaking. A large grey wolf with a white mane that betrayed his age, his voice was deep and edged with a tone that implied he knew more then he would ever let on. A dark cloth was wrapped around his face, perhaps he was simply a blind old wolf, or perhaps he saw more then what mere eyes could show one.
"It is hard, is it not? To watch the ones we care for travel dangerous and confusing paths without our guidance. Hard to know they might stumble and fall...and there is nothing we can do...but have faith." He tilted his head a bit in a silent greeting his nose quivering slightly as if fully taking in the otters presence and scent. So this was the one, this was Sarah, who Cheshire and Mirage had come to him about. Mirage to test and temper, Cheshire to set the perfect scene...and he...he was there because he still believed in the power of love.
Sarah:
Sarah sat up with a jolt, turning around to see the large wolf standing there. He didn't look particularly threatening, not with his aged look and the cloth over his eyes. She wanted to question him and his appearance, but all her mind focused on were the words he had spoken. The otter queen turned back to the mirror to glance at Jareth again as he picked up the rabbit and sighed. She didn't want it to be true, but it was. She did care for Jareth, dammit all, and she wanted to help him get to her, wanted him to save her like a knight in shining armor.
But most of all she wanted to trust that he would do so. She wanted to know why he would do this for her, if it was a matter of pride or guilt that she had been taken because of her connection to him or if it was something more. He hadn't dallied with the trio who were surely more attractive and open than she was, had in fact been quite annoyed that they were wasting his time.
"Are you another on of the 'we' Cheshire talked about?" she finally managed to ask, turning back around to face the wolf.
Fashir:
We? Had Cheshire meant Mirage and himself then? Most likely, he didn't think Cheshire would involve another forest guardian or Chaos. He held back a shudder at the very thought of that troublesome cat, best not even think of him or he might be drawn into the situation.
"Yes...I have come to keep you company for a spell...I'm sure this is hard for you." He walked over and sat down calmly beside her, he didn't seem to have any handicapped issues despite his apparent lack of sight. He lowered his head a bit as if looking at the mirror.
"You should not fear, fear and doubt are enemies to this cause. You must have faith Sarah, if you care for your King you must trust that his love for you will guide him true." He turned his head towards her and slowly smiled. "I know it's hard though, when you don't even know what lays between you." He thought for a moment of Mirage of how far they had come and still there was so much between them he knew it could never be as it had been. Instead he too would have to rebuild his faith and renew his love, learn to accept her as she was instead of hoping she would step back into what she had once been.
Sarah:
Sarah's wings moved in an aggitated manner and she wanted to snap at the wolf for butting into things that shouldn't be his business, that he was talking about things that he knew nothing about that Jareth wasn't her anything and that she doubted he really loved her, but she merely grit her teeth, not wanting to antagonize the predator that could easily eat her. Bobcats were not something she was really afraid of, though Cheshire had been rather big for a bobcat... But it was wolves that really scared her. She didn't stand any chance against one of them.
"I'm sure if that's the case, he'll be wandering about this maze for the better half of eternity," she murmured back cynically, knowing that at the least he wouldn't give up. He was too prideful for that. This wolf had no idea what he was talking about. She didn't have a clue about anything anymore, not really. Here she had been, moving away from home to start her own life, a new life, and nothing changed. Somehow she and the villain of her youth kept running into one another over and over again, and here she was trapped in a fairy tale again, only she was the captive in the center of the labyrinth, with at least two enigmatic predators holding her there and not even giving her a clear reason.
Oh, and a king was coming to rescue her.
Fashir:
Fashir held back a chuckle at her cynical words and tried not to let his lips form a smile either. Sarah was a pawful certainly, but it was clear to him now that she was Jareth's match, an equal if not better then he who called himself king.
"Tell me if you care nothing for him and I shall send him away, you can choose your path Sarah, if you want a life without Jareth always there then simply say the words. I ask nothing of you but your honesty."
Fashir knew better though, she cared, she didn't want him gone forever, she just wanted to know he wanted her, wanted to be with her forever. By the end of these trials he hoped that it would be so, that Jareth wouldn't be a fool, wouldn't waste this chance. The two danced around each other while being so obviously enamored it made Fashir feel...young. Young and hopeful, full of all the things he had long since feared were forgotten. The oasis had been a place of such contentment when he had first arrived, families and lovebirds all starting lives. Then slowly something dark had seeped it's way in and corrupted things. Now the oasis hung in a constant fragile balance...as it should be, but not nearly as bright as he had wanted it. Still, he had long since learned that perfection was impossible and his efforts to force things into goodness could backfire with perilous results.
Sarah:
Sarah pursed her lips in annoyance at the wolf's words. Jareth bothered her, a lot, on so many levels, but... She would never want him completely out of her life. Well, maybe, but she didn't think she could make that decision for herself. She glanced at the mirror again and frowned. Oh, she hated him sometimes. She hated how he would be all nice and charming and whatnot to her and still leave her without a clue on if he was just playing with her or if it was true. And she hated herself, that she couldn't put any trust in him to catch her if she were to trust her heart to him.
"I can't trust him," she mumbled with a shake of her head. She turned to look at the wolf again, a small frown on her face.
"Why am I here?"
Fashir:
Fashir was surprised, surprised by the hesitance in the female, he turned his head again towards the mirror wonderingly. Was Cheshire certain? Had Mirage found a union she could break with tricks? No...Mirage wouldn't have come to him if she had truly wanted to destroy this pairs love. He frowned for a moment deep in thought before turning back to her.
"You don't trust him, do you trust yourself? You own emotions? You are here because we want to see your true feelings, your true emotions, to see if you would have a better life if Jareth was erased completely from your very conscience." He paused for a moment then frowned. "but...that is impossible if love has left him stamped on your heart, no power in the world could undo that, your emotions will always be your own." Of course, that wasn't really true, Cheshire and Mirage had wanted to test Jareth not Sarah, but Feshir now felt that with her uncertainty perhaps this would be a good test for Sarah as well.
Sarah:
Sarah thought about his question for a moment before shaking her head again.
"I don't trust that my actions won't hurt me," she admitted, having no idea why she was telling this wolf these things. Maybe it was because he seemed to be an entity of some power. For all she knew, he already knew all that she was telling him.
She laid down, curling up so that her head rested on her paws and her tail curled around, almost to her nose. She was a better individual because of her run-in with Jareth in her youth, she didn't regret that, but now... She wasn't sure she even knew what her emotions were. Was she just being stubborn? Should she just get over it and throw herself- no, she didn't want to be like those three females in the mirror. She wanted to be herself and if he wanted that, he would have to tell her so. She didn't want to always have to read between the lines, to guess what he was thinking, what he was feeling.
Fashir:
"You can be hurt by many things, but I can understand your reluctance to open yourself to emotional wounding. I suggest you continue to watch...think about what he's willing to do for you...and what you would be willing to do for him. Perhaps that will clear up any of your current uncertainty." He turned his head towards the mirror again for a long moment before standing.
Sarah:
Sarah considered what the wolf said, her ears setting back a bit. By that moment, the rabbit was running away and Jareth was moving on. He had the rabbit's pocketwatch now.
"What I would do for him..." she whispered to herself, wondering what Jareth would do for her in turn. He had turned the world upside down for her when she was young... but that was when she was young and it had just been a testing trial. Besides warming her up when she was cold, there wasn't anything she could think of him doing lately for her... even though that was rather nice.
She sighed softly, not knowing what to think, not really.
"Are you going to leave now?"
Fashir:
"I'll be back to make sure you're alright. Is there anything you needed?" He tipped his head towards her. He could sense the longing in her, he hoped Mirage and Cheshire had been right about Jareth. If he failed he had a feeling it would affect Sarah beyond even what their powers could wash away. The memory of the mind was one thing, what was imprinted on the heart was eternal.
Sarah:
"A slightly better explanation of all this would be nice, but I don't think you're going to give that to me, huh?" Sarah asked, glancing back at the blindfolded wolf again. She actually managed a small, cheeky smile, and turned her gaze back to the mirror.
"I think I'm good," she added and frowned as she watched Jareth in the mirror. He looked so serious about all of this. When she had run the labyrinth, she had been determined, but confused and a bit scared. He looked so serious and determined, but not scared. Not confused. He looked like he knew what he was doing, what he needed to do to save her.
Was he really that determined? Did she really mean that much?
Fashir:
Fashir chuckled and relaxed when he saw she was less nervous, yes she would be alright now. He knew Jareth probably thought Sarah was in some peril, and she might have been if this had been one of Mirage's old ploys.
"Trust..." He murmured and then tipped his muzzle towards her before turning and vanishing with a whirl of his cloak.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 7:08 pm
.:: Chapter Five ::.
Losing Time Meanwhile, back in the forest...
Jareth:
Specks of glitter settled onto the path as the winged otter fluttered to a halt when his route ended. Straightening himself out, Jareth surveyed the two signs of the opposite roads before glancing back the way he came. The Wrong Way. Lovely to know I'm making progress... Now what do we have here? he mused as he debated between This and That way. "Let me guess, one will lead me to where I want and the other will lead to... certain death?" he wondered aloud with a dry sense of amusement.
Catching something out of the corner of his peripheral, Jareth turned to the white rabbit sitting off to the side, to which apparently he hadn't noticed before, and gave him a peculiar look. "Wouldn't happen to have a sense of direction, would you, old chap?"
Wonderlandians:
"Sense?" the rabbit asked, looking up through spectacles cracked with age. He blinked blurry eyes at the large otter before shaking his head back and forth a few times, muttering, "Oh, no sense, no sense at all."
He returned to rocking back and forth, muttering about things under his breath and every so often patting and stroking the face of the watch.
"There is no death here, no death, no death. Only time." His long ears perked up at his own words and he looked up again, a youthful brightness returning to his face.
"Time for doing, time for saying! Always time in Wonderland!" And just like that, the energy was gone, his features drooping again into sorrow.
"I'm always late, too late. No time for doing or time for saying, always late. Work, work, work, run, run, run, late, late, late. No time for play, no time for fun, no time for hearts, too late, too late" he mumbled down at the watch, tapping the surface again as he shook his head.
Jareth:
He gave the rabbit a dead stare and huffed. Dear gods, he's senile...
Brace yourself, they probably become loonier from here on out.
Jareth composed himself and, with as much calmness as he could attempt, grasped the back of the wizened rabbit's collar and lifted the smaller mammal to his level. "Stay with me, chap. Sod the watch for a moment. It's not of the essence. Forget worrying about the time you have and make more." Then again, this was coming from a creature who could reorder time at will, but that was beside the point. He looked the white rabbit dead in the eye through the tiny frames of his spectacles to make sure he got his attention. "Now listen carefully; are you leading me, or pointing me in the right direction? To lead one would be to take him "This way", but showing him where to go is directing him 'That way'. Pretend for a moment you actually know where you are. Decided whether or not you're temporarily on this journey. I've given you two options. Choose one."
He figured in some backwards way, the rabbit might actually some sense out of that and give him a feasible response without Jareth having to make this a process of pulling teeth. (Then again, Wonderland-ians probably existed on a different level of turn-around logic than most creatures of the Underground and the rabbit would most likely switch the topic all together...)
Wonderlandians:
The rabbit only narrowed his eyes and twitched his whiskers at the Goblin King, giving Jareth a very old-man's frown.
"You can't make more time. It's never forever, not long at all. Do what you want to, need to do, when you can. Some of us don't have all day," he snapped back and held the watch to his chest. His ears folded back as if to add to his new demeanor.
"You don't make sense, son. This way, that way, how can I lead or point you in the right direction if I don't know where you want to go?" It was actually a very sensible question for a creature in this land. A side effect of living here was being a little off and it seemed that this bunny blew hot and cold pretty easily.
Jareth:
Yes, well some of us have eternity... Well, that was only partially true. He didn't have forever to find the center of this maze, not with who's life was at stake. And despite Sarah appearing safe, Jareth wasn't entirely sure of the motives of whoever was orchestrating this setup.
Ah, so the rabbit was senile and bipolar. Absolutely splendid...
"Is that the pot calling the kettle black?" Jareth retorted to the small coated mammal's accusation of a lack of sense. "As much as I doubt this little lucid streak of yours will last... I'm in search of the center of this hedge maze. The location of the glade which, rumor has it -- if it's any consolation to you -- is guarded by 'The One.' Whatever you lot translate that to."
Wonderlandians:
The rabbit blinked behind his spectacles, ears perking up a bit.
"We have a maze? When did we get a maze?" he asked and looked around. For all he knew, he was just on a path in the Red Forest. He blinked some more and looked thoughtful.
"The Shadow-walker? Why intrude on the realm of the Shadow-walker? It won't take kindly of you intruding, you know," he replied, kicking his feet back and forth a bit, whiskers still twitching back and forth.
Jareth:
At the rabbit's initial inquiry of the maze, the look on Jareth's face was the equivalent of that of a deft face-palm. He chose not to respond.
"So I've been told," he instead continued about the Shadow-walker remark, not quite releasing his grasp on the rabbit's scruff just yet. "Regardless of why I'm looking for the center, who guards it, or the obscure reasoning behind why I'm here, all I ask is how I can get there, if you even have the foggiest." He produced a new crystal in his other palm and rolled it fluidly back and forth over a gloved paw. "A straight answer would be wise~" The male switched his gaze from the crystaline orb impishly back to the rabbit.
Wonderlandians:
The rabbit pawed at his glasses for a moment before looking at the two different paths. He squinted for a moment at each one before pointing down This Way with one paw. With one wiggle, he was out of the otter's hold and standing on his back legs in front of the fae king.
"You're young and old, son," he said and bushed off his waistcoat before shoving the watch into Jareth's paw. "Not everyone's so lucky to have your time."
And with that, the rabbit fled down That Way, his body filling out slightly, coat becoming sleeker as the age melted from his fleeting form.
The watch he had left had 12 numbers and a cracked face, the hands spinning wildly for a few seconds before stopping at 1 o'clock.
Jareth:
The Golbin King's gaze followed solemnly after the rabbit's retreating form. "Lucky isn't what I'd use to describe it..." he muttered, giving a sideways glance to the pocket watch as its sporadic hands stilled at one of the clock. Was that the duration he'd spent so far? It appeared as Wonderland's sense of time was akin to that of the mortal realm, as they also lacked a 13th hour. However, there was something quite off about it. As Jareth would shift time backwards to an earlier allotment, the hands on the clock would only persistently snap back into place at the 1. The pacing in this realm was slightly more skewed.
"Well bugger this for a lark." he growled, tossing the crystal to the ground. It burst into a cloud of glitter, two goblins -- one a mini otter and the other resembling a squirrel -- springing out of its depths in a slight daze.
"KING!!" they squealed in unison as they noticed their majesty towering over them ever so ominously as he always did. "Your highness!!" the squirrel chirped. "We been a-lookin' for you! But you went an' disappeared!"
"You and Lady Sarah!" the miniature-otter-goblin added in.
"No sight Above or Underground. But we finded you now! Is good, yes?"
Jareth sighed at the over-excited exchange between the two subjects and started off towards This Way as the goblins obediently followed at his heels. "I have a task for you both. Find information on the whereabouts of the center of this labyrinth and the layout and order of the land. I need to find--" "Wait! Where's Lady Sarah?"
The mini's eyes went wide. "She gone?"
"We go find her, yeah?"
"We'll find Lady Sarah!"
"Listen to me before you get ahead of yourself, you twits. You must--" before Jareth could get another word in, the goblins had poofed each other off into some random part of the maze. Well... they were bound to get themselves lost within a matter of seconds. He sighed and ran along the path with the watch. There were still more goblins at his disposal, and plenty of ground to cover. Right now, he needed to decipher more about this 'One/Shadow-walker' character than the generic results he'd been receiving. Therein lied his answers.
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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:12 pm
.:: Chapter Six ::.
More Errant Summoning Cheshire Cat:
Cheshire watched as Jareth ran down the path the White Rabbit had sent him down. She wasn't sure if the naughty bunny had thought the king needed more time to think or if he really was that forgetful or if Jareth had just rubbed him the wrong way, but the cat knew that This Way was the longer of the two paths to the center. Of course she would know that. Not a single thing in the Red Forest went past its guardian. Chesh knew where every mome-rath and tove and flower and blade of grass was and what they were doing at all times. It was just second nature, one she generally ignored, otherwise she'd be zipping over the forest at all hours trying to keep someone from skinning their knee or getting a paper-cut from a particularly vicious leaf.
True to the name she had been given, she moved invisible in the shadows, watching Jareth just as she knew Sarah wa- Oh, Fashir was talking to her. Chesh had a feeling she was still watching the mirror, though.
Mirage suddenly sent a whisper into Chesh's ear, complaining that there were not enough obstacles in Jareth's path, that he was getting through this too easily. Sighing, Cheshire bounded silently ahead of the king, reforming the straight maze into a four-way crossing just around a couple of bends. To make things even more complicated, she had her pawprints appear around the first corner and lead around the second before scattering them about the crossing, showing them leading in all three of the other directions. Only a master at tracking would be able to figure it out, and she was sure the King of the Goblins was many things, but that wasn't one of them.
Jareth & Robin:
Panning back to Jareth; the owl-winged otter moved fluidly on his current path. If he was able to summon forth his goblins from this realm, he pondered, then he could still easily will other bodies forth from the Aboveground. Slowing to a stop, Jareth realized he knew someone, who perhaps wasn't from Wonderland, but had been here before. Albeit, his former encounter with said individual resulted in receiving something atrocious of an iron burn to his wing (which he easily concealed), and some bitter exchanges... but it had been sorted out... for the most part.
With a brisk snap, a medieval-clad, fox-like figure formed into existence next to the Goblin King. Where ever Jareth had summoned him from, apparently he had been in the middle of sleeping. The small wolf wearily cracked his eyes open a smidgen to take in his surroundings. "Could've given me a heads-up, Chesh." he murmured light-heartedly as he slowly stood up to stretch, not yet realizing who had brought him here.
"Didymus, focus for a minute."
The wolf turned at the unexpected voice and took notice of Jareth before frowning. "You again? What are you-- How did you get me--- Didn't we already establish that my name was Robin?" the archer muttered in bewilderment, still in the process of waking up.
"Yes, Robert, whatever--"
"I get the impression that you're not good with names..."
"--I request your aid in the form of your familiarity with Wonderland."
Robin suddenly felt on the edge and eyed the immortal otter carefully. "I never told you I've been here before..." How much did this bloke know? Was he aware of Chesh too?
Jareth merely scoffed and waved the remark off. "Don't be daft, boy. Traces of this land's energy were still clinging to you last time we met. I wouldn't expect a mortal like you to be able to detect that sort of activity... Regardless... You've sat in the presence of this realm before, and I require you to--" the otter trailed off and looked ahead along the path, becoming still as he felt a shift in the environment.
Robin became quiet as well, but only to try and follow the angelic's gaze in order to decipher his actions. In the process, he noticed the watch the Goblin King was in possession of. It nearly reminded him of the watch that the Cheshire cat had given him-- the one that was tucked snugly away into his tunic right at this moment. Except his was gold, and in far better condition.
"It's changing, somewhere..." Jareth interrupted the thief's thoughts. The otter began setting off down the path again. "We must keep moving."
The foxish predator followed in pursuit of the older otter, starting to sprint in pace with him. This was Wonderland... but the layout was odd. There hadn't been rows of hedges around before, had there? "Keep moving where exactly?" he called over.
"The center. The glade with the silver-tinted tree. That's where she is..."
"She--?" Robin began, but cut himself off as they entered a crossroad sort of intersection with pawprints scattered about in every direction.
Jareth glanced over the diverging paths with a soft sneer. The stunted predator studied the markings. "These... all look the same..." he crouched down to take a closer look. "A... bobcat, if I'm not mistaken." He wondered if it was Chesh, but there could have been other bobcats in Wonderland. It was not unlikely...
"The mastermind behind this trying to set me off, no doubt." the otter muttered, considering his options on which route to take.
Robin surveyed the four paths and the remnants of the traffic left behind. "Some of these seem almost... sporadic..." he thought aloud.
Chesh:
Chesh watched Jareth through thoughtful eyes. She had been fine with him summoning those goblins. She had sent both of them straight to the flower-patch, knowing that at least some of the girls would find their scruffiness adorable and dote on them while their master ran her maze. But when she felt him summoning again she rolled her golden eyes. Hadn't he learned his lesson? His goblins out be no-
Oh that was just cheating!
Chesh melted at the sight of Robin, half elated that he was there and very annoyed that Jareth had dragged him into this. Solidifying herself deep in the hedges to the side of one path, a feat only made comfortable by the fact that because she technically WAS Wonderland, she could bend some aspects to her will, such as displacing some of the branches. Her sudden presence also went undetected because her magical connection was identical to the surroundings and nothing was gained because she was always there. Only her scent would be detected and she always smelled of the strange forest.
With a low growl, she slunk closer and closer to Jareth and her... Robin, ears back and eyes narrowed, a predator stalking her prey. Once she was close enough, she ran out of the thick plants, her fur a blur as she made a beeline for the archer, pouncing him with a yowl so that she could thoroughly nuzzle his face.
"Don't tell him about my connection to the forest, I'm just another inhabitant," she purred softly in his ear, intent on Jareth not hearing that whispered request as she rubbed her cheek affectionately across the fur on Robin's face.
"I missed you," she added a little more vocally, though whether Jareth heard or not she didn't really care.
Jareth & Robin:
Robin shifted his attention briefly over to the otter, who appeared to be levitating slightly off the ground, a leather-gloved paw extended to the earth and his eyes closed in deep concentration, as though he were attempting to trace something back.
"Right... well, it appears to me that the initial tracks from these first two paths seem... how would you put it... more defin--ah!" the wolf yelped as he had no time to react to the cat-cry and was suddenly knocked over and pinned down. He recognized his attacker almost immediately, after the shock of being spontaneously pounced on, and gave Chesh a coy look in return for her request, as though inquiring 'What are you up to?'. Regardless, he'd play along. At the moment, he was just overjoyed to see the pink, striped bobcat once again as he chuckled softly at her nuzzles of affection. "Ohh, not nearly as much as I longed to see you again," he cooed playfully, licking her cheek fondly in return.
Jareth hadn't budged an inch from his hovering position, but watched the overly-familiar exchange between the two predators with bemusement. It was safe to assume that this cat was the archer's connection to Wonderland. However, he couldn't help but survey the fuchsia feline closely. The fact that her presence blended in so smoothly with the rest of the surroundings made her a person-of-interest that he needed to regard carefully. "Well," he started, eyeing the pair as he stepped down from his imaginary platform. "If what Rolan--" "Robin." "--claims is true about these prints belonging to a bobcat, and lo and behold whose presence has so suddenly graced us, then mayhaps these trails are of yours?"
The wolf, who didn't seem to feel like removing himself out from underneath the whimsical bobcat anytime soon, slowly looked from Jareth to Chesh. "He's looking for someone. At the center of this..." he indicated to the surroundings with a wave of his paw. "...maze. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you~?"
Chesh:
Chesh gave Robin an "I'll tell you later" look before rounding her attention onto Jareth. She slipped off the wolf and sat down, tilting her head.
"Prints?" she asked coyly, looking down at the ground to see her handiwork.
"Huh, must have been the Shadow-walker. Prints and missing individual, too, maybe. Couldn't tell you, really. I'm just a caretaker," she replied, kinda telling the truth. It was the Shadow-walker who had left the prints and taken Sarah, Chesh just didn't admit that it was herself. And she was a the caretaker and couldn't really tell him. If she did, it would ruin the trials. She purred and pawed at Robin, turning a smile on him.
"What are you doing back in Wonderland, Robin?" she asked him glancing over with a small frown at Jareth.
Jareth & Robin:
"Yes, quite. Seems to be the same answer where ever I go around here..." The otter gave the Cheshire Cat a peculiar look. Nothing was ever "just". Jareth had the strong suspicion that she knew more than she was letting off. At the same time, she revealed nothing more than any of the other inhabitants had. And Robin certainly didn't seem to have any connection to the events, despite his familiarity with her.
The wolf frowned in thought before rolling to his paws and sitting up. "Seems I was summoned by my... fine-feathered friend for a dashing quest of sorts."
"Don't milk it, Loxley."
Robin smiled sheepishly. "I figured after the whole wing ordeal, I owed you one, your highness." He cleared his throat and idly brushed off his tunic at receiving a mismatched glare for mentioning the topic that-was-not-meant-to-be-mentioned-again. "I suppose that's why I'm here. Or perhaps fate refuses to keep us apart for too long." he teased as he turned back Chesh.
Chesh:
"A dashing quest?" Chesh all but exclaimed with much enthusiasm, her ears perked up.
"Oh, I haven't been on one of those in centuries! Could I come too?" Ah, half-truths, how she loved them. It had been quite a while since there was any sort of adventure to be had here in Wonder, and she had actually been on something of the opposing side. It was in her nature to assist the participant in her trials, but she would never forget that more often than not she was the one orchestrating them. When you're a good millennium or two old and hiding for the good part of that in a dimension of your own insane creation, you had to find something productive and yet entertaining to do. Helping others' lives by teaching them valuable lessons or welcoming them into a safe haven of agelessness and wonder was right up her alley.
She laughed a bit and moved to rub her head under Robin's chin, purring loudly as she did so.
"I would say fate's a fickle b*****d who just enjoys tormenting us, but he did bring me you, so in the long run I can't say I disagree," she replied, closing her eyes and leaning against him. Usually she was a very private cat when it came to her genuine emotions. But when Robin was around, everything else just melted away, leaving just the two of them in her mind.
Jareth & Robin:
Robin smirked as Chesh rubbed up against him and he nuzzled her head in turn. Every aspect of her was simply wonderful in its own fanatical sort of way. Despite differences in species and mortality, there was no one else the wolf wanted to be with. Her presence always made him feel so marvelously elated inside, even on spontaneous terms such as this.
"I don't see why you couldn't come. You do live here after-all." he teased, giving her ear a playful n**. For a moment, he forgot about the blonde-maned Goblin King standing ever so haughtily off to the side -- looking as if he would start pacing at any second -- and looked over to him. "Assuming you find no fault in that, your highness?"
Jareth simply sighed. "Very well, you may come along. If you really prospect from having an "adventure" in your own backyard... so to speak." he stated. There shouldn't be any harm in having a Wonderland resistant coming along on their escapade. So long as she wasn't coming just to throw them off... "Seeing as you're most familiar with these parts as opposed to either of us, any clue as which route to take before we continue?"
Chesh:
Chesh's ear flicked and she purred when Robin nipped at it. While this was utterly unfair of Jareth, she couldn't say that she altogether minded. This could actually be an interesting lesson in and of itself. Much as she hated to admit it, Robin was mortal, and there was a strong likelihood that no matter what she did, baring more or less trapping him in Wonder, he would some day grow old and die. The very thought made her throat close up and she pressed herself closer to him for a moment. It would be a rough road for them, she had no doubts about that, but she would brave it, for him. Mortal-immortal relationships could work out, they were proof to that.
"An adventure is an adventure, wherever you are. Especially in your own backyard. As long as you believe it is possible," she replied, wise and yet half-mad gold eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she smiled at the Goblin King from her cuddly position beside Robin. That said, she pulled away from her wolf, lightly batting him with her stub tail as she moved away to look at the prints. Her own paws hovered a bit above the ground, something she was in the habit of doing. Even if she was a creator and not a shaper, she was still a Guardian, and by inner 'law' they did not actually step on the ground unless they needed to. Didn't want to hurt any little bugs.
"What a mess!" she exclaimed at the prints, inwardly complimenting herself. She stopped and looked behind her at the two males. "The center, you said? Then I do believe we should go this way." She pointed down one of the three other paths, nodding.
Oh, it would take them to the center, but then so would the other two. And in the same time, too. The maze itself wasn't meant to make Jareth fail. In fact, most ways would get him to the center in the same time-frame as another. It was the trials that mattered. If Rose, Lily, and Perrywinkle or the White Rabbit had found him wanting, felt that he hadn't gained some sort of understanding from them, they would have stalled, or given him a longer path.
Chesh needed to learn if he really did love Sarah and if so, what the cause of his hesitancy was. Agelessness and her reluctance to trust had been her own problems. But once she had gotten past them, she found someone that truly made her happy.
Jareth & Robin:
Jareth stared down the indicated path before glancing over to Robin, who, retracting his previous notions about two of the other likely routes, merely shrugged. "Her guess is better than mine, mate." Which was essentially true, for the most part, as Chesh did live here. But he knew for whatever purpose she was sending this fellow through Wonderland's twists and turns, it was most likely for a whole-hearted, moral cause. That or she was just playing around with the otter's head. Either way, he trusted the Cat enough to know this wasn't some sort of maniacal trap or spontaneous form of punishment. Though, the wolf couldn't help but ponder who it was the angelic was looking for that made him so determined to get to the center as soon as possible.
After a brief moment of pondering...
"Fine, we'll take your heading then." the Goblin King strode towards the trail that Cheshire had offered. "So long as we can keep a swift pace..."
Robin rose to his paws as well and headed over to Chesh's side as they entered a new series of the labyrinth, giving her flank a gentle swat with his bushy tail in delayed retaliation and tossing her a wry smirk.
"So, this girl you're looking for," he cleared his throat as he addressed Jareth. "She holds some meaning to you, I presume? Since you seem to be so bent on seeking her out."
"She is of importance, yes."
Loxley gave the winged otter a curious look as he didn't seem on being too keen on releasing too much information. "Is she the one that brought you here, by any chance?" He didn't quite know who it was that was being searched for, or for what reason. The only thing he knew from the moment he got here was that the fae otter "needed to find her."
"Hardly." Jareth scoffed. "Rather, she was taken from me... from the Oasis. I was sent here by one of the forces responsible and told to get to the glade with the silver tree at the center in order to find her... Whether they knew her connection to me and this was scheme to get me here or if they might have some other ulterior motive, I haven't the foggiest." he murmured darkly, his stride never faltering.
"I doubt highly this is a scheme..." replied the wolf. He hadn't expecting other paws to be at work here, but continued to pretended not to be aware of Chesh's ultimate connection to the realm. He turned to his monochromatic bobcat, trying to sound as naively about the situation as possible. "Wouldn't happen to have any ideas as to why someone would be taken and brought to Wonderland?" he inquired in hopes to get some reasoning out of the otter.
Chesh:
Chesh walked with the males, listening to the conversation. The Goblin King certainly was determined to get Sarah back, but still had given no sign as to what drove him. For all she knew, he was doing this out of some strong sense of pride. But she felt her judgment was a little bit better than that, so she just knew it had to be deeper. Jareth just didn't want to admit it and she didn't know why.
"Outsiders are brought here for a number of reasons, though many stumble onto Wonder. Why, there was this little blond girl not too long ago, sweet thing, but she cried a lot," the cat flinched a bit at that, but realized she was rambling and grinned.
"Usually they're brought here because the Shadow Walker pities them. They're usually taken for granted, or even abused, in that case. Sometimes they're sent to Wonder to find something and either get stuck or decide they'd rather stay, it's really quite nice once you get past the slight madness and not-so-nice beasties. It's been a while since someone of importance has been taken. Are you sure you treat this girl as important as you say she is?" Oh, what a blunt question! Chesh almost rolled her eyes at her own comment.
She moved closer to Robin, her shoulder brushing up against his. She really was glad he was here, though it saddened her that she couldn't explain what was going on. She would tell him when they were alone, that was a sure promise.
"We shouldn't go on for too much longer though. Those not-so-nice beasties come out at dusk. They only hunt in low light, so as soon as it gets dark, we can get moving again, but it's best to stay low when the Jabberwocky and Bandersnatch and Jubjub Bird are about." Even Chesh, the Shadow Walker, was afraid of those things. She only made them with the land because she knew a world of wonder needed its wondrous monsters, too.
Jareth & Robin:
Jareth cast a wayward glance at Cheshire in a scrutinizing manner towards her questioning of his faith in Sarah... and the sheer thought of her rather wanting to stay here. "How important would you treat someone who's life is but a mere minute's length in time in comparison to yours?" he retaliated with a rhetorical tone before shooting a look to the medieval wolf, whom raised his brows and returned the gesture with an expression foreboding the king not to go off on any bitter-hearted rants while they could still manage a pleasant company of three. The winged male merely returned his gaze back to the trail ahead and re-composed himself in silence. His standard tease of referring to how 'clearly substantial it would be to treat the future Goblin Queen with the upmost importance' was displaced by the solemnity of the situation. His two traveling companions were (slowly and painstakingly) getting to him. A notion that he wasn't entirely comfortable with.
Robin was intent to pry further on the subject nonetheless.
Before either of the boys could speak, Jareth was giving the pink bobcat a quizzical look at her list of bizzarely-named creatures, and the 'potential threat' that accompanied them. "Bog them, throw them head-first into a spinning metal death-trap, imprison them in an oubliette. Whatever pests prove delay will be dealt with accordingly." he stated briskly, having no desire to stop to rest.
"...Mate, as noble as your determination is... we should go with primal instinct on this one. Whatever it is you're capable of... might not be as much of effect against what lurks in the dark here..." Robin offered in support of Chesh's plan.
The otter's whiskers twitched into a frown of distaste. "As enticing the thought of taking instinct advice from a highwayman is... time is of the essence. Resting in one spot out of fear of coming across this realm's equivalent of a troll or harpy would be redundant."
Jareth earned a huff of discontentment from Robin at the highwayman remark. The wolf may have been a thief, but he wasn't that lowly. "Well, despite the common knowledge of trekking different parts of the day means walking amongst predators," Ironic, considering that's what he and Chesh were labeled as when they were in the Oasis. "Chesh has a better sense of this world and the creatures in it than me and you combined. It really wouldn't hurt to take a breather and get our thoughts together. Besides, once the twilight has past, we'll be moving again." The vigilante sighed and rolled his eyes, but still managed an apologetic smile to Chesh for the back-and-forth bantering. Goodness, how he was so blessed that she was here at his side instead of leaving him alone with this steadfast otter to get into who-knew-what sort of ordeals.
Jareth seemed to have finally caved or grew too weary of arguing as he slowed his pace and looked to the Cheshire cat. "And your take on where to stop...?"
Chesh:
Chesh shot Jareth a frown when he asked how important she would treat someone who's life was so short in comparison to hers. She in turn passed Robin a bittersweet smile and rubbed against his side, ignoring how it was likely a rhetorical question. It was something she needed to answer, something she needed to show Jareth.
"As the most important thing in my life, of course. Time's too short for mortals to let it slip by like that." It hurt her every time she thought of how Robin would some day grow old and leave her. Maybe she could find a way before then, something that would let him stay with her without forcing him to live forever in Wonder like the rest of the inhabitants. The sad fact was, that if they ever left, it was a strong likelihood that they would age very quickly until they died.
She snorted at Jareth's remark, finding the thought of the Jabberwocky sitting in the Goblin King's bog quite amusing. The Bandersnatch of the Jubjub Bird would be a different story, but she had made each one to be equal to the other. Where the Bandersnatch had a perfect sense of smell, average hearing, and very poor eyesight and the Jubjub Bird had perfect eyesight, average sense of smell, and almost completely deaf, the Jabberwocky had no sense of smell. It relied almost entirely on hearing though it could see fairly well. The bog had nothing on her monster.
It wouldn't matter, anyways. While Jareth could bring others to Wonder, he could neither take others from it except for Sarah or those he'd summoned (At Chesh's allowance, of course) nor could he bring things like the spinning metal death-trap he had mentioned.
"They're much fiercer and larger than a troll or harpy. They say even the Shadow Walker is wary of them." Which was true. While she could walk in their presence, even ask them to do things, she was not their master. They did what they wished, as she had wanted it to be, which meant she had to tread lightly.
She looked up at the sky, judging the light though there was no sun to be found.
"We have a bit of time, but we should keep on the lookout for sheltered areas. We need to find somewhere before the light starts to fade." The advantage was she knew where the Jubjub and Bandersnatch were and they would not be coming near the labyrinth, not during the trials. It was the Jabberwocky that she had plans for, ones he had agreed to on the terms that she provide him with treats for several days afterwards. Despite being a monster, he was rather sensible and intelligent. Which made him all the more terrifying.
Jareth & Robin:
The Cheshire cat's uninvited commentary seemed to have caused a shadow to befall Jareth's features. Mortals' lifespans slipped through time's fingers like specks of sand captured on the drifting wind. Their time was so precious... Funny, how Sarah probably never realized why he called her that in the first place, the precious thing that she was. And yet this bobcat cherished every moment with her counterpart while Jareth was very much at risk of loosing something he may never had in the first place.
Hazel eyes studied the owl-winged otter's facial features carefully, trying to make sense of what the girl meant to him. After having the rude awaking from being pulled from an afternoon nap in order to be warped across dimensions, only to be requested for assistance as some sort of tracking dog (albeit, Chesh's appearance had pushed all the possible cons aside and made the situation rather wonderful), Robin felt he should've known who it was they were putting so much effort into finding. "This one we're looking for... she must hold a strong place in your heart, eh?"
The otter frowned. "My heart..." he murmured distantly. "Sarah once conquered my kingdom, spat on my heart and crushed it without even knowing what she'd done." The naive child that she once was... "Unbeknown to her, she's held onto it by mere threads all this time, and I must retrieve her if I'm ever to see that dammed thing again." Despite the skewered translation of his reasoning to find her, the thought of Sarah was all he had to keep him moving forward. "I suppose she thinks my heart grew so cold and desolate that I disposed of it before it could completely chill my body to the core." Contrary to the bittersweet edge, there was still some humor in his voice, but the Goblin King as quickly turned his attention over his shoulder at the wolf. "...Not that it's your business to know. But I supposed you were dragged into this without asking... so there." Jareth stated flatly, hoping to lay off the Q's and A's from now on. He didn't want to make a habit out of giving barely-made acquaintances a window into his personal conflicts.
Sarah, was it?
The fox-like predator sighed and pressed close to the bobcat's side. It was depressing to think how many creatures went on with their lives without confessing their emotions to another out of fear of rejection. He was so grateful that his connection with Chesh came so naturally-- So grateful that she never shunned him away despite the inconvenience of his mortality. If only most people could come to terms of acceptance like that.
"Well," he cast his gaze back to the feline. "It seems no form of beastie or any other threat of the unknown is stopping this one." The king's willpower was admirable to say the least. Not to say that a little guidance couldn't be in order.
Chesh:
Chesh watched as Jareth's face fell and she realized this was not something that Sarah should probably hear, or see for that matter. If he responded truthfully to her Robin's question, it would be too personal, something that the king needed to tell Sarah to her face.
And yet something stopped the old cat from fogging up the glass in her "chambers". She had had a difficult time telling Robin her feelings, in fact she was more apt to show him how she felt rather than talking about it. For her, life had been made of the physical. Words were of little meaning. Or, they had been at one point in time. Now... She simply went through each day even more unscripted than before. To hell with inhibitions and her past. All she really needed was the present.
The striped cat paused as Jareth spoke, feeling his words cause a lump in her throat. She hadn't realized...
"I'm... Have you ever told her that?" The words were hushed as the bobcat stopped in her tracks. The forest seemed to darken two shades as light fled from it. Somewhere off in the distance, far away and yet just audible to the travelers, came the guttural roar of some large beast. As if in answer, two other cries broke the air, one a high-pitched screech (The Jubjub must have been close to the Bandersnatch, otherwise it never would have heard the sound) that barely reached Chesh's ears, the other a strange sound, difficult to define and yet easy to pinpoint. The third was much closer to them than the first two had been.
"The Jabberwocky is in the labyrinth," Chesh said, her ears setting back, though she could feel her creation in her being. He had amused himself in answering his brothers, just as they had amused themselves in notifying the world that they had begun the hunt.
"We should find- Ah, this will do," Chesh began, stopping when she turned to find a gap in the hedges that no one would recall being there before, since it of course hadn't. She moved to it and crawled in, finding the space just what she had wanted. It was within the hedge itself, a hollow in the branches and leaves in a dome shape. Just enough room for the three of them, provided none of them was put off by smallish spaces and Chesh and Robin cuddled up. All according to plan.
Sarah:
Sarah had been listening to the conversations ever since the blind, or maybe not so blind wolf had left her alone in the glade. She found it interesting that the cat, Cheshire, was so obviously smitten with the wolf Jareth had summoned. Speaking of, she felt horrible for the little goblins that he had set upon this Wonderland. But that wasn't the point right now. Jareth had said she was important, that was the reason why he was so intent on finding her and taking her home. But Chesh brought up the very question that was lodged in her heart.
"If I'm so important, why doesn't he just say so?" Sure, he called her precious and gave her things, but she could read into that in so very many ways. Things were never face value when it came to the Goblin King. Or maybe it was just the fae in general, she had heard enough stories to believe in that possibility. Regardless, for once she just wanted him to be honest with-
Her face creased into a frown as he callously asked how important she should be to an immortal like him. Fine. If that was how he felt, he should just turn around and leave. She sat up and walked away from the mirror as they continued to talk about the dangers of this world. She glared as she paced a bit, catching Cheshire's response to the question. At least she knew how to treat someone she care about, someone she trusted, even if she wasn't a mortal cat and her obvious mate was a mortal wolf. How could Jareth love her? He would far outlive her and she was just a plain mortal. Even if she had been the only pup born into her family with those magnificent wings, they were still as plain as the rest of her. The only thing that really stood out in her tans and browns were her green eyes. And even those were the color of slightly yellowed grass, at least in her mind. He wouldn't catch her if she really trusted him, why should he?
In her musing, she almost missed what the wolf had asked. It was the word heart that got her attention, though she was still turned away from the portal to her "rescuer". And then the ageless male responded and a vice wrapped around her heart, tears filling her eyes as she turned back to see his face. He wasn't smiling, showed no signs that he was telling anything but the truth. She couldn't tell herself to move, to walk back to the mirror.
If only he was saying that to her, she'd probably smack him across the face. She'd been young, her baby brother was in danger because of something stupid she had done. How could he have expected her to give in to his tempting pleas when she had to fix such a terrible mistake?
She'd hold his face between her paws, sorry she had struck him and yet angry that he hadn't outright told her anything.
She'd tell him how she'd never thought his heart was cold. Wicked in a mischievous way, but never cold.
Something came over her, then, a blanket of warmth and darkness. She didn't hear the sounds without, what caused Jareth and Chesh and Robin to flee into the hedges. She was already lying back down beside the pond, her eyes closing in sleep as a black cat with green eyes watched over her with an almost tender smile.
Mirage:
Mirage sent a mental note to Cheshire as she left the glade, a note to calm the king and let her pull him into the land of dreams.
Jareth & Robin:
As the trio shifted into the hedges, Jareth couldn't help but take a quick glance out into the distance as the sense of a entity fathomed from fears rattled through him with the Jabberwock's screech. His eyes narrowed at the unseen beast before he vanished into the wall of discolored ficus, silently throwing up a protective charm around them as he settled into the enclosed space. (Although, the spell likely wouldn't be needed.) He was going to find Sarah... Jabberwocky or no.
Robin fidgeted awkwardly inside of the makeshift shelter in attempts not to take up too much room before pressing himself to the side with Chesh's frame snugly against his opposite flank. Despite the shortened stature for his species, the tall-eared, thick-tailed wolf was still the largest amongst present company.
"Where does our trail go from here?" he inquired to the immortal pair of travelers, reaching around to remove his quiver, only to realize it hadn't been equipped to his person when Jareth apparated him into Wonder.
"Forward," the otter responded briskly. "Under the assumption that it's not the way back." He sat very still, albeit his tail flicked with impatience as the misfit, collected group of "rescuers" waited for nightfall to brush away the dawn. A feeling resonated within his chest. A sense that they were being watched. The apprehension had lingered there for some time, as he should have assumed as much. Yet the king of goblins couldn't shake the supposition that while they were idly sitting around, whoever was watching had their next course of action already formulated...
"...--u've got there?"
The blonde male snapped back to attention as he noticed the wolf was still addressing him. "What?"
"That watch, you've been carrying around for some time." Robin's indication drew the king's attention back to the silver trinket in his hold. He'd almost forgotten about it. "Ahh... this..." A small glow emitted from a gloved paw, allowing him to tilt the instrument into the light. "Rather old chap seemed to have displaced this in my possession." he mused, the pocket-watch's surface glinting as he turned it under the soft, conjured source of light. He still wasn't entirely sure what its purpose was...
Chesh:
Chesh curled up happily beside Robin, catching the mental note from Mirage. Make the Goblin King relax, yeah, that would be easy. She almost rolled her eyes.
She remained quiet for a time, just listening to the males with her, trying to figure out how to calm Jareth down enough that Mirage could pull him into a special dream. Sarah was waiting for him, after all.
She glanced up when the watch was mentioned, feigning curiosity.
"Nivens gave you a watch? A white rabbit? He's the only one around here with one of those, it must be the indicator," she explained, tilting her head to one side. She cuddled a bit closer to her wolf, closing her eyes happily for a moment.
"It shows how much time you have to find your friend. Clock strikes twelve and time's up," she finally added, her eyes opening just a crack. She tilted her head so that she could see the face. There was plenty of time left, Jareth had moved through Wonder fairly quickly. Not that she really cared about time. She would mess with the watch as he slept. What mattered was the Jabberewocky.
"Relax. The Jabberwocky won't stop hunting for a while and you've plenty of time."
Jareth & Robin:
Jareth blinked at Chesh's explanation and made a sound of discontentment over the fact that this realm was also using a time trial, much akin to those used on the runners in his own Labyrinth.
Regardless..
Despite given no former indication of the time frame he was meant to find Sarah in before the pink cat's revelation, at least his initial guess was correct in that he presumed the watch was some sort of device meant to relay the time spent in Wonderland's interpretation of the Labyrinth. It was true, there was still some time left, but he preferred it not to dwindle away for nothing.
Robin stretched out a bit, as much as the tight space would allow before laying down and curling his tail around Chesh, giving her cheek a small lick accompanied by a soft smirk as he lowered his head next to hers. "Don't dwell so much on your conscience." he assured the angelic otter. "Just... think about pleasant things. Like... hunting mice or whatever it is you owl-shifting faeries like to do."
A sharp set of brown and blue eyes shot a glare at the archer, not so much for the mice remark, as it was for the faerie commentary. Jareth held back whatever sharp retort he had caught in his throat as the predators' closeness proved to be blatantly noticeable once more. The two were inseparable from the moment the Cheshire cat had made her appearance, and yet he could hardly make Sarah feel comfortable for ten minutes before her lack-of-trust-alarm-system kicked in.
Releasing an elongated sigh, the fae leaned his head back against the brim of his high-arched collar and closed his eyes. He didn't need rest. No, he could go weeks without scumming to the slightest bit of sleep. But at the moment, he just needed to concentrate for a bit. Just a few minutes to gather his thoughts.
Mirage:
Mirage was careful. The sleep she set over Jareth was just a small compulsion, just to make his eyelids a bit heavier while she felt Cheshire's magic softening the grass beneath the king, tipping the temperature to the most comfortable degree possible, both females working hard to relax the fae into a dream where his lady waited for him.
Chesh:
Chesh decided to wait for Mirage's signal before speaking to Robin. But she gave him a small nuzzle at the least.
Jareth:
Being a master of twisting reality, acquiring others' deepest desires and ambitions, and producing the most quixotic of dreams, Jareth could very easily access the dream world on a whim. He realized all too well when he'd been pulled into the realm by another power, just not until the moment before Mirage lulled him to a guided slumber and sent him into a setting of her fabrication.
Robin:
The Goblin King appeared to be merely sitting with his eyes closed in thought, but as Robin attempted to call him to attention, he proved to be completely out. "Well," the wolf mused, glancing wryly to his Chesh as his eyes glinted with the slight, playful hint of 'Someone's got some explaining to do.' "Just the two of us now~?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 10:25 pm
.:: Chapter Seven A ::.
A Short Rest... For Helpers Chesh:
Chesh smiled at Robin when he spoke to her.
"I suppose it is. But I think we should go somewhere a little more private," she replied and the world shifted slightly around them for a heartbeat before they were in a slightly larger hollow, the king no where to be found.
"The next part of the plan requires we not be there when he wakes up, anyways," she explained and then snuggled against him.
"Me and a couple of others are testing him. We want to finally build a bridge between him and his lady and they were failing miserably. I'm so nosey sometimes." She paused there to laugh and wrinkle her nose a bit.
"He's doing well, but... The last test will be the hardest. He couldn't know my connection, otherwise he would question or even threaten me and that would ruin the trials."
Her eyes narrowed a bit as she looked at her wolf.
"He shouldn't have summoned you..." she said but smiled again and nuzzled Robin. "But I'm glad he did. I really did miss you. I've been so busy planing this..."
Robin:
Robin smiled lightly and nuzzled the top of Chesh's head as she curled into him some more. He didn't feel as uneasy as he used to whenever there was a shift between environments. Perhaps he was finally becoming a little more accustomed to dimension-jumping.
The archer listened attentively as the bobcat explained the predicament they were in, and how it had been planned for some time. He wasn't sure why they'd chosen these two otters out of the whole reserve. There were several residents that had difficulties coming to terms with the ones they loved. Although... Jareth and Sarah did have a unique case. The pair of angelic otters probably shared a complicated history that he never learned about. Some sort of history that they needed to learn from, perhaps. "I understand," he murmured, kissing her softly on the cheek. "Even if I wasn't meant to be here during all of this, at least it granted me the gift of being with you."
Goodness, he was such a helpless romantic sometimes.
Chesh:
Chesh purred at Robin's attention. As if sensing his questions, she sighed a bit.
"They've been at opposite banks of a river since they met. There are other forces at work nudging mortals together, it's the immortals that are more tricky. Those two needed a more fantastic shove to work things out," she explained a bit more, smiling at her archer's romanticism. He was so adorable sometimes. She returned his kiss with one of her own.
"Besides, one of my colleagues was bored and I love a happy ending. And I really do think this one will be."
Robin:
"A more fantastic shove?" the fox-like predator echoed in inquiry. The thought of higher powers taking a moment out of their routines to play the role of Cupid was an amusing thought to say the least, but it seemed to pan out quite nicely, for the most part. He chuckled softly. "Well you've certainly done a marvelous job at catching their attention." he cooed. Robin also hoped this would end well for the two otters. He hadn't known Jareth all that long and never met Sarah, but if the Goblin King's and Chesh's indications were true, then anything but a happy ending might have a disastrous effect on the angelic elders. And the last thing the Oasis needed was more angsty and depressed otters.
But Wonderland had the remarkable allure of changing characters for the better. He had confidence in his bobcat and her realm. If it had managed to make him help aid a king of all people, then it could certainly bring the lost pair into light of their emotions. "I have faith it will be too." he murmured in agreement.
Chesh:
Chesh closed her eyes, listening to the soft rumble of Robin's words in her ear as he spoke. She opened her eyes to slits, ran her paw in a circle on the grass, and a small pool, showing a hazy image of a ballroom cave and phantom dancers.
"It'll crack when it's time for me to go back to work. What say we use this time for ourselves?" she asked, turning her golden orbs onto the fox-colored wolf, ears flicking back ever so slightly.
Robin:
Robin glanced down as Chesh conjured an image of the otters in their dream states, getting an impression of what the girl looked like before switching his attention back to the cat and smiling softly. "I thought you'd never ask."
...
Chesh:
Chesh awoke from a doze curled up with her wolf at the soft sensation of her magic skipping. She opened one eye slowly and saw the dream had cracked, leaving a small clear pool of water in its wake. She sighed as she entwined herself from around Robin and stood, stretching until she felt something pop in the best kind of way.
"Wait for me here, I shouldn't be long," she whispered in Robin's ear, nuzzling it just a bit. If he was still sleeping, she hoped he would keep it up, if not, well she trusted that he would trust her. She really won't be long. The trial was almost over.
And with that she melted out of existence, locating the Jabberwocky and bringing him to the end of the maze, both creatures melting into the shadows that would block the Goblin King's way to the prize.
The labyrinth melting into a straight shot for Jareth, all he had to do was leave the hollow.
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Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:19 am
.:: Chapter Seven B ::.
A Short Rest... For The King and His Lady Sarah:
Sarah was caught in a beautiful dream, and she knew exactly what it was this time. It almost made her want to cry, really. It was only in her dream, her fantasy that she was allowed to be a fai- faerie-tale princess who caught the mysterious king's eye from across the dance floor, the only time Jareth was allowed to play the hero spinning her among the other dancers. But in the end that had been just another ruse to make her forget, to keep her occupied.
It was different, this time. She didn't find herself standing in the center of the room surrounded by strangers, not this time. It was as if she had been at a party all along and dozed off in a chair against the wall. It was in a cave, but everything was brightly lit and shimmered. The dancers wore more normal clothing, though still fancy. Miniature otters ran about with trays of h'ordeuvres. She was sitting on a rock shelf bench, dressed in a white gown. It wasn't floofy like her young dream had been, this looked like something Pearl might have given her, though it was much too fancy to have been hiding away in a trunk. It was a gown of white, wrapped tightly around her torso, though it didn't hinder her breathing. At the waist it tapered outwards, a long, wide skirt that almost looked like it was made of feathers. A thin white shawl with silver embroidery to match the top of the dress was all that covered her shoulders. Even her hair was pulled up in some way she couldn't discern.
She felt almost too plain for such a gorgeous dress, running a paw over the pristine feathers on her lap.
Jareth:
Jareth's gaze snapped open, but instead of awakening in the familiarity of the hedge-shelter, he instead found himself momentarily adverting his sight in order to allow his vision to adjust to the bright scenery of the new-found ballroom. He stood amidst the crowd of dancers, glancing about skeptically to make sense of the situation.
The male was no longer adorned in his sleek, obsidian, goblin-made armor, nor did he don the midnight blue dress coat as was so infamously worn the last time he'd stepped into a ballroom dream-realm. Rather, he was situated into a white pair of trousers, elegantly-crafted, black leather knee-high boots, and a slightly similarly-fashioned long-coat. The garment was a shade of raven black with gold trim around the cuffs, angled collar, and loosely folded yet elaborate lapel. The shoulders (one being covered by a solitary gold mantle) were dusted with glitter, but only enough to give the faint appearance of starlight embedded into the upper torso as it faded out downwards. The make-up around his eyes was several shades darker (with the same silver undertone) to match the shimmering streaks of black intertwined into his pale, star-kissed hair.
And there, sitting apart from the anonymous pairs of dancers... Jareth felt his breath catch in throat as he recognized the figure in the downy-skirted white gown. She was... stunning. Astonishing. Absolutely remarkable. And so many other marvelous adjectives that humanity hadn't found the words for yet. He took a step forward, hesitating as he wondered if she was just an illusion to thrown him off, but pushed the thought away and continued to move steadily through the crowd, approaching Sarah quietly from the side.
"You know," he spoke, making his presence known to the solitary angelic as he recalled their conversation during the fleeting moments before she'd been whisked away. "When you inquired as to whom you should spare chances with and I told you then answer was right in front of your nose... I meant it quite literally, love. As he is now, presented before you. Wondering why you're alone in this foreign place instead of beside him." He tone was rather conversational, despite the former stress of trying to locate the captured girl, but the male's features softened as he extended a paw in an offering to dance. No teasing, no hiding, no making her search, just an offering.
Sarah:
Sarah didn't take her eyes off the skirt, though her mouth quirked upwards at one side in a small smile. Though there was a bit of sadness to it, her heart still ached from the words she probably wasn't supposed to have heard.
"Oh dear, is the world ending?" she asked, glancing up at him. When she did so, she realized two things. One, that there was glitter on her eyelashes, almost as if snow had fallen on them. And two, that Jareth was the most handsome male she had ever seen and probably would ever see in her entire life. It was not at all fair that he should be so gorgeous.
"I did just hear you getting straight to the point instead of dancing fancy words around me, right?"
But for her teasing, she placed her paw in his and stood, moving close to him, accepting his offer to dance. She regretted the tease, on some level. But she would not take it back. He needed to understand that she wanted him to be straightforward with her. If he didn't, how could she trust him? Even if he told the truth, she could become muddled in his words, she could miss something, misinterpret pleading as a trick. She knew in her heart that she loved him, but her mind just would not let it happen. Not until she knew what he truly felt. He had said it after all. How important could she be to him, being a mortal with such a short life?
Jareth:
Sarah's tease managed to pry a smile from Jareth, perhaps the first since he'd stepped paw in Wonderland. "Merely wanted to establish where that little debate had been leading before we were so rudely interrupted," he murmured with a slight wink as he smoothly danced her out onto the floor. As much as he would preferred the contact in reality as opposed to the dream, Jareth absorbed the moment of having Sarah in his arms. "You look absolutely magnificent, precious." he added sincerely, continuing to lead her around the ballroom. She could have very well been royalty.
The owl-winged otter gazed at her for a moment. "You can call me to your side, love. Will me over and I'll be there within a heartbeat... We don't have to stay here." Sarah had the gift to summon him. He could bring her home, back to Pearl's den, anywhere she wanted him to. Admittedly, he had something he intended to tell her beforehand, but he just wanted to know why she hadn't called on him before. If she'd felt as anxious as he did, what was her hesitancy...? In all essence, Jareth wanted her to be safe.
Sarah:
Sarah dipped her head down when he complimented her appearance. She didn't really think so... but he sounded sincere.
"Thank you," she said softly, letting him dance her around as he continued to talk. To be honest, she hadn't really thought of that. That if she simply called him, he would come running. She'd been too... She'd been too interested in seeing what he would do in the situations presented to him to want to end whatever it was these immortal beings had set up. Hearing his bittersweet words... It almost made the whole thing worthwhile, at least to her. Those two, Chesh and Robin, they were outsiders, Jareth had no reason to tell them the truth and yet no reason to lie. He didn't know the pink cat was more than she said she was, that she could help him get through the maze faster. And the way he had said them...
Sarah moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder, letting him lead as he had once before, when she was much too young to be dancing with him.
"It never crossed my mind... They've been letting me watch you go through the labyrinth, I've not been thinking about much else." She hadn't meant to reveal that to him. Would his mind automatically go to what he had told the predators? Despite his misplaced confession, he had still questioned the importance of a mortal to an immortal. How could he truly love her if her life was so short that she was just a breath in his existence?
Jareth:
That emotionally disoriented organ within Jareth's chest noticeably skipped a beat as Sarah rested her head on his shoulder, but soon replaced the feeling with an elated pulse. The fae was fairly convinced this little enchantress truly had a hold on his heart, because it was only when she was so close did it really seem alive...
They continued around the other dancers, who felt so utterly nonexistent at the moment. With an airy sigh, he lowered his eyes and lightly rested his chin atop her head. So she'd been the one he must have felt watching. (At least she didn't seemed to have been imprisoned or distressed in the area she was confined to. Still...) It was as though she'd been with him the entire time, but he wondered just how much of his encounters she really saw... and how she interpreted them. "What... did you hear?" he asked quietly, his steps keeping at the same smooth pace.
Sarah:
Sarah's heart did little skips when Jareth rested his head upon hers. This felt so much more right than it had when she was younger. He was leading her on the dance-floor, but only because she wanted him to, not because she was a dazed little pup trapped in mismatched eyes. This time... she was pressed against him as if that's how they were meant to be.
"Most of your journey. I was distracted while you talked with that poor rabbit, but... Everything up until I fell asleep." She knew that didn't explain much. It almost seemed as if her heart didn't want to fully answer his question. And yet it had some many to ask him. How fair was that? Well, she supposed she could answer his question with some of her own.
"I didn't want to... I didn't choose my brother over you. I just couldn't let him pay in any way for my mistakes. And I could never bend to your will like you asked, not even now, actually probably less so now. But... I never wanted to hurt you," she sighed, keeping her face pressed against him so that she didn't have to meet his gaze. Did he still want her now? She could never fear him, never do what he said without question, never let him rule her. She wasn't one of his subjects. She could be his friend, his confidant, hell she could be his mate if she went that far, but she would never lose her will to him. She wasn't sure she even wanted to touch on his bitter question to the pink cat. Right now she didn't want to think about how she might be so very insignificant to him, her life as short as it was. Not when he was holding her the way he was.
Jareth:
Jareth smiled inwardly at the likeliness of Sarah to feel sympathetic for the delirious rabbit, not yet realizing her mistranslation of his rhetorical remark to the Cheshire cat. It was easy to get the wrong impression in accordance to the way he way he bitterly muttered the question as if the answer were so obvious. But his sense of how would you treat someone whose time was so short was the same to that of how one would treat something fragile, like a newborn pup. With the utmost care, obviously. He never intended to make Sarah sound insignificant at all, but the way it had come out seemed to reach other ears differently.
The male swallowed hard as he realized Sarah must have heard his answer to the wolf's inquiry, but seemed to remain composed at her words and managed a small but audible "Thank you.", holding her tightly for a moment as they continued to make their way around the dream realm. He needed to hear that. He should've realized the meaning in her words long ago, but his conscious could never seem to come to terms with it until now.
"I've come to understand I shouldn't have tried to keep you..." he admitted in a soft whisper. "Your spirit was too strong to be captured that way. But I didn't think--" he trailed off out of reluctance of what came next. Should he say it? What would she do if he exposed his feelings... stood vulnerable before her again?
As he formerly relayed countless times in his mind-- once upon a time, the fated angelics had their roles to play. She was the heroine, he was the villain. Yes, he was a b*****d, sadistic and manipulative in his ways. But in spite of his antagonistic appeal, Jareth was clever and heartfelt in attempts to woo Sarah. Honest-to-god, did he try. In the end -- in his stages of defeat -- she had brought him to the point of begging. So easily had the emerald-eyed queen vanquished him in his state of weakness that the Goblin King felt wary of treading close to that level again.
Sarah:
She felt the squeeze, she heard his thank you, she heard his regret over trying to capture her rather than charm her. But Jareth trailed off and Sarah was left with her doubts. There were actually tears in her eyes, she could feel them there, threatening to spill down her cheeks. It was stupid. She didn't want to cry, hadn't cried over... Well, she had never cried in his presence. Over him, that was a different story. Maybe it was less crying over him and more- No, she couldn't even fool herself into thinking that. Every failed relationship, every dull party with otters her age, every empty Valentine's, she had hurt a bit. Even if she acted indignant, her heart smacked her in the face a few times when she was alone. It hurt not having him, but the fear caused by her doubts and her lack of trust hurt even more.
If she could change the past...
No, she knew she wouldn't change anything. It had made her into the otter she was today. It had given her confidence in herself, a greater love for her brother, and understanding that sometimes things in life weren't fair. And this ache was just one of those things.
"What didn't you think, Jareth?" There was so much more she wanted to say, but nothing else came out. The question he had posed to Cheshire nagged in her mind. The bobcat had given her answer, but from Jareth there was none. He said she held his heart, but he had bitterly asked how important she could possibly be. She hated being this way, so torn up and vulnerable. She wanted to lash out and protect herself with anything and everything she had. But with his arms around her like he had, the dream world they were in... She just couldn't stop herself from playing Cinderella, dancing with the handsome king so high above her station.
Jareth:
Once upon a time,
If he only knew that his reluctance to tell her the truth caused her to lose her trust in him. If only she knew her lack of trust warded him away from telling her the truth. They were sparing each other's demise through a fickle cycle of miscommunications.
There was a beautiful young girl.
Jareth held Sarah close as he sensed the emotional tension welling up within her. He didn't want her to feel this way, and yet he cursed at himself for probably being the reason why this stunning angelic femme was so wrought with doubt. "I didn't think clearly before..." he continued when she prompted him.
But what no one knew
He was quiet for one hesitant moment as his pace slowed considerably, but didn't quite stop. "...Because I was afraid to lose you." His voice was softspoken, but clear.
Was that the Goblin King fell in love with her.
As open as he made himself... as painful as it was to admit to it... this is what Jareth needed to tell Sarah if she was ever going to have faith in him. He lifted his head and looked down into his partner's eyes. "You won, Sarah. I lost. A deal was a deal. And yet I've come here after... flowers untold and who-knows-what unnumbered... in hopes I still haven't lost you. In hopes you'll... forgive me."
Sarah:
Sarah could hear every word Jareth spoke as a soft rumble in his chest first. And when his words sank in, it felt like something was squeezing her chest, as if the somewhat corset-like top had suddenly gotten tighter. He made it hard for her to breathe.
One of the tears slipped from her traitorous eyes as he moved his head from hers, lifting hers so that her eyes met his. Flowers untold and who-knows-what, indeed.
"Those flowers really wanted in your pants." It was corny and probably the worst thing to say in response to everything he'd professed, but it brought a tiny smile to her face and some of the tension in her chest melted away. Some, but surely not all.
Her eyes flicked down and she tried to take a deep breath, finding it so very hard to do so. He was being honest, that she could tell. He had no reason to mislead her, not now, and the words had seemed so strained.
"You haven't, I just... I don't understand. I've never been anything special. And... And I'm just a heartbeat's time in comparison to your lifespan." Her eyes closed a little tightly. "I just... have trouble believing it."
Jareth:
He slowly stopped when the tear escaped from the corner of her eye, brows furrowing with concern. But her following remark reached him before he could react to it, drawing upon a slight, pointed smirk as he softly shook with laughter. "Such a pity for them. I already had my sights set on someone else." he growled playfully in return, relieved how this fantastic girl still managed to make light of the situation.
But as she voiced her doubts, Jareth's features softened and looked at her carefully.
"Sarah," he murmured, a gloved paw lifting to cup her cheek as his thumb wiped away the fallen tear. "Don't you dare misjudge your worth. You've made it too far to sell yourself short. Proving yourself remarkable by overcoming every task in the Labyrinth, facing otherworldly creatures, being the only one to ever best the Kingdom and its king... Do you expect me to believe that was for naught? That anyone short of outstanding could've possibly achieved what you did and earned the respect and adoration of the Labyrinth, every one of its inhabitants, or its--" king. His breath caught as the last word became lodged in his throat. After a moment, he remembered to breathe and exhaled through a heavy sigh. His deep-brown and icy-blue gaze broke away for a moment, glancing down to the infinity symbol etched into gold center of his Goblin King pendant.
"I would once have, and still would, stolen every star in the sky for you, and their numbers still wouldn't be enough to capture your radiance... It's hard to imagine losing something that wonderful, as painful as it was to think I'd lost it before. Unbearable the knowledge that something so... precious might not last forever."
He met her gaze again. Would he be more of a fool for not cherishing that radiance during the moment, while it was still alive... or for fearing that it might not want to turn away from its accustomed life to accept that of eternity, even if he asked?
Sarah:
Well, that certainly made one thing clear, though Sarah still didn't get it. They were prettier than she in their own ways, but then they did say love was blind. Love... There really was no question to it, she did love Jareth. But she had so much trouble admitting it and letting herself do so. She shouldn't have continued, it ruined the brief moment of amusement between them. They were back to being somber.
He lifted her face and wiped the tear away, speaking of her worth. It was such a tender gesture that her eyes filled with more, but this time she refused to let them fall. She blinked them back as his breath caught. What was he going to say?
She watched him look away, following his gaze to the pendant he always seemed to wear.
She was so precious to him.
It hurt him that she would not last. That some day she would wither like a flower.
When Jareth captured her gaze again, her ears flicked back sadly.
"If I could live forever..." Would she do it? Watch her family grow old and die while she stayed young forever, a fae king at her side for eternity. It was such a long time, could he really live with her for that long?
Stop thinking so negatively!
She looked down, her eyes lingering on the floor.
"If I could life forever..." She paused there, looking back up at Jareth. How funny was it, that between the two of them they had every natural eye color. Brown, blue, green.
"I would. To stay with you."
Just as the words left her mouth, the dream cracked, leaving Sarah in a dreamless sleep in the center of Chesh's clearing.
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Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:10 am
.:: Chapter Eight ::.
Facing the Jabberwocky Jareth:
If she could live forever.
Jareth stilled, the words sending his heart racing. How long had he distanced himself from her out of the threat that she'd turn him away again? For so long, he'd been afraid to ask her to share his life with him out of the possibility that she'd never part with her mortal life and those that resided within it. Therein lied the problem. If she loved him as much as he loved her, then the fae could never bring himself to allow her to fade away. But what if she didn't want live that long?
It's only forever, not long at all.
His heart stopped, the force of her response hitting him like a ton-worth of bricks (in the best way possible) as his fears were suddenly laid to rest.
And then his eyes shot open as he woke up with a jolt.
The shock of his reaction left him gasping for air as though someone forced the breath of life back into his body. His breathing slowly steadied, but he glanced about wildly as he reestablished his surroundings, taking to notice how Sarah had been whisked from him yet again. No, no, NO! He finally had her in his arms, she JUST dispatched of any doubt he could've held in his mind, and now she was gone yet again.
Well he knew the dream wouldn't last... but now he had to find the angelic queen more than ever. There was a sharp pain in his chest, as though his heart had lost its beat the moment Sarah was gone, but his resolve increased tenfold. Bog-damnit, he was so madly in love with her, and there was nothing to hold him back at this point.
Jareth found his two traveling companions were gone. But he didn't have time to question it. Taking an incredulous look at the time left on the watch, his owl form burst from the entwined entrance of the hollow and raced down the reformed-Labyrinth's path.
Wonderlandians:
The Shadow Walker rested on a low branch near the end of the path, the Jabberwocky almost curled up, blocking the entire way. They were a fearsome pair to behold, the Shadow Walker black and thin, ears sharp, and eyes a dull yellow. The Jabberwocky was like a huge black dragon, long neck and firey red eyes. He raised his head when he saw the owl approaching. The great monster turned to the disguised Chesh and smiled, his forked tongue flicking out between long fangs.
"Ah, the king has finally arrived. Well done, Jareth, but you've come to the end. If you want your little queen back, you'll have to get through us." The Shadow Walker's voice came out as a low hiss, standing up on the branch to grin at the owl. The Jabberwocky stood in order to block the rest of the path.
Jareth:
In one fluid motion, a dark, shimmering display of energy engulfed the owl as it landed, replacing it with the Goblin King's true form as he stood before the menacing pair: fumes crackling at the ground beneath his paws as a wicked aura transcended around his frame. His eyes narrowed at the challenge.
"I've had just about enough with your games." he growled darkly, the ominous air surrounding him radiating sharply as his gauntlets glowed fiercely with a brightly-burning magic energy before he rushed forward to lash out at the dragon-like beast.
Wonderlandians:
The Jabberwocky reared with a pleased growl, lashing out with the back of his hand to knock the king back.
He lands a hit, just to have the Goblin King summon several crystal blades, launching several at the black dragon creature. Most of them just bounced off of his hard scales, but two pierced the thin membranes in his wings and he roared in fury at the pain inflicted by the winged otter. He lashed out with his claws, just catching the otter as Jareth sent an energy blast at him. It didn't leave any physical marks, but it still hurt enough to bring another roar from the large black beast.
The king staggered a bit, but rushed the Jabberwocky again, sending another magic blast at the monster. But the Jabberwocky was ready this time and ducked, catching Jareth in one hand and pinning him to the ground.
"ENOUGH! " Chesh growled, the sound reverberating so harshly that even the Jabberwocky flinched and leveled a look on the cat. Disguised Chesh moved along the tree branch, stepping off of it to walk on the air closer to the Jabberwocky and Jareth.
"You won't win, Goblin King, not against the Jabberwocky. If we wanted you maimed, there would be no issue. But we are willing to trade. What is this female worth to you? Would you trade your kingdom for her? That seems a good price, doesn't it Jabberwocky? Yes, the Goblin Kingdom for Sarah Williams, we'll take nothing else."
Jareth:
Jareth grimaced under the weight of the massive paw, trying to lift the burden as it added on to the sharp pain in his side, but to no avail. The boom of the dark cat's voice caught his attention as he rounded a glare onto the shadow-creature. "What?!" he hissed, voice elevating with rage at the Shadow Walker's demand. "You dare put a price on Sarah? As if she's something to be bargained with?!" the Goblin King spat, trying to shoot out tendrils of magic at the cat, but snarling as he was only crushed further in attempts to focus his energy out that far. He winced, as his breathing became short and raspy.
Forfeit his kingdom... He'd be reduced to a weak sorcerer, if anything. Stripped of the majority of his power and his immortality, Jareth would feel -- for the first time in his life -- dying from age as mortal time aligned with his body. Would he give up the life he'd lived by for so long... over a millennium or two worth's of experience and potentially centuries more to come... reduced to a matter of years to be with Sarah?
For god's sake, of course he would.
The Underground Kingdom and the Goblin City and Labyrinth that it contained would never be the Shadow Walker's to claim. Jareth's soul could never be entirely removed from the kingdom, else several parts of it would die along with the loss of his immortality. It would ultimately seek out the most eligible soul to rule the realm in his place... who was none other than the girl that had conquered the Labyrinth once before, the same angelic that Jareth was so desperately trying to fight for. Had Sarah accepted to be at his side as his queen, his equal... his love, she'd been granted his life and his kingdom for as long as eternity would've allowed them. Which was still possible... only, without the "forever" part.
"F-fine," he breathed, coughing slightly as he found it increasingly difficult to breathe while pinned down. "I... relinquish my crown... to assure the life of Sarah Williams... I'll trade my kingdom for her wellbeing... Just... please, return her safely..." he murmured hoarsely, the transaction to sacrifice his kingdom incomplete until he was sure Sarah was free.
Wonderlandians:
A look from Chesh and a grimace from the Jabberwocky and the large monster burst into a puff of smoke, having been sent to a different part of Wonder.
"I'm rather disappointed that she didn't get to hear that, but your queen is still sleeping. Go and wake her up, Jareth," Chesh said, her voice and appearance slowly fading from her disguise to her normal appearance. With a nod of her head, the small, rose-etched door slid open without a sound, revealing the glade at the center of the labyrinth.
Jareth:
Jareth inhaled deeply as the weight was suddenly expelled from atop him. He pulled himself to his feet and grasped his side, letting slivers of magic drip from his palm in order to repair the wound while he still had the skill. He took a wary stance as the Shadow Walker began to shift into... the pink bobcat from before? "You..." he muttered, eyes fixating Chesh with a look of questioning as he scoffed slightly. "By my instincts, I thought there was something different about you," Though he didn't imagine it was to an extent that she'd be the one behind all of this. Before he could give the cat any choice words or question her on her reasoning, a door opened to the clearing with Sarah inside. He looked between the door and Chesh once before passing through the entrance and moving quickly to the angelic female's side, kneeling down close and lowering his head near hers. "Sarah...?" he whispered, gathering her up in his arms and gently nuzzling her forehead to wake her.
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Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 9:18 pm
.:: Chapter Nine ::.
As the World Falls Down Sarah & Chesh:
Sarah wiggled a bit at being moved and nuzzled, her eyes slowly opening to glare at the offender.
But seeing it was Jareth, and looking rather worse for the wear, her eyes softened, first with relief, then concern.
"God, you look terrible," she whispered before clinging to him. She was so afraid that this was a dream that she couldn't let go of him, for fear that if she did, he'd disappear or she'd fall back into that dreamless nothing.
Something felt different, though, wrong. It was almost as if he was normally glowing and that glow was fading away.
"Jareth... You didn't do something stupid, did you?"
"Oh, I wouldn't call it stupid. Perhaps it's best to call it a leap of faith. Now it's time to make or break his day, Sarah." Sarah looked up to see Cheshire Cat walking along the top of the hedges.
"You owe me your kingdom, Goblin King, fair and square. Sarah for your throne. And you have Sarah, safe and sound. That means I get to do what I want with kingdom, no? Well, I want you to hand it over... To Sarah."
Sarah's eyes grew wide at the cat's words and she looked to Jareth with a frown. He'd traded his kingdom for her? He wanted her safe that badly?
"You... You're an idiot," she whispered to Jareth, the frown slowly being taken over by a small smile.
Jareth:
He pressed the awoken angel with a bemused look but chuckled softly and gave a weak smirk. "It's good to see you too, love."
Jareth closed his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as she clung to him in return. Despite her habit of being whisked away from him, he hoped the magnificent female would be in his arms for good this time. "You didn't think I would let you go that easily, did you?" he murmured in a low purr.
An apologetic tinge crossed his features at Sarah's question, but he shot a narrowed glance at the cat as she cut in before he could reply.
Then his look of discontentment turned into that of incredulous disbelief, his expression mirroring Sarah's as he registered what Chesh requested from him. Had that been her aim all along? Sending him through all of that in order to force him to give his kingdom to Sarah? He felt there should have been some other correlation and considered questioning the decision... Would Sarah even-- could she...? But a deal was a deal. And quite frankly, he felt more at ease forfeiting his crown to the one who captivated his heart rather than the half-mad cat who decided to completely tear up his original schedule for the day. Not that the Labyrinth would ever accept that sort of crossover of fanatical realms, but regardless.
"And you keep finding ways to get me to do the most unfathomable things, precious." he uttered back with a small, sad smile. With a slight flick of his wrist, the weakened fae managed to will a crystal into his palm. But this one was unique. It'd been the same one Sarah caught before it popped out existence the last time she was in the Underground-- proof of her impression on the Labyrinth. He carefully tilted it, eyes focused on the crystal's depths as golden whisps cultivated at its center, spreading into a warm amber glow as if centuries of his life's efforts had been captured within the small orb. "I once turned your world upside-down when you were younger..." he whispered, faint images of the Labyrinth dancing lightly on the glass' surface. "Yet I don't think you quite realize what you've done to mine."
The warmth of the sphere reflecting in his eyes, Jareth's gaze flicked back to Sarah as he graciously offered her the crystal. "Sarah Williams, I offer to you an eternity's life... The Goblin Kingdom, stretched as far as the vast corners of the Underground... all of the Labyrinth... and the stars' will to your dreams and desires." he spoke in a hushed tone, knowing the moment she accepted his offering and took the crystal, the contact would transfer everything he had ever lived by, including his immortality.
Sarah:
Sarah's ears flicked back when he conjured a crystal, watching the swirl within, listening to his words, seeing the reflections of the Labyrinth. It was a strange place, one that certainly did need something of a female's touch. Except for the gardens, those were quite lovely if you removed the knights with the mutated naked mole rats on sticks. Maybe she just hadn't seen the more attractive parts of it... or maybe it was just really that bad.
He was right, she didn't have much of an idea on how she had influenced Jareth's world, but for the heartbreak she had heard in his voice as he spoke to Cheshire and Robin. She understood now, what this whole thing was about, what the wolf had tried to explain to her. Did she need him, did she want him? It was a test for both of them. Could they really live without each other, were either of them better off?
Sarah's paw rose towards the crystal, but stopped when it reached Jareth's paw, pressing against his glove rather than the delicate-looking sphere.
"If you think I would want to spend an eternity by myself with a kingdom of goblins to attempt to run, you're even more of an idiot," she said, her eyes focused on the crystal. When she paused, her gaze flicked up to his. There were a number of emotions in those green depths, chiefly worry. She shouldn't have, he'd already agreed to give up his kingdom for her, had gone through all this trouble.
"I wouldn't be able to... I couldn't take it if you weren't there with me."
Jareth:
A single brow shot up in amusement in reaction to Sarah's declare. The little minx... even when he was willing to give up his world to her, she found a way to turn it around on him. "Honestly Sarah, they aren't that bad." he defended bemusedly. Well, in all reality, they were quite the handful of overly-excited, impressionable hellions for anyone who didn't know how to handle them by the masses. Then again, this was coming from a creature who survived their wild and spontaneous nature for hundreds of years, and only Oberon knows how he managed that.
Though, he was their king, afterall.
He stared at the spot where she touched his paw before searching her emerald eyes for meaning amongst the swirling emotions. Despite having all the Underground just within her grasp, the sparrow-winged otter still refused to claim it unless he was by her side. Jareth felt overcome with a wave of sheer emotion and-- ah, she had gotten his heart to skip along to that marvelous little elated beat yet again. "As you wish, your majesty~" he cooed with a slight bow.
The male took her paw in his and placed the crystalline sphere in her palm, but held it there for a moment, wanting to tell her something before the orbs' power took its effect. "You know, love, you never asked why I had begged you to stay all those years ago..." His gaze hinted her to ask.
Sarah:
Your majesty would get some getting used to, but Sarah would teach Jareth that she really didn't want him to say it. She didn't like it when he pulled away to bow to her either. She was taking all these steps, so what was the harm? When Jareth took her paw and placed it on the crystal, she moved as close as she possibly could to him while still being able to look up into his mismatched eyes.
"I think I may have been too scared to. Why did you?" The words were soft, just for Jareth's ears. A million reasons went through her head, more than just a few bitter ones she had considered when she was younger. But this was different. She wasn't letting her doubts hold her back, not now.
Jareth:
The 'your majesty' and accompanied bow was a teased effort, as would be expected from the fae with future honorific titles to come... But at the moment a smile graced his lips as she asked-- that wry, cheeky smirk of his, yet there was something so utterly sincere in it as he quietly murmured:
"Because I love you."
She had moved so close that he merely tilted his head forward to bring his lips to hers, pulling her into a deep, blissful kiss. The crystal in between their clasped paws dissolved and engulfed Sarah with the warm light.
Sarah:
Sarah's heart soared when he whispered those words she'd been slowly dying inside to hear. It wasn't until Jareth had said them that she really felt the weight all her worries had put on her. It wasn't until right then that she felt them leave her and she felt the weightlessness of soaring above the treetops rather than the heavy weight of lifting herself off the ground without a running start.
And then he kissed her and she felt tears coming to her eyes. Oh, she hated that he could make water well in those little traitors so easily and yet she couldn't deny that she really did love him.
The warmth that spread from the crystal frightened her and she tensed against Jareth, but held on, almost clinging to him, certain that at this point it was quite alright to let him lead the way.
Eyes closed and focused on the male kissing her, Sarah didn't notice the forest shift around them, leaving them in the normal colors of the Oasis, the soft feminine laughter of a very pleased, even tickled pink if you wanted to call her that, cat.
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:25 am
.:: Epilogue ::.
It's Only Forever Jareth:
If Jareth was aware of the environment shift, he didn't seem to react to it. Rather, he was too enamored with the sensation of feeling the world had stopped spinning. As though motion had ceased for their moment.
The warmth from the crystal settled as translation of the Labyrinth's acceptance of the angelic queen. In accordance to her request for the long-time monarch to stay, a resonating energy returned to her king as well.
When they slowly pulled away, the Goblin King tilted his maw to comfortingly nuzzle a tear-stained cheek. He paid no mind to the pair of goblins that were deposited unceremoniously off to the side. Nor was he bothered when they squealed in delight upon "finding" the Lady Sarah and scampered over in order to cling to her.
"A rush, isn't it?" It felt so... unreal to think they'd merely been verbally jesting at each other earlier that day. How one, prying pink bobcat and her accomplices managed to move things along in such little time...
Sarah:
Sarah held on to Jareth, even as he pulled away to nuzzle her cheek. It was weird, she didn't feel any different, besides being so very relieved. And it was difficult to ignore the goblins clinging to her legs.
"A rush... A part of me hated every harsh word I ever said to you, just as much as a part hated that my heart was yours, when I wasn't sure about... wasn't sure what you would do with it if you knew..." She looked down then, part of her regretting saying thoughts words, though they were true. She had been scared and he needed to know that.
"But you ran through oddities untold and frustrations unnumbered to get to me. Jareth, you gave up your kingdom for my safety," she paused, looking up at him again. "And you told me you loved me. I think that's plenty of proof."
Jareth:
An aloof sound of contemplation turned into that of soft laughter.
"So worried you were to approach me, yet look how easily you've brought a king to his knees... You have me completely undone, love." he reassured her with a slight smirk gracing his lips.
She had her reasons for the things she said and the way she acted. Whatever uncertainties there were before lay in the past now. And as the fae king held his enchanted queen close, that's all that mattered.
"Not to mention the rest of the kingdom." he added, giving the pair of goblin scouts a bemused glance as they crowded Sarah before bringing the fin of his tail around to edge the small creatures away from smothering the poor girl.
Jareth:
Sarah:
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