These Dangers Untold

Chapter 13- Battle

Sarah and Company dashed up the innumerable flights of stone steps, panting and cursing- at least, in Hoggle and Sarahs' cases. Sarah had ditched her food bag in the throne room, and had asked Hoggle to keep the crystal in his jewel pouch. He complied grudgingly- it was clear the crystals scared him. Sarah's mace was clenched in her head, swinging its spiked end dangerously. Didymus bounded along, his springlike legs on autopilot as he practiced his combat moves with his staff. (He had, of course, left Ambrocious behind, since a room full of stairways and reversing gravity isn't the proper place for a dog.)
Finally, after what felt like hours of climbing, and Sarah's legs were screaming, they reached the Escher room.
"Ugh!" Hoggle gagged and shut his eyes, leaning, hands on knees, to keep himself from falling. The room clearly impacted all three of Sarah's friends, and she was not totally safe from the chaotic room either. Sarah blinked but forced herself to look around. Where are you, Jareth?
She heard a screech, a mad cackle of laughter, and she whipped around. No one was there. Tentatively, she walked down a flight of steps, turning around an archway that was blocking her view. And gasped.
In the center of the room, standing on the air, were two siblings battling, throwing light and fire, metals, animals, blades, and water. Sarah could hardly see what they were doing, because the air was thick with shimmering powder, could hardly hear their banter for the musical humming filled the room- Jareth's powerful magic venting, proving its own existence. His sister's magic markers were not as clear, and that worried Sarah. Did that mean Gwyneth wasn't as strained, or wasn't using as much magic? Could Jareth beat her, she who was so assured of her own superior power?
"Jareth!" Sarah made herself scream his name- Go with the plan. It's going to be fine. You'll all be fine. He turned to her, shock evident on his face. "Sarah?"
Gwyneth, about to deal a blow, let loose another peal of laughter. "My favorite little human, come of her own volition!" She turned to Jareth. "Come, brother. Let us see what your darling Sarah had interrupted our discussion for."
"Lets," he murmured, dropping a crystal he had been about to throw. His eyes bore into Sarah's, almost accusingly. She smiled at him, tentatively, very aware that he knew about the soul-binding now, and maybe...No. She knew he loved her, and he had to know that she reciprocated with a fierceness that shocked even her. She looked away first, not wanting to face how useless she'd be in a magical fight.
Gwyneth, still hovering, lowered herself so she was almost level with Sarah, gestured to her brother. He descended as well, now glaring at Gwyneth. "So, tell me, Sarah," he said, voice clipped and full of stress, "Why did you decide to join us?" His eyes begged a different question, though. Why did you leave the safety of the oubliette?
"Yes," Gwyneth purred. "Tell us. I'm simply dying with curiosity, dear."
Sarah swallowed, focusing on Gwyneth. "I got bored," she said brightly, grinning. "I was even feeling nostalgia for the puppet strings. But I guess you already know how that feels, huh, your Majesty?"
Gwyneth's feigned smile soured, and for the briefest instant, a childlike hurt flashed across her face. "Indeed, girl. And who are these, ah, characters?" She jerked her chin towards Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo.
"The cavalry," Sarah chirped.
Jareth was still staring at her. "Interesting. Well, then, sister," he turned to Gwyneth, "Where to go from here? I doubt Sarah has any wish to merely spectate, and there is still the small matter of you wanting my kingdom."
The Fae Queen smiled nastily at him. "I think Sarah can take part, if she wishes to fight. As for her friends, they may choose as they will."
Didymus lunged for her, but Ludo picked him up by his scruff before he could ram Gwyneth with his little staff. "I will fight thee, wicked sorceress! Thou shalt feel the bite of shameful death by my staff! 'Zounds, I challenge thee to a proper knights' duel- to the DEATH!" He fought Ludo's strong grip. "My brother, I beseech thee to put me down! I have a villain to dispatch."
Gwyneth laughed. "It's settled, then! A battle," she concluded triumphantly, as though she had already won, "To the death." She cocked her finger towards Sarah. "Come here, comrade."
Boom. Sarah's limbs jerkily obeyed. She didn't fight it, didn't resist the spell. She shot a look at her friends. Wait until I give you the signal. Be ready. They all braced themselves and nodded slightly. Hoggle looked ill, as did Jareth.
The Goblin King felt sick. Why had Sarah come? What did she hope to do? He couldn't fight her, and if she was now Gwyneth's plaything, how could he save them both? Questions swirled in his head, malignant and dark, but he regained his composure. With a mocking bow towards his sister, Jareth raised a crystal and repeated, "A battle to the death."
Here we go, thought Sarah. Her lips weren't occupied, though her arms and legs were tensed and ready to charge. "No!" she announced. "To the pain!"
"Pardon?" The Fae siblings spoke in unison, then glared at each other.
"To the pain, not the death." Sarah tried to remember. A movie had come out shortly after her first trip to the Labyrinth, and she was quoting her favorite scene as best she could. "To the pain means the first thing you will lose is your ankles. Then your hands, followed by your nose. Um.." She was botching the delivery, but Jareth and Gwyneth couldn't be counted on for exact lines and banter. "Next comes your eyes- left first, then right. We leave your ears so whenever you approach someone, you may hear children weeping and women crying out 'Dear God, what is that?' You will be ugly and alone in your ugliness, and cherishing the insults and disgust through your perfect, untouched ears. That is to the pain."
Gwyneth chuckled. "Well, someone is exceedingly creative. What do you think, brother? A battle to the pain?"
Ah, Jareth realized. She's buying time. Clever Sarah. Imperiously, he drew himself up and declared, "T the pain." I hope you know what you are doing, Sarah. Jareth threw the crystal.
The next minutes were a blur. Fire and sound and every manner of weapon flew. Didymus was bouncing in place, distressed that his sweet damsel had not yet summoned him to fight. Sarah ran across staircases and leapt over archways beneath her feet, avoiding missiles and pretending to attack Jareth. Her puppet master was too involved in the fight to notice the stirrings of rebellion in Sarah, to see how she kept glancing at the Goblin King, to feel Sarah's readiness and planning. After however long, maybe minutes, maybe years, Gywneth got in a hit. An solid sheet of ice fell against Jareth's body, and he dropped his next assault- a collection of snakes- upon the stones. One landed only meters from Sarah, and she yelped, running away at full tilt.
"What now, Sarah?" Gwyneth cackled with glee. "The feet, correct?"
"Y-yes," Sarah shouted, but her heart was in her throat.
"Ha!" A gleaming sword was in Gwyneth's hand, and she advanced upon her brother, whose face showed the tightness of exhaustion. Sarah prayed he was acting. Silver lighting struck through the air and-
Clang.
The Fae Queen's weapon was stuck fast in the stone stairway were Jareth had been moments before. He was behind her, now, his hands clamped upon her upper arms, her back against his chest. She tried to fight, but Jareth was much stronger than he had appeared. He began talking, fast and low, into her ear, and Sarah made her way silently towards her friends. "Hoggle?" She held out her hand. The crystal weighed heavily in her palm, and her friend looked up at her with concern. "Yeh ready?" he muttered.
"Wait." Placing a finger to her lips, she turned, puppet strings drawing her back, and she was suddenly pushing Jareth away from Gwyneth, helping the queen to her feet, and facing her enemy- no, he wasn't. He was Jareth. She clenched her hands around the crystal. Focus. "Are you alright?" she asked, as Gwyneth wanted her to.
"Fine." She glowered at her brother.
He smirked, haughty and regal. Uncaring. No. Focus! "Why so pouty, Gwen? Didn't get your way again? That's really too bad."
Sarah's insides tightened, She remembered the darkness of a tunnel, Jareth mocking her. The fear and guilt and anger and inferiority had made her want to snap. And now, seeing that cold version of the Goblin King, Sarah stood up for Gwyneth, not because she had to, not for the plan. Because she wanted to.
"Shut up, Jareth."
He froze, then turned to look at her. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Don't speak to her like that. It's cruel and childish and beneath you. Leave her alone. She's your sister."
Gwyneth chuckled. "This is a surprise, now. Jareth, would you believe me if I told you I didn't make her say that? Hmm? Looks like someone has changed sides, unforced." Her chuckles grew into laughter. "You will lose everything! I will rule the kingdom, and Sarah will never pretend to love you again."
Fury built up in Sarah's chest like a fire. Unable to stop herself, she fought the bonds, not caring if she died, and, clenching her fist, punched Gwyneth straight in the nose.
The surprise on the Fae Queen's face was beautiful, but Sarah couldn't enjoy it long. Ice snaked up her spine, making her stiff and deathly cold. Her knees buckled, and she fell back against the stairs, her hands clawing at the stone, gripping the gash Gwyneth's sword had made, several inches deep. "Don't...ever...think...you...know me," she gasped through numb lips. "I'm...so sick...of you two! Just grow up already! Yeah, it's not fair your parents cursed you," she looked at Gwyneth, who was nursing her swelling nose. "And it's not fair that Jareth has to pay for it." She smiled weakly at him. "Why do you need to fight? Why can't you just be...friends?"
There it was- friends. The signal. Ludo scooped up Hoggle and Didymus, slinging them over his shoulder, where they both clung to fistfuls of his shaggy fur. He grasped the archway in front of them, and swung silently towards a stairway, creeping down the steps with surprising agility and grace.
"Friends? " Gywneth spit the word like an expletive. "How could we be friends? Hmm, Sarah? Tell me, would you be friends with someone who had everything you wanted, while you were forced to be shut away, alone and forgotten be those you wanted to love you?"
Sarah flinched. Toby. She had hated him with a passion when she was younger, because he had had everything she didn't. Two parents who loved each other. Attention not spawned from misbehavior at school. When he cried, her parents had coddled him and given him toys- usually her's- and kisses and lullabies. When she cried, it was alone in her room, without her mother or father, face buried in a pillow, trying to calm down. But that changed! she protested. I love Tobe! A frightening thought crossed her mind then, but she pushed it aside for later.
She looked up at Gwyneth. "Yes. I would." Raising her hands with her last bit of strength, ignoring the icy bullets ripping her apart, she snatched the queen's wrist and slammed the crystal against it. Iron. I need iron. Instantly, the shimmering surface darkened and warped, wrapping around Gywneth's arm like a snake. A bracelet of black metal now hung, cool and irremovable, on her wrist. Gywneth seemed to realize what had happened a second too late. "Traitor!" she raged, lunging for Sarah- but was suddenly blocked by none other than Sir Didymus. "Have at me, villain! I have facd worse than thee!" He swung his staff, whacking Gwyneth's knee quite hard. She crumpled, glaring, but not at the little knight. "You vile human," she hissed. "You traitorous piece of-"

Sarah cut her off. "I'm no traitor, Gwyneth. You forced me to obey you, always. I never did anything for you." Already, the cold burn was fading to a memory. "Anyway, it's all for naught. You have todo something for me, now."

The furious queen was picked up by Ludo, carrying her like a small child in his massive arms, and carried to Jareth. He had been standing stock-still, shocked and confused at this turn of events. He was also a bit indignant. After all his preparation, all that planning, he hadn't even needed to exert himself. And he was sure his acting had been rather good, too- Sarah's worried face had confirmed that. Jareth resolved to apologize to her first chance. Here she came, behind Ludo, with the help of Hog-brain and Sir Didymus, smiling at his sulky expression. Jareth strode forward and took her hands, holding her up and bringing her to his side. They both turned to face Gwyneth, who was fighting to be free of Ludo's grip.
"Sister," Jareth began. "I, um, have to..." He glanced at Sarah. "Um..."
Rolling her eyes, Sarah completed, "Apologize. The word won't choke you, you know."
"It might."
"Sure."
"Alright," he groaned, looking comically like Toby when told to do his laundry. Looking his sister dead in the eye, he said, with perfect sincerity in his voice, "I am sorry, Gwyn. I should've..." He sighed. "I don't know. I should have realized something was wrong. I shouldn't have left you alone in the Fae kingdom."
Her lips opened, about to speak...
C-caw! Caw! Caw!
A flurry of dark feathers, and Gwyneth was gone. Now, a crow- no, a raven, was flying over their heads, fleeing from the chaotic room, an iron band dropping to the floor with a clatter. Suddenly, Sarah remembered-
"I don't see how it's your business, Sarah. But the backstory of -the Raven?" He shot her a queer glance. "That is a strangely apt name."
A white owl in her parent's room, in the park, in the entryway.
Fae.
"Oh." Sarah's eyes widened. "She- don't you- what about-"
"It's fine," Jareth assured her, taking her hand. "She knows, now, that attacking is foolish." He smiled. "Clever girl. 'To the pain'?"
"It's from a movie."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing." She leaned her head against his chest. "What about my, you know..." She gestured to her chest. "Soul-binding? I don't want to live forever in an oubliette, Jareth."
A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "Yes. About that. Sarah, I had things under control. You didn't need to endanger yourself."
"I wanted to be here," she said firmly. The horrible thought rose up again, but she ignored it.  "And you're avoiding the question."
He sighed, and it reverberated through her all the way to her bones. "Yes. I was planning on doing this differently..."
"What?" she demanded, turning to face him, crossing her arms.
Jareth smiled. "Sarah, when I first saw you, it was like lightning. You were- are- fiery and smart, so lively, if a bit naive, and you changed everything. I was afraid, then, of how I felt, but now- now I'm not." He traced a gloved hand down her cheek, then took her left in his right. "I meant for this to be a long speech, but..." He knelt, drawing his hand into his pocket, and producing a small white handkerchief. From it, onto his gloved palm, tumbled a delicate iron ring, fashioned into a rose with the stem looping around to tuck under the blossom. "Will you marry me?"
Hey guys!
Soooo, he popped the question! I have been so excited to write this scene since I started These Dangers Untold, and now I'm finally giving it to you Labyrinthians! I swear upon my honor and threat of bogging, I will release the next chapter within 3 weeks. After that, it's the epilogue and...The End. :( But don't worry! I'll do my best to make the end as perfect as I can.
XOXO-
Tara