The Labyrinth on Bourbon Street 2

A Pair of Runners

"This is our throne room." Jareth instructed. He led me to an enormous room with high ceilings constructed of glass. The better to see the sky which we rule, said he. The room was often crowded with dozens of our subjects. They didn't seem to have much reason to be around the throne room. They just kind of loitered around; lazing, snoozing, jibbering and making any and all kinds of mischief. It was partially endearing to think that so many little creatures would be at my command; it was like having an army composed of nothing but children. But it was also a little disheartening to think that Jareth wanted us to stay distant and not interact with them. 

I knew that it was how revolutions were started, but Jareth assured me that goblins were too disorganized and frankly, too stupid to know how to revolt. But Jareth made sure that I was accommodated as we sat in the throne room. He would occasionally bark out an order that any random passerby had to fulfill. He would say things like "You there! Shine your Queen's boots!" or "Bring me my crop!"

I never found a good time to question why it was he has a horse crop as his weapon of choice, seeing as that there wasn't a single beast of burden in sight. And by "never found a good time", I really meant "did not really want to know the answer, as my brain had already jumped to the worst possible conclusion".

Life could get quite boring at times in the throne room. Although it was bustling with activity every hour of the day, I found myself growing bored of the usual antics to have to deal with. Then it hit me; if they were going to act like children, they were to be treated like children.

"Alright everyone, settle down." I stood up and announced, trying to make it sound like I had thought this through. Surprisingly, the creatures did start to settle down and listen to me. 

"Since it is the advent of your new queen," I started, clasping my hands together in the most royal way I could pull off. I tried to use every fifty-cent word in my vocabulary to further emphasize my qualifications. "You are to know about my land's history."

Double surprise, most of them seemed completely on board. Maybe it was that Jareth's mode of distant, authoritarian governing never allowed the royals to interact with the goblins, and that's why it was so exciting to them. They wanted to be treated kindly.

The only one who seemed fazed by it was Jareth. "Lapis, my love, can I speak to you in private?"

He pulled me aside. "Lapis, what did I tell you?" Jareth started, enunciating with a smile, as if I had simply forgotten the instruction. "We don't interact with our subjects, they're beneath us."

I looked over my shoulder and sighed. "I know it's hardly my business to say, but in my world, absolute, authoritarian monarchies never worked. The people got fed up with being underrepresented and started to revolt."

"That is absolutely ludicrous." Jareth chortled. "We can't implement anything else, it's far too late. Let them live with what they know. If you go around introducing them to worlds beyond what they know, they will see it best to revolt."

"Look at them." I gestured over my shoulder. "They want the attention from the nobles. They want to be treated like our equals, even if they're not."

"So what do you suggest, you're saying you want to abolish my, OUR, authority?"

"I'm saying I want to reinvent our authority." I clarified. "Let me play the motherly, loving queen. They'll eat it up, I promise."

Jareth crossed his arms, and his eyes scanned me. "You are as intelligent as you are beautiful, Lapis." 

I allowed myself to accept his flattery. I should have seen the next part coming. "But I am afraid that tradition dictates that we carry on the way nature intended."