Jareth's Return

Jareth(6)

Jareth could hear the muffled noise of the water and music from Theodora bathing upstairs. He tried not to think about it too much; a man he may be, but he was raised a gentleman. He stared at the box in front of him and wondered about the show he was watching. Three men were surrounded by red-coated guards, being accused of bewitching the Queen. And they had the oddest names; Grandad, Sandshoes, and....Chinny? I can understand Grandad, and good Gollum, that man has a chin on him, but what in the Bog are sandshoes?

He sighed and got up, officially ignoring the men talking about counting children, whatever that meant. He walked to the window, and looked out at self-propelled carriages riding on the street. A world without magic is a strange one. Sure, there were Goblins who couldn't Shift, but even those rode some form of equine or a cart or carriage.

That caused his thoughts to, unwillingly, shift to his home. Why wasn't he able to get back? He decided to try to talk to the Labyrinth, for it was, after all, sentient being. Many, in fact. All of those who died in the Labyrinth became one with the consciousness of their home. He knew it was possible to speak with it, but he wasn't sure it would speak to him.

As he lay down on the couch, Jareth's mind reached for the numbed presence of his home as he lay down on the couch. He felt his physical body become catatonic. How does one start a conversation with an angry, centuries old mind?

Hello, old friend. Pleasantly, he supposed.

You are no longer a friend of ours, child of the Castle. The voice of the Labyrinth was the voice of thousands; male, female and child alike. The deep, soul shaking sound of it caused his arms to erupt in goose flesh.

Of course, I am. Why do you speak such nonsense? His whole existence revolved around that blasted maze, what in the blazes was happening?

You once were our dearest friend and caretaker, that is no longer.

Why is that so?

You are lonely, that is understandable and forgivable, but you have let your loneliness consume you. It has consumed you to the point that your connection to the Mind has weakened beyond repair.

Jareth's blood ran cold. Beyond repair? Did this mean he couldn't ever go home? He asked the Mind as much.

No, it does not.

Speak clearly then stop this dance. What's happening here? Why was I cast out? Why can I not return home? As the King, I demand to know! Gone was the care of angering the being further. He was King, connection to the mind, be damned, he would know what was going on in his home.

Up until now, you were a fine King, but you were so devoured by your emotional isolation that you didn't notice an enemy had escaped the Labyrinth! You haven't noticed our bond fading. You were called here by the girl and we let her take you. She is the fate of the Kingdom. The voice of his father became more and more prominent with each word.

This confused Jareth all the more. What do you mean by that?

This girl, your Little Witch, is the key to all. You've seen it, in your dreams, not but last night.

Last night? He couldn't remember his dreams from last night. Then he felt the vast consciousness of the Labyrinth plunging through his mind, just like it had to Theodora earlier. It dredged up forgotten images from the night before.

Jareth saw himself and Theodora laughing while rebuilding the Labyrinth, they were the only thing clear against a fuzzy back ground.

Then they were meeting the Goblins who lived in the city and the Little Witch learning to control magic.