Labyrinth Pt. II

25. A Traitor's Name

Jareth's POV

The guards forced me down a hallway that was the opposite way from the room I had been staying in.

"Where are you taking me?" I risked a chance that one of them would say something but failed. They were stoic and quite pushy.
"I can walk better without you shoving me."

I huffed when I was pushed again in to a dimly lit room.
The guards worked together in removing my vest and shirt. I didn't make it easier for them and they didn't tell me what was going on. When my chest was bare, with only my necklaces decorating my upper half, they turned my back to the far wall and shoved me hard.
Many hands caught me by my arms and legs. They held on to me in a vice grip. I struggled but it was to no avail.

"What the hell is this?!" I yelled.

"This is what you had coming to you." A nasal voice answered. "All these years, leading up to this moment."

A tall fae like creature came towards me from the shadows on the right side of the room. It had red hair, cut short, and familiar blue eyes. His nose was prominent but in an attractive fae way. His ears weren't pointed like the rest of the fae but were just as noticeable. He didn't look natural but he wasn't revolting to look at. For some reason he felt familiar.

"Higgle?" I asked, as a light bulb went off in my head. Well, that's what Sarah would say happened.

"It's Hoggle!" He came close and punched me in the gut. "You never could get my name right, you bastard of a king."

"I'm sorry. It's a habit. I know what you name is." I try to keep my composure when I respond. I spit out the bile in my mouth and control the shock of who was in front of me.
"What happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" Hoggle looked at me with disdain and shock. "What happened was while you ran off to the human world, I was stuck here to find a way to survive!"
His fist collided with my stomach again.
"The Fae King took pity on me, since you had left me behind. He recreated me and I am grateful to him for it."
My cough interrupted him and he slapped me across the face.

Dammit, not the face!

"He gave me power, a title, a place to belong. He treats me with honor!" With that last part he punches me again and grabs my hair to force me to look at him. "He doesn't use me to fix his mistakes. He doesn't treat me like I'm beneath him, beneath the ground he walks on."

"Now, now, friend. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." The fae brat comes in to the room and stops Hoggle from backhanding my other cheek.

Thank you, not the face.

"Your grace." Hoggle bows his respect. "I was introducing myself to my old friend. Seems he needed a moment to recognize the me you recreated."

"I imagine it shouldn't have been hard since this is what you truly should look like. This was the form in your heart the whole time. You just needed help to bring it to fruition." The brat replied. "I'm glad I could help."

"Yes, many thanks. I'm forever in your debt." The traitor replied. "Now what do you wish for me to do to the washed up king?"

"What a question. I want him dead, but I want him to wish for death many times over." The fae prince's eyes glow white. "I want him to feel it as we break each bone in his body. I want him to cry out in pain from the knowledge that he will never have Sarah, the way I have her."

My eyes lock on to his glowing ones and I put in as much hatred in them as I possibly can. I can feel my incisors grow out of my anger. Nyx pauses for a moment. Hoggle sees my reaction and backs away.

"Don't you dare bring Sarah in to this." I spat. "If you lay a finger on her, like you did this morning, I will rip each organ out of you, while you beg for me to stop."

"Mighty words for a trapped creature." He steps closer after finding his fire again. "You are at my mercy. Don't forget your place here. You will dine with us in a place of mockery, and during the day you will be sent down here for Hoggle to play with before I decide to end you."

Nyx backs away from my trapped body and turns to exit.

"Have fun, my friend." He calls to Hoggle. "Be careful of his life. Remember that it's mine to end."

"Yes, your grace." Hoggle replies before grabbing a paddle. He smiles and swings it at my legs. It hurts like hell, but I don't make a sound. It would give my traitorous friend satisfaction.

—

I'm not sure what the hour is, but I am sure that a lot of time has passed. I can't see, a few of my ribs are bruised or broken, all I can taste is blood in my mouth, and my jaw hurts from the punches and my clenching.
Hoggle beat me with a variety of weapons and tool. He broke my arm with a stone mallet, my injured ribs were from the paddle, and the blood in my mouth is from the repeated punches.

"The king says the goblin is to return to his quarters to heal for tomorrow. His dinner will be served in his room, since the king has requested a private dining with Lady Sarah." A guard comes in to say.

"Fine. I just finished with him for the time being anyway." Hoggle drops the mallet and walks out of the room. The guard follows him and for a brief moment I'm alone on the room.

"Our King!" "Are you alright?" "What have we done!" "King Jareth!" "You're bleeding!" "Can you walk?"
Several questions are asked from all around me.

"Who's there?" Answering with my own question.

"Our King, it is us, Helping Hands." The voices say in unison.

"You- you're here?"

"The fae prince has placed us here to hold his prisoners while they are tortured. If we don't do our job, we are shocked in to submission." They speak again in unison. "We rejoiced when we saw you enter but our guilt and fear kept us quiet. Please, King Jareth, forgive us for aiding their abuse."

"I understand your position. I hold no grudges towards you all for what happened and for what may happen again." I weakly reply. I try to act strong but my ribs are making it hard to breathe and speak.

"Oh thank you. Thank you."

"When the time comes, you will be freed from this room." I promise.

"We will help you in any way that we can, so that you may claim the kingdom back." I smile at their willingness to help. I may need them.
They shush each other and the door opens again.

"Release the prisoner." A guard says and immediately the Hands drop me to the ground. My legs are weak but I force myself to carry my own weight.

Once to my room, a female fae has me lay on the bed and places a healing salve on my skin. Much like the one, Nyx used on me at the labyrinth entrance.

"My master has requested I leave this as a scar ." She spoke softly.
The cut she refers to is six inches long across my abdomen. She uses an ointment to clean it and simply bandages it.

"I will be back tomorrow morning to remove the coverings. It will be a scar tomorrow." She speaks again before collecting her things and leaving the room.
Sleep over takes me and I fall in to darkness.