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Shattered	By : TarnishedArmour Category: G through L > Labyrinth Views: 7713 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Based upon the work of Jim Henson; specifically Labyrinth, copyright 1986 by Jim Henson & associated parties. I do not own or have legal rights to Labyrinth, etc., or make any profit from them. *Individual disclaimers for other works in

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Sarah stood in the same place, waiting for Jareth to speak.
"Come here," he said, his voice calm. Sarah walked over to him and stood waiting. Jareth's gloved hand brushed her face and cupped her cheek. "I can see why he couldn't resist you," Jareth murmured, the compliment causing her to wince. "What?" he asked, frowning at her reaction.
"Can you forgive me, Jareth?" she pleaded, hurting again. She had begun this run because she loved him and wanted to be his Queen, his forever. Despite all she had been through, mostly at his hands, she still loved him. She couldn't seem to stop it, even as her perceptions of herself and him changed.
"What makes you think I have not?" he asked gently.
"The way you spoke just now," she replied, knowing it was a rhetorical question. "The way you looked at me in the office."
"I was disappointed that you so quickly forgot me, but I…reviewed the indiscretion after receiving advice from experts in the field of trauma and the reactions different people have to trauma." He pulled her into his arms. "I sometimes forget that you are so young, so untrained. Most women who run my labyrinth are, if not older in years, ages ahead of you in living." He looked down at her and smiled softly. "So your punishment is not a cruel one, my dear, but a necessary journey."
"For the villagers?" she asked, thinking of what she would be carrying.
"And for yourself. The path you were on originally led straight to the mountain and her door." He laughed quietly. "And yet again you surprise me. Your penchant for making people love you is astounding. First you corrupt one of my groundskeepers, then a Knight of the Realm, and finally a rock-singer. You leave my labyrinth and keep in contact with them--yes, I knew. I know when contacts are made with your world. Then you come back, offering to become worthy of me, which in itself is astounding. You then proceed to tempt me, to captivate a merchant, his former apprentice, an entire village, Mab's court, and Mab herself. To top that, you are adopted as blood-kin by one of the most recalcitrant, difficult villages I have in my rule." He kissed her lightly. "Sweet Sarah, how do you do it?"
Sarah just shook her head, happy that he had kissed her again. Now she knew she had been forgiven. "Just lucky, I guess," she replied.
Jareth laughed merrily and kissed her again. "Come with me," he said, taking her hand. He led her to the small cottage reserved for the few trusted merchants who brought wares up the mountain, empty for now, and pulled them into broken moments. "Kiss me," he said, "for we are out of time."
Sarah lifted her lips to his and cherished the moments in his arms.
Jareth stayed with her for several hours, but they refrained from a passionate embrace. Instead, they curled together and talked about her journey, her experiences on the trail through his labyrinth.
"I watched everything you did in that mine, Sarah," he said, holding her as they lay together on the bed. Her face was buried in his shirt. "You were magnificent. There are few who would have done so much, even with the instructions carved into the stones here."
"I did what I could," Sarah replied. "I only…I would have liked to do more." She caught herself from uttering the phrase "I wish" just in time. In response, Jareth held her closer. She had such a caring heart, even if it had taken her a trip to his homeland to realize it. They were quiet for a time after that, then Sarah broke the silence.
"Jareth, I need to ask you something," she said, not moving to look at him. She didn't want to see his face as he answered.
"Go ahead," he replied.
"How many…how many women have run the labyrinth to be your Queen?" she managed to say in a rush.
"Twenty-five," he replied softly. "And you, my dear, are included."
"And…how close did any of them get?" She ached to know.
"Sarah," he began, then paused. "I cannot tell you that. What I can say is that only sixteen made it this far." He lifted her chin up so she would look at him and covered her lips with one finger. "Ask no more, my dear. In time, you will know."
Sarah looked closely at him, at the warning in his face and eyes, and nodded. Then she put her head back on his chest and they spent a long time just basking in the other's presence.
Jareth returned Sarah to the village and left almost immediately, in real time, for his castle. In broken moments, though, he stopped by his sisters' house to visit with them.
"So, sisters-dear," Jareth said, giving each woman a hug and kiss on the cheek, "am I still an idiot and an ass?"
"That depends entirely upon my birthday present this year, brother-mine," Marta replied airily. Giely sniffed at her sister's response and Jareth laughed.
"So I'll take that as a yes," he grinned. "Truly," he said, sobering, "there was little else I could do after she was invited to become blood-kin to the village. They could not escape the consequences of their actions, but I saw no reason to disgrace them after viewing the entirety of the events leading up to the incident."
"She is an incredible girl," Giely said, smiling. "For once, brother, I approve of your choice to run the labyrinth."
"It isn't always my choice," Jareth reminded her. "Most of those who tried were enamoured with the fairy-tale ideal. Sarah at least had some experience with this place."
"Precious little, given what the challengers face and what waits for her now," Marta corrected. "Besides, there's something about her that just captivates the attention."
"Just so," Jareth said, thinking of the defiant girl and her taunts to him about his labyrinth. "And infuriates."
"Oh, he's got it bad," Giely said, smirking at Marta.
"Trussed up like a lamb for slaughter," Marta added, grinning back.
"Why the hell do I even talk to the two of you?" Jareth grouched, still their favourite target for "helpful" comments.
"Oh, come now. How many dare to treat you like their little bother?" Giely chided, putting one arm around his shoulders. "After all, you've only a handful of us left."
"And sometimes," he sighed dramatically, "that handful is too many."
"For that, young man," Marta wagged her finger at him, "no tris-ton desserts for a year."
Jareth perked up. "You made tris-ton desserts?" he asked. "Marta, you always were my favourite sister." He gave her a wheedling look, the one that had gotten sweets out of her since he was a child. She laughed and shook her head. Then she did what Jareth hoped she would.
"Scamp!" she said, cutting a piece of the warm cake and putting it on a plate. She cut two more slices and covered them with sweet-cream. "Here. Giely made the coffee."
"So it's actually drinkable?" Jareth teased. "Giely, you might be my favourite sister." Both women snorted, looking at each other, Marta rolling her eyes. Jareth smiled at them, a wide, happy smile that warmed their hearts. No, their darling little brother was not entirely lost to them.
"Sweet-talker," Giely laughed. "Here." She handed him a mug of coffee and settled back to her place and the cake that was waiting for her. "Now, time for some catch-up, brother dearest. How fares the kingdom?"
Jareth and his sisters moved easily into discussing the affairs of the realm, enjoying the decadent dessert and the hot coffee. Jareth did not have a cabinet or privy chamber or council. He did, however, have a few trusted subjects throughout the realm, and his sisters here in the mountains were two of them. Despite the joking and teasing between older and younger siblings, some of the only relief he got from his duties and the honorifics that pelted him day after day, all three knew how they stood in the kingdom and why. Jareth had no idea, but his sisters were still puffed with pride and overwhelmed with awe that he had not only successfully run the labyrinth to become king so long ago, but had emerged stronger from the trials, a feat no king had managed in over six thousand human years.
They ached for his want of a Queen, and both were hoping Sarah made it through. She would be a good match for him, they thought, and a good Queen, for all her youth.
***
Sarah and Yancey were quickly prepared for their journey. The focus stones, they were told, would arrive in the morning. Meanwhile, they needed to make sure their clothing was right for the temperatures and their shoes were good. Sarah was informed that her shoes would be sufficient for the journey, but her clothes were a source of much comment.
"What will I need, then?" she asked Ylna and Fender. The reply came in the form of clothing. She was pelted with three shirts, each one designed to be a different layer, a heavy sweater to go over the shirts and jerkin, two more layers of pants, one being a furry outer-wear set that would keep the snow and ice off her legs. Her boots were fitted with furred uppers that wrapped around the soles of her boots and her heels. The straps that ran under her toes and heels were spiked for traction in the snow. She was told she needed those so she would have purchase in the ice on top of the mountain. She was given a heavy coat of Ylna's, with the comment that she hadn't needed it in years, not since she moved to be with her husband from Winterpeak, several miles north of Everwinter Mountain. In addition, Ylna gave her a few more things that none of the men would have considered. Sarah, who hadn't really considered them, either, looked sheepish and thanked her for her kindness. Her cycles weren't consistent, and her mother had told her it was the curse of the Russell women. Sarah had simply accepted this information from her mother and, during her time in the labyrinth, thought no more about it. When she was alone and packing the supplies from Ylna in her bag, she felt a moment of stark terror.
"Jareth!" she whispered to the air. "I need you!"
"What?" he replied, popping in immediately. His face registering surprise and concern. He was not dressed in his usual tight pants and wild jackets. His hair was slightly mussed, and the robe he wore held a distinctly rumpled appearance. She had obviously interrupted him while he was with Couric. She didn't care.
"Jareth…protection," she whispered urgently. At his look of absolute incomprehension, she panicked and blurted, "Am I pregnant?"
Jareth blinked and closed his eyes. He extended his senses and smiled.
"No," he replied. "Is that what you needed me for?" His smile was growing wider.
"It's not funny! Don't you dare laugh!" she hissed, eyes narrow.
"Sarah," he said, kissing her suddenly and speaking into her ear. "The only way you could have gotten pregnant was at Gainstock. Only my Queen can bear my children, and I checked you over very carefully before you left for the mountains." She pulled back and looked at him blankly. "You were asleep."
"So…nothing to worry about?" she breathed, knees suddenly weak.
"Nothing at all," he replied, kissing her again. "Unless you want to practice a bit more…in case you do become my Queen…" He nuzzled her neck and she shivered. Since Couric wasn't available and he was in an amorous mood, which seemed to be a relatively frequent mood of his, given his mercurial nature, he figured Sarah wouldn't mind obliging.
"I have to finish packing…" He stopped her protest with a kiss. Sarah sighed happily and responded to that kiss in a very encouraging way.
"We have all the time in the world," he tempted her, voice low and lips brushing her ear. When she shivered, he knew that she would agree. All he had to do was let her get in the last word, which would make his evening even more fun. She always liked to get in the last word, even if he already knew he had gotten what he wanted.
"Well, in that case…" she said, nipping his jaw.
Jareth's laugh echoed in the empty room after he had swept them out of time.
***
The packs of large, clear gemstones arrived not long after sunrise. Some would not be fit for those with more power than the lowest ranked magicworker apprentices, but others would be fine, perfect stones that could be used by the highest powers of the land.
Oddly, there were no clear crystal spheres in these bags. Jareth alone possessed the ability to manufacture his chosen focus, the one gem that resonated best with his energies. It was also the rarest, being seen only among the Kings of old, prior to the line of weak kings. The ability to manipulate the clear crystals was the highest magic in the land, requiring power and control that no others had mastered. Crystal song was ninth magical language, and the most difficult, relying on the ability to extemporize and intuition. That Jareth had learned it prior to becoming King had astonished the Lady of Magic and his parents. He had never known it, but the hopes of all who knew of this ability had rested upon him when his father began to fade.
Now, the Lady of Magic, also called the Lady of the Mountains, for her demesnes was the first part of the Central Lands, was to receive and tune the gems for others. She would also evaluate and pass judgement on Sarah's performance in passing these three walls.
Yancey and Sarah received the packs and the map to the Lady's home, along with the goodwill of the town. They left in the morning and were well on their way by noon. They didn't talk much, nor did they reflect upon or remember their night together. Both were focused on their footing and how to manage their packs, heavy with furs they didn't yet need, over the rough mountain terrain. Yancey, being born and raised on the mountains, was much like a mountain goat. Sarah struggled to keep up, but did not ask him to slow his pace. It was noon before they stopped for a brief lunch.
"Sarah, you're panting," Yancey said, concerned. "Are you well?"
"I'm fine," she said, gasping for breath. Grinning, she added, "I come from a much flatter place."
"And I'm from the mountains," he said, chagrined at his thoughtlessness. "I'll take it slower from here on."
"I would appreciate it," she said, easing her pack to the ground. Her stomach rumbled and she returned the conversation to lunch. "Do you have today's rations, or do I?"
Yancey looked at his pack. "I think I do." He dug around at the top of his pack and came up with a cheesecloth thick with food.
"Have I told you that I adore you?" she simpered, reaching for the bundle. He moved it away.
"Well," Yancey thought for a moment, pursing his lips. "No."
"Well, then, know thou art as lovely as a summer's day, and more temperate." She grinned at him and held out her hand. "Now, gimme."
Yancey laughed and shook his head. "You are a strange woman, Sarah Joy."
"So I'm told," she sighed, taking her part of the food. Yancey received the lion's share, for he was carrying the heavier pack and he was much, much bigger than she was.
They ate quickly, in silence, and drank water from the skin Sarah had been given. Yancey had an identical waterskin, though his was not as well-made as Sarahs. Jareth's sisters, the two women they thought of as the village healers, had given Sarah her waterskin. The one Yancey carried had been passed down in his family for several generations, and the material was slowly deteriorating. Either way, they wouldn't need to worry about finding water in the mountains, for the skin was bespelled to refill from the mountain wells. After picking up their packs, they continued on, reaching the base of the mountain in good time, even on the switchback trails. At the foot of the mountain, they studied the map.
"Okay," Sarah said, looking at it. "We seem to be pointed in the right direction."
"We go left around the base of that one and through the pass after it. Everwinter is visible to us after that, and almost in a straight line." Yancey didn't look worried, but he obviously wasn't happy with something. He did not bother to inform Sarah of his thoughts, though.
"Are any shelters marked on here?" Sarah asked, looking for markings.
"No," Yancey said slowly. "And the scale isn't even. This might take us a while." He sighed the last, but did not enlighten his companion.
Sarah nodded, thinking of her first journey into these mountains. "Well, at least we brought food," she said, smiling at her own stupidity.
"And water," Yancey added, snickering at the memory of her wandering into the mountains unprepared. He didn't say anything, but then, he didn't need to. They moved off into the rocky valley between the peaks, quiet again for the travel.
They were at the base of Everwinter mountain four days later, lighting a small fire for the night and preparing to warm some of their rations over the flames. Conversation had been minimal, which had suited both quite nicely. Yancey was surprised when Sarah suddenly said, "You never said you were married."
Yancey didn't look up from the slowly growing fire, but she could see his jaw tighten. "I know." He waited a long time before continuing. "My wife is a good woman, more understanding than I deserve. Maybe I'll move her to another mine, another area. There are some places in the flatlands that could use a Master's touch."
"Don't." Sarah said. She was disturbed by his train of thought. "She loves you. She forgave you." Sarah shook her head. "Do you know she talked to me yesterday?" When Yancey didn't reply, Sarah continued. "She said she was glad that I was the one with you that day, and that you and I were only together for comfort, not for any other reason."
"She did? I can't believe…" Yancey stopped and stared at Sarah. He closed his eyes then, aching anew at his wife's kindness and generosity. She was a truly remarkable woman, and he was unworthy of her abuse, much less her love.
"She did. She forgave me, too, told me not to bother asking for it, because …of what I'd done for the village." Sarah felt a heavy load drop onto her chest. "I hardly did anything," she said. "I was in the way so much…"
"No," Yancey denied, vehemently. "Sarah, you were able to get into that tunnel hours before the rest of us. We were able to put a crew on the other side, going into the first chamber, then. The fall on that side was lighter--we got through in just a few hours. The miners trapped in the first section lived because you were willing to go into something like that."
"I had no idea-" Sarah stammered. She hadn't. Her thoughts had been consumed with bloody, brutal death, all consideration for the living forgotten in the shock and aftermath.
"But I did," Yancey gripped her hand. "I've worked Flamestars for years, Sarah. I've seen things that still make me sick to think about. And I've survived a few cave-ins. I knew there was a chance of carnage in there, but I let you go anyway. I didn't warn you. I should have."
"Should and did aren't even brothers," Sarah said, shaking her head, quoting one of her grandmother's favourite sayings when Sarah was in trouble or berating herself for something she should have done, but didn't. "And the one thing neither of us should have done, we both did anyway." Silence fell between them for a long time, both reflecting on their actions and the results of those actions.
"I can regret the pain I've caused you," Yancey said softly, "but I don't regret what we did."
Sarah closed her eyes and gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "Oh, God, Yancey. Neither do I."
"You had more to lose than I did." Yancey's eye were honest and open. Sarah nodded.
"And Jareth forgave me. I don't know why--probably never will." She looked at him. "I don't want to disappoint him like that again."
"I understand," Yancey replied. After a long moment, he added, "You're an attractive woman, Sarah, and that makes you dangerous. I don't want to be ungrateful for what you've done for the village, but I'm glad you're going. You could make a man forget, again."
Sarah was silent. She honestly didn't know what to say to that.
High on Everwinter Mountain the snowline presented a new and interesting set of problems for Sarah. She had willingly put on the layers of clothing after climbing part of the way up the mountain. She was bundled in more fur and cloth than she had worn since she had been stuffed into a snowsuit as a toddler. Her arms were pushed out from her body by the cloth and fur, her legs were slightly bowed open, and her feet, even with the spikes helping her boots find traction, insisted upon slipping out from under her.
Yancey wasn't faring much better, despite his lifetime in the mountains. He was not accustomed to the hardpacked ice and snow found on Everwinter, or the biting, sheering winds. Cold was simply cold. The wind was the enemy.
"Just another little while," he gasped to Sarah, encouraging her. "Just a bit more."
"I can see it," Sarah said, her stinging lungs sobbing out the words. Her eyes had ice flaking into them from the dried tears on her face. She had thought she loved snow, but now, she never wanted to see snow or touch it again. At least, not for a long, long time.
They struggled onward, finally reaching the door of the Lady's home.
Sarah lifted her frozen hand and knocked. The sound seemed to reverberate across the mountains even as the pain of her impulsive action ricocheted through her body. They didn't have long to wait. The door opened on the two travellers, spilling warm golden light into the dark, cold evening.
"Yes?" the woman at the door asked.
"We come from the village on Granite Mountain," Yancey managed, floundering. There was something about this woman that made him feel like he needed to be reverent.
"We have the stones for the Lady of the Mountains," Sarah added, looking hopefully at the woman. She was not as awed as Yancey, but then she had spent considerably more time with someone much more impressive.
"Enter, travellers," the lady said, stepping aside.
"Thank you, ma'am," Yancey said. Sarah repeated his thanks, and struggled out of her pack.
"Are you the Lady?" she asked.
"I am," replied the Lady of the Mountains with a smile. "You are not who I was expecting," she added.
"No, Lady," Yancey said, closing his eyes in shame.
"I hope you aren't offended," Sarah said, biting her chapped lip. "Where would you like the packs of stones?" she added, looking around.
"Here," the Lady opened a cabinet next to the door and motioned for them to put the gems inside it. Both Sarah and Yancey did as they were told, and stood in the entry, basking in the warmth of the house. "Come in, be welcome," she said, smiling. "I am not offended by a sudden change. It happens frequently, though rarely from the Granite Mountain." She didn't ask for the reason for the changes, and both were grateful.
"Thank you, Lady," Sarah said. Behind her Yancey nodded his agreement.
"A grateful heart is always welcome." She waved them into a comfortable sitting room. "Take off those firs. Sit. Relax. You'll sup, stay the night here, then go on," she added.
"Lady, I will," Yancey said, looking at Sarah, a bit worried. He was stripping out of his outerwear with alacrity.
"And you?" she asked Sarah.
"Lady, I am charged to stay and serve you," Sarah said, pausing before she attempted to remove her coat. Compared with Yancey's quick movements, she felt like a clumsy oaf. Her coat seemed to have grown together while she walked, and she didn't want to think about the many layers under it. She truly dreaded the boot-warmers and the over-pants.
"Indeed," the Lady said, her voice neutral.
"I run the labyrinth, Lady," Sarah explained. "I am grateful for your hospitality, and will gladly serve to repay your kindness to us this night."
"Well, well," murmured the Lady. "Be comfortable this night. The morrow brings what it will bring."
With that, she left the room for her kitchen, letting the travellers finish removing their outergear. Yancey had to help Sarah untangle herself, and she gave him a sheepish look, apologizing for her clumsiness. He waved it away, told her she reminded him of a toddler when she struggled with her coat, and, finishing the task, both settled into the warmth of the room. Their furs were put by the fire to dry.
In the kitchen, the Lady called to her King through the crystal he left to her.
"Sire," she said. "She has arrived."
"All is available to you," came the disembodied reply. "Judge thee well."
"I live to serve, Sire," she murmured. Letting the magic go, the Lady quickly conjured warm stew, hot cider, and warm, savory bread. She added honey from her cupboard and a pair of small dessert cakes, frosted with a delicate creamed cheese icing. Returning into the sitting room, she waved the trays floating beside her into place before her visitors.
"Tell me, how does the village?" she enquired, then sat back to hear the tale. Sarah and Yancey did not disappoint.
The Lady listened, asking pertinent questions about the villagers. She wondered aloud, "Did the village send you to me as heroes? That is out of keeping with the usual practices."
Sarah looked down at her mug and took a breath. "After the cave-in was breached, I went into the area. It was…worse than I could have imagined. After Yancey had asked me about everything I saw, he gave the working shift to another Master." Sarah paused, then continued. "We stayed together in his office, but we…did not sleep immediately," she finished, certain the Lady would understand.
"Ah. And Yancey is married, then?" she asked. "Or are you?"
"I am," Yancey said.
"But that alone wouldn't have put us on this trail together," Sarah said. "His wife has forgiven us both. I told you that I run the labyrinth, Lady, but I didn't say that I was marked and sworn to Jareth." At the Lady's raised eyebrows, Sarah added. "He has also forgiven us, but we were tasked with this journey, too."
"Know you why?" queried the Lady.
"To remind us to be grateful, Lady," Sarah said, tears standing in her eyes, "for all the blessings we receive."
"Well said," the Lady approved.
"To remind me of what I have, what could be so easily squandered," Yancey added. "I am also reminded to be grateful."
The Lady rose and smiled at her guests. "It is late, and the road is long. Yancey, Sarah, I bid you good night. Rooms are to the left of the entryway. Choose wisely."
With that, Sarah and Yancey were left alone. Despite the echoes of pain they were feeling, there was a sudden tension between them.
"Let's look at the rooms," Sarah said, her voice tight. She hoped that what she suspected would not be true. Yancey nodded and they rose and crossed to the doors.
Taking a deep breath, they both opened a door. The doors opened onto the same room. The bed was huge, inviting, and Sarah felt a longing that she could not justify. She closed her door and turned to Yancey, who was breathing hard and had his eyes screwed shut.
"Take the bed, Yancey," she said, straining to keep from touching him. "You are leaving early in the morning. I'll stay in here, by the fire."
Yancey nodded, not opening his eyes. "Goodnight, Sarah. Forgive me," he added, though not specifying why she would need to.
Sarah watched him walk into the room and shut the door. When the door closed, the tension suddenly drained out of her.
What the hell was that?
In her room, the Lady of the Mountains smiled as she watched the pair separate. They were truthful about their gratitude and the lessons they had learned. Had they simply been trying to impress her and speaking counter to their true inclinations, they would not have been able to resist the aphrodisiac in the dessert she had fed them.
"A grateful heart is always welcome," she murmured. "Now, Sarah, what of your endurance and your charity?" Gazing into her faceted diamond focus, the Lady of the Mountains replayed the events of the past days.
- 17
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- 19
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Shattered