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Summer Storms and Imaginary Kings	By : Jetredgirl Category: G through L > Labyrinth Views: 5486 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Labyrinth or it's characters but hey if someone wants to sign them over to me i'll take 'em!

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
We are slipping towards the darkest point of my story. Jareth is starting to crack and reveal some things he has been keeping hidden.
Chapter 8
Sweat poured down Sarah's forehead as turned and blocked Jareth's sword with her own. They had been sparring for over and hour, and she noticed he seemed to be perfectly fine, not even breaking a sweat. Ugh!
It had been several weeks since Sarah began the training regimen, and while Jareth and the guards kept telling her she was coming along, she didn't feel like she was making much progress.
Jareth just kept telling her "It takes time, my love, be patient with yourself."
Which frustrated her even more.
Every time he said it she had an overwhelming desire to smack him on the back of the head.
She even told him so.
He founded it hilarious.
Of course he would.
Until a few days ago when she went ahead and did it.
Which led to him wrestling her to the floor, and that led to a very interesting situation with his riding crop, wherein he "punished" her for several hours. Several times.
She had to admit, that kind of punishment, she could get on board with. Ahem.
"Attention!" Jareth said loudly, snapping her mind back to the present. "Sarah, you can't let your mind wander. A split second is all it takes to run you through. I think you are too secure in the knowledge that I will not harm you. You must be able to separate who we are in this room, from who we are outside of it. In here, with my sword pointing at you, I AM your enemy."
"I know." Sarah sighed, laying her sword down. "I'm sorry I just can't seem to get the hang of this. I do better with the staff and the hand to hand. The sword is the bane of my existence right now."
"You ARE making progress, I really wish you would see that. Learning to wield a sword with enough skill to fight is something we do here from when we are very young. You can't compare yourself to me or anyone here." Jareth told her firmly. "You are really doing quite well, much farther along that I would have though you would be by now. Your biggest problem now is learning to concentrate and focus, shutting everything else out but your opponent."
"I'm trying!" She snapped at him. "I am really! I just, I worry about having to..you know..kill someone."
Jareth slid his sword into his scabbard. "I understand that, but this is the life of a warrior. If you are going to carry a sword you have to be prepared to use it. I hope it is something you never have to do, it is one of the most unpleasant experiences one can have. Especially now that you are immortal and have it stay with you for eternity. We have started this, now we must keep going. a partially trained warrior is more dangerous than a fully trained one."
"So, you have killed people?" Sarah asked knew deep down that of course he had, but hearing him say it, was altogether different.
Jareth turned from her, walking towards the wall of weapons, trying to formulate an answer.
"Yes, Sarah I have. Not in a long time, but I have taken many lives. I told you before, we are mostly a peaceful world, now. We have had our wars, and in wars, it is your duty to dispatch the enemy. All immortal men of rank serve in the armies."
"I have to ask again, How old are you?" She asked quietly, walking to stand in front of him.
He paused for a moment. "I am a little over 4,000 mortal years old, Sarah. I don't like to say, because I was afraid it would be too much for you to take. Here I'm am considered barely within the middle generation of people."
Sarah was blown away. "4,000 years old?! that's..I don't know what to say to that!" She openly gaped at him.
Jareth smirked at her expression. "I have been here just under 3,000 years. It was after the last major conflict that I was called to be The Goblin King. Incredibly young, really, for my world. That is one of the reasons I'm not well liked here by my own kind, no one so young has been made a king, much less of this place. In most cases, I would just now be considered to rule a kingdom."
Sarah smiled a little."Wow talking about robbing the cradle Your Majesty. Dirty old man, that is what you are."
He laughed. "Yes I guess so. From your point of view I'm decrepit and and need to be walking with a cane drooling all over myself at the young nubile wife I've been blessed with."
Sarah laughed. "You didn't have to hide it from me, Jareth, I get that this world isn't like mine, I mean my old one. So, did you see the pyramids be built and stuff?"
"I did see them when they were fairly new, lovely, gleaming white, when I was quite young. We were all impressed with such a feat."
Sarah paused. "Who were you at war with? I mean back before you became Goblin King."
Jareth smiled faded, his lips tightened and he turned away again. "My love, it is forbidden to talk of that place, those people. It is a dead place now, nothing lives there. Those few of us who know the way in are not allowed to discuss it. It was corrupted by it's King's actions, and all had to be destroyed.
She was very curious about this, and decided to do some digging on her own, but asked one more question. "You had to kill an entire kingdom?"
Jareth was looking at the floor now. "Sarah they were all under the influence of such an evil that could not be allowed to live. They were shadows of the beings they had been before. We had no choice." He looked up and met her eyes, pleading silently to drop it.
She nodded, and let it go for the moment. She could see talking about it bothered him very much.
"Alright. Well, Your Majesty, let's get to it." Sarah said, picking up her sword. "Well?"
Jareth shook off his dark thoughts of the past, took out his sword and took starting position. "Let us duel, my queen...remember to the victor goes the spoils." He grinned wickedly at her.
Later, Jareth went to his offices, telling Sarah he had some paperwork to catch up on, but really he needed to spend sometime alone. There was so much he had not told her yet. About her position here, about himself, his past.
He knew he needed to tell her eventually, but when he was around her, he could not help himself. He felt light and carefree with her, like a youngling on his honeymoon, instead of the fearsome Goblin King the rest of the underground thought him to be, and to be fair, it was a reputation he had earned, had HAD to earn. So no one would even think of moving against him and his kingdom.
With her he was just Jareth, her husband, a man in love with a woman. The past few weeks he had reveled in the peace, the normalcy..but it was going to change.
He wanted to protect her, coddle her, keep her safe from all those who would harm her. He knew it could not last forever.
She would find out eventually, how cold and cruel this world can be, how cold and cruel he had been.
The atrocities he had been forced to commit in that long ago war ate at him, made him that cold cruel man.
Yes, he was a good king. He did his job, as to not do so would have been a grave dishonor to himself and his world.
Being The Goblin King and The Keeper of the Ways was something he was very proud of. He had been chosen, called by the Labyrinth itself. That was not something one takes lightly.
He had become hard inside, and distant, shutting himself away from emotions.
Then he found her. Like a bolt of lightning, she shocked life into his dead heart. Her eyes looked into his in that darkened bedroom so many years ago, and he was lost, though it took a while to realize it.
Even as the woman child she was, standing there, defying him, denying his power, defeating him, the great Goblin King, he was putty in her small hands.
All those years he waited, peeking in on her dreams, hearing her thoughts, feeling her longing for him but never saying his name out loud.
Then she called his name in a dream, and she was his. She was bound to him now, to her place here.
Still he could not help be afraid, he felt the darkness out there, waiting to pounce. Waiting to take her away.
The rest of his kind had no idea the power that came with his position, that he had ways of sensing things no one else could. They did not know The Labyrinth was a being in and of itself, that the Ways were part of it, tentacles of magic that anchored it to the other worlds. They did not know the power it holds.
Something was out there, watching him, watching her. He knew very soon it would be coming.
Jareth heaved a sigh, then stood up and left his study, going in search of Sarah. He was determined to spend at least one more carefree night with his wife.
The next morning after breakfast Jareth was holding court in his throne room, taking care of some issues among his subjects, when an alarm was raised. Someone had transported into his kingdom.
" Guards!" The Goblin King called. Magically changing into his armor, he followed the trail of magic with his own, sensing it to be just outside the gates of The Labyrinth.
"Outside the main gates, go quickly." He sent them.
Minutes later they reappeared, holding a cloaked man between them, and dropping him at the feet of their king, swords at the ready.
"Report." Jareth said.
A guard stepped up and spoke. "Sire, he says he is the council's healer, Perryn. He claims he was the one who saved the queen's life."
"Rise, and take back your hood." the king said the man kneeled before him.
Perryn stood up, and did as the king asked. "Your Majesty I need to speak with you, urgently, in private. I apologize for my surprise visit, but I could tell no one of my quest."
Jareth observe the older man, narrowing his eyes. "Healer, I am not fond, to say the least, of having company just popping in, this is a well known policy of mine. For reasons I'm sure you must know, at this time, I am even more wary."
"Please My Lord, I meant no offense. It is that reason you speak that brought me here." Perryn said, shaking a bit. He could feel the controlled anger clearly, that The Goblin King was projecting towards him. "You are the only one I trust with the information I bear."
This made the king very curious, and a bit wary, but his anger lessened a bit. The man was a healer after all, the vows do not allow for harming others purposely, but with the danger lurking in the air, he trusted no one outside of his kingdom.
"Alright, then, healer, I will listen to what you have to say. I do hope you don't mind having your magic, and hands bound. Temporarily of course. Guards, please escort him to my private study and have Caolin keep him company. I will be there when I am done here."
Turning to the healer, he picked him up by his collar and pulled the man close in. "Know this healer, you better have a very good reason for being here unannounced. Any attempt at deception will be taken as a hostile act to which the consequences will be dire indeed. The only reason I am allowing you this courtesy, is because you saved the life of The Goblin Queen."
"Yes, My lord, I understand." Perryn said, as he was led away by the guards.
Jareth turned to another guard. and said softly. "Make sure the Queen stays occupied and away from my study. Have her friend Hoggle brought here to keep her company. Make sure no ones tells her of this until I have a chance to hear what the man has to say and decide how to proceed."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard fled to do as he was told.
Jareth closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. So it begins, he thought to himself.
He turned and walked to his study, to hear the healer out.
Sarah was reading in her study, but wondering what the clamor was all about, when Hoggle burst in. "Sarah! Hows you doin' girly?!" Just a little too loud.
Sarah jumped a little, then looked at her friend. "I'm fine Hoggle..what are you doing here? Did we have plans?"
"Umm well..I was just thinkin' of ya, so I came to sees ya!" He answered, suspiciously chipper, for Hoggle.
"Hoggle, what is going on, I heard some sort of alarm sound, and running, then everything was very quiet. Is something wrong? Where is His Majesty?" She prodded.
"Oh no, Yer Majesty, nothin' is wrong, just a minor row out in the city. The king is takin' care of it. Nothin' to worry yer head about."
Sarah could tell Hoggle was bluffing, covering up something. "Hoggle, did Jareth have you come here?"
Hoggled bowed his head a little. he hated lying to his friend, but he could not go against orders.
"No no no, of course not. Sarah, uhh..say..I'm sure mighty hungry, can yous order up some food?"
Sarah got up and walked over to Hoggle and knelt down. Hoggle noted how she reminded him of the king at times now.
"Hoggle..why are you lying to me?"
He stood up to his full height. "Sarah, please just lets get some food? okay? I haves ta do what I haves ta do, ya knows? We could go out ta the gardens, they is comin' along nicely."
She knew he was lying, and she knew Jareth had made him do it. No matter how much she loved the man the way he badgered the dwarf really annoyed her.
"Excuse me Hoggle, I have something to take care of." She stood up and stomped to the door and down the hall.
Hoggle lowered his head again. "That rat is going to send me ta the bog fer sure."
Arriving at the doors to Jareth's study, she saw it was guarded by 4 elite guards.
"Excuse me gentlemen, I need to speak with my husband." She demanded.
"I am sorry My Lady Queen, King's orders, no one allowed but himself and Caolin." One of the guards replied.
"What the HELL is going on?!" Sarah asked them. loud enough that Jareth heard her from inside and appeared behind her.
"Sarah.." He started.
"Jareth I HATE it when you do this. You keep me in the dark, you make poor Hoggle lie to me, when obviously there is SOMETHING going on here? I heard the alarms, and you are in your armor. I'm not stupid you know." She ground out.
"My Queen it nothing to be concerned about for you, of course you are not stupid, you know I do not think that at all. we merely had an intruder and I am interrogating said intruder to find out why he is here, then I will take appropriate action. I did not feel the need to alert you, I can take care of it." He said, trying to alleviate her concerns and send her calming energy through their bond.
Sarah glared at him. There was something more. She could feel it.
"Your Majesty, I know you can't out and out lie to me, but a lie of omission is still a lie."
He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Sarah, you were almost killed a few weeks ago. I am doing what I think is necessary to keep that from happening again. I promise, When I am done here, we will talk. Until then, you absolutely not allowed to enter my study. I do not know what this person wants, or his plans. I am doing this for your own good. Don't defy me you infuriating woman."
Her eyes were like daggers now. "Fine, My Lord." She said in a sarcastic tone. "I will go back to my toys and games and just forget about it right? I am NOT a damn child Jareth. I may be considered young here in immortal time, but I am a GROWN woman. I am going back to my study. By the way, quit torturing Hoggle, that pisses me off." She jerked herself out of his grip and marched off, fuming.
Jareth huffed, cursing to himself. "Same orders." he said to the guards, then disappeared.
Reappearing inside his his study, he went back to his desk and sat down studying the man huddled in the chair across from him.
"You have caused a great deal of strife within my kingdom, healer." He said to the man.
The man glanced up, noticing The Goblin King's irritated expression.
"I..I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I really am, it was not my intention."
Caolin, standing silently by then chimed in. "Maybe we should get to the reason he came here in the first place, Sire."
Jareth stood up, and sat on the edge of his desk looking down upon the man.. "Yes, healer, regale us with your fascinating information." He stated, eyebrow raised, smirking.
"My Lord, it's the..the.."he stumbled over his words, intimidated by the kings presence. He took a breath, trying to calm down. "The magic, I mean, the forbidden magic used to poison The Goblin Queen, I have found it's origins, not who exactly, but where."
The King leaned in, placing his hand upon the chair. eyes narrowed. "Tell me, healer." He said quietly, but with more ire than anyone could fathom. "Tell me so I may go in search of them and rip them into a million pieces."
"The Dead Kingdom, Your Majesty. It''s evil magic from The Dead Kingdom." Perryn's word rushed out in one breath.
Jareth sat up then, shocked at these words. His eyes met Caolin's whose eyes were as wide as his probably were.
"How do you know this?" Jareth asked.
"I went there, I know the way, I am.." he looked up and met the king's eyes. "I was born there, Your Majesty, before..before.. everything."
Jareth picked up the man from the chair "And you live? How is this possible?! I sense no darkness in you!"
Caolin moved behind the king. "My lord, there were refugees, a small number were able to flee before they were taken over by the shadow magic."
Jareth turned and glanced at his assistant. "Of course. Tell me Perryn, are you one of these refugees?"
Perryn was openly trembling in The Goblin King's grip now "Yes, I..I mean my family and myself and a few others escaped shortly before the armies arrived. I was healer there, in a village near the boundary to the Elf kingdom."
"Who were these others?" Jareth asked suspicious of them all. He sat the man back down, for the moment.
"My wife, my son, both dead now. They died not long after, along with the dozen or so from my village. The shadow magic didn't kill them but, they were poisoned by one of the outsiders with iron I think. There were a group of half a dozen or so that I did not know from our lands, that then disappeared. I survived because I was hunting for food, when I came back everyone was dead or gone.
"I made my way to the Elf Kingdom proper and asked for refuge. I endured imprisonment and testing for many years before I was pronounced untouched by the shadow magic. Then I was finally able to work again. Eventually earning my position for the council."
Jareth turned and walked back behind his desk fear twisting his gut. If Sarah was infested...no. She had shown no signs of it. By now she would be like the ones he saw, back in that place. "Is this shadow magic? "
"No your Majesty it's not, not the magic that infested most of my people. It is still forbidden, and a working that certainly was created at the hands of..of them, but the shadow magic can only be worked on the soil of my homeland. It can infest others, and can be carried like a virus, but cannot be created anywhere else. This was a fairly straightforward poisoning. I am not certain Sire, if it was meant to kill her, I suspect it was created to test her strength, although I cannot be sure."
"Strength for what?" The Goblin King asked him.
"I do not know any more than what I have told you, My Lord. It took me a while to find the portal I could get through. Once there, well it was a bit of a shock. Everything is black. I made my way to the remains of the castle. There were signs someone has been there recently. 2 lower floors and the dungeons remain. I saw no one but, there were remains of food, candles, things scattered about. I did not touch anything for fear I would be detected. As soon as I confirmed my suspicions, I fled. Then worked my way here. I first suspected when I removed the magic from your wife's body, but had to be sure what I thought I was feeling, was true."
The king was angrier than he had ever been, but he managed to show a calm face. "You suspected The Dead Kingdom held the origins of that evil enchantment, and you did not tell me then?"
Perryn was scared. He knew this man's history, his reputation, no one crossed The Goblin King and remained unscathed. "Sire I was not certain, I swear it, but it had the feel of coming from one of my people. They say there was a book that the royal family kept that held all the magic they created and used. If it survived anyone could use it if they were strong enough, and it could possibly have the same feel in the weave, I am just not sure. I did not want alarm you or your young Queen."
"And you have told no one else?" Jareth asked him.
"No, Your Majesty, this is the first time any of this has left my lips." He swore and fell to his knees in fealty.
"Stand up, healer." the king said. "I sense no deception in you, therefore do not believe I have a reason to end your life, consider this your reward for saving the life of my Queen. However, I must require you to stay here as my..guest, until further notice. You will be assigned a guest suite and be provided all basic necessities including food and fresh clothing, but you will be required to keep your magic bound and have guards stationed outside all doors to your rooms. Will that be a problem?"
"No, Your Majesty, I understand. The life of The Goblin Queen could be at stake, you must do what is necessary. As I did what was necessary to honor my place as a protector of life." The healer told him.
The Goblin King smirked at him "An honorable quest, at that, Perryn. One more thing, stay away from my wife. You will not leave your rooms unless requested to do so by attempt to contact her will be taken as an act of hostility, and..healer..that would be unwise. I am a fair man, but my wrath is cruel, and swift."
"Yes, My Lord." The healer agreed. He liked his head where it was and deigned to keep it there.
The king turned to Caolin. "Have him taken to a guest room in the wing farthest away from my rooms. Make sure he gets a meal, clothing, and a bath, and assign 4 guards to watch all all entrances to the rooms."
Caolin bowed. "It will be done, Sire."
With that The Goblin King turned and left, readying himself to deal with the Queen's wrath. Thinking upon all the healer had told him, worried that his beloved Sarah was now in real danger from a foe he thought long dead.
With much dread, he also knew eventually, he would have to go back there, and face his past.
Sarah was waiting for Jareth to come back, and her anger had only increased as she had been waiting. " He comes to ME, he wanted me to come here, then he keeps me on a fucking pedestal like I'm some damn doll he takes out to play with? Oh hell no! He had to know I was NOT a pushover! Arrgh! Arrogant, pompous ass! How can you love someone and want to beat the crap out them at the same time!" Then she let out a string of profanity that would make even those most hardened sailor blush.
"Lovely language, my dear wife. I do so love your dirty mouth, except maybe when it's ire is directed at me." Jareth said from behind her sarcastically.
Sarah jumped. "Crap you scared me! What the hell Jareth?"
"You were so concentrated on cursing me, you did not notice I was here." He said.
She turned and looked at him. No longer in his armor as he had magicked it away before he entered. He was thinking, by the look in her eye, he should have kept it on.
"So, are you planning to, as you said, "beat the crap out of me" now? I warn you I am quite formidable. I may even employ my crop." He told her, giving her that smirk, trying to alleviate the tension.
Sarah took a few deep breaths trying to calm down, she knew she was unreasonably angry, but she did have a good reason to confront him she thought.
"Jareth, please. NOT in the mood. Look, this, all this subterfuge has got to stop. I realize, I am young in the term of being one of your kind, I have a lot of stuff I need to learn, about this world, about magic, and everything here. How everything works. The history of this place.

I keep trying to drum into your thick kingly head though, I am a grownup. Haven't I handled everything that has been thrown at me here? Have you seen me freak out about anything other than first, when I was poisoned, and second, when you drive me crazy trying to keep things from me? No, you have not, I have taken everything in stride, learning to go with the flow, accepting what it is to be here."
She walked to stand in front of her husband. "You have to let me in Jareth, you can't keep shutting me out. Trying to keep all the baddies away from me, trying to make my life all sweetness and light. My world had just as much evil, awful horrible stuff going on as here, and I learned to deal with it."
She paused for a moment, then continued, in a soft voice."Give me a chance to deal with this. Let me be your wife, your mate, the other half of this team. I can help, that is what I'm here for, to be your partner in good and bad times, not just a playmate for you." Sarah pleaded with him. standing close, grabbing his hands and looking into his eyes.
Jareth bowed his head, staring at her small hands. He knew her words were true, but what if something happened to her? Once again that fear of losing the only person he truly loved, could ever love, twisted a knife into his belly.
"Sarah, I..I don't know what to say. Part of me wants all those things too...but the other parts of me can't...I mean I've never had anyone to.." He looked down at her face, at a loss.
"To what Jareth, be your partner in all things?" Sarah softly asked him. "Jareth please, open up, let me in. You have no problem telling me how much you love me 20 times a day, showering me praise and affection, why can't you tell me anything else of what you are feeling? If this is the way it's going to be, we are going to end up miserable with each other. We have to be able to be completely honest with each other, if no one else."
The king's lips became a thin line, and a fire ignited in his eyes, he gripped her shoulders and shook her lightly. "I'm frightened Sarah!" He bellowed. "The very thought that someone somewhere is out there planning on trying to take you away from me, rips my soul to sheds every time I think of it! Then that very fear frightens me even more!
His grip tightened. "I am NOT a man who fears things Sarah, or people, or a fight or even dying. I CAUSE fear, I make them all fear ME. This fear is eating me alive. Damn it woman, what do you want from me!"
Sarah listened to him, stared at him eyes wide. Her anger slipping away, tearing pricking the corners of her eyes.
"My husband, please, let me share that burden. I am fine, will be fine, I swear it. No matter what happens. I am afraid too, but not because of others. Let them come, we will take them on as one, as we are supposed to do. I am afraid maybe I shouldn't have come here, because I've made you feel this way. Love is supposed to be strength, not weakness. Let's be strong for each other, not weak." Tears began to flow freely down her face.
Jareth reached up and ran his fingers through her dark hair, then wiped the tears from her face. "You belong here, please do not think you made a mistake. You did not, nor did I in bringing you here. This is all...so very new, for both of us."
He placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
"Sarah, I have been a cruel man, in many ways, many times over. I have done things I do not like to speak of. Not because I enjoyed them, but because they had to be done, so I took it upon myself to be that man. The one who took those unpleasant tasks on to prevent others from having to do so. All those years ago, before I was a king, in that war, I had to do awful distasteful things."
Jareth was quiet for a few minutes, building up to what he was going to say next.
"The shadow magic that we were fighting, it was like a virus, infecting person after person indiscriminately, eating their souls. They looked like women, children, but their eyes were black and they spewed dark mist. I slayed them all where they stood Sarah. We had to take their heads, then run iron blades through their hearts. They would hiss and thrash as they died, cursing us in lilting innocent voices, even though they would have relished in killing us and taking our souls with them. Then we could not even give those broken bodies a decent burial rite. We had to burn them all to dust, every living thing there. The shadow would have taken us all eventually, if I had not done these things. It was the children that...it was almost to much to bear. Many didn't."
Sarah was speechless at all Jareth had just told her. She had no idea. This is the thing that no one would speak of, and now she knew why.
"Jareth, remember when you said you would never judge me on my past? Well, I am now extending you the same courtesy. Those are horrible things Your Majesty, I will say that. I can't imagine such horrors, nor do I particularly want to. However, you said you did what you had to do to protect the rest of your people, and I believe you. Believe or not, I get it. Cruelty is sometimes a necessary thing. It's part of life, of nature. If this happened again, I would abhor it, but I would still support you doing your duty to save others. And, honestly, if necessary I would be right beside you, being just as cruel. You are no longer in this alone."
She pulled away then, looking into his blue eyes. "Whatever is out there, we will defeat it, as a team, and as a people. This whole kingdom is behind you. Even Hoggle told me he thought you were the best king they have ever had, no matter how much you like annoy him. Use that as your strength, when you feel weak or fearful."
Jareth watched her for a moment, then yanked her roughly to him, taking her mouth with his, his tongue sliding against hers.
After a moment, he pulled away.
"You and your cruel eyes, my love, I should have known and given you the benefit of the doubt. You are truly my match."
Sarah smirked at him. "Yes, you should have. I don't want to be on a pedestal, I want to be next to you. please, no more keeping things from me. Trust in me. I trust in you."
Jareth sighed, stepping back. "Then I suppose we have a guest you should meet. His magic is bound so I suppose you are safe."
"Then please, introduce me to our guest, My Lord." Sarah said.
She took his hand, and they left the room together, Goblin King and Queen, a unified force.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3,132 years ago, there existed a kingdom in the underground realm called The Golden Kingdom.
It's people were peaceful, and prosperous. It's King and Queen, Vergas and Raele, were hailed as the greatest monarchs in the realm. They were blessed with 3 sons, Vergas the 2nd, Virgilian, Vardel and a daughter, Vardel's twin, Vaile. It is said the beauty of the royal family was beyond measure even among their kind. Their people worshipped them and looked upon them as gods.
When it was discovered Raele was to bear a 5th child, the kingdom rejoiced. Immortals blessed with two children were considered fertile, but 5 was unheard of. To them this was a sign that they were chosen people.
The 5th child was born, but this was different. He was born early, and Raele had labor that was so long she nearly died. They called him Vergul, but immediately upon his birth the midwives insisted he be destroyed. He was deformed, and ugly, so unlike the rest of the children. He was hidden away, in a tower, the only visitor besides nurses, was his mother. She, being a good mother, loved him as she did the others, but his father refused to look at him or have him in his presence. She called all the mages in the realm to find a way to change her gentle homely child into one who could be accepted by his father.
After all immortal mages had tried, and failed to find a way, one rainy night, the queen received a visitor. A night troll magician. She knew from experience that to trust a night troll was never a good idea, but she was willing to try anything. The troll performed his magic on the boy, and low and behold, he was changed to a beautiful golden child, like his siblings. She paid the troll whatever riches he wanted and presented her boy to his family, who celebrated for days, the return of the youngest member of their family.
They did not know, the beautiful boy was NOT their child. The troll had stolen that boy's soul, and left behind an empty vessel filled with evil magic. This evilness fed upon itself as the beautiful child grew.
The entity it became began to feed upon the others in the family, until they were slowly becoming like him. Evil, and twisted.
They practiced dark magic, creating their own form of it over time, which was loosed upon their people to feed off of, and like a virus, it spread. As time went on, over 100 years, the blackness took over, and The Golden Kingdom began reigning terror upon it's neighbors.
Eventually, the other kingdoms within the realm knew something had to be done. Armies were called up, magic users far and wide were recruited to fight the darkness. One particularly strong young user, Jareth, became a leader among the immortal armies. It is said, he was the one who took the head of King Vergas from it's shoulders, and he was the one who formulated the plan to turn the kingdom to black dust, by combining the magic of all the underground, sealing the kingdom, and burning every living thing within it. The shadow magic was destroyed, the ways to get in sealed and obscured.
So The Golden Kingdom was no more, now called The Dead Kingdom, it is forbidden to speak of it, but it is still whispered about as a cautionary tale.
What those who sealed the entrances did not know, is that some people escaped. One, a royal disguised as a commoner, and the carrying book of magic the family had created over their years of practice. They also did not know, those few that escaped had the ability to find the one way in that was left. So the evil is not dead, it is merely waiting for the opportunity to strike. It carries with it a prophecy, spoken by Golden Queen Raele, under trance, in her last days.
In little more than 3,000 years

A king will hear a mortal's tears

Jeweled eyes of green,

Will take his heart

They will come together

After years apart

A vessel for the power, she will be

The green eyed one is the key

The great maze has a power not yet seen

The dead shall rise

For the mortal queen.
Hope you all enjoyed it! We have some family friends coming in from out of town starting this weekend for a couple of weeks. While I will still be writing when I get the chance, I want to be certain that the next chapter is as well done as I can make it and not half-assed, so it may be a little longer before Chapter 9. I promise no less that 2 chapters in October though! My goal is to finish this by the end of year, no matter how long it end up being.
I wrote the backstory and prophecy part 2 chapters ago and have been trying to figure out where to stick it in the story LOL. Seems to fit best here.
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Summer Storms and Imaginary Kings