In the Underground..... high noon....
Jareth, the Goblin King stared out at the Labyrinth from a window in his castle. Spring had arrived in the Underground, and the Labyrinth appeared even more unruly than normal. The Fieries' forest had extended deeper into the maze, spreading its green cloak far over the stonework at the center. Little rivers snaked around much of the twists of hedges. Due to the exponential growth in crawlers and vines, a good portion of the false alarms weren't functional, and most of his subjects were down below with their families, beating back the shrubberies and eager vegetation from eroding their makeshift clay homes in the Goblin City. Although it was quiet in his castle, it was a busy time to be king.
Jareth narrowed his eyes before chuckling, flashing white incisors, as his amusement rose. One of the newer rivers had begun flowing towards one of his favorite oubliettes and would flood the main trap if allowed to continue in that direction. He would absolutely hate for any runners to actually drown before he had had his fun with them, not that many got that far. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and focused in the dilemma. A new wall needed to be created there but something more like a dike, low enough to fool runners, but high enough to change the river's course. It would be tedious, muddy work, and Jareth knew exactly who to assign it to.
Tapping his riding crop on his leg, he called out on specific name, "Humbug."
Pop!
"My name is not Humbug, Your Majesty. It’s Hoggle," the dwarf puffed from the nearby shadows. "And where in the world did you hear that one?" Hoggle dropped a load of living vines at his feet, wiping dirt off his nose. The plum colored leaves crinkled further in the sunlight.
"It was in a book lying around, in my stash from Aboveground to be precise," Jareth said, waving his hand. The vines froze. His grin grew. "And I can call you anything I like unless you wish to challenge me for the throne."
Hoggle scoffed. "Not bloody likely," he retorted. He swiped out cobwebs and dust from his hair. "What did you call me for, Your Highness? I have six more false alarms to unearth and I want to get done before the next rains come."
"Oh? Did I give you that task?" Jareth purred. "Shame." His grin turned cheshire like. "I have another one for you."
Not at all surprised and giving another kick to the tangle at his feet, Hoggle groaned, "What is it this time?"
Jareth looked down on the dwarf, raising his elegant eyebrow up further. The dwarf had gained a new level of confidence ever since that woman had bested him -- he refused to say her name -- and it had been hard, useless work putting the little man back into his cowardly corner where he belonged. The Labyrinth whispered her own amusement whether to his thoughts or his frustration, he didn't know. The Goblin King stepped away from the wall. It didn't matter. A shaking dwarf or this new brave dwarf could still be entertaining.
Jareth pointed to the Labyrinth's northeastern corner. "The oubliette in that area needs to remain open for visitors. Build a wall to divert the river there towards the thorn barrier."
Hoggle sighed. "Which one?" he grumbled. "There are at least five clear oubliettes in that area," he stated, "and another half dozen concealed, all in danger of being thoroughly soaked," he muttered to himself in a lower voice.
It didn't matter. The Goblin King had the best hearing of all his creatures.
Jareth's eyes twinkled maliciously as he listened. Brave or not, the dwarf still walked into most of his troubles.
"Why don't you assign Ludo's kind to that?" Hoggle continued in a louder voice. "They are better at that kind of work than I am."
Hoggle was right, but for the Goblin King, that was besides the point. He leaned down to the dwarf's level, watching the light dawn in his beady eyes and Hoggle's mouth hardened in realization. Just one last touch for today's show. "Higgle, I asked you to do it," Jareth murmured in his sweetest voice. He rose. "If you can't decide which of those I mean, I could always toss you there to help."
Hoggle scoffed. "No, thank you, Mr. Ungrateful. I'd rather be on my way and make sure all are operating."
Jareth laughed and felt the Labyrinth's rumble beside him. The dwarf was learning to back down more graciously and accept defeat. "There, you said it, the perfect solution~" He picked up the the living vines. At his touch, the plant awoke, leaves twitching, and tangled around his fingers in greeting. Jareth glanced back up at Hoggle. With an elaborate flick of his wrist, he sent the whole plant flying at the dwarf's face, spreading wide in a thorny net.
Hoggle lifted a crimson branch from his belt. The vines fell at his feet, crinkling merrily. The dwarf raised one singed eyebrow, "Would that be all, King Who is Very Bored?"
"I don't have to be bored in order to summon your for entertainment, Hoggle." Jareth responded in the next beat. "Be off and get back to work before I have you spend a night in the Bog of Eternal Stench." He waved his hand. With another pop, the dwarf and vines vanished.
Jareth turned back to the scene out his window. Once again, the dwarf hadn't mentioned her, which meant she hadn't called her friends for nearly two years now. Perhaps her tale had indeed already closed. Jareth closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose, and tapping his riding crop against the stone ledge.
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That’s the end of the prologue. In the next chapter, we will split time between Sarah’s day at college and Jareth’s spring-cleaning, soon to be disturbed.
Please take the time to review.
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Final note to a Goblin King: It’s out now so stop tap dancing on my head for being cautious about it.
To be continued on fanfiction.net here
