Jareth dragged Estella down the
stairways of the Escher room. With every ounce of strength she
resisted until he finally grabbed her and carried her while he
ran. "You can't help him!" he screamed, "We need
to hide at least for now."
The storyteller trembled and held onto Jareth tight. To her
surprise he seemed to be running much faster as he carried her so
she dare not struggle now.
"Close your eyes." he told her. Wincing she did as he
said and the goblin king defied gravity by walking on the side of
the stairs then under them. After a strange feeling of vertigo
she opened her eyes and saw them walking through a wooden door
that quickly shut behind them.
Jareth heaved a sigh of relief and sat against a brown wall. The
room wasn't large but it wasn't small from what she could see.
Unfortunately no carpet adorned the tan colored floor and no
furniture was available to sit upon.
"We'll be safe here." he said as she sat down across
him.
"But we've got to get Jerin back."
"And my goblins."
"I don't know if you will get your servants back."
Jareth growled, "Who was that woman who changed them!"
Estella narrowed her eyes, a dreadful tone from her voice said,
"In my world that is your daughter."
Jareth blinked and fell back against the wall completely,
"My daughter? Exactly how many children did I have in your
world."
She began the story, "In my world you do not have vision.
You have the power to make almost anything happen but you don't
have the power to create new places. Because of what your father
did you were cursed to fall in love but never be loved. That
woman was Sarah Williams."
Jareth's eyes lit up at the mention of her name, "Go
on."
"She came to your world to claim her baby brother. If she
had thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth you would let him go.
She didn't make it and you offered her a trade."
"Which was?"
"That she stay with you and love you as long as you let
Toby, her brother, go."
Jareth became entranced by the story Estella told. As he wondered
more about Sarah she continued, "Under a spell she loved you
and Jerin was born. Then she woke from the spell and ran from
you, leaving Jerin behind but not realizing it."
Estella began to remember what happened many years ago. As she
spoke she tried not to sound cross but her voice still wavered,
"But you needed someone else to create a vision for you. You
needed someone with a strong imagination so you could have your
'world.' That someone was me. You kidnapped me so I could be your
storyteller. What you didn't realize was your son fell madly in
love with me and I with him."
Her voice began to break in between sobs and Jareth started to
reach out with a hand to comfort her, "It's alright Estella,
I'm not the Jareth you know. But please continue your
story."
"Sarah came back to the Labyrinth and vanquished you. It was
her world after all. You tried to kill Jerin by ripping out his
heart. I tried to give him mine but Sarah took my heart and
ripped it in two. So."
"You and Jerin have the same heart."
She wiped the tears from her face, "Yes. But as you were
vanquished your sister, who was cursed to live in limbo, said she
would take you to another realm. This place was a world that
mirrored mine. In it was my doppelganger. You found her and
enslaved her so she would create your new realm. She did so and
you beat her and laid with her. Her child is Livia who is also
your child. I adopted her for a brief moment. Charlatan hates you
still and is madly in love with Jerin, but he is not in love with
her."
"Time went on and after difficulties Jerin and I were
married. Charlatan went to live with your brother and in one of
my dreams I made a world of tears. You took the world and you and
Livia lived there. The creator of that ocean of tears was a woman
who could never stop crying. When Livia went against her, she
became one who drains emotions to live which is what you see
today."
Jareth continued to listen thinking he never heard a story like
this in his life, "And Sarah?"
"After the world of water flooded and Sarah almost died you
fell in love with her again. You see she asked Destiny to remove
your curse and you were no longer bound by it so you weren't
cursed to love her."
"But I still did." he asked in wonder.
"Yes you still loved her and she you. As we speak you and
Sarah are living in the Labyrinth I am queen of watching my child
Oren."
"That is an incredible story." the king said wondering
if he could still believe it all, "I..don't know what to
say."
"That's not important now." she said, "What is
important is getting Jerin and the others back."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Perhaps one."
"And that is?"
"How powerful would Livia be in your world?"
"I am not sure, she has not come there since she
changed."
"Well, what say we fool the others into thinking the
dimensions have changed." he produced a crystal ball and
looked into it, "This is my world and I am the master of
illusion, it can be done."
*****
Livia approached the protector
as she began to waken. Beauty's essence strong she knew Kirakah
would regenrate herself from anytime she drained her. A smile
formed across her beautiful face but she could already feel the
skin pull around her lips. More wrinkles would come soon so it
was time to feed.
Beauty staggered and finally stood up. Her eyes narrowed on Livia
she sneered, "Eventually I will be able to use my danger
sense again. When you do I will be stronger and I will defeat
you!"
Livia scowled and opened her grey eyes, "Not this time
protector." She jumped forward before Kirakah could sense it
and began to drain her emotions again. After a short while she
fell back to the floor and Livia rose, free of wrinkles once
more.
"You will..be defeated." she said as she fainted again.
Livia only laughed and turned to find her companion.