As The World Falls Down Ch. 7

As The World Falls Down
Chapter 7

Sarah tried to control the tears streaming down her face.  She would not give Jareth the satisfaction of seeing her cry.  The bastard had effectively trapped her in the Underground for the rest of her life.  She didn't know how long it took for a changeling to completely change, but she was quite sure however long it was, Jareth wasn't going to let her go back.  An idea struck her and she sat up straight.

What if Jareth was lying?  What if he just wanted her to stay here?  Sarah rose and walked to the balcony again.  A cool breeze played softly against her skin.  Looking over the edge, she saw that she was more than four stories up.  There was no way she'd be able to jump.  Looking back at the entry way to the balcony, Sarah noticed there were ledges, about a foot wide, running along the outside of the castle.  If she could walk along it to get to the roof that extended out twenty feet away, she could climb down from there.

Sarah looked back in the bedroom; quickly making sure the maid Jareth said he'd send hadn't shown up yet.  Then she hitched up her skirt and stepped over the railing onto the ledge.  She pressed her back against the cold stonewall of the castle and edged along.  Don't look down, don't look down.  As soon as she told herself not to look down Sarah did.  Damnit!  The staggering drop made her stomach jump into her throat.  She paused as she saw a goblin guard walking below her.  Please don't let him look up, she thought.  Pressing her back more firmly against the wall of the castle, Sarah slowly sidestepped till she reached the extended roof.  She stepped onto the roof with relief, and then looked over the edge.  There was a window directly below her with another ledge below that and a tall trellis with rather thick vines growing up the wall.

She edged her way over the side of the roof, catching her slippered foot on one of the thick vines… it held.  Slowly, ever so slowly, she lowered herself further.  Sarah's foot slipped as she was about to settle on another vine.  Her body dropped and her hands clenched the vine above her.  Oh my god! her thoughts raced as she tried to calm her pounding heart.  Carefully, her foot found another perch and she settled onto it warily.  After fifteen minutes of negotiating the vines, she made it to the top of the trellis.  From there it was just like climbing a ladder.  Sarah dropped the last two feet and bent over, leaning her arms on her knees, breathing deeply.  Looking up, she saw that she was standing in a cobble stone courtyard.  Beyond the hedge she could see the Goblin City and the Labyrinth.  How am I going to get out of here?

Sarah looked down; she hadn't realized how much this dress made her stand out.  The light shimmery blue seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.  Knowing Jareth, the dress actually did have glitter sewn into it.  She was going to have to find a cloak or something else to wear.  Sarah crept to the edge of the hedge watchful for more goblin guards.  There was a wide thoroughfare between the hedge and the Goblin City.  Sarah looked both ways then quickly darted across into the shadow of an alley.  Walking along, she heard a familiar voice, "I'll take three of those my good man."

Sarah peered around a corner to see Sir Didymus at a fruit stand.  He was handing the goblin a small handful of coins in exchange for some apples.  He turned and headed toward where Sarah was hiding.  "Sir Didymus!" she called out from the shadows.

The tiny fox/terrier looked about, "Who did call my name?  Show thy self!"

"Sir Didymus!  Over here!"

Didymus looked over and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw Sarah in the alleyway.  "My Lady?"

"Shh!  Come here!"

Didymus made his way over to Sarah.  "My Lady!  What are you doing back in the Underground?"

"It doesn't matter Didymus, I just need to get out."

"Truly, before the King knows.  Perhaps I may know of a way," Didymus turned to lead.

"Wait!" Didymus turned back around at Sarah's call.  "I can't go out there dressed like this!  I need a cloak or something."

"Wait here my Lady," Sir Didymus rushed off to a merchandise stand a ways down the street.

He looked to be negotiating with the goblin running it.  After a few minutes, he came back with a used torn cloak and handed it to Sarah.  "Here my Lady, tis the best I could do under such circumstances."

"Thank you Didymus!"  Sarah hugged the little fox then put the cloak on.

It covered her enough so she wouldn't draw attention.  "My Lady?  If I may ask, how did you get to the Underground again?" Didymus asked leading her onto the street.

"Jareth tricked me.  He wants to keep me here, but I can't.  I'd never see my family again, and I have responsibilities in the Aboveworld."

"I see my Lady.  I believe I have an idea.  However it may be perilous."

"I'll risk it, I just need to get home."

"If you insist my Lady."

Sarah followed Didymus down street after street, past vendors, houses, and even what she thought must be the goblin version of a mansion until they reached a gate leading out of the city.  It wasn't the same gate she'd entered on her previous stay in the Underground.  This one led out to a wooded area with tall dark trees whose canopy seemed to soak up all the sunlight, leaving little to none for the forest floor.  "Where are we going Didymus?"

"To the Pond of Infinite Destinations my Lady.  I've heard tell that it is able to transport beings from one world to the next."

"Wow, that's some name."

"Surely."

Sarah continued to follow Sir Didymus, even when he went off the beaten path.  Her dress was becoming ripped along the edges where it caught on bushes and bracken.  The air was becoming colder the farther into the woods they went.  Less and less light streamed through the canopy, but then again, the sun was setting so there was less light in general.  The ground was sloping downward now and Sarah found it was also becoming softer.  Suddenly, they heard a long low howl.  Sir Didymus and Sarah froze.  "What was that?" Sarah whispered fearfully.

"I know not my Lady.  Just that there be fearsome beasts in the Woods of Eternal Night," Didymus said still frozen to the spot.

They listened carefully, and Sarah shivered as they heard another howl, this time closer.  Didymus grabbed her hand and pulled her along at a run.  "Come my Lady!  We must move quickly!"

They darted through the undergrowth of the forest, weaving in and out of the tall dark trees.  Sarah could hear pounding paws behind them, crashing through the bushes.  "Didymus!"

"I know my Lady!  Just a little further!  Once we get to the pond we shall be safe!"

Up ahead, Sarah spotted a glimmer of the pond.  Sir Didymus pushed his way through a large patch of bushes.  Sarah tried to follow but her dress got caught on a branch.  "DIDYMUS!  HELP!"

She could hear the pounding paws getting closer.  Sir Didymus pulled on Sarah's hand and she pulled on her skirt.  Finally, it ripped and they fell backward crashing to the ground at the edge of the pond in the sunlight.   An infuriated howl rose in the woods and Sarah could just make out a large dark shape bounding back into the darker parts of the forest.  She lay back on the cool ground catching her breath.  "My Lady, I believe we are truly fortunate.  However you had no reason to be afraid.  I would have fought for you to my last breath had it been necessary."

"Thank you Didymus.  Why didn't it attack us?"

"Because the creatures of the Forest of Eternal Night fear the light.  They are repulsed by the sun."

Sarah sat up, still a little bewildered at their near encounter with the beast, and looked at the pond.  It was medium sized in a fairly large clearing.  It's crystal clear waters allowed Sarah to see down to the bottom that was covered with pebbles and underwater vegetation.  "So how does this work?" Sarah asked the fox.

"I am told all one needs to do is merely look into the depths of the pond and think of where they would like to be.  Then step into the water."

Sarah rose and moved to the edge of the water.  Looking into the crystal clear water, she thought of her bedroom in her apartment.  An image appeared in the pond, as though a reflection.  It was her room, and it was all there.  Her bed covered by the quilt her Gran had made her before leaving for college, her set of oak dresser drawers, her tall bookshelf filled with books of every shape and size.  Sarah stared in awe until she heard Sir Didymus clear his throat behind her.  She turned to face him, "Thank you Didymus.  I can't even tell you how thankful I am to you."

She hugged him.  "Twas no trouble at all my Lady.  To help a maiden in a time of need is the core of the knight's code of honor."

"Still, I owe you."

"Come my Lady, tis time for you to return."

"Take care of yourself Sir Didymus."

"You too my Lady."

Sarah looked into the pond again, seeing her room.  She stepped into the pond expecting to get wet, but the moment her foot touched the water, she felt a swirling sense of vertigo.  She lurched forward and felt cool wood under her hands.  Sarah breathed deeply.  There wasn't the smell of earth and water and trees anymore.  Now it was the wildflower scent emanating from the Glade plug-in under her desk.

Sarah pushed herself up, swaying slightly as the vertigo lingered.  Steadying herself with the help of a chair, Sarah moved to her bed and sat down.  The vertigo seemed to be getting worse.  Perhaps if she just laid down for a nap.  Sarah closed her eyes before her head hit the pillow.

o O o O o O o

Jareth was sitting on his throne.  There were two goblins before him; one was petitioning that the other stole his hat.  The supposed thief was petitioning that he thought the hat was a free hat for anybody to use.  Jareth put a hand to his temple, rubbing in slow circles.  He didn't need this kind of petty squabbling, there were better things he could be doing.  "Nit!  Give the hat back to Wit and don't take it again.  Wit, keep your hats where they won't be confused as public hats.  That is all."

The two goblins bowed and retreated before their king decided to kick them out the window.  "Sire?" a timid voice asked.

Jareth looked up to see a young elf maiden before him.  "Yes Cerulean?"

"Sire, the girl you sent me to show to her rooms… she's not where you said she'd be.  I could not find her."

Jareth sat up straighter.  "What do you mean?  Did you check the entire room?  And the adjoining rooms and balcony?"

"Yes Sire, she was not there."

Jareth's face grew dark and he pounded a fist on the arm of his throne.  "Guards!  Search the castle for her!  If you find her, bring her to the throne room.  I shall return shortly."

Goblins started running every which way while in their midst, the Goblin King transformed into an owl and swooped out the window to search the Labyrinth by air.

o O o O o O o

It was well past midnight when the king swooped back into his throne room in defeat.  He'd not found a trace of Sarah.  As he dropped onto his throne, a pair of hobgoblins entered escorting a small fox/terrier between them.  "Your Majesty?  We found one who saw the Lady Sarah," the taller of the two said.

Jareth stared down at the small furry knight.  "Well?"

"Sire, I did see the Lady Sarah.  Knowing your history together, I thought it best not to mention it and to simply do as she asked."

"And what did she ask?"

"For my help in leaving the Underground."

"That's not possible.  You would need magic to do so and I know you don't have any."

"It was not my magic, or lack thereof that we used Sire."

Jareth glowered at the tiny knight, "Explain."

"There is a pond in the Forest of Eternal Night.  It is said that it can transport a being from one world to the next."

Silence filled the room for a moment before Jareth made his retaliation.  "You fool!" he hissed in a deadly whisper.  "Do you realize what you've done?!  She could die because of your ignorance!"

Sir Didymus' knees gave out under him.  "Surely not!  I could not live with myself if I sent the fair maiden to her death.  Please Sire, tell me it isn't so!"

"If we move quickly it may be prevented.  Where did she go?"

"Her room, in her apartment."

Jareth stood and vanished in a cloud of dark glitter that swirled ominously to the floor.  Sir Didymus put his head in his paws, "I hope I have not caused her any harm."

o O o O o O o

Sarah stumbled to the sink in the kitchen.  The vertigo had dimmed after her nap, but a churning nausea had replaced it.  Her hand shook as she filled a glass with water and slowly took a sip.  The glass slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor as she gagged on the small amount of water that had entered her mouth.  What's wrong with me? she thought desperately.

Using the countertop to support her, she moved back toward her room.  Once she reached the hallway, the world started to spin.  She couldn't keep upright so she sank to her knees, resting her head against the wooden floor.  She gripped her middle as she dry heaved.  Her head felt like she was spinning in circles at a hundred miles an hour.  She fell to her side on the floor and curled in on herself in a tight ball before losing consciousness.

o O o O o O o

Glitter flew everywhere as Jareth poofed into Sarah's room.  He glanced anxiously about, not seeing her.  "Sarah?" his voice sounded strained.

He moved quickly out to the hallway and spotted her on the floor.  "Sarah!"