Labyrinth Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Crystals ❯ After the storm ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Stef hanee 
Non Anime: Labyrinth Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Fantasy | Type: Fanfiction Sequel | Uploaded On: 02.25.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 357 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Labyrinth Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Fantasy | Type: Fanfiction Sequel | Uploaded On: 02.25.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 357 | Status: Completed
Chapter Ten: After The Storm
Jareth faltered where he stood. He suddenly looked very exhausted and the signs of battle showed not only in his expression but on his clothes as well; they were tattered or torn in numerous places. Cuts covered his face and arms and perhaps every other inch of his body, along with hidden bruises. It was surprising that he had no broken bones, or none visible that Chantal could tell.
The thunder had stopped rumbling and the sky had become clear. Chantal rushed over. "Is she- ?" she started.
Stephanie's head was back, her hair overflowed over the Goblin King's arms. Her own arms were hanging at her sides.
"Doing better than I am." he replied with a faint smile. "She'll be out for a while. Long enough hopefully." Chantal still looked worried, for both of them.
Jareth winced terribly as he lifted the girl in his arms. He seemed to pause for a moment before turning around. "Follow me," he said to the other girl as he started making his way towards the castle. He wondered if he should just use what strength he had left to teleport to the castle. It would be easier but he was too weary.
Jareth stumbled.
Halfway to the Goblin City, he had finally decided to get to the castle by means of teleportation. It took a toll especially with two extra people in his state. He felt completely drained. He was not used to these battles anymore; it has been a while indeed.
Chantal had gotten used to the way of teleporting from their realm to the Underground. She noticed that they had made it to the throne room; it was a disaster; Stephanie had certainly created a lot of damage. The room no longer looked the same nor held the same, dull as it was, brilliance and familiarity. It was like a set under construction.
The Goblin King barely glanced around the room as he passed silently into a hallway. He was walking down a long corridor. Chantal quickly followed Jareth. After passing through another series of maze like hallways for a few moments, they reached large onyx double doors where two slightly taller goblins were guarding each side. "Would you- ?" Jareth barked at the goblins, seeing as they made no move to open the doors. He indicated with a slight tilt of his head that his hands were full. Startled, they quickly pushed the heavy doors open, lightly bowing as he and Chantal passed by. Jareth spoke to one of the guards, his tone a bit harsh for their laziness before entering the room.
Chantal was amazed at the decor of the room they entered. She looked around as Jareth was heading to the other side of the room. Large stones continued to make up the wall, like the rest of the castle, but were a paler shade of grey. Chantal couldn't depict what were the Goblin King's royal colors on the faded drapes that covered a few sections of the room--it was either Royal blue with an odd shade of purple or green or red, the colors seemed to change in the light--some were tied back to reveal windowless glass. A fireplace stood in a section of the room, no fire burned in the hearth. A decor of weapon and shield covered in dust was hanging over the fireplace. Before it, was a sofa-like structure and a finely crafted cushioned chair with a round table in between, an empty goblet lay on the table to which Chantal took an innocent peek. A small desk stood near a window, close to the fireplace as well. Dusty books and scrolls, along with their casings lay scattered, an inkwell with a feather pen held a few loose parchments in place. A large crystal, the same that was in the throne room, sat at the opposite side of the room. The room was not a perfect square but it was quite spacious, bigger than all her downstairs back home. She mentioned this aloud.
Jareth lightly laughed. He had walked over to the bed that stood in one section of the large room, not too far from the fireplace and placed Stephanie upon the dark covers. Her head rested on one of the many pillows and cushions. The bed was simple, yet with the covers, it looked elegant. A symbol was etched into the stone above the head of the bed; it was the same symbol as Jareth's pendant and the crest that was above the fireplace; and was followed with elaborate designs of shapely vines.
He walked around the bed and finally sat exhausted in one of the finely crafted chair, more decorated than the last, facing the unconscious girl sideways. Silence filled the room as they sat taking it in. Chantal petted Serek thoughtfully. Finally one of them spoke.
"Are you all right? Injured at all?" the Goblin King asked, his voice low, tired.
It took a moment for Chantal to reply and Jareth was about to ask again. "Yeah. I'm fine." she looked over to Jareth. "A few bruises and scrapes but nothing too serious."
"Good. I'm glad that it's nothing serious." he replied, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "I have a dislocated shoulder I want you to help me with." he winced, the pain was becoming very unbearable, if he didn't do something about it he would likely pass out as well.
"What?!" Chantal got off the corner of the bed where she sat near her friend and headed towards the Goblin King.
He slightly held out his right arm. "On three, pull as hard as you can," he instructed. Chantal nodded and grabbed his hand and wrist.
"One...tw "
Chantal had pulled and pulled downwards on the second try. The sound of bones snapping was heard. Jareth grunted fiercely, he had gritted his teeth as his shoulder was put back in place. His shoulder roared in fiery pain. He took a moment to still the pain and the sickness he felt before nodding his thanks with a sore wince. It will do.
"You're bleeding!" Chantal exclaimed when she had removed her hands. They were imprinted with his odd, darker shade of blood.
"I think I also have a few broken ribs," Jareth laughed loudly which caused him to cough painfully. Chantal had widened her eyes at that remark. He regained composure and smiled painfully. A small sweat broke over his skin. "Strong stubborn girl," he said.
"Which was bad for us." Chantal smiled back. "Anything else broken?" she quickly looked him over, finding only smaller cuts, scrapes and the start of a few bruises.
"Other than my ribs and my pride?" Jareth joked, he caught a cough before it turned into another fit.
"Yes. But we were caught off guard. How were we to know?" Chantal said trying to lighten the situation. She smiled helpfully at the Goblin King. He nodded. She wasn't sure if it did help. "Now stop joking around before you die of a coughing fit." she laughed. He did a face.
A knock on the already open doors was heard; they hadn't bothered to come back to close them and the guards had become lazy surely; a few thin goblins in pale attire were in the doorway. The material they wore was light and flowed freely as they moved quickly about. Their tall, thin structure was more delicate than the normal goblins, almost if they were a faery version of a goblin. Three of them held wooden boxes in their long fingers and most of them had leather pouches tied to the golden braided belts they wore.
"Yes?" the Goblin King looked up and then gestured for the odd mix of a creature to enter. They were silent but quickly separated into two small groups. Chantal was unsure but saw that they were looking over her cuts. She realized that they were like the medics from her realm.
"They will give you an ointment to help heal more quickly and prevent infections." Jareth said as his own small group tended to his wounds. He winced when one pressed a little too hard. "Ankeh!" he said a bit too harshly to the goblin.
Chantal glanced back to her wounds. "Ow!" she said. The goblin gave her a look of apology. As they worked, they spoke amongst themselves in hushed tones. The ointment they used to clean the wounds was bright blue, it actually had the same texture of a gel toothpaste; it smelled a little like the spearmint used for the plaque fighting substance. She smirked at how amusing that was. She also caught another smell of an herb mixed into it, which she couldn't quite place her finger on. The medical team of goblins moved quickly about, Chantal and Jareth barely felt their light touches as they bandaged their wounds. When the goblins were done, they stood next to Jareth, awaiting for the others to finish or for some other orders.
"Lu'umo, lu'umo!" Jareth gestured to the girl on the bed. Chantal watched them for a moment before turning back to Jareth, who was lightly arguing with one of the goblins. He caught her gaze. He rolled his eyes and puffed out his cheeks comically with air before releasing it in annoyance. She laughed softly.
"Mat'é del'oh. Ita'no." He finally laughed as he urged the helpful goblins when they were finally finished, across the large chamber and out the doors. Closing the doors, he remained leaning on them for a minute. "They mean well and are very helpful at what they do, but they do not care who's authority they are under to get their job done." he grinned. "Loyal, but stubborn." He walked to one section of the room. Chantal asked if this room was the main chamber.
"Yes. It is my chambers." Jareth replied, being no more than in white bandages that covered his chest, he dug around in a hidden armoire covered by long thick curtains. He then disappeared behind the heavy curtain. He explained that the guest rooms were...a little too dusty to be occupied. "I do not have many visitors, so they haven't been used in years," he added with a short laugh before appearing with a fresh set of pants on; he held a pair of black boots, the boots were new also, but still worn looking. He asked if she wanted to change but she had replied that she only had a small tear in her clothes and that it would not bother her; remarkably her clothes weren’t all that dirty either. He nodded and slowly set himself down in his chair again.
"What the hell happened out there? And how was it all possible?" Chantal finally said when the words could finally form the jumbled emotion and thoughts she felt.
Jareth shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. "My thoughts exactly. I haven't got an answer for them unfortunately." He paused, not only for his thoughts but to take his time to put on his worn boots. "That dark crystal she had around her neck might have something to do with it; it couldn't be the one that was in the throne room because it had been destroyed during the battle. I believe the pendant brought forth emotions that were kept hidden and it fed some sort of magyks from within the sphere. Holding her under a spell or perhaps some sort of control." he shrugged as Chantal patted Serek's head. "Spell bindings comes to mind."
"Hypnosis? It could be. I was thinking along those terms." Chantal nodded.
"I'll know more on these theories once I get another view and expertise. I'll know more for certain." he took his time rising from his chair, stopping halfway to stop a coughing fit. He wiped at his brow before continuing. "I must get some more of my medicinal supplies for the Trilds. Especially sedatives." He winced.
"Where?" asked Chantal, also rising to her feet.
"A village not too far from here. Ke'l. A few of the medicinal herbs are rare and are of magical substances. They are cultivated by the villagers there, and who travel far distances for them." he explained a little more. He had returned to the hidden armoire and was preoccupied by searching for something specific. "Once I settle that, I can inform Kolbl, whom I'll be asking advice from, and tell him the event that had taken place. However he'll need proof and for that I must take Stephanie with me." He finished fastening a dark grey shirt. He turned back to the armoire, digging deeper into it. "He just arrived from a long travel and I'm not going to make him travel some more." He took out another item hanging on a hanger, frowned and returned it to its proper place.
"What about me?" Chantal asked.
"I want you to join me and meet him as well. I also want him to look you over for a theory I had, but it might be really nothing." There he was, talking in riddles again and confusing Chantal but she didn't want to ask what his "theories" were. Chantal looked at Stephanie instead whose slender arms were half covered in bandages.
"Would it be wise to be moving Steph?"
"She does not have any serious injuries, so I believe it's quite all right." He then turned his back to her and spoke into the crystal that stood across the room. Chantal squinted curiously to see whom he was speaking to. From the words she caught, which was in English, she heard instructions for preparing for a riding journey.
"I know it's close to nightfall, but we need to make haste in case she awakens and the 'evil' does return." He suddenly had a look as though he had just remembered something and he passed in front of Chantal, grabbing something off the desk and scribbled something with the feathered quill. "Unconscious or not. I've taken a chance getting us stitched up. I'm too weak to teleport and quite frankly it's too far for me to do so in either state." He returned to the armoire and brought out an armful of dark material. He handed one of the garments to Chantal. It was dark green in color and vine like pattern was embroided in darker shade of green thread. "It will get cold later. I suggest you wear this."
"Thanks." Chantal proceeded to put on the soft cloak. "A little musty, but it fits great." she smiled.
"Good." he nodded. "Follow Shmendrick. He will lead you to the stables and get you ready." he snapped his fingers when he neared the chamber doors. A goblin entered, clad in tan breeches and a green shirt. "I'll catch up to you once I prepare Stephanie."
"'Tay." Chantal nodded and started to follow the unarmored goblin. Jareth watched her leave as he finished slipping on his own dark cloak over his grey shirt, and fixed the high collar. It lightly brushed against the stone floor.
The Goblin King took a moment before placing Stephanie in a similar cloak. He then muttered a few words under his breath, not in a curse but in a charm. He knew that if he didn't double check a cast, he would never hear the end from his old mentor.
"Wished you hadn't injured my shoulder luv." he said as he slung Stephanie over his good shoulder, no matter, it still caused him to wince and gasp terribly. Her knees lightly bumped into his ribs and he held his breath painfully. "Stubborn girl," he shook his head after the pain subsided. He let out a slight laugh before heading out of his room. The girl's arms swung slightly, hitting his back.
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I'm not all that great in explaining castle rooms. So I hope you bear with me but if anyone can help me out a little bit it'll be great and just inform me if you want credit for it as well. ^__^
Jareth faltered where he stood. He suddenly looked very exhausted and the signs of battle showed not only in his expression but on his clothes as well; they were tattered or torn in numerous places. Cuts covered his face and arms and perhaps every other inch of his body, along with hidden bruises. It was surprising that he had no broken bones, or none visible that Chantal could tell.
The thunder had stopped rumbling and the sky had become clear. Chantal rushed over. "Is she- ?" she started.
Stephanie's head was back, her hair overflowed over the Goblin King's arms. Her own arms were hanging at her sides.
"Doing better than I am." he replied with a faint smile. "She'll be out for a while. Long enough hopefully." Chantal still looked worried, for both of them.
Jareth winced terribly as he lifted the girl in his arms. He seemed to pause for a moment before turning around. "Follow me," he said to the other girl as he started making his way towards the castle. He wondered if he should just use what strength he had left to teleport to the castle. It would be easier but he was too weary.
Jareth stumbled.
Halfway to the Goblin City, he had finally decided to get to the castle by means of teleportation. It took a toll especially with two extra people in his state. He felt completely drained. He was not used to these battles anymore; it has been a while indeed.
Chantal had gotten used to the way of teleporting from their realm to the Underground. She noticed that they had made it to the throne room; it was a disaster; Stephanie had certainly created a lot of damage. The room no longer looked the same nor held the same, dull as it was, brilliance and familiarity. It was like a set under construction.
The Goblin King barely glanced around the room as he passed silently into a hallway. He was walking down a long corridor. Chantal quickly followed Jareth. After passing through another series of maze like hallways for a few moments, they reached large onyx double doors where two slightly taller goblins were guarding each side. "Would you- ?" Jareth barked at the goblins, seeing as they made no move to open the doors. He indicated with a slight tilt of his head that his hands were full. Startled, they quickly pushed the heavy doors open, lightly bowing as he and Chantal passed by. Jareth spoke to one of the guards, his tone a bit harsh for their laziness before entering the room.
Chantal was amazed at the decor of the room they entered. She looked around as Jareth was heading to the other side of the room. Large stones continued to make up the wall, like the rest of the castle, but were a paler shade of grey. Chantal couldn't depict what were the Goblin King's royal colors on the faded drapes that covered a few sections of the room--it was either Royal blue with an odd shade of purple or green or red, the colors seemed to change in the light--some were tied back to reveal windowless glass. A fireplace stood in a section of the room, no fire burned in the hearth. A decor of weapon and shield covered in dust was hanging over the fireplace. Before it, was a sofa-like structure and a finely crafted cushioned chair with a round table in between, an empty goblet lay on the table to which Chantal took an innocent peek. A small desk stood near a window, close to the fireplace as well. Dusty books and scrolls, along with their casings lay scattered, an inkwell with a feather pen held a few loose parchments in place. A large crystal, the same that was in the throne room, sat at the opposite side of the room. The room was not a perfect square but it was quite spacious, bigger than all her downstairs back home. She mentioned this aloud.
Jareth lightly laughed. He had walked over to the bed that stood in one section of the large room, not too far from the fireplace and placed Stephanie upon the dark covers. Her head rested on one of the many pillows and cushions. The bed was simple, yet with the covers, it looked elegant. A symbol was etched into the stone above the head of the bed; it was the same symbol as Jareth's pendant and the crest that was above the fireplace; and was followed with elaborate designs of shapely vines.
He walked around the bed and finally sat exhausted in one of the finely crafted chair, more decorated than the last, facing the unconscious girl sideways. Silence filled the room as they sat taking it in. Chantal petted Serek thoughtfully. Finally one of them spoke.
"Are you all right? Injured at all?" the Goblin King asked, his voice low, tired.
It took a moment for Chantal to reply and Jareth was about to ask again. "Yeah. I'm fine." she looked over to Jareth. "A few bruises and scrapes but nothing too serious."
"Good. I'm glad that it's nothing serious." he replied, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "I have a dislocated shoulder I want you to help me with." he winced, the pain was becoming very unbearable, if he didn't do something about it he would likely pass out as well.
"What?!" Chantal got off the corner of the bed where she sat near her friend and headed towards the Goblin King.
He slightly held out his right arm. "On three, pull as hard as you can," he instructed. Chantal nodded and grabbed his hand and wrist.
"One...tw "
Chantal had pulled and pulled downwards on the second try. The sound of bones snapping was heard. Jareth grunted fiercely, he had gritted his teeth as his shoulder was put back in place. His shoulder roared in fiery pain. He took a moment to still the pain and the sickness he felt before nodding his thanks with a sore wince. It will do.
"You're bleeding!" Chantal exclaimed when she had removed her hands. They were imprinted with his odd, darker shade of blood.
"I think I also have a few broken ribs," Jareth laughed loudly which caused him to cough painfully. Chantal had widened her eyes at that remark. He regained composure and smiled painfully. A small sweat broke over his skin. "Strong stubborn girl," he said.
"Which was bad for us." Chantal smiled back. "Anything else broken?" she quickly looked him over, finding only smaller cuts, scrapes and the start of a few bruises.
"Other than my ribs and my pride?" Jareth joked, he caught a cough before it turned into another fit.
"Yes. But we were caught off guard. How were we to know?" Chantal said trying to lighten the situation. She smiled helpfully at the Goblin King. He nodded. She wasn't sure if it did help. "Now stop joking around before you die of a coughing fit." she laughed. He did a face.
A knock on the already open doors was heard; they hadn't bothered to come back to close them and the guards had become lazy surely; a few thin goblins in pale attire were in the doorway. The material they wore was light and flowed freely as they moved quickly about. Their tall, thin structure was more delicate than the normal goblins, almost if they were a faery version of a goblin. Three of them held wooden boxes in their long fingers and most of them had leather pouches tied to the golden braided belts they wore.
"Yes?" the Goblin King looked up and then gestured for the odd mix of a creature to enter. They were silent but quickly separated into two small groups. Chantal was unsure but saw that they were looking over her cuts. She realized that they were like the medics from her realm.
"They will give you an ointment to help heal more quickly and prevent infections." Jareth said as his own small group tended to his wounds. He winced when one pressed a little too hard. "Ankeh!" he said a bit too harshly to the goblin.
Chantal glanced back to her wounds. "Ow!" she said. The goblin gave her a look of apology. As they worked, they spoke amongst themselves in hushed tones. The ointment they used to clean the wounds was bright blue, it actually had the same texture of a gel toothpaste; it smelled a little like the spearmint used for the plaque fighting substance. She smirked at how amusing that was. She also caught another smell of an herb mixed into it, which she couldn't quite place her finger on. The medical team of goblins moved quickly about, Chantal and Jareth barely felt their light touches as they bandaged their wounds. When the goblins were done, they stood next to Jareth, awaiting for the others to finish or for some other orders.
"Lu'umo, lu'umo!" Jareth gestured to the girl on the bed. Chantal watched them for a moment before turning back to Jareth, who was lightly arguing with one of the goblins. He caught her gaze. He rolled his eyes and puffed out his cheeks comically with air before releasing it in annoyance. She laughed softly.
"Mat'é del'oh. Ita'no." He finally laughed as he urged the helpful goblins when they were finally finished, across the large chamber and out the doors. Closing the doors, he remained leaning on them for a minute. "They mean well and are very helpful at what they do, but they do not care who's authority they are under to get their job done." he grinned. "Loyal, but stubborn." He walked to one section of the room. Chantal asked if this room was the main chamber.
"Yes. It is my chambers." Jareth replied, being no more than in white bandages that covered his chest, he dug around in a hidden armoire covered by long thick curtains. He then disappeared behind the heavy curtain. He explained that the guest rooms were...a little too dusty to be occupied. "I do not have many visitors, so they haven't been used in years," he added with a short laugh before appearing with a fresh set of pants on; he held a pair of black boots, the boots were new also, but still worn looking. He asked if she wanted to change but she had replied that she only had a small tear in her clothes and that it would not bother her; remarkably her clothes weren’t all that dirty either. He nodded and slowly set himself down in his chair again.
"What the hell happened out there? And how was it all possible?" Chantal finally said when the words could finally form the jumbled emotion and thoughts she felt.
Jareth shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. "My thoughts exactly. I haven't got an answer for them unfortunately." He paused, not only for his thoughts but to take his time to put on his worn boots. "That dark crystal she had around her neck might have something to do with it; it couldn't be the one that was in the throne room because it had been destroyed during the battle. I believe the pendant brought forth emotions that were kept hidden and it fed some sort of magyks from within the sphere. Holding her under a spell or perhaps some sort of control." he shrugged as Chantal patted Serek's head. "Spell bindings comes to mind."
"Hypnosis? It could be. I was thinking along those terms." Chantal nodded.
"I'll know more on these theories once I get another view and expertise. I'll know more for certain." he took his time rising from his chair, stopping halfway to stop a coughing fit. He wiped at his brow before continuing. "I must get some more of my medicinal supplies for the Trilds. Especially sedatives." He winced.
"Where?" asked Chantal, also rising to her feet.
"A village not too far from here. Ke'l. A few of the medicinal herbs are rare and are of magical substances. They are cultivated by the villagers there, and who travel far distances for them." he explained a little more. He had returned to the hidden armoire and was preoccupied by searching for something specific. "Once I settle that, I can inform Kolbl, whom I'll be asking advice from, and tell him the event that had taken place. However he'll need proof and for that I must take Stephanie with me." He finished fastening a dark grey shirt. He turned back to the armoire, digging deeper into it. "He just arrived from a long travel and I'm not going to make him travel some more." He took out another item hanging on a hanger, frowned and returned it to its proper place.
"What about me?" Chantal asked.
"I want you to join me and meet him as well. I also want him to look you over for a theory I had, but it might be really nothing." There he was, talking in riddles again and confusing Chantal but she didn't want to ask what his "theories" were. Chantal looked at Stephanie instead whose slender arms were half covered in bandages.
"Would it be wise to be moving Steph?"
"She does not have any serious injuries, so I believe it's quite all right." He then turned his back to her and spoke into the crystal that stood across the room. Chantal squinted curiously to see whom he was speaking to. From the words she caught, which was in English, she heard instructions for preparing for a riding journey.
"I know it's close to nightfall, but we need to make haste in case she awakens and the 'evil' does return." He suddenly had a look as though he had just remembered something and he passed in front of Chantal, grabbing something off the desk and scribbled something with the feathered quill. "Unconscious or not. I've taken a chance getting us stitched up. I'm too weak to teleport and quite frankly it's too far for me to do so in either state." He returned to the armoire and brought out an armful of dark material. He handed one of the garments to Chantal. It was dark green in color and vine like pattern was embroided in darker shade of green thread. "It will get cold later. I suggest you wear this."
"Thanks." Chantal proceeded to put on the soft cloak. "A little musty, but it fits great." she smiled.
"Good." he nodded. "Follow Shmendrick. He will lead you to the stables and get you ready." he snapped his fingers when he neared the chamber doors. A goblin entered, clad in tan breeches and a green shirt. "I'll catch up to you once I prepare Stephanie."
"'Tay." Chantal nodded and started to follow the unarmored goblin. Jareth watched her leave as he finished slipping on his own dark cloak over his grey shirt, and fixed the high collar. It lightly brushed against the stone floor.
The Goblin King took a moment before placing Stephanie in a similar cloak. He then muttered a few words under his breath, not in a curse but in a charm. He knew that if he didn't double check a cast, he would never hear the end from his old mentor.
"Wished you hadn't injured my shoulder luv." he said as he slung Stephanie over his good shoulder, no matter, it still caused him to wince and gasp terribly. Her knees lightly bumped into his ribs and he held his breath painfully. "Stubborn girl," he shook his head after the pain subsided. He let out a slight laugh before heading out of his room. The girl's arms swung slightly, hitting his back.
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I'm not all that great in explaining castle rooms. So I hope you bear with me but if anyone can help me out a little bit it'll be great and just inform me if you want credit for it as well. ^__^