9Disclaimer: I do not own the TokyoPop Manga Series Jim Henson's Return to the Labyrinth, nor do I own Jim Henson's Labyrinth, although "I wish I did."
Chapter Three
Sarah had changed again, once she had arrived at the old and small London Theatre. She now wore what appeared to be a Modern/Fantasy white gown with a ruffled skirt and a leather purple pleather corset that buckled three times: once across her chest, once under her chest, and once across the waist line. The back or the corset was where it all tied together, with thick matching rope binding, that cross stitched like shoe laces. She also wore purple frilly, ruffled, and fingerless wrist gloves that matched the corset and what appeared to be old brown boots with purple and grey harlequin stockings.
When she arrived to rehearsals, the director only smiled and clapped his hands "Oh how lovely, my Titania has arrived and what a marvelous costume, my dear." The director was a younger man, perhaps late twenties, early thirties, he had bright blue eyes and cute dimples. He was wearing just a modern casual suit that reminded Sarah of Paris, when she went to go see her birth mother play in The Phantom of the Opera.
"Thank you, Mr. Fée {AN:Pronounced Fae}" Sarah said softly as she walked through the isles of the theatre until she arrived at the bottom of the circular stage. This theatre was like no other, as it was more like a Colosseum, there was no where to hide, and seats were all around the stage and the amazing sets that appeared on the stage had to look amazing no matter what angle you looked from the audience. Mostly it's the lighting that had to do most of the tricks for this stage, and most of the sets came from above on pulley systems, so they had to be of light weight.
"Come, come, come now! Where are the rest of the actors?" Mr. Fée exclaimed as he tutted, and paced across the stage. "Sarah, be a dear and come stand center stage, and say a few of the lines, perhaps the actors will come out to hear you, as they seem to never wish to hear my voice." he said more annoyed than anything, but hopeful.
Sarah raised her head high, as she instantly changed from a teenager, to a regal woman. Her eyes looked piercing as she walked up the stage, each step she made was that of power and grace, there was a mystical energy about her, as she spoke loudly from deep inside her diaphragm as she projected a soft, light voice of a gentle Queen.
TITANIA
These are the forgeries of jealousy:
And never, since the middle summer's spring,
Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead,
By paved fountain or by rushy brook,
Or in the beached margent of the sea,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,
But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.
Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
Contagious fogs; which falling in the land
Have every pelting river made so proud
That they have overborne their continents:
The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard;
The fold stands empty in the drowned field,
And crows are fatted with the murrion flock;
The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
For lack of tread are undistinguishable:
The human mortals want their winter here;
No night is now with hymn or carol blest:
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatic diseases do abound:
And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose,
And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which:
And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original.
{AN: A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, scene 1}
Like a Siren, Sarah's voice had drawn in the actors to the center stage. Most of them kept their silence as she spoke, none of Sarah's classmates would believe their Sarah was on the stage in the old London Theatre, how could they? She was the perfect Titania, unrecognizable on the stage. Everything about Sarah Williams, was gone. Her posture was more straight, her eyes more piercingly green, her cheeks more high, her lips more full. Everything about the awkward teenage outcast, was gone and now a new woman, the Queen of the Fairies stood amongst the actors on the stage.
Fifteen actors surrounded the stage, all of them silent and watching Sarah even after she had shaken of the mask of Titania and become herself. They didn't realize the fluctuation until the director, Mr. Fée started clapping, loud and hard. "Brava Brava! Fantastic! Thank you! Thank you, Sarah! What a marvelous job, you have brought my actors to the stage!" The other actors joined in and clapped for Sarah as well.
Sarah flushed, a soft pink darkening her cheeks as she was still unused to compliments. "You are welcome, Mr. Fee."
"Now that you are all here, well mostly...wear are the actors who play the faeries and Puck?" Mr. Fée asked the other actors.
"Remember, we chose not to go over their scenes as of yet, they will be arriving this afternoon." Sarah spoke softly.
"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me, dear girl!" Mr. Fée spoke. "Now, lets see who I have here...as I call out your character take to the stage..."
Jareth had nightmares, he dreamt of the night Sarah had won back Toby repetitively. He woke up, jolting from bed. "Power? What does that girl know about power?" he said through gritted teeth, before disappearing from his bed and reappearing in front of it, still in his bed clothes. "And Hardship unnumbered Ha! Who do you think she is fooling? There were twelve... Twelve at best!" he grumbled as he leaned against the foot of his bed.
There was clatter coming from behind his bedchamber door, the goblins were laughing and making a ruckus outside of it. "If Hogbreath hadn't helped her, she would have been trapped! Trapped in my Labyrinth until her spirit was broken! That girl, that lying cheating, scheming girl!...She is WORSE THAN ME!" he shouted as he chased the little goblins who barged into his room outside of his bedchambers, slamming the door as he leaned his body against it. "Sarah..." he sighed as his heart ached in his chest, as he spoke in barely a whisper "What do you want from me?"
Truth be told, Sarah did not know of Jareth's heart ache. She was too focused on her own, though she would never admit it. She would be in her dressing room as she looked to the mirror as she had just finished taking off her Titania make up, and was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a baggy black poet top and tennis shoes. "Hoggle, I need you..." she whispered, but no one answered her. She called him several times that day, and she didn't understand why he would not respond.
"Sir Didymus, I need you..." she would speak before the mirror as she looked for him behind the mirror. When he had not responded, she felt as if her heart was being stabbed within her chest. She could not reach her friends, were they being punished for attending theVictory Soiree? Would Jareth not allow them to communicate with her? She looked to the mirror, peering at her own reflection. "Are you crazy, Sarah?" She paused as her eyes kept searching for her friends behind the mirror.
"Was it really all a dream?" she asked her reflection, of course it would be crazier if she thought her reflection would respond. "If it was truly a dream...why do I feel such...pain," she said as she gripped her chest, with a clenched fist. " deep inside... my chest?" she shook her head. "Don't do this to yourself," she whispered to herself. "You are Titania, the Queen of the Faeries! Don't let some Goblin King rule over you!" she told herself as she glared at her reflection, before she stood up, grabbed her thick black backpack and flung it over her left shoulder and stormed out of the dressing room, more mad at herself than anyone.
Prince Hoggle,
How are you enjoying your Kingdom? Is it everything you expected it to be? Is it more? Did you like my present?
Jareth, the Goblin King
Hoggle looked up from the letter, "What present?" he asked to the messenger.
"I am your present, Prince Hoggle of the Bog of Eternal Stench." spoke the messenger, a finely dressed goblin. "I am to serve you m'lord. I was once Jareth's caregiver, when he was but a wee Prince, he thought I could assist you with your adjustments, your clothing, and responsibilities."
Hoggle looked to the finely dressed goblin with wide eyes. "But-I don't want to be a Prince!"
"I know that, as Does our King. However, what's said is said...your Majesty." The finely dressed goblin spoke.
"And what do I call you?" Hoggle asked, as he held in his tirade. It was never good to strangle the messenger. He thought to himself as he looked out the throne room window, looking to the smoking bog. "He is sending more subjects...isn't he?"
"From what I can tell, your Majesty...he has sent Thirteen in the passed hour, not including myself. Several of them ended up in the bog itself." spoke the goblin. "As for my name, you can call me Spinner, your Majesty."
"Spinner, would you kindly write the Goblin King back for me, and in a polite way tell him he can go hang himself and thank you for the servant, the rest can get out of my domain. I will not have unruly subjects, his rejects. He can send them else-where!" Hoggle grumbled to Spinner, as he sat on his throne, watching as one of the unruly goblins was actually swimming in the bog. He physically shivered in disgust, and had to turn away.
"As you desire, your majesty! I will get on that right away, is there anything else you wish for me to do?" Spinner asked, as he walked over to the writing desk that had across from the throne, that Hoggle had not noticed before. "Ah, yes. Can you request Sir Didymus to come see me, at my castle as well. I could use a friend right now." As he was still angry with Sarah, he ignored her calls for the time being.
"As soon as I am finished with this one to the King, I will send for Sir Didymus, your majesty." Spinner said dutifully as he began writing quickly.
"Sarah you can stop calling me, I ain't coming, not today!" Hoggle said to himself, in a heavy huff. "I hate you right now, wait til I get over it." he grumbled some more, as he pulled his crown off his head and examined it with his eyes. "I hate you Sarah, you damned me to this dreaded place!"
"YOUR MAJESTY! YOUR MAJESTY?" came a cry from atop of the stairs entering the dinning room, where Jareth sat, eating his breakfast, a lavish set up that filled the entire long table set for two, even though he was eating all alone. He was no longer in his sleepwear, and was admonishing his Goblin King attire, tight pants, and long black jacket, with overly large collar and a ruffled shirt beneath, and his riding boots. His crop was laying on the corner of the table. "THE GOBLINS ARE REVOLTING!" The goblin ran into the dinning room, a soldier for his king.
"Really...Spittledrum, must you always dwell on the obvious? They are positively vile!" Jareth said as he had picked up a stem of grapes and crushed them in his hand.
"This is the most serious, your Majesty!" Spittledrum continued as he raised his arms above his helmet. "The path-maker moves the Labyrinth walls without rhyme or reason! The bog of Eternal Stench is bubbling over! Even your enemies have grown bold, amassing their armies in the fields of Gnor!" he exclaimed. "Some Goblins are saying...that you've lost control over the Labyrinth."
"They are, are they?" Jareth asked as he looked to Spittledrum as he clenched his hands together. "Y-yes, Your majesty. They say that ever since SHE left, you've become all but powerless."
"This is serious, isn't it?" Jareth spoke with false sincerity. "I suppose I should tender my resignation at once, step down. Let some fresh blood take over the throne. But wherever would I find someone ready to take on such responsibility?" he spoke as he clutched his chest, in whimsey dismay.
"Well, your majesty. If I might be so bold, I would be willing to take on the burden myself." Spittledrum spoke up, as he offered an open hand, willing to take the responsibility. "For the Good of the Kingdom, of course." He took a deep breath as he spoke on. "I assure you, your Majesty, I would see that you are well taken care of. You could have any position you wanted in the new administration." Boldly, spoke Spittledrum.
Jareth spoke pointedly at Spittledrum. "You are too kind." he figuratively shaking his head as he stood up leaning against the table. "Prepare my Palanquin!"
"Exile, your Majesty? Really, I don't think you ned to go as far as-" Spittledrum was cut off from speech as Jareth had grabbed him around the neck, in a tight chokehold as he pulled him off the ground.
"I am not going into exile, you simple-minded sot!" Jareth said through clenched teeth as he glared into Spittledrum's eyes. "I'm making a social call" he spoke more softly as he placed him back on the floor.
"Yes, your Majesty! I'll bring it at once!" Spittledrum spoke, before rushing off into a dash out of the dinning room.
"You better!" he growled at the stairs as he watched the Knight fled.
Author's Note:
Now I know why I thought the Stepmother was Irene, in the Manga that is what they named her! Also, the scenes with Jareth were directly pulled from the manga, or at least my spin on it! Haha! I knew their had to be a logical reason. So any-who I hope you enjoyed my latest addition. Also, Fée means Fairy in French. READ&REVIEW!
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