Exchange Fic #16: An Entire World, Within Its Bounds
The actual identity of the writer will remain secret until all the submissions are in and posted.
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Title: An Entire World, Within Its Bounds
Author: jamethiel_bane
Recipient: owl_songs
Prompt: 1) Sarah is Queen… without Jareth. How did she become monarch of the Labyrinth and why does she rule alone? How long has she reigned? What has it been like for her, her friends, her subjects? Angst is welcome, darkness invited, fluffiness embraced with open arms!
Rating: PG
Plot Summary/Author's Notes: Sometimes the hardest thing about power is knowing when not to use it.
Beta'd by C and E. Thanks, guys. All remaining faults are my own.
"Your Majesty." The plume in Didymus' hat brushed the ground as he sank into a deep bow. Sarah sat upright in her seat.
"Is there any news, Sir Didymus?" Sarah kept her voice carefully even but her hands gripped the sides of the throne.
Didymus remained in his low bow, carefully raising his eyes no further than her shoes. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. The messenger has not returned."
Sarah remained carefully still. A crystal ball rested in the corner of the throne room. She'd never dared touch it. "I see." Sir Didymus cautiously raised his eyes and she ventured a twisted smile at him. "I had hoped..."
"Milady, don't you think that your expectations are too high? Goblins are not famed for their intellect."
Sarah shrugged. "Then they will have the government they deserve. And perhaps in time, they will grow to make better decisions." She stood, and wandered down the steps of the dais, over to the window. "Children never grow until they're encouraged to."
Didymus raised his chin. "They're not children, Your Majesty. The role of the Goblin King--" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him and he corrected himself with an impatient head-tick, "or Queen has been as much to serve as a control over the folk as a focus for the Labyrinth."
A short, round goblin with a jagged nose came running in. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Sarah whirled eagerly. "Yes?"
"You were waiting for the messenger, yes?" said the goblin.
Sarah hissed between her teeth. "Yes. Do you have news?"
"News. Yes." The goblin drew himself up and then said proudly: "My chicken made an egg."
Sarah's eyes narrowed. The goblin held out the egg with a wide smile and then started towards her. A chicken darted underfoot, and for a second the goblin balanced on the toes of one foot. Then he sprawled forward, measuring his length on the flagstones. The egg flew from his hand in a perfect parabolic arc.
"Oh no," said Sir Didymus.
The egg shattered on Sarah's shoulder. A piece of shell flew up and stuck to her cheek, sliding down and leaving a trail of sticky albumin. Sarah raised her hand up to her cheek and wiped the shell away, staring at the goblin.
"My egg!" wailed the goblin. Sarah drew in a deep breath and found herself instinctively reaching for the crystal ball, which shifted slightly. The world appeared to hold its breath for a second, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of bone-white feathers in the window. She curled her outstretched hand into a fist.
"Go," she said shortly to the goblin. He opened his mouth to say something further but then a sharp glance made him think better of it. He scuttled out, and Didymus bowed and withdrew from the room.
"It's getting harder, ain't it Sarah?" said Hoggle, coming out from the shadows cast by the archway.
Sarah dropped her hand by her side. "Yes." She looked at the window, but could only see her own reflection.
"Would it be so very bad? The Labyrinth needs a queen. The goblins need a ruler. You wouldn't be the worst we've had, not by a long shot."
"And I need friends more than I need subjects." Sarah rubbed at her temples.
"What you're trying to do--it's never been done."
"I know that. And I know there's no guarantee that it's even possible, or that what I've done will work even if it is possible. But I have to try."
"Well, if you must, you must," said Hoggle. Sarah smiled at him, and he dropped into a rough bow, missing the hurt that flashed briefly over her face. "Try to get some sleep."
"I will. Goodnight, Hoggle," said Sarah. She sighed, and grabbed a rough cloth to gather up the egg mess on the floor as he left the room.
"Touching," said a cold voice. "Ultimately futile, but touching."
Sarah whirled around, but all she saw was something off-white and fleeting out of the corner of her eye. "Jareth?" she said sharply.
"You think that by creating a parliament, you'll free yourself from the duties of Queen? The ruler is tied to the Labyrinth and the Labyrinth to the ruler. It needs a will to direct it." Jareth's voice was coming from behind her. Sarah turned and walked towards it.
"No, it should work. I think I figured it out!" Sarah walked through the archway and found herself in a long hallway, lined with mirrors.
"You think?"
"I hope."
Jareth walked through the archway. Sarah instinctively turned, but found an empty hall behind her. But when she looked in the mirror, he was still there.
"You realise that if you'd just accepted my generous offer, this wouldn't be an issue?" said Jareth.
Sarah snorted. "Which offer was that? To have you rule over me? Or to rule."
Jareth sounded injured. "Both of those were perfectly legitimate offers."
"First of all, I was fifteen, you bastard, and you wanted to take my power away from me before I knew what it was. And secondly, you only wanted me to rule so you'd be free. The Labyrinth must have a master."
"Or mistress," said Jareth, watching her intently. "You talk about giving up power. I offered you all of this." He gestured, and the background of the mirror no longer reflected the archway leading to the throne room, but the length and breadth of the Labyrinth.
"I think," said Sarah slowly, "that the only kind of power worth having is power over yourself. And that's what I'm trying to give to the goblins. Power over themselves."
Jareth made a noise like an angry cat. "They're not united enough. Have I taught you nothing, these twenty years? If you cannot be loved, better to be feared. Power unused will wither."
Sarah screwed up her nose. "Machiavelli isn't even original. And I think if it's important enough, they'll unite. It'll give the Labyrinth direction."
"Sarah. We cannot gamble the future of the Labyrinth on this," said Jareth, reaching out his hand to her.
"We? You tried to trap me here alone!"
"It's not too late. Just take my hand, free me. We can rule together. Our kingdom will be known far and wide." His hand flexed and he took a step towards her.
Sarah put her hands behind her back and shook her head. "It's not going to be easy, but I think it's important. 'There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.' You taught me that."
Jareth's nostrils flared. "And apparently in doing so, have doomed us all."
Sarah heard the sound of footsteps in the throne room, and then a voice cried "Your Majesty?" She turned, and took three steps towards the archway, then stopped and turned back.
"You're right. This is my roll of the dice. You shouldn't have tried to trap me here, but I'm not you." Sarah reached into the mirror and grabbed him around the wrist. "Whatever happens now, you're free."
Jareth stepped from the mirror. "I find myself somewhat curious as to the outcome."
Sarah smoothed her skirt, drew back her shoulders and walked calmly into the throne room. She could feel the heat of Jareth, following two steps behind.
"Your Majesty?" said a goblin, bowing low. "The messenger is here."
****
Title: An Entire World, Within Its Bounds
Author: jamethiel_bane
Recipient: owl_songs
Prompt: 1) Sarah is Queen… without Jareth. How did she become monarch of the Labyrinth and why does she rule alone? How long has she reigned? What has it been like for her, her friends, her subjects? Angst is welcome, darkness invited, fluffiness embraced with open arms!
Rating: PG
Plot Summary/Author's Notes: Sometimes the hardest thing about power is knowing when not to use it.
Beta'd by C and E. Thanks, guys. All remaining faults are my own.
"Your Majesty." The plume in Didymus' hat brushed the ground as he sank into a deep bow. Sarah sat upright in her seat.
"Is there any news, Sir Didymus?" Sarah kept her voice carefully even but her hands gripped the sides of the throne.
Didymus remained in his low bow, carefully raising his eyes no further than her shoes. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. The messenger has not returned."
Sarah remained carefully still. A crystal ball rested in the corner of the throne room. She'd never dared touch it. "I see." Sir Didymus cautiously raised his eyes and she ventured a twisted smile at him. "I had hoped..."
"Milady, don't you think that your expectations are too high? Goblins are not famed for their intellect."
Sarah shrugged. "Then they will have the government they deserve. And perhaps in time, they will grow to make better decisions." She stood, and wandered down the steps of the dais, over to the window. "Children never grow until they're encouraged to."
Didymus raised his chin. "They're not children, Your Majesty. The role of the Goblin King--" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him and he corrected himself with an impatient head-tick, "or Queen has been as much to serve as a control over the folk as a focus for the Labyrinth."
A short, round goblin with a jagged nose came running in. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Sarah whirled eagerly. "Yes?"
"You were waiting for the messenger, yes?" said the goblin.
Sarah hissed between her teeth. "Yes. Do you have news?"
"News. Yes." The goblin drew himself up and then said proudly: "My chicken made an egg."
Sarah's eyes narrowed. The goblin held out the egg with a wide smile and then started towards her. A chicken darted underfoot, and for a second the goblin balanced on the toes of one foot. Then he sprawled forward, measuring his length on the flagstones. The egg flew from his hand in a perfect parabolic arc.
"Oh no," said Sir Didymus.
The egg shattered on Sarah's shoulder. A piece of shell flew up and stuck to her cheek, sliding down and leaving a trail of sticky albumin. Sarah raised her hand up to her cheek and wiped the shell away, staring at the goblin.
"My egg!" wailed the goblin. Sarah drew in a deep breath and found herself instinctively reaching for the crystal ball, which shifted slightly. The world appeared to hold its breath for a second, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of bone-white feathers in the window. She curled her outstretched hand into a fist.
"Go," she said shortly to the goblin. He opened his mouth to say something further but then a sharp glance made him think better of it. He scuttled out, and Didymus bowed and withdrew from the room.
"It's getting harder, ain't it Sarah?" said Hoggle, coming out from the shadows cast by the archway.
Sarah dropped her hand by her side. "Yes." She looked at the window, but could only see her own reflection.
"Would it be so very bad? The Labyrinth needs a queen. The goblins need a ruler. You wouldn't be the worst we've had, not by a long shot."
"And I need friends more than I need subjects." Sarah rubbed at her temples.
"What you're trying to do--it's never been done."
"I know that. And I know there's no guarantee that it's even possible, or that what I've done will work even if it is possible. But I have to try."
"Well, if you must, you must," said Hoggle. Sarah smiled at him, and he dropped into a rough bow, missing the hurt that flashed briefly over her face. "Try to get some sleep."
"I will. Goodnight, Hoggle," said Sarah. She sighed, and grabbed a rough cloth to gather up the egg mess on the floor as he left the room.
"Touching," said a cold voice. "Ultimately futile, but touching."
Sarah whirled around, but all she saw was something off-white and fleeting out of the corner of her eye. "Jareth?" she said sharply.
"You think that by creating a parliament, you'll free yourself from the duties of Queen? The ruler is tied to the Labyrinth and the Labyrinth to the ruler. It needs a will to direct it." Jareth's voice was coming from behind her. Sarah turned and walked towards it.
"No, it should work. I think I figured it out!" Sarah walked through the archway and found herself in a long hallway, lined with mirrors.
"You think?"
"I hope."
Jareth walked through the archway. Sarah instinctively turned, but found an empty hall behind her. But when she looked in the mirror, he was still there.
"You realise that if you'd just accepted my generous offer, this wouldn't be an issue?" said Jareth.
Sarah snorted. "Which offer was that? To have you rule over me? Or to rule."
Jareth sounded injured. "Both of those were perfectly legitimate offers."
"First of all, I was fifteen, you bastard, and you wanted to take my power away from me before I knew what it was. And secondly, you only wanted me to rule so you'd be free. The Labyrinth must have a master."
"Or mistress," said Jareth, watching her intently. "You talk about giving up power. I offered you all of this." He gestured, and the background of the mirror no longer reflected the archway leading to the throne room, but the length and breadth of the Labyrinth.
"I think," said Sarah slowly, "that the only kind of power worth having is power over yourself. And that's what I'm trying to give to the goblins. Power over themselves."
Jareth made a noise like an angry cat. "They're not united enough. Have I taught you nothing, these twenty years? If you cannot be loved, better to be feared. Power unused will wither."
Sarah screwed up her nose. "Machiavelli isn't even original. And I think if it's important enough, they'll unite. It'll give the Labyrinth direction."
"Sarah. We cannot gamble the future of the Labyrinth on this," said Jareth, reaching out his hand to her.
"We? You tried to trap me here alone!"
"It's not too late. Just take my hand, free me. We can rule together. Our kingdom will be known far and wide." His hand flexed and he took a step towards her.
Sarah put her hands behind her back and shook her head. "It's not going to be easy, but I think it's important. 'There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.' You taught me that."
Jareth's nostrils flared. "And apparently in doing so, have doomed us all."
Sarah heard the sound of footsteps in the throne room, and then a voice cried "Your Majesty?" She turned, and took three steps towards the archway, then stopped and turned back.
"You're right. This is my roll of the dice. You shouldn't have tried to trap me here, but I'm not you." Sarah reached into the mirror and grabbed him around the wrist. "Whatever happens now, you're free."
Jareth stepped from the mirror. "I find myself somewhat curious as to the outcome."
Sarah smoothed her skirt, drew back her shoulders and walked calmly into the throne room. She could feel the heat of Jareth, following two steps behind.
"Your Majesty?" said a goblin, bowing low. "The messenger is here."