Labyrinth II: Return to the Underground RPG

Elizabeth continued reading, not knowing what was going on around her.
She closed her eyes and tried to picture Jareth holding her and
offering her her dreams.

It was early afternoon, and deep in the heart of the Goblin City something
was stirring. She had slept for the gods knew how long, encased in stone and
decked out on the side of a wall, a statue to all appearances. But those
that knew her best realized she was only waiting until called again, and now
was that time.
The stone model of the bird-winged woman had not weathered over the ages, as one would have expected. Rather every pinion, every strand of hair was as
distinct as if she were newly made. Her eyes were shut, head resting against
her great spear. But now a change had come over the monument. Tiny hairline
cracks ran through the stone, and they were imperceptibly traveling up the
sides. The whole statue trembled- once, twice, three times. Small pieces of
stone flaked away, landing on the cobbled ground below or on an unfortunate
goblin's head. Then, with a great ear-splitting CRASH, the stone flew apart,
winging in all directions. In its place, slowly straightening up from her
self-imposed crouch, was a woman. About seven feet tall and very thin, her
pale tan skin was an interesting contrast to raven-dark hair and eyes of
dark violet. Clad in a simple black leather tunic and leggings, she would
seem like nothing out of the ordinary.
Except for the massive black condor wings sprouting from her shoulder
blades. And the fact that her eyes were slitted.
Taranis Goldenscream stretched, smugly observing the astounded stares given to
her by the gathering denizens of the Labyrinth. Let them gape- she had
bigger fish to fry. The female Avatar looked to the towering castle at the
center of the Goblin City, a slow smile crossing over her face. There was,
after all, only one reason that she, the most infamous assassin in this
world, would awaken. "I wondered how long it would take before I got to go
back into the human world," she says, amused. "Wonder who Jareth's after
this time." To the casual observer, the significance of her arrival would
mean only one thing.
The Huntress had returned.
Taranis stood at the edge of the Labyrinth, wind whipping her hair
straight back behind her. She could not physically cross over into
the human world, not until someone called her, but she could
influence those that lived there. Closing her eyes, she concentrated
on seeing into their realm.
Her  vision took her to a small room, where a girl sat reading
some sort of book. She ducked herself closer, hovering
over Elizabeth's shoulder. Ah- just as Sarah had, she was reading The
Labyrinth. Perhaps this girl was what she sought. Leaning in close,
she breathed,
"It is possible... It has been done... And you could do so yourself.
Cross into our world, Elizabeth. Cross over the gateway."

Jareth's skin began to tingle. He looked up sharply and a deep frown marred his elfin features. In an instant he knew something was amiss in the Underground. His mismatched eyes deepened to a blue so dark they were almost black. Something was not right...

Taranis snapped the semi-portal closed. Something had broken her
concentration. The Avatar looked up, shaking her hands hard, for they
felt as if they had been zapped with electricity. She turned, looking
back to the Goblin City. Perhaps now was not the right time for her
to try and lure humans, nor was she the right person. Ah- it had been
worth a shot. Taking up the spear that stood point-down in the earth
beside her. She rose into the air with a thunder of wing beats and
soared back over the high walls.
"Blasted. And things were going so nicely."


Jareth lounged on his throne with one leg slung over the arm. The clamorous melee around him had been going on for quite awhile and yet he had made no move to silence the loud goblins. Bushby, a teddy bear like creature called a Pook, tugged at Jareth's sleeves. Distractedly Jareth looked him, a distant look in his eyes.
"Your Majesty," Bushby looked up at Jareth with a child-like awe. "The goblins are so wild today. Why have you not stopped them?"
A ghost of a smile kissed Jareth lips. He was rather fond of the Pook even if it were a bit slow. "Something's wrong in the Underground, Bushby. But I don't know what it is."
Bushby ducked as a pan went whizzing over his head and crashed into wall. The goblin that threw it sulked and picked up another, aiming it at the Pook.
Without looking or with much energy, Jareth threw his scepter at the offending goblin knocking him off his perch.
Bushby didn't understand why his lord was upset; the Underground seemed the same as always; ever-changing and unpredictable. The Pook sat at the foot of Jareth's throne and leaned his head against the Goblin King's boot.
Jareth sighed...

Taranis circled Jareth's fortress-like castle, every once in a while
her dark shadow sliding over the cold stone. After the third pass she
finally found what she was looking for- a narrow ledge outside a
window to the throne room. She had to flatten herself against the
wall to avoid being hit with flying bits of cookware. "What in the
name of the Abyss?..." She stuck her head in, gaping at the turmoil
taking place inside. "Well, this is something new." One long leg
after another, she slid through the window, wings pressed tightly to
her sides. Since she was of human height, she stood a head above most
of the little creatures filling the room and thus could see over
them. She brushed a strand of hair out of her keen, slanted eyes,
revealing for a moment a sharply pointed ear. With quick, purposeful
strides, she made her way towards the goblin king.

The goblins were suddenly silent. Jareth didn’t seem to notice. Bushby did, however. He glanced up at Jareth who had his head in his hands. He looked at the intruder and pulled himself up to his full height, which didn’t even reach Jareth's knee. The Pook puffed out his chest in an attempt to be menacing and assumed a protective stance in front of the throne.
"What do you want," the little creature growled. "His majesty didn't summon you."
That got Jareth's attention...

Taranis threw back her head and laughed- a silvery sound,
strangely, tinted with a sort of darkness that belied her frail
appearance. "I know he didn't summon me," she said, regaining her
composure. "Something has gone awry in this land. Can you not feel
it? What else would awaken me from my enchanted sleep?"
Her next words were directed to Jareth. "For two thousand years I have been
encased in stone, awaiting the day when I would be called forth once
again. My people are defenders of the land we are assigned to.
Something threatens your world and mine, and I want to know what it
is."

Jareth did not move nor did he answer her right away. Slowly he raised his head.
"Stand down, Bushby," He said quietly and the Pook scampered back to him, watching his hero's every move.
Jareth elegantly rose from his throne and turned to face the stranger (no pun intended!). He was suspicious to say the least. "Perhaps I've felt an oddity regarding the Underground... And if I have why should I trust you?" he asked her archly, taking in her appearance. "I know nothing of these 'defenders' of which you speak..."


Taranis smirked, crossing her arms. "Trust me or not, it's your
choice, Jareth. You and I are not so different as one might think. I
too feel the tremors in the Underground. I think, perhaps, it may
have had something to do with the young human female that ventured
here, not so long ago." Her face took on a sly look- she could see
and hear in her statue form even if she couldn't move. 'You recall
the statue that stood on the outer walls of your fortress. That was
me."

Jareth's expression remained stoic while thoughts flew through his mind. "I remember there being a statue at one time, yes. Though you'll forgive me for not taking special notice of it. As for the tremors being caused by the child I brought here, I don't see why she would differ from the others who have passed through the Underground..."
Jareth snaps his fingers and a goblin came running with his scepter. But it wasn’t  the scepter he wanted; it was the pendant the goblin had been playing with.
"Stupid creature," he cursed,  jerking the necklace from it before flinging the creature across the room. "...should banish the lot of them to Bog of Eternal Stench..."
His piercing gaze returned to his visitor. "What exactly do you want..."

Taranis crossed her legs and sat down on thin air- a nice little
trick she picked up some centuries ago.
"I want to get to the bottom of this, just as you do," she said calmly. 'And the only way to make
sure my theory is correct is to find another human around Sarah's age
and bring her in here. You mostly bring infants into your world. As
far as I know, Sarah was the first sub adult. Perhaps that had
something to do with this. Or perhaps..."
A ghost of fear flickered over her face. 'Perhaps the stories are true and the Great Unraveling
really is coming to pass."


Jareth glared at her through narrowed eyes.
 "What do you know of the Great Unraveling?!" he demanded. There was a metallic edge to his voice. He turned his back on her. "If I choose your help, perhaps you need to know that Sarah was not the first 'sub adult' as you say, to come here..."






The new presence suddenly buried itself into the minds of Jareth,
and Taranis. The large, loaming thing seemed to be nothing but
shadow...the creature nothing but evil. But another presence was also
felt, that of a child.

The new creature to emerge into the world, had followed it's
creator...for this new being was a Nightmare, a demon of fear and bad
dreams...a creature bent of destroying all that is good and pure.

"I know that our worlds -the human realm and this one- are tied
together by fantasy and imagination. Should the threads that hold us
together fall away, or unravel, our world will die. As will the human
one, quite possibly. Answering your previous question, Avatars are
beings that try to stop this from happening." She sighed. 'It appears
I, and my people, have been lax." She looked up suddenly. "What do you
mean, Sarah was not the first?"

Taranis jerked, clapping her hands to her head as if in pain. She bared
her teeth, overlong canines glinting in the light as the impact of
the consciousness forces her to one knee. "No!" Her voice was barely
above a hiss. "NO! Get out!" She shook her head wildly, and then her
face seemed to clear as she got to her feet again.
Nightmare- her age-old nemesis, that which she and hers are sworn to
hold at bay. It that would, in effect, cause the Great Unraveling
to come to pass. Its presence was like a poison in the Avatar's mind,
an acidic substance that set her teeth on edge. "Here? Impossible!
How can this be?" She looked around, and then said, quietly, "I do
believe we are in very deep trouble."

Jareth nodded slightly taking in what she was saying. A violet blush crept into his cheeks; he didn’t look well. Bushby looked worried and sat by Jareth's feet. The violet subsided and his normal color returned.
 "Later you'll tell me more about your people," he said returning to his throne.
As Jareth looked at her, a strange shadow passed over his mismatched eyes. He looked away and said in a gruff voice, "Before Sarah, there was Aurora..."
He fell silent. Bushby looked at Taranis as she convulsed. He didn’t completely understand what they were talking about but knew it wasn’t good.
Bushby tugged at her pants leg. "Please," his black eyes were wide and fearful. "My lord," he motioned to a very white Jareth. "He's been havin' these spells lately. Has been since the tremors began. Help."
"BUSHBY!" Jareth reprimanded the Pook sharply. "That's enough!"
The Pook was visibly shaken and hid behind the throne. Pain creased Jareth’s face and he turned his back to Taranis again.
"Aurora was the first and supposedly the last..."




"Aurora..." Taranis closed her eyes, trying to remember if she's
heard of this one before. A faint vision crossed her mind, and she
opened her eyes again.
"Why the last?" she asks. "I know the Gateway
was set up for a reason..."
 She too fell silent, racking her mind
for the possible cause of these aforesaid "spells". When the
boundaries between the two worlds were weakened, she felt pain as she
had when the Nightmare made itself known, but she'd never heard of
such a thing happening to a goblin. She tilted her head lightly to one
side, observing Jareth with concern. "So... This Aurora was human."
It was more a statement than a question.

Jareth nodded then shook his head. He let out a long sigh; he seemed
very tired.
 "Yes and no. I assume you're aware of the Crystal Kingdom that sits
atop the Mountain of a Thousand Caves. She was-is the youngest
daughter of the king and queen of the Crystal Kingdom. She wasn't
your typical princess; she was rather rebellious and headstrong and
unconventional. Her father was afraid of her curiosity and
willfulness; he was hiding a secret from his family that he was
afraid his youngest daughter might discover. That secret was that his
great-great grandfather had gone through the gateway and met a young
girl whom he eventually married. She died a year after giving birth
to their only child- a boy. The cause of death was said to be
natural, but rumors said it was because she was human.
 Human blood ran strong through Rory," Jareth caught
himself. "Aurora's veins and she became curious about the Gateway and
the world beyond it.
  Of course, her father had a royal fit when he found out about her
escapades. He decided the best way to put an end to her snooping was
to marry her off to a prince from a far away kingdom. He held a
masquerade ball for her 15th birthday. He was going to choose her
suitor for her. That's where I came in. I had meant to simply crash
the party. But I met Ror-Aurora instead. I won't bore you with any
more details, but in effort to please her I gave her a taste of what
lay beyond the Gateway. She told me of her human genealogy and her
longing to be a part of the human race. The Underground entertained
her only for a short while, so I let her go through..." His voice had
been losing strength through the course of his story, but it became
strong again as he said, "She faithfully returned to the Underground
every full moon until three of her months ago. I assume she forgot
this place; it seems all humans do at some point...She was to be the
last because she turned two kingdoms and two worlds upside down. Her
father to this day blames me for her disappearance- our kingdoms are
on the verge of war even now. But then Sarah came, challenged me, and
won..."

"Now I remember." Taranis's shoulders drooped as she thought back. 'She
was always such an interesting child." She looked up again. "Perhaps
she has not forgotten you at all, Jareth. Perhaps she cannot return
at all. It is easy enough to find her in the human world- you and I
both have Farsight. I can find her... But I would need a physical
remnant of herself- a scrap of cloth, or something else that belonged
to her, like a lock of hair." She hesitated.
"It is... dangerous... to look across the Gateway with danger so
near. But I will try- for Aurora and for this world." She leaned her
spear against a nearby wall, and stood up. A faint flicker of pain
passed through her mind, and for an instant her left hand seemed to
go... transparent was the best word for it. But the next moment it was
normal- perhaps it was only an illusion.

Jareth turned in time to see Taranis's hand. He closed his eyes and
when he opened them again her hand was normal.
 "I know how dangerous it is too look across the portal." Another
long sigh escaped from him and his shoulders sagged as if under a heavy
burden. "I'm afraid I've not been telling you all there is."
 He abruptly got up from his throne and made his way through the mess
of goblins that were slowly beginning to return to whatever it was
they were doing, chattering at a dull roar.
  Jareth motioned for Taranis to follow him, kicking the goblins who
strayed into his path out of his way.
  He led her down the elaborately decorated corridor. At the end he
turned left and they were facing an ornately carved mahogany door.
Taking the pendant from his neck he pressed it into the handle. A
faint clicking was heard and Jareth opened the door to a feminine
looking sitting room. It was simple yet expensively furnished with
various items from the human world decorating it.
 "I used to pass through the Gateway every night to make sure she was
alright. The journey weakened me too much and I had to stop. Instead
I sent my messenger and spy, a white owl, to watch over her. But even
it can no longer pass through."
 Jareth locked his gaze with Taranis's. "I can't ask you to endanger
yourself for me. If you choose to go ahead, everything in this room
is hers..."

The child sulked, sadly against the very same tree Sarah first saw
upon entering the Underground. He wiped away his tears some and
looked up, and over the seemingly never-ending maze that was the
Labyrinth. Suddenly a soft, but raspy voice cooed to the child,
calming him some "Do not be afraid, my maker...this world will be
ours soon enough...just stay close to the shadows, and you shall be
protected"

Farther away Nightmare finished speaking with his creator...he smiled
viewing the same scene as the child, but from a different angle. The
Underground would soon be theirs to rule, and than the child could be
destroyed...after they succeeded in taking over...they would not need
the child’s life blood to flow in his veins to keep Nightmare alive
any longer.

The portal opened once more, a tall woman stepped through behind
Nightmare, she was beautiful beyond expectation, she looked at the
black monster made of fire and shadow... "How fair's the child?"
Nightmare nodded "Well Mistress...my creator's heart beats
strong...and with that I too am strong...this world will yours soon
enough" the woman nodded, red hair blowing slightly in the
wind...she looked towards the castle...and narrowed her eyes
"Hello again...my husband" she laughed....



Standing in Aurora's old room, Jareth suddenly stiffened. His already spiky hair seemed to stand on end. His pendant began to pulse and he quickly hid it in the folds of his cloak hoping that Taranis had not seen it. It wasn't possible... the changes in the Underground must be confusing the pendant... She could not have possibly come back...







Taranis gritted her teeth, feeling swamped once again by Nightmare.
Then, unexpectedly, she felt another mind touch hers. Disbelievingly,
she closed her eyes, tightening her grip on the hand mirror she'd
picked up. "Aurora?" she whispered, reaching into her Farsight. The
vision took her down a long corridor, into a place she'd only seen a
few times before, when she'd dared to venture into the Shadowrealms.
There was the Nightmare itself, standing only a few feet away,
conversing with a fiery-haired woman that looked strangely
familiar. "Sweet lady Shia." Taranis's eyes opened wide in
shock as she looked closer. She could feel the familiar waves of
darkness lapping at her consciousness. It called to her, in a
wordless voice that she could not hear. Reached out to her. Pulled...
"Aaagh!" Taranis hauled back HARD, struggling to free herself from
that which held her mind in thrall. "Stupid of me! Shouldn't have
gotten that close." Her eyes slowly drifted into focus and she turned
to Jareth. 'She is here. Aurora has come home, but I cannot reach
her. Something clouds my vision. And that which threatens our world
is with her. There's only one way to really see what's going on. I
have to go there." She raised her arms, stepping into a portal
she had not used for ten centuries. A whirlwind of sparks surrounded
her, creating a halo of mist. Holding the mirror to her face, Taranis
inhaled the mist...
She  appeared become smoke.
She was rushing through the air at high speed, streaking towards
Aurora, that most elusive of quarries. Gradually, she slowed down,
touching down on cold stone. Yes, here was the place she had seen in
her vision, but where was the Nightmare? For that matter, where was
Aurora? She turned halfway around, and was impeded by a prickle of
danger going up her back. A second too late, she raised her spear. A
second too late, she attempted to flee. Just one second too late,
before the steel shackles snapped around her wrists and held her fast
against the wall.

Jareth barely noticed Taranis's departure. After she was gone, The Goblin King gave into the emotions that were overwhelming him. He sunk to his knees, shoulders heaving in pain. He let himself collapse onto the Oriental rug that carpeted the stone floor. His mind reeled; thoughts colliding together and making no sense. He held his head and rocked back and forth as though it might rid him of the torment. His world was falling apart literally and he felt helpless to stop it. His faithful companion, Bushby, sat close by should Jareth need him for any reason. The little Pook silently prayed that Taranis would come back and help his lord...

"Oh blast." Taranis yanked at her wrists, lunging forwards, only to
be hauled back. She turned, hauling at the shackles. Usually she'd be
able to rip them right out of the wall, but now they didn't even move
an inch. For the first time in her long, long life, Taranis was
frightened and disoriented. She had no idea that she could be so
foolish as to step into such a trap. Her thoughts shifted from
herself as she felt a mind-numbing blast of pain that forced her to
her knees. Nightmare was getting stronger, and with its strengthening
the ties were being pulled thin- with the result tat Taranis, too,
felt that she would surely snap in twain. Her entire being flickered,
growing as transparent as glass. Her head lolled forwards as she
fought the rising tide of blackness that loomed before her. "No," she
gasped. "No, I cannot fade. Not now. Not when we're so close to
finding the key to this." Like all her people, Taranis would not die
were she severely injured or if the strands of the two world were
stretched too far. She, like all those in this world, faced a far
more dire fate. They would simply fade from existence.
"NO! I will not let this happen!" Taranis's body returned, gradually,
to its normal state as she struggled to her feet. "I must be free,"
she hissed, and hauled one last time.
CRACK.
The shackles broke halfway down their chains and the Avatar nearly
fell forwards. Well, she'd SENSED Aurora strongly enough. Having
found what she came for, she had no desire to remain here. Closing
her eyes, she began the return to the castle. But she knew that,
having taken something of this evil place with her, she could be
called back at will. That was a chance she'd just have to take.
Taranis materialized and was met with a sight she'd hoped she'd never
see. The Goblin King was on the floor, apparently in as much pain as
Taranis herself. "Oh, gods!" She dropped to her knees beside
him. "What happened?!"


Jareth shrank back from her closeness to him. He painfully forced his
head up and tried to look her in the eyes. His eyes were bloodshot
and an icy blue. The pain in his eyes was obscured by an immense
sadness. He was very pale and his once black attire was now as pale
as death. His parched lips parted enough to whisper, "She's here,
isn't she."
 He clutched at the throbbing red pendant as a silver tear slipped
down his cheek.

Slowly, Taranis nodded her head. She turned her face away. "She is.
But something is terribly wrong." She sighed, considering how best to
word her next statement. "The darkness has her." She turned back to
the Goblin King, hardly able to look at his pain. Still, she knew
what she had to do if they had any chance at all to fight the
Unraveling. "One of us should be comfortable, at least," she
commented dryly. "This may feel a little strange." She laid a slender
hand on either of his shoulders and pushed hard with her mind. Faerie
fire, glowing blue-white, danced down her arms and onto her hands.
With what little strength she had left -her two-way journey had left
her drained- she concentrated on healing. The points of energy grew
brighter at her fingertips, and when she took her hands away, tiny
jolts of what appeared to be electricity transferred to him. 'It's
not a cure," she said apologetically, staggering upright and plunking
herself into a chair, "but it should do the trick. For now." From her
position in the chair, she noticed, at last, the glowing
amulet. 'What is that?"




It took Jareth a second to realize what Taranis had done. He stood
up slowly as though testing his new strength. He took a few cautious
steps towards her. "Thank you," he said finally. "I don't mean to
sound ungrateful, but you should not have drained yourself so. You
have already put yourself in too much danger. I am, however, greatly
indebted to you."
  Jareth sat lightly on the writing desk adjacent to the chair
Taranis sat in. He motioned Bushby over to him, simultaneously taking
the throbbing pendant in his other hand. The Pook struggled to climb
next to Jareth, eventually giving up and settling for leaning
precariously against Jareth's leg, balancing himself on Jareth's foot.
   The Goblin King offered the amulet to Taranis to inspect. There
was a deep shadow over his eyes and he looked away. "I'm not sure
exactly how it explain that," he nodded toward the pendant, "except
as it being my link to Aurora. I knew she was here because it began to
pulse erratically. It changes color and light according to how she is.
When she is well, it appears to be a normal piece of gold and silver
jewelry. But when it looks like it does now, something is very wrong
with her.  "
  Jareth sighed which nearly toppled Bushby. He looked down then up
at Taranis. "Aurora has the other half."

Aurora sighed some looking towards the twisting maze, that was the
Labyrinth, she wore two necklaces. One was a golden pendent that
glowed softly, the other was a large diamond upon a black gold chain,
and inside the diamond black mist swirled around, ever so slowly.
Aurora touched the glowing pendent and recoiled with flash backs of
her and Jareth's happy times together, she fell against a tree that
was dying in Nightmares presence...the swirling images of how much
she had loved the man clouded her thoughts, and flashed pictures in
her mind. A cold clawed hand touched her shoulder, and the pendent
immediately stopped glowing, the mist filled diamond renewed with black
smoke...the visions suddenly disappeared and she opened her eyes and
looked up at Nightmare, he spoke gently to her "Are you alright
mistress?" Aurora nodded slowly and stood "Yes...yes I’m fine...I
just...thought I had...no..." she shook the thoughts from her head
and re-focused herself on her goal of overthrowing Jareth for the
cause of combining worlds...


Nightmare snarled silently as Aurora looked back towards the
palace...evil's grip upon her was slipping...her love for Jareth
seemed to have started to bleed into the evil that the diamond she
wore upon her neck amplified. It was an ancient artifact of the
Earth plane that Aurora had happened upon by chance. The wearer of
the diamond most evil instincts boil to the surface, as the diamond
possesses the person, and clouds their true feelings. But it seemed
the Earth saying 'Love conquers all' was pretty true, judging by the
fact that the diamond, before he touched her shoulder, was beginning
to release it's hold upon her. He had to ensure that Aurora kept the
diamond necklace on at all times, and force her to take the pendant
off...if this world was to come crashing down, Aurora was the
key...and he needed the diamond as the pawn, and her to play the
game.


Jareth turned from Taranis. Aurora's presence was so strong now that
he didn't need the pendant to know she was here. His goblins felt it
as well, for they were silent in the throne room, aware of the
changes taking place. Bushby was now sitting on the Goblin King's
shoulder. He was nervous for he could feel Jareth’s unease and anything
that bothered his king worried him.
  Jareth looked out the window of what had once been Aurora's sitting
room. There were so many things he wondered about where she was
concerned. Beyond the Labyrinth he could see the changes in the sky.
Even the usually radiant Crystal Kingdom seemed dark. Jareth frowned.


"So," Taranis breathed, her rest helping her regain some of her lost
strength. She stared up at the darkening sky, what appeared to be
lightning bolts dancing in the depths of her eyes. 'It has begun."
She heaves herself to her feet. "I fear Aurora is in grave danger.
Nightmare does not share power, not even with its creator or
creators. Perhaps it is using her as an outlet for the source of
strength it so desperately needs to help the Unraveling. But one
thing is for certain. Aurora is the key- and we cannot fight this
battle alone." She turned to Jareth and his goblins, her tone now
strained and determined at the same time. "I will rally my people.
They will help- if they can. But first, if we are to fight and try to
rescue Aurora, it will take more than your love and my spells." She
raised her hands, making a complex series of signals in the air.
Holding out her hands, she smiles as a sword materializes in
them. "This is Asadh," she says. "Roughly translated the name
means 'Soulforge'. It is the outlet for my strength and will help to
fight the Nightmare. Now- I must go. I shall return shortly.
The gods willing, we will stand a chance." She left the room at a
half-run, heading straight for the Crystal Kingdom, the chains still
hooked to her wrists whipping at the air.
"The gods willing, we will stand a chance..."

Jareth nodded as she left the room. He silently wished her Godspeed and prayed that she would be able to bring help. Though he had not gone to the Crystal Kingdom himself in the time since he had first met Aurora, he knew that he still had a few allies there, his brother-in-law, Daric, being his biggest. Jareth sighed, his expression grim. He hoped to leave Daric out of it, but if Taranis needed his help, Daric would somehow run into her. Jareth turned from the window and went back to the throne. There was nothing for him to do but wait.