Is This Love Real?

Chapter Five
War in the Underground

Snow was falling in soft white puffs. It was a steady stream of the cold flakes, which showed no sign of letting up. This particular snowfall had been ongoing for the past four hundred years. The dusk air was crisp and clean. While the sky across the frozen ocean was red and pink with dusty hues the horizon opposite was deep cerulean blue with a few stars here and there.

One Dwarf was slightly less appreciative of the beauty in his surroundings, as he was trudging through waist high snow. Grumbling and mumbling, he waded along clutching his cloak about himself more tightly. If there was one thing he was grateful for, it was that while the snow kept falling it never accumulated any higher than the two feet it was at now.

Hoggle was on a mission, though it was really more of a chore or errand. The Goblin King had mentioned certain activities along the new border. Glacemer was becoming more troublesome than usual, they had begun to over step the line and break laws, which the Goblin King could no longer ignore.

Glacemer was a bordering kingdom to the Labyrinth. It was one vast frozen sea, glaciers the size of mountains. The outskirts of Glacemer, where the land remained fairly uninhabited, was just a flat plain of ice. While snow fell constantly, there were still clear stretches, and when the ground was free of snow, stormy waters could be seen thrashing about in murky depths below the crystal ice. There were no season changes in Glacemer. It was always a harsh and biting cold winter.

Now, those damn Algidsors, the people of Glacemer, were frequenting past their kingdom borders, and hoarding into the Goblin King’s domain. There was much political unrest, what with Jareth’s expanding lands in and around the Labyrinth, many feared his power grew too great.

First it had been the Undead Necromancers, from the Wastelands. About two years ago, they had launched a full out assault. There had been no warning or declaration, and no reason for their attack. The Goblin King had managed to push them off and hold his kingdom before they even breached the Labyrinth, though if they had infiltrated the Labyrinth they would likely die before reaching the Goblin City anyway.

Jareth’s defeat of the Undead King, Damian, did not come easy in any respect, however he was victorious. And, from his victory, his dominion expanded. The Labyrinth had previously included his castle, the Goblin City, and the treacherous mazes and untamed forest on the outskirts. Now, the Wastelands were his to rule and the Necromancers were under his control.

Hoggle couldn’t blame Neigelée, Queen of Glacemer. After all, Jareth’s defeat of Damian had made him ruler of a very powerful kingdom indeed. Jareth had always been a strong king, and the Labyrinth was a kingdom not to be trifled with. Damian was a greedy bastard, who sought to rule the Labyrinth and obtain the Goblin King’s powers.

Neigelée and the Algidsors had grown uneasy at the new power the Goblin King had received, and now discretely retaliated. For the past few months, there had been sightings and reports of Algidsors in Goblin territory. Hoggle was here to confirm these reports, since Jareth was anxious to declare the war and put an official end to all this conniving mess.

For all his life, Hoggle had been in the service of his majesty the Goblin King. Jareth had never been a kind man, far from it in fact, but Hoggle served him loyally. The only time he had ever wavered was to help young Sarah navigate the Labyrinth, against the king’s implicit orders. The truth of the matter was, Hoggle had seen a spark, and dare he call it ‘warmth’, in Jareth upon the young girl’s arrival. So, while he went against his orders, he was also acting on behalf of Jareth.

Although Hoggle thought highly of Sarah, and felt she was a dear friend, Jareth came first. The Labyrinth hadn’t always been as nice a place to live as it was now, though to most mortals it was far from ‘nice’. Jareth was a good king, cruel and merciless, but his reign brought a prosperous living to even the lowliest of creatures.

While in the service of the king for the past hundred years or so, Hoggle had grown to know him rather well. After the first few decades, it was his suspicion that Jareth was far from the man he portrayed all the time. Sarcasm and cruelty were a guise, which had grown so deep over time that there was scarce a trace of the true man beneath. But, there was another person beneath it all nonetheless.

Hoggle had his suspicions, but so well kept was this front that Jareth never let it slip. Not once, in all the long years and trifling times had the Goblin King shown any kindness or love for anything. But, then Sarah came along. The young beauty with her fiery spirit and will of steel, she had caused some change in the king. Subtle though it may have been Hoggle had known Jareth well enough to see it.

The king’s eyes were alight with amusement and for once there were many other emotions detectable. For the first time ever, he’d seen longing, fear, and love in those mismatched irises. It was seeing the softness of his eyes as he watched or spoke about Sarah, which confirmed his conclusions that the Goblin King was truly as much an illusion as the rest of the Labyrinth he ruled over.

And, then, she left. Without so much as a second glance behind her or hesitation over the monumental decision, she chose to leave with her half brother. Hoggle didn’t resent her for it, after all they could still keep in touch and she was his first friend. But, there were times when he wished she hadn’t left, because in her wake was a very somber and broken king. Jareth had never been the same, and Hoggle was lead to believe at times that his cool and unemotional façade had overtaken him. It was his fear that Jareth was no longer acting, but truly a shut off and a cold ghost of a man.

Sighing, Hoggle watched as his exhaling breath came out in puffs. Skimming along snow-covered shoreline, he crept closer to the large stone courtyard that marked the borderline between kingdoms. The courtyard was kept free of snow, and while one could see the flakes fall to the cold gray stone, they disappeared immediately. A large archway represented the final passage into Jareth’s domain, and on the opposite side was another archway representing the way into Glacemer. The open area in between was just a square platform like pathway. This was an official border marker, and the area between the two archways, which was no more than thirty feet, belonged to no one.

The landscape of the Labyrinth changed directly from a forest down to the shores of Glacemer’s ocean. The trees were bare and white with snow. Further back, deeper into the forest, were the pine trees, which if woken up would spew sharp needles and cones at the source of their disturbance. Hallows Forest, as it was called, was made even more difficult to journey through when one had to cut a path weaving in and out of the trees, which became pretty clustered at some points. So, Hoggle had chosen to walk along the snow-covered shore.

Hoggle had finally reached his destination. Beyond the marker was a camp of tents. These were the Algidsors, not even bothering to have their camp pitched in the neutral area between the two kingdoms, but directly within the Goblin King’s territory.

Scoffing, Hoggle wondered at their blatant defiance. Their actions were becoming far more obtuse and obvious. They might as well just openly declare their war.

The sun had vanished behind the low horizon, and what light left was dim. It would soon be nearly pitch dark, and it was in that time that Hoggle would move closer. There wouldn’t be much time for him though, as the moon would rise shortly and cast a glowing light around that was quite sufficient to see one’s surroundings in.

Acting as Jareth’s eyes and ears was an honor, one, which was bestowed upon him for his years of service. While, Hoggle did have one incident marring his record, which was Sarah, Jareth was far from condemning him to any punishment for that. After all, Jareth had fallen in love with her, so he couldn’t blame Hoggle for befriending her. Instead, it was never spoken of. They had carried on as before. Jareth would call him by an array of names, which were close to his actual one, and he would listen and agree in a fright. For Jareth was truly imposing, and could illicit fear in even the most stead fast and courageous of creatures.

The Algidsors were mages, specializing in ice magic. The ice was their way of life, it was in their blood, and they were the masters of its’ sorcery. But, as mages, they also knew other magic, some of which Jareth himself used as a Fae. So, there would be no sending any crystal balls to do his spying or even transporting to a nearby location. These creatures, humanoid in many respects, had fields up for detection. Consequently, Hoggle had been traveling for the past three days, hating how quickly the winter of the North set in.

It was closing in on two years since the war with the Undead had ended, and the Goblin King was far from welcoming another one. So, he wanted to be one hundred percent certain the Algidsors were up to no good. The only trouble was, they were a sly race, hardly letting any of their activities be known. However, they had never dared to openly invade the Labyrinth. ‘Until today’, Hoggle thought with anger.

They were nothing but troublesome. Their claim was that after Jareth’s defeat of Damian, the Goblin King’s power grew too great. It was true Jareth’s power, which was considerable to begin with, had grown much in recent years. However, this was his own doing, not Damian’s. What resulted from the war with the Undead was an increase in domain from his new rule over the Wastelands. The Labyrinth grew with Jareth’s power, and it had much room to expand with the new territory.

What Neigelée failed to realize, was that everyone knew Jareth was not about to begin a game of ‘conquering the Underground’. Far from it, he had just ended one war and preferred to avoid further confrontation at all costs. But, the Algidsors were also greedy and paranoid. Their paranoia made the Goblin King a threat, which they sought to eradicate.

They’d be in for a surprise however. The Goblin King was far different than he was before the first war. He was not someone to be trifled with. Hoggle wondered how these winter loving mages could not have understood this. From what Hoggle knew of the Algidsors, they were more a scholarly bunch than warriors. They studied their books, teaching the young the secrets and techniques of sorcery.

Hoggle thought them to be ignorant in their actions for several reasons. The first being they were sneaking around and trying to be discreet, and Jareth loathed this. Jareth held honor and truth in high regards. He had no mercy for liars and those who tried to go behind another’s back. So, Neigelée trying to be quiet and start a war without making it official was a great way to tick the Goblin King off.

Another reason for their ignorance was that while they claimed to be superior magic users they were entirely unaware of extent of Jareth’s magic as a Fae.

And, then there was of course, the fact that they could have continued on without any interference from Jareth, but now they were just asking to be conquered.

Resting against a tree, Hoggle waited for the final traces of light to fade. It wouldn’t be long now. He could see blue fire, the doings of the mages, at the center of their camp. Tall, lanky forms gathered around the warmth of the blazing flames. Only their dim silhouettes could be seen from where he was positioned.

The wait was short, and Hoggle soon trekked slowly and quietly through the soft snow. There was a crunching sound of the snow beneath his feet, which at times rang out through the silent night, but as he drew closer he could hear quite a ruckus in the camp and knew his steps went unheard.

Not daring to actually enter the circular cluster of tents, he stayed to the outside, searching for the right place. They were all the same tents, but for one. One stood out as larger and this he knew would belong to the person in charge.

Creeping closer, Hoggle had to forcibly stop himself from sniffing every two seconds, he was not a Dwarf made for winter climates and his sinuses were a mess, not to mention his nose was numb. When he was right behind the tent, he pressed an ear closer and listened. There were muffled voices, which made his brows furrow in frustration. He was afraid he might have to get even closer. But, as he heard the flapping of the tent’s door, the voices became clearer. What he heard before was from someone outside the tent, now whoever was inside, was very near.

Hoggle listened intently, knowing he mustn’t be caught, but he also couldn’t leave without anything of use.

From within the makeshift shelter, he could hear the very distinct voice of one man. It was deep and gruff.

The man spoke with a calm and assertive tone, “The Goblin King is a very ambitious man, he will stop at nothing to rule over the entire Underground.”

The reply came from a softer, but all the same masculine voice. It was higher pitched, and Hoggle knew it to come from an Algidsors. The voice wavered, as if intimidated, but tried to keep an air of authority, “Her majesty has reason to believe otherwise. The Goblin King has made no move to suggest he seeks to claim Glacemer-”

The first man interrupted with a scoff, “And you would believe that to mean he doesn’t plan anything?” he snorted incredulously. “I know how he thinks, trust me. His ambition leads him to invade Glacemer, and if her majesty does not act first then Labyrinth’s king will.”

Hearing the argument the first man was making, nearly caused Hoggle to forget his place and charge in there. How dare he presume to know anything about Jareth, and what was worse, his presumptions were horrible lies.

The Algidsors cleared his throat and reaffirmed, though more hesitantly, “Her majesty is reluctant to move forward with anything. It is unwise to begin a war with the Goblin King, his legend is known far and wide. We are not stupid enough to not know how treacherous it would be.”

Raucous laughter filled the small room, as the deep voiced man, who Hoggle thought to pin as at least part Fae himself, had a short fit of amusement at the other’s expense. “Dear, dear, Gerunds,” he began, speaking as though the other man, who Hoggle now knew was called Gerunds, was a small child in need of enlightenment, “Tell your queen, that if she does not act now, it will be too late. I am an inside source, you know that. Trust me, I do not want to see Jareth become ruler of the Underground.”

“Sir, I realize your particular involvement in all this, however-”

Again, Gerunds was cut off, “Did you know, he has full support of all Half-Breeds?”

While Gerunds put up a definite effort, he fell short of intimidation, though he did manage to keep a mocking tone of some confidence, “The Half-Breeds? What do we care for them?” he asked, truly scoffing at the idea that the Half-Breeds should matter in the least.

“Go to your queen and tell her the same, and then see if she takes such news so lightly. The Half-Breeds are a force to be reckoned with. Many of their kind are not susceptible to your magic. If I were you, that would be cause for alarm.” He paused before adding to the flames, “The Labyrinth grows everyday, as does the king’s power. He has the Necromancers of the Wastelands, the Half-Breeds, and every other creature that resides in his Labyrinth.” Hoggle could almost imagine the smirk that must have played across the unknown man’s face, “And, I impress upon you the knowledge that you and your people have gravely underestimated the magic, which Jareth commands.”

Hoggle listened, straining to hear every word and even movement. He thought they might have left, for the silence that followed was so lengthened. But, then the Algidsors, called Gerunds, spoke again. “I shall speak with her majesty at once. You make your points well.”

“I think it prudent for me to speak with lady Neigelée in person.” The lying scum proposed.

The next few exchanges were of a similar persuasive process, which ended in the traitor getting what he wanted after a stream of smooth and logical lies. The unknown voice was going to travel to Glacemer with an official escort and attend a court where he might present his arguments further.

Hoggle waited for more, but the two men left. It was good timing, as Hoggle saw the moon on the rise.

Hurrying away from the camp, ever anxious that he’d be caught at the very last second, Hoggle didn’t breath a sigh of relief until he was fairly deep into the woodsy fortress of Hallows Forest.

As Hoggle made his own camp for the night, he mulled over the conversation he’d eavesdropped on. What bothered him most was how familiarly the unknown voice spoke to Gerunds. He couldn’t be certain of anything at this point, but he had a sneaking suspicion that this one man had fueled the past ten months of unrest and elevating disturbances.

Only the most privileged of creatures could attend the Queen Neigelée’s court, and even then, they were explicitly from the Glacemer kingdom. This man was obviously an outsider, as he supposedly spoke with privy knowledge from the most inner circle of Jareth’s few contacts. For this man to be given permission to enter Glacemer, it could only mean one thing. Whoever he was, this dark and deceitful agent, he had definitely been at this game of war making for some time. Unless the Algidsors had known him personally for at least ten months, that meeting would never have been granted.

All of this would be reported to Jareth in the morning. For now, Hoggle would rest, as it had been a long day and even longer trip. He would move at sunrise, owing to the haste, which such dire matters called for. That man would meet with Neigelée and quite possibly convince the already half convinced queen to declare war upon Jareth and his kingdom.

Lucky for Hoggle, he could travel home much faster, with the aide of one of Jareth’s crystals. It was an easier matter to leave than to unnoticeably enter. Once he reached the ill-tempered pine trees, he’d be deep enough into the forest and far enough away to use traceable magic.

As he drift off to sleep he vaguely pondered what Sarah was up to. It had been so long since he last spoke with her. But, he knew she wasn’t coming back, and each day he talked to her after she left only made that fact worse. Then, once the first war began, he’d become so busy. He was never home, and he had found it easiest to use the small fountain outside the Labyrinth to talk to her from. As time passed the connection weakened and it became too difficult to communicate.

His last feeling, before sleep overcame him was a hollow sadness. Sarah had been his only friend, and he hadn’t spoken to her in two years. Not a day went by that he didn’t remember their time together. He supposed the worst part about her departure was how it affected Jareth. The Goblin King had never been the same, and Hoggle worried what might become of him. If only things had turned out differently.

A/N For those of you who have reviewed, I thank you ^_^ It means a lot to me. I only have a general idea of where I'm taking this, though I promise it'll be good. I also would like to mention that I will be picking up the pace of my updates. The time between these chapters was taken up by writing for another story, however that story is concluded and I can focus my efforts. I generally update on a daily basis, though sometimes its two days. I am very good about updating, I won't ever leave you hanging... and as a tip, if I do leave off with a bad cliff hanger, I'm probably gonna keep writing and post again in a matter of hours.