Underground | XV |
The Goblin King/Jareth x Reader
Summary : You encounter the fierys, and things get a little scary.
As Jareth and his goblins vanished out of sight, it left you sitting with the forgotten feelings of what Harry had done. Again.
You were furious, of course, that he had betrayed you so easily again after promising not to. But, you were angrier at yourself for believing him to be capable of change. You had always believed that a cheater would always be a cheater, and you wish you'd have stuck to that the first time around. It would have saved you a lot of heartache and tears.
You wanted to drop any thoughts of Harry for good, but the silence of the room was all too perfect to try and imagine how he was reacting at that very moment.
Was he upset that you'd gone back to Jareth? Was he feeling guilty? Was he bawling his eyes out that he'd lost you for good?
You leaned back into the curved throne, eyes staring blankly ahead at the stone wall. A tapestry hung over the cracked stone, and you blinked slowly at the reds, greens and blues of the woven design. It was of a butterfly; it was frozen in time, flying over a field of flowers, and there was a shimmer of glitter imbed into the stitches. It was a beautiful piece of art, and you briefly wondered what other tapestries hung around Jareth's castle——
"Oh!"
You jolted in surprise as a head flew past the window. It was bright red and covered in feathers. Perhaps, you wondered, it was an odd bird that lived in the realm, with the capabilities to speak?
Though, you were stunned into staring with wide eyes as the head returned. Its pointy ears flapped fast to keep the head in the air. The creature had a very long nose, one that practically scraped against the window, and its eyes were wide and rather beady, like it was hunting for something.
Then, the window was pushed open. You startled yourself to stand up, your entire body rigid with a mix of fear and curiosity. You hadn't seen a creature like it before, so you were unsure whether or not it would be hostile.
"Uh, hello..." you warily said, maintaining a safe distance from the floating head.
"Hey, man! C'mon and look at this!" The head called out, and in flew another, similar yet not identical, head. It's ears flapped wildly like wings.
"A girl!" the second head yelled.
You looked to the door where Jareth had left through, wondering to yourself at what point he would return. There were none of his goblins in sight, either, so you were truly left to deal with these mystical creatures by yourself.
"I don't mean to be rude, but..." you trailed off, shifting uncomfortably under the wild, excited stares. "What are you exactly?"
Adding to the bizarre situation, decapitated body parts began climbing in through the open window. You stared in amazement as the headless bodies wandered around before eventually finding the heads. In seconds the two creatures were reattached, and you noted that they looked very much like overgrown chickens.
They exchanged fumbled words with each other, sounding akin to stoners from a cringey teen-coming of age movie. The situation was unlike anything you had encountered before, and you were slowly starting to realise that perhaps this was the sort of thing you should expect from the Underground now you were going to be there forever.
"How did you do that?" You asked, interrupting their jovial banter. You made a small gesture to their limbs, which continued to pop out of their sockets, like the bone and skin wasn't attached at all.
"This?" one of the creatures repeated, pulling its hand from its wrist. You blinked rapidly as the fingers continued to move, however.
"Yes," you confirmed, nodding slowly. "Is it some sort of magic trick? How is any of that possible?"
"It's easy!" the creature with elongated ears exclaimed. He bounced towards you with morbid delight, his bony fingers reaching out, sharp claws daring to scratch your skin. "Why don't we show you?!"
You flinched back as the creature made an attempt to grasp your upper arm. You chuckled nervously, shaking your head. "That's not a good idea," you said warily, looking between both creatures with a mix of fear and concern. "My body parts are attached to each other, they don't come—"
"Take them off! Take them off!" the creature with an elongated nose chants, drawing in on you like a frightened animal.
You backed up, the backs of your legs hitting the steps to the throne. You shrunk at their intimidating height. "No," you mumbled, flickering your gaze towards the door. "Please don't—"
The first creature ignored your pleas and lunged for your arm again. This time he was successful and held you firmly in place. You squirmed and struggled in his grasp, a frightened gasp leaving your lips as he started to give rough, violent tugs at your joints. A small, sharp pain rippled through your arm at the motion.
"Ow! Stop!" You shrieked, using your free hand to swat and smack the creature away. "You're hurting me, stop it!"
"It's just a little tug!" The creature said, justifying the cruelty with a dismissive grin. "Get her legs! Pull her legs!"
You cried out in horror as the other creature latched onto your lower leg. You tried to wiggle free, but the pain from your arm and the new focus on your leg was too much to handle. You weren't sure which limb to try and rescue first. The pain started to shoot up from each limb, and another sharp, pained cry left your mouth.
Tears sprung to your eyes in an instant. Without thinking, you reached out and grasped the head of the creature nabbing at your leg. With one, viscous tug, you yanked the head from the body and launched it across the room.
"Hey! That's not nice!" the creature holding your arm scolded. It was insane how he still sounded so playful despite trying to rip you apart. "We have rules you know!"
But you didn't care for their rules. You also didn't care about their feelings. You reached over and jabbed your finger into the creatures eye, watching triumphantly as the creature let go of your arm and reeled back.
Without waiting to see the results of your counter attack, you took off running towards the door. You flung the door open and sprinted down the corridor, not daring to look back at the yelling, frustrated creatures that you had narrowly escaped from.
You practically flew through Jareth's castle in search of somewhere safe to hide. But his castle, much like the rest of his realm, was a labyrinth to be feared and marvelled. There were twists and turns and dead ends, and each step made you more confused and flustered than the last. Doors opened up to blank walls, frightening, sudden drops that would surely lead to your death, or would simply lead you back to where you had come from.
Either way, no matter where you ran off to, those hostile creatures were hot on your tail, taunting and calling you to stop running. They were adamant about ripping your limbs from your body, and the ache in your joints only served to fuel your determination to get away.
But your luck had run out.
You caught yourself before running into a wall. You gasped for air and spun on your heel, intent on fleeing into another direction. But the creatures had caught up, and they cornered you like a frightened animal.
"No..." you gaped, your chest rising and falling rapidly in time to the frantic beating of your heart.
There was a flicker of light to your left, and you turned to see a lit torch hanging on the wall. You quickly pulled it free and held it awkwardly in your hands. You thrusted it out like a weapon, your last line of defence.
"Stay back!" You warned, hating the way your voice sounded so shaky and unsure. You needed to sound intimidating and frightening, not frightened.
"The girl has fire!" the long-nosed creature chortled, not seeming scared off by you at all. "She does want to play!"
"I don't!" You cried out, frustrated with the entire turn of events. "I don't want you to take my arms off!"
"Have you even tried it?" one of the creatures asked, tilting its head to the side. "It's freeing..."
"For you, maybe—"
"You won't know if you like it unless you try! C'mere!"
You gave a pathetic swipe of the torch to try and make a hit, but in the end it was futile. The torch clattered on the ground as you were dragged into the middle of the hall, your limbs being secured once again. Rather than making the mistake of grabbing an arm and leg this time, both creatures tugged at both your arms, preventing any attempts at snatching their heads again.
You could feel your joints practically seconds away from popping out of their sockets.
"No! No!" You screamed.
"Enough!"
The pressure in your arms lessened as Jareth's voice boomed through the corridor. You felt an immediate whirlwind of relief consume you as the grip on your limbs vanished all together. No longer being held upright, you felt yourself drop to the floor, your strength leaving you entirely as you cuddled your arms close to your chest.
"You dare to trespass in my castle?" Jareth asked, his shadow growing large and menacing. His expression revealed that of fury, a storm rolling in too fast to escape from. "You dare to harm your Queen?"
You were too dizzy to focus on anything Jareth was saying. You hardly registered anything important at all. You focused too much on preventing the tears rolling down your face.
Hadn't you cried enough already?
Jareth plucked a glass ball from his pocket. He reeled his arm back and then launched it at the ground where the creatures stood, each trembling in their Kings presence. Then, in a puff of thick smoke, both creatures shrunk and vanished inside the crystal ball.
Jareth was at your side in seconds, his boot deliberately kicking the glass balls away. He paid them no mind as his arms gently wrapped around your body, pulling you into a protective hug against his chest. You allowed yourself to lean in, welcoming the comfort he so willingly provided.
"It hurt," you whispered, strained and still expediting the after effects of shock. "They tried to pull my limbs off."
Jareth grunted. "Yes, they're known for that," he muttered, a hint of anger still ever present in his voice. But you knew it wasn't directed to you.
"What are they?" You asked, closing your eyes, squeezing them shut to try and block out the dull throbbing in your joints.
"Fireys," Jareth answered. "They'll think twice about entering the goblin city again. I can assure you they will never inflict harm upon you again. Ever."
It didn't matter. Regardless if they would be banished from the city or not, you were just too consumed with relief to honestly care. Jareth had been there to rescue you, and you couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for that.
"Thank you," you mumbled. You tilted your head back to look into his eyes, and you found him already staring back.
"Do not thank me, dearest," he crooned, his hand gently tucking some hair behind your ear. "I would give you the moon if you asked as much of me."
You managed a smile despite it all.
"Come." Jareth guided you to stand, his touch so soft and caring that it was almost impossible. "Let's walk back, shall we?"
And as you departed from the corridor, you spared a small glance to the torch that lay abandoned on the floor.
