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Powerless (2017) | Chapter 18, "New Dreams & Foolish Hearts"

Years after Sarah’s wit and bravery saved her brother and brought the Labyrinth to its knees, her daughter Andie is transported to what remains of that same fantastical place, somewhere she thought only existed in her favorite childhood stories. To find her way back home, she must traverse what’s left of the crumbling kingdom, find a way to set both moments and magic in motion again, and even save the Goblin King, himself. But who will save her from him?

Powerless is a SFW slow-burn romance between Jareth and an original female character. The story overall contains descriptions of fantasy violence, mild suggestive content, and grief regarding family illness. Chapter-by-chapter warnings will be provided as well.

Summary: The celebration ball commences and marks Andie’s last promised night in the labyrinth. Conflicted, Andie explains her new plight to the Wiseman away from the party, who offers her some advice. Against her own wishes, Andie leaves the party to find her way home to her family. Jareth moves the stars to help her.

Pairing: Jareth x Fem!OC

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4.7k

"This is bad," Andie grumbled as she tripped over her own feet for the second time since they had started, grimacing at her lack of progress though it had only been twenty minutes.

"You are doing fine. Surprisingly well, in fact," Jareth told her patiently, though she could tell it was taking some forethought for him to be so patient with her. "Just keep trying. And stand up straight."

"Look, I'll perfect the posture after I perfect the steps," she bartered, protesting when he suddenly smirked and tightened his arm around her waist, swinging her off her feet in a graceful spin across the empty throne room pit. The ballroom was teeming with goblins doing who knew what to prepare for the night ahead, so instead of working around them, Jareth had opted to take her elsewhere.

Besides that, he did not need his subjects ogling the two of them as they had throughout her nearly seven-day stay. He couldn't quite keep his mind off what she might do once her promised week had ended, telling himself time and time again that he already knew the answer—that she would return home—and yet he kept that careful state of "perhaps" in the back of his mind. He stopped spinning her after a couple of turns, but still held her in his arms, gently swaying them both. "You needn't aim for perfect. I simply desire the pleasure of a dance with you."

Andie smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, letting him lead her slowly from side to side; slow dancing, she knew how to do. "Well, I appreciate you not letting me embarrass myself," she commented, drawing a deep chuckle from her dance partner.

"I do draw the line somewhere," he informed her, smiling when she raised her head from his shoulder to look at him dubiously. He leaned in and stole a kiss before placing one of his hands back in hers. "We will start again. Do you remember the steps?"

Andie hesitated and then gave a brief nod. "I think so. But go slow, okay?"

"Of course," he said, just glad she wasn't giving up, even if she was complaining occasionally and impatient for success. He supposed he might be, too, in her situation. When she appeared ready and straightened her spine, he slowly began the steps for the simple waltz he was teaching her and she followed along, uncertain at first until she gradually grew more confident.

The more sure she became, the more he began to increase the speed of their dance by increments until they were at the customary pace and she was no longer stumbling, though she did look down at her feet every so often. "Look at me, chin up, straight spine," Jareth instructed her calmly and she did just that, smiling as she realized she was finally getting the hang of it. "See? Not so bad…"

"Until I have to do this in heels, I'm assuming," Andie groaned, twirling beneath his arm as he spun her playfully, catching her easily back within his arms. Instead of answering her, Jareth just rolled his eyes and swung her into a dip, plucking her up bridal style and carrying her over to his throne, sitting down and depositing her on his lap as he leaned back. "I can't possibly be an expert," she said in surprise when he seemed as if he was ready to quit after no more than forty-five minutes.

"I am emotionally damaged from your scuffing of my boots, I need a moment to compose myself," he drawled, smirking when she elbowed him in the ribs. He noted a heap of gossamer fabric shuffling through on its own just then, running into a support pillar before muttering and hurrying to the right. While he just looked unamused, Andie appeared bewildered, soon deciding there must have been a goblin under all that shimmery fabric. "We have run out of time at any rate," Jareth added as he glanced toward the high windows above the castle entrance, which burned with dawn's warm embrace.

"Indeed, the decorations are running away," she joked, glancing back at Jareth, who smiled. She did note with some degree of sadness, however, that it did not touch his eyes. Andie looked at him thoughtfully and leaned in, kissing his cheek obnoxiously enough that he recoiled in feigned disdain. "I thought you'd be excited about your ball," she observed, pronouncing the last word as if it were a curse or an unwanted side dish.

"Excited?" he repeated a bit dismissively. "I am anticipating it, but I would not call myself excited."

"Well, get excited," she ordered him, standing up and stretching. "If anything, for the lack of grace that will be me on the dance floor. I know how you love to laugh at me."

Jareth's lips quirked faintly. "Fine. Go upstairs and get dressed. I will see you soon."

Andie gave up and did as suggested, amazed as she had been every night at the sunset that greeted her from the hall window, brilliant and vibrant and seemingly with a life of its own. She moved quickly down the corridor to her room, pushing the door open and marveling at the colors the crystals threw and the white surfaces reflected from the light filtering through the glass. She smiled and admired the spectra of light as she walked inside, a small sigh of awe easing from her.

"Milady!"

Andie startled backward toward the door at the squeak from the otherwise silent room, glancing around until she finally thought to look down. A pipsqueak of a goblin stood near her feet, peering up at her. Its bulgy eyes seemed childlike and it regarded her curiously while she tried to decide whether or not it was a threat. She couldn't quite get the rampaging side of the goblins she'd seen much earlier in the Labyrinth out of her mind, but they appeared to be much more tame now. Likely trying to win back favor with their king. "Yes?"

"My name is Rem, Your Ladyship!" it added.

"Don't be introducing yourself like that!" another voice squawked nearby. "Address your mistress accordingly, she don't care what your name is!"

Rem looked speechless until the goblin she'd decided was likely female stuttered out, "O-oh, I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's fine. It's lovely to meet you," Andie quickly intervened. "But… What are you doing in my room?"

"Why, we're here to help you dress!" the other goblin—much squatter than Rem—replied. "Go on, then, shed your clothes and we'll get your dress on!" This also-female goblin seemed so matronly that Andie had to focus on not laughing in order to avoid hurting the goblin's pride.

Thinking it was better not to argue and also knowing she might need some help, Andie stepped carefully over the two goblins bickering before her, unbuttoning the sky blue shirt she'd worn from the trunk Jareth had presumably left for her during her first day in the castle and beginning to slide it off. She'd been making her way toward the silver trunk to see what it had in the realm of formalwear when her eyes caught on two innocuous white boxes on the end of her bed, nearly blending in with the white comforter.

Frowning, she set the discarded shirt down to investigate, slipping her fingertips beneath the edge of the largest box's lid, lifting it off, and pawing through the tissue inside until she got to the contents and her breath caught. Inside was the finest gown she'd ever seen, extravagant film costumes included. Deep, rich navy blue with faint traces of dark violet placed along the skirt, which was composed of layers of sheer fabric building upon one another like petals on a rose. The bodice and the off-the-shoulder sleeves were the same midnight blue shade, the entirety of the gown riddled with fluctuating volumes of tiny starlike crystals, moving from widely scattered individual stones to clusters of them that mirrored the incredible galaxy she'd seen each night from her window.

"Ooh, a lovely garment for the lady!" the older goblin crooned, having hopped onto the bed to get a look at the inside of the box. "Go on, hurry, Miss! Will take some time to prepare ye!"

Andie snapped out of her trance on the dress and nodded, tipping the lid off the smaller box while she wriggled out of her trousers and slouched-style boots. The smaller box contained matching heels—she shuddered—and satin gloves, with crystal hairpins and small teardrop earrings.

Once she had finished undressing, the two goblins helped wrangle her into the black petticoat and corset to traditionally go beneath the gown and then had her sit at the marble vanity at the far side of the room. She sat quite still while the older goblin—who she discovered was named Neff—worked on curling and intricately styling her hair into a formal bun with the crystal bead-adorned pins and Rem put in her earrings and slid on her gloves. Andie was a little wary when it came to Rem wielding cosmetics, but she remained still and allowed it, thinking she would give the young goblin a fair chance and yet neglecting to look in the mirror throughout the process.

By the time they were done and demanded she "take a gander at herself," she hardly recognized her face in the mirror. Oh, but if only she could keep these lovely goblins as they had done tremendous work. Her skin appeared satiny and flawless, delicate sweeps of black along her lashes elongating her jade-hued eyes and emphasizing the dark, full fringe of lashes on either eye. It was only when one perfectly shaped and filled brow arched in shock that she realized she truly was looking at her own reflection. "Well?" Neff asked impatiently. "What do you think, Yer Ladyship?"

"You are both incredible," Andie said with obvious shock, causing the two to hoot and holler with victory. "Thank you…"

"You are most welcome," Rem chirped. "Oh, but look at the time!"

"Oh, yes, we must get you into your dress! The guests are already arriving!" Neff fretted, hobbling over to the box on the bed with Rem close behind.

Andie rose and moved toward the window, peering out to see the procession of all the Labyrinth's creatures—thankfully not a Firey in sight!—filtering into the entrance and assumably being led toward the long-prepared ballroom. When she leaned away from the window, a savory, mouth-watering scent hit her nose. "What is that smell?" she wondered in amazement.

"Oh, no, you don't, we laced you loosely, but not that loosely!" Neff muttered and Andie groaned at the thought of not indulging in any of the food downstairs. Then again, she supposed she might be too nervous about getting anything on the dress and about the soiree in general. She'd never been to anything remotely close to this before. Even her high school prom; she'd walked in sporting a short emerald dress, black Chucks, and a pixie cut, cat-eye liner on point. Had she dressed up for that, it was still leagues away from this. This was the stuff of fairytales, after all.

At their persistence, Andie moved over to where they had collapsed the dress on the floor, waiting until she stepped into it and carefully crouched down. The goblins slid the dress up over her and Andie held the bodice in place while Neff and Rem made short work of lacing the back. Rem grinned brightly as Andie slowly rose to her feet, glancing witheringly toward the heels set up on the floor. "Must I wear them?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so, Your Ladyship," Neff chuckled.

Andie wrinkled her nose and lifted her skirts to maneuver herself onto the awful things. Like everything else she wore, they were a perfect fit and yet still heinous simply because they were heels. They looked lovely, but oh, her feet and back would kill her for it later.

There was a knock at the door and Neff and Rem tittered excitedly, Rem hurrying to open the door. Andie had expected Jareth perhaps, but instead, she was greeted by Hoggle and Sir Didymus, both dressed for the occasion. Even Ambrosius wore a ruffle. "Oh, my lady!" Didymus gasped in awe.

"You…," Hoggle blushed a beet red. "You clean up good."

Andie smirked. "Thank you. So do you all! Very debonair, if I do say so myself."

The boys preened under her compliments and escorted her from the room, Neff and Rem sending them all off with praise and well wishes, at least until Neff found it necessary to remind Andie that the dining hall was off-limits until the ball's end. Her warnings just made Andie want to rebel even more.

The group moved to take their place at the end of the procession, which was nearing its end. She already hated walking in the damning heels and tried to ignore them as well as she could and simply focus on moving forward with poise and grace. They chatted while each individual or group was announced formally at the doorway to the ballroom, at least until they were the next to be seen.

After a pair of green, fuzzy-looking creatures were let through, Andie took a slow breath and moved up with Hoggle and Didymus, both standing on either side of her and insisting on leading her in—which consisted of hand-holding rather than arm-linking for height differences, even while Didymus sat atop Ambrosius. The goblins at the door looked them over and the one on the right cleared his throat before making their announcement. "Hoggle, the castle groundskeeper; Sir Didymus and Ambrosius, guardscreatures of the Bog of Eternal Stench; Lady Cassandra of the Aboveground." Afterward, the goblin let the long scroll wind back into place, seeming relieved that he was through with his duties.

The room had fallen quiet at their arrival and Andie felt eyes on her throughout the assembled crowd. At first, she felt uncomfortable, but determined not to let herself be cowed by the hoards of curious eyes, she lifted her chin an increment and moved forward with her companions. She relaxed only when she began to see familiar faces: some of the goblins of yesterday including the ones who had become so involved in the game she'd introduced to them all, the Wiseman and his Hat, Ludo and Leona with what appeared to be two other sphinxes, and then, at last Jareth, whose eyes were already upon her without indication of deviating any time soon.

In the hush of the room, only his footsteps reached her ears and she was uncertain whether it was a true quiet which had fallen over the guests or if all her senses had quite suddenly focused upon him, alone. He wore black breeches and newly polished black boots, a snow-white poet's shirt draping over his torso beneath an intricate vest the same deep blue as her dress with golden fastenings and trim. His usual eye makeup seemed more dramatic and he seemed to radiate an unnamable aura of ethereal magic, his eyes alight and absolutely, dauntlessly alive. While she admired him, he had moved to stand before her, a smug smile curving his lips as he flourished a bow and took her hands, both of which had been released by her friends within the last moment. Raising them to his lips, the Goblin King kissed her gloves and then straightened, tucking her hand gently in the crook of his arm and backing away to lead her further into the ballroom, to the dance floor.

He stopped at its center and Andie was glad he was so distracting because she would have been otherwise mortified at being in the middle of everything like this. Jareth never took his eyes off her, simply repositioned her left hand to his shoulder and his to her waist, keeping her right and beginning the first steps of the waltz they'd practiced just hours ago. The moment he began to move, music began to play and, vaguely, Andie recognized the sound as that of the musicians they had met at the black lake who had helped Jareth with his song to soothe the Netherbeast to sleep. A new sound rose with the instruments after a mystical introduction, a sweet soprano voice singing along.

Andie followed along with Jareth's movements, surprising herself, and soon the dance floor was filled with others grouping to dance as well. A calm from the music spread throughout the ballroom and Andie felt the effects on her frame, the tension leaving and replaced with a fluidity that only took their dance to a higher place.

"You look stunning," Jareth told her softly as they turned in rhythm with the slowly building symphony.

She blushed. "As do you." Andie was not sure what caused him to grin—whether it was her compliment or her flushed face—but she was glad to see it.

The night progressed and unfolded in good company and shimmering splendor, the guests moving freely about the castle after the dances had taken place and the musicians had all retired for the evening to enjoy the festivities. Andie had remained in the ballroom after Jareth disappeared for some time, quite inexplicably. She had happened upon the Wiseman and had greeted him, though it was very short-lived small talk before he asked her precisely what she had been avoiding the thought of all evening and for most of the past week.

"Have you uncovered how you might return home, child?" the Wiseman asked amiably.

Andie paused heavily. "I have not."

He arched a furry brow her way. "You sound as though you have been thinking of other things…"

His hat took that moment to squawk, "That is the understatement of the century!"

"Be quiet!" the Wiseman ordered haughtily before sipping at a goblet of wine he held.

Andie smirked halfheartedly. "To tell you the truth… I have been."

"And to what conclusion have you arrived?" She started to speak, but could not find the words. "Speak from your heart, child."

"My heart?" she repeated with a half-laugh that was far from humored. "My heart aches for my mother. For knowing that despite time being able to be ordered and reordered that there will still be some dimension of it in which I am not there for her. It kills me to know that and it kills me because it will be for my own selfish reasons. The longer I stay, the closer that looms."

The Wiseman was quiet, absorbing her words. "Then you do not want to stay," he reasoned from her rationalization, large eyes watching her to be certain he was reading that correctly.

Andie sighed, feeling her throat constrict as she fought tears she'd been pushing away for days at a time. "I want to stay. And yet my family needs me and I want to be with them, too, but…" She paused and looked down toward her hands, realization dawning like a solid sting in her chest. "…But I need him."

The Wiseman's brow creased and he was silent for a time before telling her gently, "Sometimes to need is to let go."

Andie gave him a startled look, feeling the inevitable devastation begin to encroach. "Are you telling me to leave?" she asked softly.

"I give you only the wisdom to arrive where you must go," he said softly.

A tear slid down her cheek as she looked around for Jareth. "I… I'm not sure I can tell him goodbye… I want to, but I don't know if I can…"

"I am sure the King will understand," he assured her as she fought back more tears. "But if you see fit, you may seek him out."

Andie smiled sadly. "One look from him will change my mind, I know it will. And…," she sighed miserably. "And my family needs me. I should go before I have time to talk myself out of it."

The Wiseman nodded once. "Then be careful, child. If that is what you must do."

Andie nodded tightly and looked around one more hopeless time for Jareth before weaving through the crowd to make it to the entryway, going all the way up to her room and retrieving her belongings and the backpack before working her way back down and slipping out the side door of the ballroom, which led from the ballroom out to the gardens. Her very core hurt from the absence of the man she'd come to realize she loved, from not being able to see him one last time before she left. The party commenced without her, not noticing her absence for quite some time. Only the Wiseman watched her go, his hat abnormally silent and still.

She had at first convinced herself that she was only going outside for some air and, while the cool night did revive her and clear her head, she looked toward the sky and recognized it as not her own and knew she could not turn back. And before she could think straight and logically tear the problem apart as she normally would have to get to the bare bones, she was running.

Deep down, she knew that wouldn't work. She'd done that already, many times, and to no avail. She knew her duty was to her family, to her ailing mother, to her future career, to her world and yet she wanted so much to be a part of his world, too. She would never come to terms with either side because she wanted both and she had told herself all along that she had to do what was right.

Andie ran all the way to the opening of the Labyrinth on the far side of the garden, holding up her skirts so she could better move, dreading the thought of running into Jareth out here and looking just as she was: a runaway. While he may have understood her reasons, she could just see the look on his face—his features drawn and expressionless while his eyes held the truth. He was a spectacular player of indifference, however, she had gained the ability to see through that in her time with him.

She took a deep breath, not allowing herself to look back, and plunged back into the winding maze, knowing it would all be so different now that it was whole again, but hoping that bettered her chances. Yet, in the darkness and her uncertainty, she soon found it unbearably difficult to navigate and she felt like an utter fool for even attempting it. Time was moving again, she could very well die out there this time if she got well and truly lost enough to starve. And she couldn't quite blame Jareth if he allowed that to happen, given the betrayal he would likely feel once he found that she was gone.

High up on the balcony above the gardens, the Wiseman stepped out into the night air, much more morose than anyone had ever seen him. Once he was alone and separated from the party, a faint shimmer washed over him and the illusion was dropped, Jareth revealing himself to the dark. His somber gaze immediately fastened upon the fiery young woman moving through the maze, the one he had urged against both their desires to go back home.

"Silly girl, you are going the wrong way," he mumbled under his breath as he watched her progress, wincing faintly when she stumbled out of her shoe and nearly turned her ankle. Jareth sighed, glancing toward the sky and whispering, "Always forcing me to eat my words…," before he raised one gloved hand to the heavens.

There was no more than a faint glitter in the sky at first, but soon one of the starry clusters swirled freely from its fixed position in the sky, soaring down into the lush plant life below before swiftly entering the Labyrinth after Andie, catching up to light her way.

Andie had just forgone her shoes to avoid further injury, running barefoot through the pathways and adjusting the backpack strap over her bare shoulder. Her dress rustled with every movement in the quiet and she drew a shuddering breath of despair just as the maze suddenly illuminated starkly around her. She winced at the intense light, but as her eyes adjusted, she saw that perhaps a hundred stars of varying sizes seemed to be swirling around her, constantly in motion. Once she acknowledged them, they began to swerve into the path leading to the left, flowing like water in a stream.

She stared at them and, in a flash of an epiphany, whirled to look up at the balcony, but it was empty and her heart fell, even though it was likely better this way. Though she told herself it certainly wasn't him aiding her, she knew in her heart that it was and it only broke her further.

When the remaining stars began impatiently dancing around her, Andie broke back into her run, following the body of starlight through winding twists and turns, trusting it and letting it guide her to wherever it was she needed to go. After what felt like a solid hour of quick turns she might have missed and secret passageways she would have most definitely missed, Andie slowed, seeing the end in sight. She walked along, bathed in the light of the celestial bodies that had piloted her through the Labyrinth, and looked up at the towering gate she'd never seen before, the official gateway to the Labyrinth.

She moved forward and pressed against the doors, which swung open in unison to reveal a stretch of barren wasteland, dead shrubs twisting up from the dry earth ahead. Andie looked toward the ground and, just a few steps away, saw a void. It was smaller and a more uniform circle than those she remembered from the Labyrinth. If she could properly recall, it looked much more like the one that had swallowed her up in the first place. She wondered how long it had been there, waiting.

Andie looked over her shoulder toward the stars clustered still within the frame of the Labyrinth's path, swerving around one another in a timeless, incomprehensible pattern. "Thank you," she said softly, though she doubted that they would understand.

Something clicked in their systems, as immediately after her words of gratitude, they shot back into the sky, spinning end over end until they were reunited with their brothers and sisters, a perfect piece of mystery in the alternate universe she had come to know. She watched them a moment longer before looking to the void, knowing without being told that it would take her home.

Swallowing hard, Andie closed her eyes and put every ounce of her faith into her next steps, the last of which sent her through the void and into the darkness. She would remember falling, air rushing past her with the strength of the maelstrom that had preceded the healing of the world she left behind, and she would remember how the weight in her chest solidified, the most real of anything she had experienced in this impossible place.

With the same violent fall with which she entered the Labyrinth, she fell back into her apartment seconds after stepping into the void; she knew from the vague "afterrain" smell dispersing from her wax burner. Andie looked up and first saw the glowing time on her digital clock, which read 12:02am and, in the corner, the date of the day she'd fallen through. She'd lost two minutes. Two weeks of lessons and experiences in another land cost her two minutes of her night home.

At first, she was prepared to console herself with the narrative of this all being a dream and she'd simply fallen out of bed, but when she looked down, she found that impossible. She still had the dress on, the backpack still on her shoulders, and her bare feet were dirty and blistered from running.

With this knowledge, the knowledge that it had all been so very real as she'd known all along, the tears finally escaped her, and she remained on the floor as she wept for the future she had given up.

Next chapter: Chapter 19, "The Right Words"

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