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Lirael ([info]bellslinger) wrote in [info]utr_logs,
@ 2011-02-15 09:46:00

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Entry tags:andivad, lirael

Who: Lirael and Andivad
Where: The old Goblin Kingdom
What: Confusion and madness
Warnings: Probably not. Jumping into bed with her lover's son would be awfully Jerry Springer.


At Lirael's best estimation, Jareth had been gone for several weeks. Time was always a bit different in the Goblin Kingdom, but the disorientation was intensified without a king to rule. She knew it was foolish to mope around an empty land, and that Jareth would have laughed derisively at her had he witnessed it.

Still she found herself walking the empty labyrinth, through unmoving pathways. She ran her fingers over dusty stonework. She could almost imagine the sounds of far-off creatures. She closed her eyes, remembering Jareth's scent.. The coppery tinge of free magic mixed with peaches. She knew he was gone, and the kingdom dead. Still, she couldn't help but imagine the pulsing of life.

Lirael yelped when she felt something sharp cut into her left hand. Something bit her! She opened her eyes to look and saw a fairy. She pulled her hand away, loosing Ranna from its pouch, just in case. The fairy didn't seem to chase her as she walked away, however. How strange! She'd thought the kingdom empty. Now there was a fairy, and she saw creatures up ahead, as well.

Was he back?

Lirael started to jog toward the castle, hiking her skirt up somewhat to free her movement. She knew the labyrinth reasonably well, and it should be easy for her to navigate if no one played tricks on her.


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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-15 05:24 pm UTC (link)
After a little tinkering with the doorway from the human realm, both in his true form and the form of a bird, Andivad had almost given up until the first light of day started filtering into the sky, and it was easy as that. He had given a huge sigh of relief and chuckled at himself when he realized it just required patience. But he was finally home again. It wasn't odd for him not to find his father in the castle - he was likely off being friendly with the fauns in the next kingdom away - and so the prince flopped down into a cozy perch on the wide windowsill to watch over the city, summoning up a bowl of small fruits to nibble on as he waited for the return of the king.

It was there that he caught glimpse of a lady in the labyrinth. It wasn't an odd sight, not by any stretch of the imagination, but if Jareth was not here, Andy wondered what in the name of the ancient kings she was doing. He summoned up a crystal and watched her to make sure she didn't get trapped. But she seemed to know her way around, which was odd to Andivad. Only his mother and father knew the paths that well. Even he didn't dare tread in certain parts himself. He popped a grape into his mouth and hopped down out of the window, and took flight as a bird.

And soon, he landed on part of the wall and turned back to himself. He was only a few yards away from this strange lady, legs dangling off the wall, watching her. He gave a smile. "Hello, milady, are you looking for something?"

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-15 05:53 pm UTC (link)
She almost wanted the maze to change as she wound her way through it. It would confirm what she hoped was true. There was an owl charter skin in her back, if she needed to take flight. It would have been a faster way to the castle, but getting the skin on and off took time and patience, and she was presently running low on the latter.

She jumped when she heard the voice. Her eyes brightened. There was a smile on her face as she turned around and looked up. "Ja--" Her face fell when she saw someone who wasn't the goblin king she had been expecting. "I thought... I was trying to get to the castle."

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-15 06:00 pm UTC (link)
He hopped down and tilted his head just so; it was a posture very similar to his fathers, though it likely didn't even register to Andivad that he was so alike. "My father's not home," he said, "but I can accompany you the rest of the way." He gave a brief nod and an altogether impish smile, "I am Andivad."

Even though she seemed to have an incredible knack for navigating the labyrinth and that she was older than the average, Andy had the strangest feeling that she was just another one of his father's girls. "We can have breakfast together, if that's your wish."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-15 06:30 pm UTC (link)
Lirael watched the man with something between fascination and dismay. Her brow furrowed as she saw the similarities. Jareth wasn't back at all, she realized. It was just this strange copy... his son. "Your father," she repeated. She shook her head a little, having a hard time taking this all in.

She was being rude. "I am Lirael," she said. "Abhorsen and Remembrancer." It was probably useless to simply wait for Jareth to return. A few hours or a few years, it likely wouldn't make a difference. Still, she nodded at his suggestion, even knowing how dangerous it was to ask a wish of a stranger in this place.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-15 09:25 pm UTC (link)
"Lady Lirael, I am honored," Andy said with a bow, holding out a hand to her to lead her properly through the maze. "I do not know what those titles suggest, miss, but I would be delighted to hear what they mean. I must apologize for my assumption, he rarely has women of any title walking in his labyrinth, and I should have guessed you more than one of his girls, you look as though you know the way through, and you're older than most. Are you from one of the other five kingdoms?" She didn't look like any kind of creature. In fact, to his eyes, she looked quite human, and she was far too well dressed to be a beast tamer. How odd.

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-15 10:06 pm UTC (link)
Lirael took his hand and dipped into a curtsy. "I am from the Old Kingdom. It is not one of your six, as far as I know." Every expression seemed identical to Jareth. It stung a bit. "The titles are from the Old Kingdom. The Abhorsen maintains the border between Life and Death. The Remembrancer can look into the past. Through an odd twist of bloodlines, I am both." They were simplistic descriptions, but if Andivad was like his father, such dreary matters wouldn't interest him.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-15 10:17 pm UTC (link)
In matters of other kingdoms, realms, and worlds, Andivad was very unlike his father and far more like his studious, fairytale-loving mother. He listened delightedly and shook his head, "There must be so many things you have done as both! It sounds so mystical. Old Kingdom, you say? I would most certainly wish to travel there some day!" He finally slipped out of the labyrinth and down a hidden path that led straight to the back gardens of the castle. "I am especially interested in different forms of magic, and what you say you can do is nothing like I've heard of, save for in the realm of Ghouls. They know far more about the passage between here and into the dim light than I could ever."

Of course, this all completely derailed the prince out of wondering what a woman from a world he'd never heard of was doing in his father's labyrinth.

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-15 10:39 pm UTC (link)
Lirael tilted her head, pausing briefly in her walking. His curiosity was certainly a surprise to her. She'd never encountered anyone so enthusiastic about her work. The people in her own world knew what she was and generally preferred to avoid getting too close to someone so involved with Death. Jareth had not been intimidated by her, which was unusual enough. But Andivad seemed almost gleeful.

Lirael smiled, continuing to walk with him through the gardens. "Unfortunately, I have not been able to return to my kingdom. I am able to walk through Death here, though. The precincts are a bit different in your kingdom, but the principle is the same." She reached out to touch a hanging chime in the garden. "I made these. They keep the Dead from entering your home. Your father and I had to fight back an army. The chimes became necessary."

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-15 11:41 pm UTC (link)
"An army, you say?" Andivad's eyebrows shot straight up at that, "Hopefully not from the Ghoul Queendom, we've been at peace with them for hundreds of years, before father even took the throne!" He shook his head then, "How peculiar. I'll send a herald to the Queen and see if she knows anything about it. If anything, she may be able to augment your power as well. Have you been to any of the other kingdoms? And it's... very odd that I've never met you. I thought I knew all of my father's..." he searched for the word with a browfurrow, "... Comrades."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 12:52 am UTC (link)
"No," Lirael shook her head. "This was an old enemy of Jareth's. Oberron." She'd paused a moment before saying the name, recalling Jareth's desire that she forget his predecessor. "He had spent his years in Death raising an army to attack." She looked around the grounds, remembering the aftermath of that battle. "He is no longer a threat."

"I haven't seen the other kingdoms, no. Jareth did take me to a winter solstice ball, though." It had been an enlightening evening, where she had met others like Jareth.

"Well.. This is not quite the same as the kingdom you know. I'm not sure how to describe it, exactly... But I do not believe the father you know and the man I knew were exactly the same..." She could be wrong. There were certainly things Jareth kept from her, but she didn't believe a son was one of them.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-16 01:06 am UTC (link)
"This is certainly the same kingdom in which I grew up, but... well, yes, things seem to be rather inconsistent. I know of Oberron, the king prior to father, but not of any army. If you knew the king as well as you say you do, and as much as I," and here he gave a long suffering eyeroll, "assume you may, it means that you do not know of my mother, Queen Sarah. I've been told that when dreams intersect, intertwine in this world, this occasionally happens, but... never once did I have this problem personally." He shook his head and led her through the side door into a hidden and narrow hall of stairs, which traveled past the library and into the throne room. It was unlit, but he could see well enough in the dark.

"Am I to infer that you were far more than one of father's many consorts? He doesn't take just anyone to solstice balls. ... Perhaps he was grooming you to be his queen in this instance." He tutted at the thought, taking a seat back in the windowsill. "If that is the case, this is as much your home as it is mine, and when he returns, we'll have a little chat between the three of us what will be done. Mum doesn't seem to be home, either, which only solidifies things that you may be right."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 01:47 am UTC (link)
She recognized the name Sarah, though only as a figure from Jareth's past. The words he had used to describe her had been largely negative, at the very least, an annoyance to him. That would hardly be a kind thing to relay to her son, however. She shook her head. "I know no queen."

The Abhorsen was not granted night vision, so she murmured a few Charter words and a small light appeared on her palm. It illuminated the blush that appeared on her cheeks when Andivad inquired about her consort status. "I do not know if marriage was on his mind." It was difficult to describe her relationship with Jareth, especially to Andivad. But he seemed oddly at ease with the idea. "I know that we had grown.. comfortable with each other," she smiled, reflecting on the quiet times they had spent together between the battles and the banter. "And I believe he cared for me." She might have thought that a silly fantasy, if not for the time after they had fought Oberron. The relief in the goblin king's eyes when he saw she had survived had been clear as day. The gentleness between them after that bloody ordeal had been telling.

"Andivad, I am not sure he will return," she said, quietly. "He has been gone from all of the planes I can reach for.. weeks, I think." She did not know how he would take this news, but it saddened her. "Sometimes people vanish from this world, as others arrive."

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-16 01:55 am UTC (link)
He listened quietly, his black, glistening eyes set intently on her as he motioned for her to settle across from him in the wide windowsill, and then shook his head at her negative outlook, chuckling wryly, "Oh, if only I had luck of that magnitude; no, I have every ounce of faith that he will return, if only to scold me for ignoring my duties." He bowed his head with a brief, earnest sheepish smile. "I do not wish for you to get the wrong impression - I respect father deeply - but I also find him a trifle irritating and impossible at times. He tests my patience." He looked up at her. "But if you are correct, this is still a home to you, and I will not, as Prince, feel it necessary to oust you from it. You have just as much a right to be here as I do."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 02:22 am UTC (link)
"I hope you are right," she said, smiling a bit as she sat down across from the prince. What version of the king would come back, she couldn't be sure. She hoped for hers over Andivad's, though it was selfish.

She chuckled at his words. "Perhaps our versions of him are not so different." She found him impossible at times, as well. But she had developed a taste for Jareth's games. An unhealthy taste, she knew, but the banter was part of the fun.

"That is very kind of you, my lord. Your mother must be a very fair queen." She smiled.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-16 02:36 am UTC (link)
"She is. Fair and gentle. She cares for our subjects, and has made great strides in modernizing the city, providing sewer systems and running water for all citizens of Goblin City, and makes certain that trade routes are open between all kingdoms, so that we do not have to rely on our own meager crops. I don't know if you noticed, but the soil here is dry and fruitless." He smirked. "That will change in time, since father has control of the weather of the kingdom, and he prefers this arid climate, with the exception of his bloody bog." His smirk made way for a proper smile. "But listen to me go on. Tell me about yourself more, please? I'd be honored to know what the Old Kingdoms are like, and Death."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 03:55 am UTC (link)
Lirael smiled a little at the description. It certainly sounded like a more pleasant kingdom than the one she knew. It seemed Jareth needed a queen.

"The Old Kingdom is a place of magic and danger. My sister was Abhorsen and Queen, before she died." She smoothed her skirt. "We have two types of magic. The Charter, and Free Magic. Charter magic is.. sanctioned, I suppose. There are priests and mages, and it follows rules. Free Magic is different. Dangerous. Your father's magic reminds me of Free Magic." Further evidence that Jareth was not good for her. "I have to use both types. Free Magic is required to travel through Death." She pulled her hair back and touched her forehead, causing a symbol there to glow. "This Mark lets me use Free Magic without fear of corruption."

"Death is a river, divided in nine parts by gates. Some parts are shallower, but they get progressively more tumultuous. The Dead wait in the river, trying to snare necromancers or the Abhorsen as they pass through. Once they pass the final gate, they cannot come back."

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-16 02:35 pm UTC (link)
As he listened, he felt compelled to practice his own magic - not unlike his father's, though he was clearly just learning how to control it - until she said Free Magic was dangerous and reminded her of Jareth's. He set the crystal that he'd been fussing with down and smiled sheepishly, listening only, folding his hands on his lap.

"So The Dead can come back in that realm, provided that they haven't gone past the ninth gate? That's exceptionally unnerving," Andivad said with a browfurrow. "I never fully understood what happens after one goes into the dim light here, but the queen of ghouls did tell me that only a fraction of the dead things from the other five kingdoms find their way to her necropolises. She also told me that there's really nothing to fear from most of the dead here, that the truly wicked spirits are held at bay by the more benign ones. If Oberron could find his way back to do battle, I would certainly guess it was through brazen trickery which... well. I wouldn't put it past him, from all the stories I've been told." Andivad smiled a little as they were interrupted by a goblin who brought two platters of breakfast for both of them. He wasn't a creature of habit, but the kitchen workers knew his tastes well enough. On his platter, there were things that looked not unlike crepes, stuffed with thick whipped cream and berries, and a large goblet of citrus juice.

"Well, whatever the outcome, he's missing out on a wonderful breakfast."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 03:43 pm UTC (link)
She didn't mind Andivad's magic. "It's fine," she said, gesturing to the crystal. "I know it's different here. It doesn't bother me."

She nodded. "Well, most of them cannot come back on their own. They require a necromancer to call them back through the first gate and into this world. Or they find a necromancer or Abhorsen to latch onto and follow out. Some of the Greater Dead build up enough power that they can return on their own, but they are very few in number."

She smiled to the servant and thanked him. "Have you been to the Ghoul Queendom?" she asked, drinking from the goblet. She had dined with Jareth enough that she did not hesitate to partake. She did not know if these workers were from her Jareth's home or Andivad's, but she was at ease and did not fear for her safety. "I wonder if there are similarities to Death. This criss-crossing of worlds is intriguing."

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-16 04:07 pm UTC (link)
"Mm, I have. We share a border, our northern border is their southern border. And to our south, there is the nymph realm. For a while, we occupied the nymph realm, back before father, but I'll get into that later," he took a sip of his drink and smiled, "The ghoul queen has necromancers of her own, great men in temples, not unlike dukes and lords, as her land is expansive and she cannot oversee everything. Queen Eevul told me that passing into the dim light has different effects for everything, everyone, and that it cannot be said whether a single spirit will be a wraith, or a ghost, or a ghoul, and that the only way a spirit can come back embodied is through the help of a necromancer or herself."

He shook his head, and took a bite of food before continuing, "Though there are devils in the kingdom on the other side of the queendom that have power over the dead as well, and they are more than able to raise whole armies. I've been told that even some elves can do the same, but they don't, as their laws dictate that once you've passed, you may not return. I'm no expert on the subject of death. I know only that once one has passed into the dim light, you have a chance of being part of her kingdom for eternity, or you... go elsewhere. I'm sure there's tomes on the subject in the library, but I cannot vouch for their accuracy. I would sooner send a herald to request an audience with Queen Eevul herself to get the truth, as things in our library have a tendency to lose their accuracy over time." He smiled over at her.

"She's a fine lady, the Queen. I'd only traveled to her lands twice, once when I was very small, and once only two years ago. In that time, she hadn't changed even a bit. She is like a floating blue-green mist taken a lovely form, her eyes shine like gems, and glow from within. When she speaks, you cannot be certain if it is your imagination putting words to the wind or if it is a song." It was clear from the dreamlike quality to his tone that Andivad had something of a puppylove crush on her. "Her subjects are a stark contrast, I feel. They creak and move about like dry branches on a dead tree."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 06:47 pm UTC (link)
Lirael listened to his words, fascinated. Jareth never spoke of the other kingdoms. She had the distinct impression that the other rulers looked down on him and his magpie kingdom, and he insisted that he didn't care a fig for any of them. Her experience at the solstice ball indicated as much.

As she listened, Lirael ate berries. Divine, as always; they were her favorite. "I've spent a great deal of time in your library. I haven't found much mention of the queendom, but I have yet to master the Goblin tongue."

Lirael noticed the dreamlike tone and blushed a bit. It was certainly something Jareth would not have let slip past his defenses. Would that someone describe her like that! But she was young and awkward, and didn't possess the tall, tan-skinned, blonde-haired beauty of her Clayr sisters.

"Her necromancers... Do they use bells?" she asked, glancing down at the bandolier of bells across her chest. She suspected they used a different sort of magic. Part of her was curious to see whose magic was more powerful, but that was a dangerous game. Besides, Andivad's kingdom was at peace with the ghoul queendom, and she could not put that in jeopardy with challenges out of pure curiosity. Perhaps it would be best she avoid the place.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-16 06:55 pm UTC (link)
He chuckled low and shook his head, "No, I don't suppose they do, at least, not the way I suspect you do. They likely have some way of using them in ritual, as I recall when I went there that their dirges had singing bowls and bells, but I do not think that they are magical, just musical." He finished up his breakfast and quaffed what was left of the juice in the goblet before lifting to his feet, offering a hand again to help her up. "Let me lead you to where the scrolls about the other kingdoms usually are, then. As you know, the library has a habit of shifting and things tend to wind up in the strangest places there. I'm sure the librarian will know where they've got off to if they're not where they ought to be."

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-16 07:27 pm UTC (link)
Lirael smiled and took his hand, standing up. "Yes, it's certainly an unusual library," she said with a smile. She was quite happy whenever she was surrounded by books. She greeted the librarian by name as they walked in. She had needed to consult him many times when she was organizing the books.

Lirael recited a few Charter Marks and the books began to return to their proper shelves. Some flew from the floor onto the shelves, and others flew from one shelf to another. Strangely, they didn't finish. Half of the books in the piles remained on the floor. Lirael frowned, saying the spell again, but with no additional effect. She glanced questioningly to the librarian, but he simply shrugged.

"Well, it seems part of my magic has worn off, somehow." She picked up a book from a pile, running her hand over its spine. It didn't have a charter mark anymore. This would take a while to fix.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-17 11:05 am UTC (link)
He paused while she started sorting, and watched with an almost stunned sense of fascination as books floated off to their proper shelves. "Part stayed, that's more than enough for me to be impressed. I wonder why nobody had thought to do that before," he mused aloud, before smiling and gently removing the book from her hand, setting it aside before taking her now free hand, so he could guide her into the deeper parts of the library. The vast selection of books and scrolls, as well as atlases and grimoires was three floors high if it was a yard, and when nudged in certain ways, some shelves led into secret rooms where the more sensitive information was stored.

He pushed a thin, tall shelf that stood against a wall inward a little and it popped open to reveal a door, which he had to crouch to squeeze through, before ending up in the room that held the various accounts of history and the other kingdoms. "Most of these are written in the Common Language," In other words, English, "So you should have no trouble reading them." He smiled as he slipped away from her to meander off towards a large, imposing table that was full of ancient maps and scrolls, plucking one up before sitting down in a chair that seemed to be a part of the castle itself.

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-18 03:12 am UTC (link)
Lirael smiled. "The magic is relatively simple. I used Charter Marks to index the books to their respective shelves," she explained as he took her hand. It was the actual indexing that had taken a great deal of time and cooperation from the librarian. It looked like she would have to rework some of it.

Her eyes brightened when she saw the secret room. She felt like a kid in a candy store. "This is.." Her voice trailed off as one of the scrolls caught her attention. She picked it up gingerly and was engrossed almost immediately. She slipped into a nook and settled on the floor, pouring over a scroll on the Elven Kingdom.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-18 05:21 pm UTC (link)
He looked over from where he sat to her over the scroll and smiled quietly. Lirael seemed so different from any women that he'd met in the labyrinth. For one, she was actually his age, or at least close to it, which was comfortable to him. What would his father have wanted from this poor, pretty girl? He couldn't see why the king would have been attracted. Andivad was fairly certain he knew his father's tastes in mistresses and women in general by now, and she didn't exactly adhere to that. First off, her magic was far more important than the trickery of goblin magic, and he knew that Jareth was fairly egotistical about seeming like the more important and powerful one. It would have been a blow to his ego to know that Lirael was stronger.

Then again, he could have been using her. That option was there, and it somewhat sickened him. To distract himself from that consideration, Andivad sat up and went through the scrolls, before pulling out the one for the ghoul queendom and slipped out of the chair to walk to her and settle beside her, holding it up. "This is the one I was talking about." He smiled sweetly.

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[info]bellslinger
2011-02-18 09:26 pm UTC (link)
Lirael didn't notice him move until he was right next to her. "Oh!" She looked up and smiled as she took the second scroll. "Thank you," she said, and there was heartfelt sentiment behind that. She was deeply grateful he had shown her this room. She couldn't believe Jareth had never thought to show her, and it was equally surprising that she hadn't stumbled into it on her own. Charter knew she had found her way into enough restricted areas of the old Clayr library.

"I think I have a new favorite room," she told him with a smile. The ever-expanding bathroom was not nearly as impressive as this place.

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[info]princeofgoblins
2011-02-18 09:31 pm UTC (link)
"You're welcome, milady," said Andivad with a bow of his head, and then chuckled, shaking his head, "It's always been my favorite. All the maps and scrolls. I wish to visit all these lands one day. There's tales and history and maps from realms that five prior kings have been to, and I wish to see what my predecessors have seen before I take the throne, simply so that I can say that I could."

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