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labyfic2023-08-07 04:49 pm
jalenstrix) wrote in labyfic2023-08-07 04:49 pm
Entry tags:
Drabble #130: Grace
...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 129, with entries by
redwolf and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix), and comments by us both as well. As always, special labyfic love to redwolf for adding entries and comments for many previous drabble prompts. Huzzah!For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:
Grace
Is someone graceful? Granting grace to themselves or others? Is this a grace period, and if so, from what? Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.
Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit for this month of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!
Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:
Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble
I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Monday of next month (Sept 4).
I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.
Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand. Authors generally write for love.)
Grace
Drabble:
Sarah was standing on the balcony, arms resting on the balustrade, as she looked out on the Labyrinth. Closing her eyes, she could feel the magic of the land as the structure rearranged itself according to its own whims. Sometimes she could almost sense an underlying pattern to those changes, but at other times it was seemingly random and she wondered if she was becoming more attuned to the Underground or if she was seeing order where none existed.
Between one breath and the next, Jareth materialised beside her. Technically, he had stepped out of their bedroom, but he moved quietly enough that Sarah barely suppressed her startle reflex.
Sarah didn’t acknowledge him, but she watched Jareth in her peripheral vision as he manipulated crystals and sent them out into the world. She loved watching his hands and, while she knew it was the result of long practice, the effortless grace of his movements always brought her joy. It also brought a warmth to her cheeks as she recalled how talented his hands were in other areas.
“What are you thinking about, my love?” Sarah felt Jareth’s voice wrap her in its caress.
Sarah spread her hands and lifted her chin to indicate the great maze. “Are there patterns in the chaos? Or am I imagining things?”
Jareth moved to stand behind her, sliding his hands slowly down her arms until he laced their fingers together. “Does it matter?” Sarah shivered as she felt his grin against her ear.
“I don’t know.” She watched in fascination as their magic combined where their fingers were joined to swirl around their arms in fluid lines that faded out at their elbows before finally dissipating in a bright burst of colour.
“The Labyrinth sits in your awareness as background noise that you don’t notice until you need it.” Sarah nodded, knowing the feeling well by now as she used it daily to navigate her way around the ever shifting layout of the castle or to locate people within the enormous building. “It won’t be until there’s a runner or the kingdom is under threat that the sensation is more overt.”
Sarah gasped quietly as Jareth worked his hands inside her robe to cup her breasts while he slowly kissed a path from her ear to her shoulder. “So it’s a symbiotic relationship? We protect each other?”
“Of course.” Jareth was being thoroughly distracting in his exploration of her body, but she still felt a third tendril of magic that strengthened their own.
Sarah had long ago tied herself to the Labyrinth, a structure that she was learning had its own long history of manipulating the world far beyond its walls, so she should not be surprised that it had a vested interest in protecting itself and its inhabitants. She felt a fierce love for both the man who held her and the comforting labyrinthine presence in her mind and she would tear the world apart to defend her home and her Goblin King.
Re: Grace
Re: Grace
Grace
Jareth’s hand moved across his body in an elegant, familiar gesture that normally would have included a crystal rolling through his fingers in impossible, beautiful ways.
His hand remained empty, and he looked puzzled for a moment, but continued on with his testimony.
My heart squeezed into a little clump inside my chest. Breathe, just breathe.
Watching this was brutal. I knew it would be its own special surprise — each hearing in front of the judicial dragon always turned out to be. Somehow, I was never prepared for what Jareth had in store. The few weeks since the last hearing had been quiet, a definite grace period lacking in disjointed, jarring communications from him while he was off traveling only Faerie knew where. Any communication was currently mediated through my Faerie representative, a pixie with a monocle by the name of Lilibet who knew her Faerie legal stuff. But still. Lilibet had to pass along whatever Jareth had sent her for me, and the mix of iron-poisoned rants with the sly wit and deft consideration of the man I had known and still loved was….a lot.
Just breathe.
I wasn’t prepared for this hearing either. I heard his velvety voice echo in my mind. Never bored, Sarah love. You will never be bored with me.
I sure as hell wasn’t.
Neither was little Feanor. My heart squeezed again remembering his little three-year-old voice. I miss Papa, Mama.
I know, baby, I’d said. Me, too. I miss him so much.
The Labyrinth was also suffering terribly, its grief a dark river rushing through my mind. I sent it a little pulse of warmth, an image of my former kitty Beast purring in a little raft on the river.
The Labyrinth let out a sigh, and took a metaphorical deep breath.
Me, too. I know. And I’m here.
Sir Didymus had told me I’d need to grant myself a lot of grace for the time being, and he had said he’d get me off to a good start by granting me as much as he had in his possession. I rubbed my finger over my pocket, where the little white linen scrap embroidered with the word “Grace” was neatly tucked away.
It was good to have friends. The entire realm had rallied behind me in their quiet, slantwise way. We all held on to the tiniest sliver of hope that somehow, somehow Jareth would seek help for his condition.
Hope springs eternal.
It’s only forever, everyone. Not long at all. We will wait until there is no hope left.
Re: Grace