Drabble #141: Escape

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 140, with entries by redwolf.

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Escape

Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit 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
$your_beautiful_drabble

I'll be running weekly challenges in the space around jalenstrix's monthly challenges.

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.)

Comments

Escape

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Jareth materialised at the steps to the throne, his armour a complement to that of his queen. Sarah was watching the antics of the goblins as they swarmed over the wolf who had been retrieved from Above.

At first she didn’t notice the small girl who was standing behind Jareth, clutching his hand, until the child made her presence known with a shriek of delight. She tore herself from his grasp and dove into the pit to wrap her arms around the wolf, who was looking a lot more at ease now that his small human had arrived.

Sarah reached out and threaded her fingers with Jareth’s. “What if she wants to go back?” She looked at the pair romping with the castle horde.

“What’s said, is said. You know this.” Sarah still looked pained and wondered if she would have done the same in the girl’s place.

Jareth nudged Sarah’s leg and slid into the space beside her, pulling her into his lap. “However, I did query the child to confirm that she understood if she chose this path, she could never return.”

Sarah squeezed his hand where it wrapped around her middle. “And?”

“She said that, as her parents were going to kill George.” Jareth jerked his chin towards the wolf. “They did not deserve either of them.” He nuzzled into Sarah’s neck. “Her primary concern was her brother’s welfare. If they could be together, even if it was as goblins, she viewed that as a bonus. By then it was out of my hands, as her avowal was enough for the Labyrinth to grant her asylum.”

“What happens now?” Sarah had heard of asylum requests, but they were before her time and were adults. Also, they weren’t wolves.

Jareth tilted his head in thought as he watched the happy pair. “We’ll need to place them together. I have a few candidates in mind, but I’ll leave it to Ada and George to decide on where they’re most comfortable.”

Ada extracted herself from the goblins and stood before the throne, grinning up at the Goblin monarchs. “Will we be goblins now, Mr King?”

Jareth managed to wriggle out from under Sarah with an elegance of motion that she envied. He crouched down to be at Ada’s level. “No, my dear, the Labyrinth has accepted you both as subjects.”

Ada smiled in happiness before her brow furrowed in thought and she waved her hands around her ears. “Is that why me and George are in each other's heads now?”

Jareth smiled back at the child. “So it would seem.”

“Cool! Please thank the Labyrinth for us, Mr King.”

Sarah wasn’t sure if a child with the determination to wish herself and her brother from another mother away to the goblins would be difficult to care for or a breeze, but their ability to communicate with each other would certainly help them settle in. Ada was prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to protect her family, something Sarah could appreciate.