Drabble #193: Teeming

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 192, with entries by apachefirecat and redwolf, and comments by apachefirecat and redwolf

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

Teeming

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

Splash

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah’s breathing was labored as she climbed the stairs to the tower studio. She’d had a long day of negotiations and had reached her limits of people. All she wanted was some time with her husband and if that entailed watching him paint, then that was a hardship she was happy to suffer. Sitting back and admiring the way he stretched across the canvas and the look of concentration on his face as he worked was exactly what she needed to relax.

As Sarah stepped into the decidedly empty room, she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She had been on autopilot when heading for the studio and hadn’t bothered to check on Jareth’s whereabouts with the Labyrinth. A clap of thunder was loud enough to startle her and seeing the rain sheeting down the windows, it felt like the weather was mirroring her mood.

Placing a hand on the wall, Sarah asked the Labyrinth to find Jareth and was not at all pleased to learn that she’d need to trek all the way back to ground level.

It was a very out of breath Sarah that entered the conservatory that opened onto a private courtyard. The cool breeze from the open doors felt wonderful on her heated skin and she walked towards the moisture laden air, sighing in relief.

Her unintentional tour of the castle and the simple pleasure of the rain bringing her core temperature back to normal had initially distracted Sarah enough to miss that Jareth wasn’t present. However, there were canvases scattered about the room as evidence of his recent tenure.

As she looked at the array of art supplies, Jareth and Rook stepped in from the courtyard, carrying a canvas that was a washed out blur of pastels. They were soaked to the skin, Rook looked bedraggled, while Jareth managed to emulate a catwalk model.

Jareth gave Sarah a quick kiss in passing before he started a fresh painting.

Sarah blinked, her brain a little slow catching up as it was quite happily noting the way that the rain made Jareth’s clothing cling to his body in a delightfully distracting manner. “Wet.” Sarah winced as her powers of elocution failed her in the presence of a wet Goblin King.

“That’s why we’re down here.” Sarah must have managed to look confused enough that Jareth elaborated. “We’re using the storm to create textures we’ll use as bases. Mind the puddle.” He lifted his end of the hastily painted canvas and walked back out into the rain with Rook.

Sarah looked at the drying canvases. Some had streaks where they must have been angled into rain. Others showed clear spatter marks. As they dried there were tidal lines appearing in the remaining pigment.

Jareth and Rook brought the rained upon canvas back in and set it aside to dry. “That should do us for a while.” He turned and caught Sarah in a very wet embrace. “Care to help me out of these wet clothes?”

Completion

[apachefirecat]

Word Count: 400



The Labyrinth was full of all kinds of creatures, many beyond Sarah's wildest imaginings until she had returned to the Labyrinth and realized that everything was indeed as she'd been told time and time again that she had only dreamed. She had known in her heart that Jareth was real, that her friends was real, that the only place she'd ever truly felt she belonged was real. It had been a long, hard journey back to her King and the place she truly called home in her heart of hearts, but she had finally made it.

She had finally made it, and every day she was reminded that every step of her ardourous journey had been well worth all the sacrifices she had made. It was even worth never seeing her brother again -- not that she couldn't look in on Toby from any of her husband's numerous crystal balls, but it was of course not the same. She'd never step foot again in her own world, but she'd never belonged there. It had always been here to which she had belonged, here to a wild and beautiful land teeming with fantastic beasts, magic, and love.

She sighed happily as she leaned against her husband's arm, watching a number of the dancing Fae troops performing the ritualistic turning of the seasons. There was magic and beauty in everything they did, and it was grand watching them, grand experiencing all the magic and elegance their land had to offer, but it was only a very small part of what made fighting so hard to return here worth every sacrifice she had made.

Jareth leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss against her dark hair. "Is my Queen happy?"

"Oh, yes, very much so," she breathed reassuringly. She snuggled into his side, one hand absently draping across her enlarged belly. The dances may speak of magic, love, and beauty yet to come, but she had every dream for which she could ever yearn right here. Her fingers entwined with the long, regal fingers of her husband's. She could feel his smile and happy glow as he gazed down upon her before kissing her again. "Everything is perfect."

"I am glad," he responded in a hushed whisper. It would not do to allow the courts to know his true emotions, but like his beloved wife, he, too, could not be happier. They had everything.


The End

Re: Completion

[redwolf]

Sarah seems to have settled back into life Underground well 🦊🧡