Mizumi

Mizumi, Queen of Moraine (also known as the Queen of Cups), is a major character in Return to Labyrinth, and functions as its main antagonist. She is a powerful sorceress, and is bent on making Jareth subject to her will for his rejection of her years before.

Events prior to the manga

Many years prior to the events of the film, Mizumi met Jareth at a dance. Mizumi quickly becomes infatuated by him, mesmerized by his strength of will. They formed a relationship, however Jareth eventually tired of Mizumi even as her love for him continued to grow. They spent lifetimes together on multiple worlds, living multiple lives. However, when Jareth showed Mizumi the location of the future Goblin Kingdom she arrogantly demanded that he take her elsewhere, considering the goblins - who Jareth found amusing - beneath their notice. Jareth then demanded that Mizumi reveal her expectations of their relationship, but when it becomes clear she only wanted shallow pomp, splendour and royal authority, he told her he would only remain with her if she could find his heart, which he has hidden in the newly-created Labyrinth. Mizumi failed the task, and lost him.

In the wake of Jareth's abandonmemnt of her Mizumi used her powers to make ablations of Hope and Regret from her grief, producing her 'daughters' Moulin and Drumlin. Doing so spared Mizumi the painful feelings that had overwhelmed her since Jareth's departure, and by establishing the ablations as her 'children' she was able to ward off the loneliness caused by their seperation.

Shortly after Sarah's defeat of him, Jareth travelled to Moraine to ask Mizumi to make an ablation from Sarah's dreams. Mizumi granted his request and created Moppet, but only did so on the condition that Jareth will hand over his Kingdom and its King if he could not make Moppet love him. Mizumi was convinced she would win the wager, as she considered Jareth too self-absorbed to ever win the love of another.

Role in the manga

Mizumi only appears briefly in the first volume of the manga, and is first seen spying on Toby in the real world. Later, she sends a large, vicious water demon to attack him upon his arrival in the Labyrinth. At the grand ball held at the end of the first volume Mizumi approaches Jareth and refers to him as her 'fiancee,' confident that he will shortly be under her control. Mizumi laughs when Jareth announces that Toby is to be the next Goblin King, realizing that he has found a way to escape his debt to her.

In the second volume Mizumi begins to mentor Toby in the use of magic with the intention being that he reveals the location of the Pathmaker to her, as she believes The Pathmaker to be the living heart of the Labyrinth that drives the paths of the kingdom. When she is mentoring Toby, Mizumi gives him some insight into her past with Jareth, revealing the bitterness she feels towards him for scorning her love. Following Toby's coronation, Mizumi claims him and the Goblin Kingdom as both were Jareth's debt to her for the creation of Moppet. Mizumi becomes steadily more controlling of Toby and tries to earn his loyalty, tempting him with visions of how they could rule the Labyrinth together if he agrees to co-operate with her.

When Mizumi realizes Jareth has entered the human world and is trying to recover the now adult Sarah, she sends her henchman Esker to stop Jareth bringing Sarah back to the Labyrinth. However, the Labyrinth is wildly out of control and proves impassable. It then occurs to Mizumi that killing Moppet would kill Sarah, since killing an ablation results in the death of its source. However, Moppet is protected from Mizumi by Toby. Moppet eventually recovers Sarah's memories of her time in the Labyrinth,and starts off on a quest with Moulin, Hoggle, Ludo, Hana and Stank to find the real Sarah.

Mizumi uses her link to Moulin to track them down, and as Moulin inadvertently suceeds in making Mizumi experience regret once again Mizumi is able to stab Moulin, the blood sacrifice opening the gateway that leads to Jareth and Sarah's new world. Unable to cross through to their world herself, Mizumi assigns Moppet the task and returns to the Goblin City. With the emotions of hope and regret restored to her, Mizumi ends her occupation of the Goblin Kingdom and frees Toby, leaving him to deal with the chaos the Labyrinth has descended into by himself. At the end of the manga she is still determined to have Jareth's love, reasoning that Sarah is only mortal and will eventually die.

Appearance

Mizumi is tall and very beautiful, with blue-tinged, pale skin and an elegant frame. She has pale blue hair and eyes, and there is a mark shaped like a teardrop beneath her lips. Mizumi wears elaborate, tailored robes, which often feature high collars and armoured shoulder pads.She generally wears a crown, the style of it altering between her appearances.

Abilities

Relationships

Jareth

Mizumi is deeply infatuated by Jareth, to the extent that she continues to want his love long after he rejects her. In flashbacks, Mizumi is shown to be constantly adoring while Jareth appears remote and disinterested after the early period of their relationship has passed. Jareth considers Mizumi to be shallow, and ignores her pleas to allow her the oppurtunity to earn his love. Mizumi is attracted to Jareth's power and strength of will, and when Spittledrum explains that Jareth wished to possess Sarah and break her will Mizumi considers the thought romantic.

At the end of the final volume Mizumi resigns herself to waiting for a new oppurtunity to win his affections.

Sarah/Moppet

Jareth's obsession with Sarah makes Mizumi exrtremely jealous, and she is incapable of seeing what it is about Sarah that so attracts him. She considers the fact Jareth lost his heart to Sarah to be unfathomable, and sneers at Jareth when he approaches her and asks her to make an ablation from Sarah's dissapointed dreams.

Mizumi creates Moppet for Jareth as she believes he is destined to lose their wager, and that she will ultimately win both Jareth and his Kingdom. When Jareth comes to collect Moppet, Mizumi tells him that Moppet will never love him as he is too in love with himself. Mizumi resents Moppet, as she is a reminder of Jareth's pre-occupation with Sarah.

Toby

Mizumi is largely only interested in Toby due to his association with Jareth. At first she tries to drive him out of Jareth's Kingdom