Royal Compromise #3746
Authoress: Wee-Me
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jareth or his future wife. I am making no money from this and it ruined my sleep so please, no suing.
Begin
"We've discussed this Jareth."
"Yes, but..."
"And we agreed that baby tossing was a bad thing."
"I'd hardly call what happened an agreement my darling tyrant."
"You didn't have to agree to my terms."
"'Stop tossing them or we're never having one of our own' I believe you said Sarah-love."
"You didn't have to agree."
He only stares at her, that snooty royal look that implies she's made the goblins look like Ivy League material. She's not a teen anymore; she matches him with a look of her own, one that any husband in trouble would recognize. He looks away first- only because he wanted to, he *did not* lose. He pulls her to his chest to prove it.
"Anyway. You agreed to stop and now you've broken your word, what do you think we ought to do about that?"
"Hmm, written apology?"
"Not hardly."
"Verbal apology?"
"That's a start."
"A start?"
"Yes. You know how I feel about that. You're lucky I'm not tossing you in the bog."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Only because I'd be the one to suffer your stench. We both know you wouldn't change your views on personal space just because you smelled like death."
He's king, her space is his space by virtue of the crown and marriage. "Too true. And you've vowed to put up with me 'for better or worse', no getting away from me."
"Maybe that would be a fitting apology, you spending a week without me."
His arms clench tighter around her. "I think not, precious."
"But it would teach you a lesson and nothing I've said has gotten through."
"They aren't in any danger."
"You say that as if I haven't seen you drop the goblins that way."
"They're only goblins."
"Or the time you nearly dropped Toby that way at Dad and Karen's."
"He was not an infant, much harder to toss a small child than an infant."
"That certainly hasn't stopped you."
"I like a challenge." A significant look passes between them.
"Couldn't you find a challenge you like better than baby tossing? Say a nice chase with your darling wife through the Labyrinth?"
He smooths his expression from gleeful anticipation to royal disinterest in a blink. "A compromise? I suppose I could see my way to agreeing if the terms were expanded a bit."
She raises an eyebrow and slips out of his arms.
"First, I retain the right to toss small children, but to a lower height and only in the presence of my queen."
"That's acceptable, I suppose."
"Second, no further threats of time apart."
"Weelll," she taps her chin pretending to ponder until his eyes narrow dangerously, "all right, I can live with that."
"Good, because I wasn't going to give you a choice. My final term: that alternate activities always be provided to help keep me from straying from the terms of our agreement."
"You doubt your self-control?"
His smile is wicked. "I'm a simple man of simple pleasures my dear, I'll need your guiding hand to change my ways."
"Riiight."
"In fact, I feel in need of your assistance right now."
"Oh?" She knows this game, starts backing toward the door.
"Yes, who knows what trouble I'd get into without you?"
"Count of thirteen then?" she asks from the doorway.
"I've already started."
She blows him a kiss before she runs and his laughter rings out from the throne room. The Goblin Kingdom's royals do love a good compromise.
End
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I imagine the two of them have conversations about baby tossing a lot. I have messed with this one so much I have no idea if it even makes sense anymore. This was another one kicking around in my email forever. Thanks for reading.
Part of my 2011 13 Posts/Days of Halloween.