A/N: This is a test. I've seen many Jareth/OC fics receive much negativity from Jareth/Sarah fans so if this piece gets some curiosity and interested readers, I can continue it. For any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to message me! So... with that said...
Disclaimer: I do not own "Labyrinth."
The goblins were nervous, she could tell. In the last few months that she had been here, she had never seen them so jumpy, so jittery and so… quiet. And she was going to get to the bottom of it because she was Her Royal Highness Queen Katherine Jove, ruler of the Nymph Kingdom, one of the five keeper of keys to the gateways Aboveground, and ambassador to the High Fae Court.
Katherine came to the Goblin Kingdom several months ago as a favor to her long-time friend, Jareth the Goblin King. A year ago, he came to the Nymph Kingdom, frantic and confused because his gateway to the Above had mysteriously closed up. He had felt a summon for a wished away child, but when he tried to transport there, he bounced back. When he tried to fly as an owl, the gateway wouldn't let him in. Even the goblins could not sneak their way in. It happened two more times, and he knew someone had tampered with his gateway. For now, they didn't know who, but it was under investigation by the Nymph Kingdom. Meanwhile, they set him up with a temporary portal through a forest near the palace that he could use while they fixed his gateway in the sky. Katherine could have easily sent one of her cloud nymphs to fix it, but then Jareth had seen the improvements she had done for the Nymph Kingdom and was impressed. He wished the same changes to be done with his own and asked for their help. She couldn't hand that job off to one of her nymphs.
Katherine was reluctant to leave at first. She'd only been Queen for a few years and she had so many responsibilities. But her cousins, who ruled alongside her as Queen Regents, assured her that they could take care of matters on their own while she was gone. The Goblin King had done so much for them when their kingdom had been at war with the bordering land and this was just a small way to repay him. With some encouragement from their grandfather and coaxing from Jareth, the young nymph finally agreed. So here she was, overseeing the building of an irrigation system for the farm fields and a school building in the city, as well as establishing a school system and training schoolteachers for the goblin younglings and the wished away children.
Life here was pretty much the same as back home, everyday a constant routine of duties and responsibilities. She would wake up, eat breakfast, do her rounds, eat lunch, ask Jareth if there was anything she could help him with, relax in the afternoons if he didn't need her help or take care of other renovation matters, eat dinner, relax and spend time with Jareth, and sleep. She was content.
But today, she sensed something different in the atmosphere. Something… off. It was stale and dry. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. But that wasn't all. She could see it on the kingdom's subjects as well.
For example, that morning when she arrived at the dining room for breakfast, all the goblins, who were whispering amongst themselves had ceased talking as soon as she entered. Not to mention, the Goblin King was missing from the breakfast table. It was odd, but not something that was too odd. He ate earlier than her sometimes when he had plenty of work to do. So she shrugged it off and enjoyed her fruit.
Then, she took her normal morning stroll through the Goblin City to check on the construction of the school. She also stopped by the orphanage for the wished away children. There were only five children now, waiting for their new fae families to take them home. The orphanage was an idea that her cousin Elizabeth had suggested to Jareth a few years ago. Prior to that, he usually let the children run loose in the palace until he found a home for them. It was much better and more orderly now. There were even fae nannies and nursemaids employed at the place as well as some goblin nannies.
As she strolled the streets of the small city, the goblins she passed whispered amongst themselves in worried tones, looking towards the castle from whence she came. Again, she thought nothing of it, assuming it was another rumor about the King that would die down within a few days.
And then, she went out into the fields to check on the harvest and inventory for the upcoming winter months. It was usually Jareth's job, but he had been busy the last few days with paperwork that he asked her to do this one favor for him today. When she arrived, the goblins were chattering more so than usual and with worried expressions as well. She thought there was a problem with the crops, but they assured her that there were none. She took inventory and left to check on the goblins building the irrigation system. She observed the same thing, but like everyone else, they reassured her that all was fine.
Even the fae servants were on edge, more so than usual. They whispered in hush tones with the goblins and avoided her questions when she asked. It was like a blanket of gloom and paranoia had befallen the Goblin City and the castle beyond it.
So when Katherine returned to the castle from her morning duties, she was determined to get to the bottom of this oddity. Finally, her light brown eyes spotted an inhabitant of the castle.
"Excuse me," she called to the small goblin passing by, wearing a filthy white apron over a drab yellow dress and carrying a plate of buns.
The goblin squeaked and dropped the plate in shock, but Katherine raised her hand and reached out with her air magic to catch it before the buns made it to the filthy floor. The plate and buns floated towards the goblin's waiting hands. She bowed in thanks.
"Does the Lady need anything?" the female goblin asked.
"Yes, can you tell me what's going on here?"
"Er… what does the Lady mean?"
Katherine walked closer to her. "I mean the fact that there seems to be some kind of unspoken secret in the air. Heck, I can even feel it in the air!"
The goblin didn't reply and was simply fidgeting, looking like she wanted to get away but couldn't.
"Um… er… um…" the goblin stammered.
"There is something amiss and I want to know what's wrong. Maybe I can help."
"Um… er… um…."
Katherine raised an eyebrow before going down on one knee to the little creature's height, careful not to trip over her own dress.
"Come on, you can tell me," she goaded.
The goblin hesitated.
"What's your name?" Katherine asked.
"Nip, your majesty."
"Nip… I'll give you a sweet if you do," she tempted, smiling mischievously.
The goblin's ears perked at the mention of candy. The king had forbidden sugar from their diet, except for special occasions. Today was not a special occasion. But Katherine always carried a small bag of sweets with her, giving them to goblins as rewards if they did her favors. Jareth didn't like it when she did this, often confronted her about it, but she did it anyway. It was probably why they liked her more.
"Well…" Nip looked around nervously, making sure no one was around. She motioned for Katherine to come closer and whispered in her ear. "Today is the day that girl beat him many years ago."
Katherine's eyebrows furrowed. "Girl? What girl?"
"The girl with the pretty brown hair and green eyes who ate the magic peach and almost broke the city. All I knows is that Kingy gets more angry and kicks harder and yells louder. He also is sad more and stops singing for many days. It always happens this day every year."
Everything finally clicked. Katherine knew what was going on. And she couldn't believe that she hadn't known, not that he had told her. She and Jareth had been friends for so long, but Katherine realized that there was still so much she didn't know about the Goblin King. She knew what it was that was bothering him, it was common knowledge in the Underground. But she never knew the true extent of that past event. Jareth never confided in her and she never asked.
Reaching into the leather pouch around the belt on her waist, Katherine took out a piece of butterscotch candy and gave it to Nip.
"Our little secret, okay?" she whispered, pressing a finger to her lips, mischievously.
Nip brightened up at the gift. "Okay!"
The goblin toddled away happily.
Meanwhile, the Queen of the Nymphs gathered up her skirts and went to find the Goblin King.
LABYRINTH
Jareth sighed for what was probably the thousandth time that morning. A new record. It wasn't even lunchtime yet.
He was in his study, away from the prying eyes of his subjects, lazily sitting on his chair with his feet propped up on the desk. A glass of goblin wine was in his hands and he took a swig whenever a thought about this day entered his mind. A half-empty bottle of the stuff was on the desk, just an arm's reach away.
It was that day of the year again. The day where 20 years ago, he was bested by a 15-year old human girl. That wasn't different, he had met many 15-year olds who defeated the labyrinth and won back their loved ones. No, what was different about this particular 15-year old was that not only did she hold the record of solving the labyrinth in the shortest amount of time, he had also fallen hopelessly in love with her and offered her everything, only to have her break his heart into pieces.
He felt pathetic. Why was he even keeping track of this day? Oh yeah. Because he was a masochist.
"Jareth?" a voice called through the door followed by a series of knocks.
He ignored it and took a swig of the wine. It burned his throat and warmed him from the top of his blonde head to the tips of his toes.
"Jareth, I know you're in there. Open up!"
He continued to pretend she wasn't there.
"Goblin King, if you don't open this door, I swear I will blast it open!"
Jareth cracked a smile, amused. "I'd love to see you try."
He heard a defeated sigh and chuckled. Katherine would never really break down the door. She found that too much of a waste of a good door. As he raised the glass to his lips again, he felt a sudden breeze that was out of place in such a warm room. And his windows were closed too.
He groaned. Sometimes, he forgot she could do that.
He could see the outline of a breeze sneaking in from underneath the cracks of the door and quickly taking shape. Soon enough, there in front of him stood the Queen of the Nymphs, one of his best friends, and whose magic he forgot allowed her to turn into the winds.
His eyes ran over her slightly disheveled hair and wrinkly maroon dress. He had to admit, she was simple-looking by fae standards. Although faes are naturally magnificent creatures, their beauty, much like mortals, can be enhanced with the aid of cosmetics and frivolous accessories. And over the centuries, many fae took advantage of such things, even Jareth himself. But, Katherine kept herself simple in that regard.
She was tan, due to the copious amount of time she spent outdoors, but not quite dark. Her wavy dark brown locks had streaks of blue, the color of the sky, in them. Her eyes were a warm shade of chocolate brown, decked with light blue above her eyelids, a fae marking. Her ears were slightly less pointy than Jareth's, due to being half nymph. But, most definitely not ugly.
She was lean and of average height, but he knew not to take her delicate appearance for granted. He knew that the long, poufy sleeves of her gown hid toned muscles highly-trained with the sword. Not to mention that she was now flashing him a look that meant business.
Katherine was centuries younger than Jareth. Heck she was still a child in comparison to him, only 25 in mortal years (30 in fae years, so practically an infant) and most obviously the youngest Queen in the whole Underground. Heck, in Underground history. But when she got angry, she was like a storm. He had no doubt she could turn into one if she really wanted to. Or was that her younger cousin, Annalise's, ability? He wasn't quite sure at this point, his mind was a little hazy from the wine.
Crossing her arms, Katherine stalked over to his desk and planted the palm of her hands firmly on top of it with a soft 'bang.' "Why didn't you tell me?!"
Jareth quirked an eyebrow. "Tell you what?"
"About today!" She stomped her foot in frustration. "I thought I was your friend."
"You are."
"But you didn't tell me about today."
Jareth's eyes narrowed, suddenly irritated. "Who told you?"
"It's not important. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't realize my personal affairs were your business," he said, coldly.
"I'm your friend, your personal affairs are my business," she responded, equally cold. "What gives, Jareth? I tell you everything."
"You didn't tell me about that mortal boy. Tom, was it?" he taunted.
Katherine's eyes narrowed as she threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Oh please Jareth, I dated the guy for two weeks, let it go."
The Goblin King smirked inwardly. She was fun to infuriate sometimes. Her flaring nostrils were adorable and her right eye would twitch slightly, amusing him. She had grown up and lived Above for some time before she claimed her throne shortly after her 21st birthday (25th in fae years), so her Aboveground upbringing often manifested itself when she was angry and she spoke and ranted like a mortal.
"Besides," she continued. "This isn't about me. It's about you and your unrequited feelings for Sarah Williams and I don't understand why you don't just man up and go to her! Stop being a coward!"
Jareth could only see red as he felt himself fly from his desk and grab her by the throat, his eyes blazing with anger.
"I. Am. Not. A. Coward," he hissed at her, his fingers tightening around her neck.
He wanted to see her suffer for insulting him. How dare she?! She was only a child! She knew nothing about his heart!
Katherine only icily returned his gaze before calmly lifting her own hands to wrap around his wrists. Although Jareth was far stronger than she, the Nymph Queen was not a weakling. Without breaking eye contact, she slowly but firmly disengaged his fingers from her throat. He felt his hands loosen themselves and drop to his sides as he began to calm down.
Jareth felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the faint blue marks his fingers had made on her delicate neck. He really needed to work on his temper. His friend was only trying to help. She and her cousins were the very few true friends he had. And she really didn't have to tell him about that mortal boy, it had been a fleeting infatuation, nothing important.
"I'm sorry," he said, looking down at the floor, ashamed. "I got carried away."
Katherine narrowed her eyes at him before reaching over to grab the bottle of goblin wine still on his desk.
"Well, if you're going to wallow away your sorrows in this stuff, I might as well keep you company," she said, leaning against the edge of the desk.
It still amazed him how easily she could forgive, but he knew that she would never forget.
Without warning, Katherine made to take a swig straight from the bottle. Jareth stopped her before it reached her lips, looking disgusted at her manners, or rather her lack thereof.
"You're not acting very queen-ly right now," he told her, as he conjured another glass for her to use.
She smirked as she took it from him. "Well, right now, I'm not the queen of your closest ally. I'm your friend."
She poured herself some wine and raised the glass between them. Jareth obligingly took his own glass and clinked it with hers.
"To Sarah," he said. "May she realize how much she had broken the spirit of the Goblin King." He laughed, bitterly. "No power over her indeed."
He took a long swig while Katherine simply took a sip, a thoughtful look on her face.
"You know, I never asked," she said softly, looking at her glass. "I guess that was my mistake. I was hoping you'd tell me yourself." She turned her head to look at him. "But, please Jareth, I can't bear to see you like this. Even the goblins are on edge. Tell me what you're really feeling."
The king sighed. "You wouldn't understand."
"I'd still like to know. Maybe I can help."
Jareth looked at her, finally seeing the look of determination on her face. Katherine and her cousins were all stubborn, he guessed it was a family trait. He knew she wouldn't leave him alone.
After re-filling his glass to the brim, he settled himself on the floor against the desk and she copied him. With that, the Goblin King bared his heart and soul to the Nymph Queen. And like the good friend she was, she listened, faithfully. Funny how things ended up, granted how she used to hate him.
LABYRINTH
"Jareth, it's good to see you, my boy," King Atticus Jove of the Nymph kingdom greeted him as the Goblin King transformed from a snowy white barn owl into his fae form.
Jareth went to shake the older fae's hand before the man chuckled and pulled Jareth into a fatherly hug. Atticus was at least a millennia older than he and the years were catching up with the older fae. His once dark hair was turning silver and so was his short beard. The wrinkles around his brilliant blue eyes were more apparent, but they have not lost their playful spark. The man was as old as Jareth's own father. He had been ruling the Nymph Kingdom far longer than Jareth had ruled the Goblin Kingdom. As a young prince centuries ago, he had learned everything he needed to know from this fae.
"And how was the travel?" Atticus asked, leading him into the grand castle.
"Uneventful," he replied, nonchalantly, hiding his fatigue from the travel. "The winds were a little harsh, but bearable."
Jareth could have transported himself easily here, but with the Seelie Nymph Kingdom at war with their Unseelie neighbor, the Moor Lands, extra precautions had been taken to make sure no unfamiliar magic was to get through the shields to the Nymph Kingdom. So Jareth had to fly and make his presence known to the guards at the border. They were already expecting him, so they had an opening in the shield ready, big enough for him to fly through.
Compared to Jareth's own plain and dreary-looking castle, everything here was bright. The walls and floor were made of marble and white stone, decorated with flowering plants and rich tapestries. The servants, both fae and nymph alike, were dressed in bright, earthy-colors of blue, green, red, and yellow. Jareth knew that they had a few dwarves in their employ as well, but they mostly worked in the royal mines, or rather what was left of it. The war has taken a toll on the kingdom's treasury.
Atticus chuckled, good-heartedly. "I'm sorry about the shields. We can't risk anymore sneak attacks, especially with my granddaughters being here now."
"Ahhh, your little princesses," Jareth replied, smiling. "Do I get to meet the spawns of my dear friends?"
"Of course, Jareth! If you want, as soon as you get settled into your rooms, you can rest for a moment and then we'll go meet them. They're out in the fields training."
"That reminds me." Jareth stopped and took out a crystal and lightly tossed it against the marble floor. Three goblins appeared with luggage. They looked up at him imploringly. "Follow me and behave accordingly. We are guests here."
The goblins nodded.
After a servant had taken them to his rooms, Jareth allowed his goblins to wander, with a strict warning not to cause a ruckus and to return by nightfall. After some time, Atticus summoned him down to the main hall and the two old friends spent the time talking and catching up as they walked towards the fields.
Mostly, Atticus talked about how his granddaughters had made their way back home from Aboveground, shortly after the youngest girl's 16th birthday. They seemed to have accepted the news quiet well, though how they found out frightened them immensely. It had delighted Atticus to discover that his late wife's nymph blood ran strong, giving the girls powers over nature, just like their mothers.
Unfortunately, his daughters and their husbands had been captured by the enemy, shortly after the girls were sent to the kingdom through a gateway. They found out only a week after the girls arrived, when some of Jareth's spy goblins returned to report to them. Several attempts at rescue were made, but the last rescue team discovered that the royals were nowhere in the enemy's palace. They suspected the royals were being held in another part of the land, but where exactly was still to be discovered. But, in the meantime, Atticus handed over the training of his granddaughters' gifts to some of the guardian nymphs.
The girls had been in the Underground for only two months, enough time to get to know the kingdom and their new world, but not enough to deem them ready for what awaited their future.
Jareth knew his old friend was trying to stay positive, but he could also see how much the worrying for his daughters had drained him. The man looked too thin, had dark circles under his eyes, and was so weak that he needed the help of a walking staff. However, he spoke highly of his grandchildren. They brought him hope every day and were the only ones who could cheer him up now.
Finally, they reached the training fields where knights were training the young princesses. The girls were young, so very young. Each wore armor made from dragon hide, if Jareth was correct. It was light as air, but stronger than any metal. It was a rare material since blacksmiths had to wait until a dragon shed its skin, which only occurred in the summer. He assumed that Atticus had those specially made for the girls and paid a hefty price for them. Jareth allowed himself a few moments to observe the princesses as Atticus began to introduce the girls to him.
"The one by the archery ring is the youngest, Annalise" he said, pointing to a petite brunette. "Sophia's daughter, inherited her power over lightning. She has quite an overactive imagination and simply refuses to stop moving. She will wear you out."
Jareth observed as the girl nodded her head at her instructor before taking a deep breath and taking a shot at the target, her hazel eyes, decked with golden markings, narrowed in concentration. When she released, the arrow landed just outside the black dot. The girl let out a groan of frustration and grabbed another arrow.
'She doesn't give up, a good quality trait,' Jareth mused. 'Just like Sophia.'
"The one practicing with the short swords is Josephine, Diana's girl. Inherited her power over earth. She's quiet at first, but when she warms up to you, she'll chat your ears off. She loves animals, just like her mother did."
The girl was flaxen and had crystal blue eyes, decked by mint green markings, traits he recognized to be Diana's. But instead of Diana's straight locks, the girl sported a mane of curls that was tied back with a ribbon. She was struggling to keep up with the knight she was sparring with, but she was flexible and used this to her advantage. Jareth watched her twist and maneuver her way out of the opposing swords' touch. She was a cunning one, he could tell. With her father being a former battle strategist, that was inevitable.
"Over there with the spear is Elizabeth, Myrtle's girl, inherited her power over water. She's a sweet girl. Inherited her father's voice and musical talents. I suppose as a former court troubadour, he felt it necessary to keep his love of music alive in Elizabeth."
Elizabeth had a long braid of blonde hair and a pair of green eyes, decked by light blue markings. And she was delicate, Jareth could tell.
'Just like her mother,' he thought to himself, remembering the soft-spoken fae, who hated fighting. He could see that resonate in the girl as well, as she hesitated with each attack. She was weak with offense, but her defense was good. He could work on her with that.
"The one by the daggers is Jessica-."
"Belinda's? I recognize the hair and the look in her eyes," Jareth laughed, remembering how he and the other fae would bicker and banter back and forth. She was fiery and had obviously passed that on to her daughter. "Got more than just Bel's fire power, I can see what."
Atticus laughed along. "She's quite the athlete. Picked up any skill the knights taught her with no problem."
Compared to the rest, Jessica's head was the darkest, hair as black as a raven's feather. It was also cropped short, reaching the collar of her armor. She was the tallest of them all. Even from afar, he could see the blaze in her dark eyes, made darker by the golden marking, as she hit each target with a flying dagger with precision. He saw her break into a smile at what she had done and, to his surprise, began jumping up and down and clapping.
'Like a child,' he thought to himself. 'They were all children.'
"And of course, the eldest, whom you already know," Atticus said, pointing to a slender brunette holding a sword, sparring with a knight. "You held her once, when she was born."
Jareth smiled at the memory of a tiny smiling babe, cooing at him.
"Katherine," the Goblin King said, fondly. "Minerva's daughter. Power over air. How can I forget the babe that vomited her breakfast on me?"
The two men laughed at the memory.
"Indeed," Atticus said. "A passionate young woman, that one. Very mature for her age. She also… inherited Minerva's gift."
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"In fact, she had actually received a vision of an attack during Annalise's 16th birthday, but had paid it no mind. The poor girl was frightened beyond belief when she realized that that vision came true."
Katherine did not inherit her mother's blonde hair, blue eyes, or the silver markings. She looked more like her philosopher father, with a braid of the darkest shade of brown hair he had ever seen and a pair of light brown eyes, decked with light blue markings. But, Jareth observed that she had her mother's spirit. She carried herself with regal authority and grace, as she concentrated on the fight, her eyes constantly on alert, calculating. When she managed to defeat her opponent, Jareth caught her smile as she extended a hand to the fallen knight, who praised her. She blushed, sheepishly at the compliment as she apologized for almost harming him. Definitely Minerva's daughter.
He couldn't believe that just like that, the little babe was all grown up.
They were all sixteen. Only sixteen. Sixteen years was nothing to a fae. But if they had grown up at home in the Underground where they belonged, they would still be little children, not the adolescents he was now watching training to kill. Jareth blamed the Aboveground for aging them too fast. Then again, that was partly his fault. When they all heard of the prophecy that Atticus' grandchildren would be the downfall of the Moor lands, Jareth was the one who suggested that the princesses escape Above to protect their children. But, he knew Atticus would never hold it against him.
Atticus ordered a guard to let his granddaughters know that training was to be cut short and that they were to meet him and a guest at the courtyard for lunch.
At the lovely courtyard, under the canopy of flowering trees, a table was set for seven. Atticus sat at the head and Jareth sat across from him. There were two seats on his right and three on his left. The two monarchs made small talk as they waited for the princesses to freshen up and join them. Half an hour later, Atticus looked up from the conversation and smiled.
"Ahhh, the princesses have arrived," he said standing up. Jareth followed suit and turned around.
The five girls were now all clean and properly dressed. Behind them were five female servants, ready to assist them. The princesses looked at him in surprise and he flashed them a playful smile. The eldest, Katherine, must have remembered her manners and curtseyed, the others following her lead.
"My granddaughters, I'd like you to meet the Goblin King," Atticus said. "He has been our most trusted ally in this war and a good friend of mine."
Jareth bowed to them.
"Please, call me Jareth," he said. "An honor, my princesses."
With that, he stepped forward and grasped the youngest, Annalise's hand and placed a kiss upon it. The girl giggled and curtseyed. He moved on to Josephine, who blushed scarlet. Then, followed Elizabeth, who timidly looked at her feet after he released her hand. When he kissed Jessica's hand, he could see her fighting not to blush, and was looking at anything but him. He smirked and moved on to the eldest, who was regarding him with suspicion. Her hand was shaking as he took it and placed a kiss on it. She quickly snatched it back.
"Likewise, your majesty," she said, politely. Too politely.
"You don't look like a goblin," Annalise blurted out.
Jareth turned to her just in time to see Josephine jab an elbow at her side.
"Annie!" Elizabeth scolded, looking at Jareth apologetically. "We're sorry about that, sir."
"Yeah, she can be insensitive," Jessica added, glaring at the younger girl.
"Sorry," the young fae said, looking down at her feet embarrassed.
Jareth chuckled instead. He should have been offended, but the comment had amused him. "Indeed, I am not a goblin. Simply a goblin king. A handsome one, if I do say so myself."
Annalise blushed as red as a tomato.
From where he was, Atticus laughed at their antics. "Come, everyone, let us sit and enjoy the food."
They all took their places, Josephine and Annalise on his right, and Katherine, Jessica, and Elizabeth on his left.
They were all chatty, Jareth observed. They still talked like Abovegrounders, but each was witty and had something to say. All except… the eldest.
Katherine was quiet throughout the first and second courses. Jareth did his best to try to get at least a peep from the girl, but all he got were nods and head shakes at his questions. Maybe he should start asking questions that didn't have "yes" and "no" for answers. Was she shy?
By the time dessert came, Jareth was about to just let her be when something large and alive fell from the sky and onto the table. The princesses squealed while Atticus stared at the creature, wordlessly. The fae king groaned. It was one of his goblins, now covered in vanilla icing and chocolate.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" he hissed at it as the creature slowly sat up on the table and cowered at seeing his king so angry. "I told you, we are guests here and you are to behave as such!"
"Kingy!" he stammered, shaking in his tiny boots. "Just tryin' to get big chicken from tree. Didn't mean to intrude."
"Chicken? We don't have chickens," Jessica said, looking inquiringly at Atticus. "Do we?"
"No, we do not," her grandfather responded, looking up. "I believe that is one of our giant quails up in that tree."
Suddenly, Josephine jumped with a loud gasp, looking up at the tree.
"Maurice!" she yelled in panic, trying to find the quail through the thick foliage of the trees above.
Her cousins and grandfather simply laughed in amusement.
But Jareth was far from amused as he glared down at the goblin, cowering on the table. He grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dropped him, not-so-gently onto the floor and was about to kick him away when the unexpected happened. Katherine had stood up and knelt down next to the goblin.
"You okay, little guy?" she asked, kindly extending a hand to him.
The goblin looked at her then at her hand. Unsure of what to do, he looked at Jareth. The king was torn between kicking the goblin anyway as was his nature or to allow the girl to show the thing a little sympathy. Well, there was no harm on the latter. He could always punish it later.
He nodded and the goblin took the princesses' hand. She lifted him to his feet and stood up.
"Let's get you cleaned up," she said to the goblin, taking his hand.
"My lady, allow me," one of the servants said, rushing forward.
Katherine held up a hand, shaking her head. "I got this." She turned to Jareth, and to his surprise, her eyes were cold. "It was an accident. You don't have to be so cruel to him."
And with that, she left the courtyard hand-in-hand with the goblin, leaving behind a gaping Jareth. The goblin turned its head around to look at him, obviously confused.
As for the rest of the day, he spent time with the four younger princesses and got to know them a little better. Annalise and Jessica, he discovered, were the athletes of the group. Annalise was part of a team of something called soccer and Jessica was team captain of something called basketball as well as a member of other teams in things called volleyball, lacrosse, and track. Though shy and timid, Elizabeth was musically-gifted. She could sing and play three instruments: the piano, guitar, and flute. And Josephine was a dancer, who also loved crafts. She could knit, crochet, and sew clothing. She could also draw and paint, though she claimed that she was not as skilled as the eldest, Katherine, in those two.
Speaking of, the eldest did not appear again the rest of that day until dinner, in which she was quiet the entire meal and immediately retired to bed right after. Jareth could not understand. Did he somehow offend her? Was he truly that cruel to the little goblin that it disgusted her? He knew he came off as a little arrogant at times, but that was part of his charms. The ladies loved a little bit of arrogance.
"Don't worry about her," Jessica had reassured him. "She just has trust issues."
"Yeah, she'll come around," Annalise had added. "Give her some time."
And Jareth did. For the next few days, he treated her just the way she treated him: coldly and suspiciously. Oh, she was polite enough to him, but avoided crossing his path when she could. Whenever he was with any of her cousins, she was always narrowing her eyes at him from where she was. She treated him like he was an enemy, and Jareth had no problems with the game. He found it quite amusing. But, after four days, he was finally exhausted trying to live up to her expectations. Now, who did that remind him of?
One night, try as he might, he couldn't fall asleep. He was tossing and turning and his bedroom was becoming too stuffy, despite the open window. So, he opted for a little midnight stroll. As he passed by a balcony, a figure in white sitting on the marble banister caught his eye. Seeing the braided dark brown hair upon closer inspection, he realized that it was the eldest princess.
Jareth could have simply ignored her and went on his merry way. Why on earth would he waste his time on a spoiled little princess who wanted nothing to do with him?
But he didn't. Instead, like the fool he was, he approached. As he neared her, he cleared his throat. Her back stiffened. Jareth continued on, calmly until he reached the spot next to her. She was wearing a white dressing gown over what he assumed was an equally white nightdress. Her white slipper-ed feet were dangling off the edge and Jareth had to admire her guts. They were three stories up and one wrong move could send her toppling down to her death.
"And why is the princess still up at this hour?" he asked, pleasantly, flashing her his infamous Goblin King smirk.
She frowned at him. "I could ask the same from the Goblin King."
"I couldn't sleep."
"And neither could I." She began swinging her legs back and forth like a child, looking like she had no care in the world.
It was a beautiful view, Jareth had to admit. The balcony was on the East side of the palace, overlooking a beautiful maze garden. It wasn't as beautiful as his Labyrinth, but admirable nonetheless. Beyond that, he could see part of the lower towns. Past that was a thick forest and then the border between the Nymph Kingdom and the dreary Moor Lands. Compared to the bright and colorful kingdom he was in right now, the Moor Lands were drab, lacking in color and vegetation. Even his own Goblin Kingdom looked like paradise next to it. No wonder they wanted this kingdom so badly, theirs was nothing compared to this place. Well, that and they wanted the keys to the gateways leading Aboveground. The keys which were currently kept hidden by Atticus until he could bestow them to their rightful bearers: his daughters.
Jareth finally turned his head to observe his companion. She had a wistful look on her face as she stared out into the vast kingdom, specifically at the borders beyond the kingdom.
"Thinking of your parents?" he asked, casually.
She remained quiet for some time. Jareth didn't push for an answer, simply waited.
"Yes," she finally answered. "I keep wondering if they're okay… what their condition is… how I can save them." She sighed. "But there's nothing I can do yet. I can barely get the wind to obey me, can't even conjure my own sword. I can't help them while I'm like this."
Jareth stared at her. "I can help, you know. If you'll let me."
"No, thanks," she responded, immediately. "I don't need your help."
He raised an eyebrow, before sneering. "Your cousin Annalise could barely conjure a piece of paper when I arrived. A few hours with me and she managed to conjure a whole book."
She winced and Jareth smiled. He got her right where it hurt. Her pride.
"I don't need your help," she repeated, stubbornly and refusing to look at him.
Jareth shrugged and straightened up. "Suit yourself. I was going to assist you more with your magic and was going to offer my help in rescuing your parents. But if you'd rather I stayed out of your business, then I shall gladly oblige. Such a pity."
He turned around and began to walk away, slowly. 'Three… two… one…' he counted in his mind.
"Wait."
Jareth smirked and turned on his heels to look at the young fae, who had now turned around to look at him. She looked quite desperate… helpless… pitiful really. Maybe now she would treat him with the respect that he deserved.
"Yes?" he asked, pleasantly.
She seemed to regret it, but if she was exactly like her mother as Jareth suspected, she would be pushing her pride away for the sake of the greater good.
Katherine took a deep breath before fully twisting around and jumping off the banister and onto the floor. She looked up at him as he approached until he was in front of her again.
She swallowed, nervously before squaring her shoulders. "Did you mean it?"
Jareth conjured a crystal and began playing with it, appearing bored. "Mean what?"
Her eyes followed the ball for a few seconds, mesmerized before she shook her head, breaking from the spell. "When you said that you have a plan to rescue our parents from there!"
She pointed to the Moor Lands.
"I don't say things I don't mean," he replied.
Jareth played with the crystal a little more before he threw it in the air. It popped like a bubble and glitter rained down on them. The trick had made the other princesses smile and giggle in delight and he hoped that it would do the same to this one. But, instead, Katherine looked annoyed as she furiously tried to shake the glitter from her braid. When that didn't work, she removed the ribbon tying her braid and shook them out of her hair.
He had never seen her without her braid. Her hair was wavy from it. But what caught his attention was seeing bits of blue peeking from beneath. He never noticed those before.
She caught him staring at her and began to look uncomfortable. "What?"
Jareth shrugged. "That blue in your hair, that's not natural."
Katherine picked up a piece of blue and smiled fondly at it. "Before… before all this… I begged my mom to let me get these done. It took weeks of convincing and begging dad for back-up until she finally agreed." She looked at him, the smile gone. "It makes me look silly, doesn't it?"
He shrugged again. "Looks perfectly fine to me."
"Psh, you're just saying that."
"I don't say things I don't mean," he repeated, inspecting his gloved hand, a little annoyed at her doubt. "So I meant what I said about your hair and I meant what I said about rescuing your parents. And if you let me, princess, I will help. Your parents were my friends too."
She looked guilty at that. She probably never thought about that.
"Katherine," she said.
"Hmm?" Jareth looked up.
"Call me Katherine. I'm still not used to this whole princess thing, your highness."
"Please," he smirked. "Call me Jareth. May I?"
He gestured to her hand. Surprisingly, she gave it to him, but still looking wary. He took it and placed a chaste kiss on top of it.
"Now, I will help you on one condition," he said, releasing her hand.
She nodded. "Anything within my power."
Jareth smirked. "I want only one thing. And that is for you to tell me why you have been acting like I murdered your puppy in cold blood."
"Oh."
'At least she has the decency to blush,' he thought to himself, proud at his trickery.
Katherine bit her lip before turning back to the balcony. He joined her, conjuring another crystal and playing with it, spinning and juggling it as he patiently waited for her answer.
"I… have trust issues," she began, playing with her hands. She turned her head to look at him. "You're half Unseelie."
At that, Jareth closed his eyes, gripping the crystal tightly. Must everyone always hold that against him?
"Does that matter?" he said, opening his eyes, but avoiding looking at her. He kept playing with his crystal. "My father is still King Oberon of the Summer Lands and Queen Titania is kind enough to acknowledge me as her son, even if her sister Mab of the Winter Lands was the one who birthed me." He flashed her a look. "You shouldn't be so judgmental."
He inwardly beamed when she flushed red as she tried to find her words.
"W-Well… I-I-I… gramps told us that story about how I almost got kidnapped after I was born," she continued. "They thought they could trust someone with such a delicate matter, but they were betrayed so… I'm just… I'm kind of… wary… of everyone I meet... I don't want a repeat of what happened…"
Jareth turned to face her sharply, feeling himself getting angry. Was she trying to purposely insult him?
"I'm not an ordinary fae around here, little girl," he hissed, his hand crushing the crystal into nothing. "I've been your kingdom's ally for centuries. Your grandfather is an old friend of mine and so are your mothers. I've met and given my approval of your fathers." His voice was raising now. "I lent your kingdom my goblins to spy on the enemy! I've fought side-by-side with your soldiers in battle! And you dare insult me by insinuating that I could be like that poor excuse for a nanny who betrayed her kingdom for a few bags of gems?! I am no ordinary fae! I am the son of Oberon! I am a King!"
As his anger blazed, he almost missed the fear in her eyes as she backed away from him, clutching her skirts so tightly that the fabric began to wrinkle as her knuckles whitened. He soon realized that maybe showing her his bad side was not the best way to strike up an alliance.
Jareth willed himself to calm down, knowing that anger would not do in this situation. His temper had always been a real trouble for him. He should really learn to control it.
"I… apologize," he said, bowing to her.
Her fists relaxed and released her skirt. She was looking at him, still cautiously and Jareth inwardly hit himself. In the process in trying to get her to stop being wary of him, he had made her even more wary of him.
He sighed. "Princess Katherine, I simply wish to help. I have no ill intentions towards this kingdom or towards you."
"G-Gramps also said that our other allies have abandoned us," she managed, still frozen in her place. "What makes me so sure you won't do the same?"
"This war is nearing its one-hundredth anniversary and I haven't left yet," he said, calmly. "I only need you to trust me, princess. Trust me when I say that I will protect this kingdom as if it is my own. If you and your cousins and I work together, we can end this war once for all and bring back peace." He offered her a genuine smile. "I believe that when the time comes for you to be queen, you can maintain that peace."
Katherine blushed. "Queen… that thought will never sink in… I still can't even grasp the fact that I'm a freaking princess! I… I don't even know if I can do this…" She clutched tightly at her skirts again. "Before… before we entered the portal, my mom told me that I have to lead them, my cousins. Me… lead…" She chuckled, darkly and shook her head. "I can't even properly lead a group history project, much less lead a team of… magical warriors or whatever." She bit her lip, staring at the floor. "I can't do this… I'm not a leader… I'm not a queen…"
Jareth stood there, dumbfounded at her confession. It seems that her trust issues were not only with him or those she didn't know…
"You don't trust yourself, do you?" he said, tilting his head to the side, a frown on his lips. "You don't think you can lead your cousins to victory and you don't think you can rule a whole kingdom. And if you can't even trust yourself to save your kingdom, how can you trust someone else to help you do it?"
She shrugged. Jareth shook his head and finally stepped over to her. He placed a gloved hand under her chin and raised her head. Her eyes met his and her brown orbs widened. He often got that reaction to his mismatched eyes and hers was no surprise. They were, after all, an Unseelie trait that he, unfortunately, inherited. He guessed that she never really noticed before. Too busy distrusting him to do so.
"Let me change our agreement," he said, smirking his Goblin King smirk. "In addition to not only rescuing your parents, which I was planning on doing anyway with or without your cooperation, if I help you control your magic, as well as teach you all you need to know about ruling a kingdom, will you trust me to help you end this war?" He dropped his hand and stepped away from her. "I know your grandfather must have gotten you tutors, but what better way to learn how to rule a kingdom than to learn from someone who actually has experience?"
"So… that's all you want? My trust?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"I'd like a bit of respect as well. I do not enjoy being treated like an annoying goblin."
Her eyebrow raised in amusement. "You're the Goblin King."
"Irrelevant." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Now, what say you, Princess Katherine?"
And for the first time since Jareth met her, her lips tilted up to a genuine smile that was thrown at him. "I told you to just call me Katherine. The whole princess thing is still weird." She lifted a hand towards him. "And… it's a deal."
They shook on it.
"And…. I'm sorry… for my behavior," she sheepishly added. "I can be a bitch… but I'm just really protective of my cousins and my grandfather and… pretty much this whole kingdom… I acted out of line and I sincerely apologize. I hope we can start over."
Jareth returned her smile. Finally.
He regally bowed to her. "Hello, I am Jareth, the Goblin King."
She giggled and curtseyed, a little clumsily. "Princess Katherine of the Nymph Kingdom, your majesty."
"And honor, princess," he said, conjuring a crystal. He twisted his hand and the crystal turned into a red rose, which he offered to her.
She took it, smiling. "Thank you… Jareth."
He grinned at her. She looked much friendlier and less intimidating when she smiled. Not that Jareth was intimidated by her… not at all.
"Tomorrow, you can begin your magic lessons with me. I usually meet your cousins in the South Wing library after breakfast..."
"So that's where they go," she muttered to herself.
"… but after lunch, we'll set aside some time for me to teach you basic fae politics. I'm only here for three more days before I have to depart, so we have a lot to work on. I will speak with your grandfather about it tomorrow."
"And… rescuing our parents?" she asked, hopefully.
"We will discuss it with everyone tomorrow as well," he said. "Now…" He placed a hand behind her back and began to tow her back into the palace. "You should head back to bed. Do you not have guards that watch over your door?"
Katherine let out an un-ladylike snort. "Please Jareth, I'm not a child."
"You technically are in fae years," he pointed out. He prodded her back to head towards the corridor where he knew the rooms of the princesses were located. "Good night princess."
She smirked at him. "See you tomorrow, Goblin King."
He watched as she disappeared down the hall before turning around and heading towards the guest corridors, mentally patting himself on the back at a job well done.