A/N: It was a sad week for the world last week as we lost our Goblin King to a cruel disease. I couldn't get myself to type up another chapter for this story last week because I hurt too much. Yet, now I'm here to update this story in my own way to honor the dearly departed Goblin King. This update is in honor of David Bowie and all of the words that he spun in this crazy world. RIP David Bowie!
OOOOOOOOO
Mai trudged into the dining room of the castle a few hours later. Her body was trembling from all of the magic that she had used in a manner that her system was not used to. Healing and putting protective magic around her was child's play for her magic. Breaking through Jareth's glamour and invisible barriers was a little harder. But putting buildings together was something that she knew she had to be careful about.
I don't have the full use of my magic back, Mai thought, taking her place at the dining room table as far away from Jareth as she could without leaving the actual table. Maybe I'll do better when I have my magic back to the strength that I had before I ran away.
"You're late," Jareth's voice cracked through the room from the head of the long table.
"I know," Mai said, piling some fruits on her plate. "I've been busy."
"Dinner is served at six," Jareth reminded her. "Everyone is to be here at six for dinner. Even you must be here at six. No matter how busy you may be."
Mai shrugged a shoulder and turned an apple around in her hand. "I'll try to remember that in the future."
She could feel the Goblin King's eyes burning as they glared down the table at her. Those mismatched orbs scanned over her body and she didn't need to look up to see that he was disgusted by what he saw.
"Why did you come to the table in such a state of filth?" he demanded.
"Because I was told that dinner was served at six," Mai said calmly. "And I wouldn't have wanted to be too late."
The twins made a small giggling sound into their napkins, earning a dirty look from their uncle. They fell silent once more, picking at the food that still sat on their plates. Tobias, Gabriella, Eve, and Edward sat in silence, listening to the exchange without looking at either party. Mai managed to get a few bites of her apple before Jareth spoke again.
"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Jareth growled.
"I never said that." Mai rotated her left shoulder where it was stiff. "You must have that idea in your head though."
Jareth slapped his golden goblet onto the table and reached for the wine bottle nearest him. "Tell me, Mai. Why are you so filthy and why have you arrived to my table late?"
"I was building houses and stores for the Goblins in the City," Mai said, lifting her eyes to meet his. "Well, actually more like rebuilding them because they were just piles of rubble. I'm not done yet. I plan to go back tomorrow to –"
"You did what?!"
A wave of anger passed down the table to Mai. She let it crash over her without crying out. She lowered her apple and held her hand up, causing Avery to step back instead of leaping to her aid. Mai looked up at Jareth, watching his face carefully for each emotion and thought that crossed the man's mind.
"I was rebuilding the houses that the Goblins need to live in the City," Mai explained softly. "I rebuilt ten houses and one small shop. I will go back tomorrow to rebuild more."
"It is not your place to rebuild a single pile of rubble!" Jareth growled at her. "You are not their Queen."
"I don't need to be their Queen in order to feel the need to help them regain the life that they deserve, Jareth." Mai scratched the side of her face. "It is my fault that their City was destroyed, yes?"
Jareth glared darkly at her, biting his tongue.
"You and I know that it was my fault that the City was destroyed," Mai continued evenly. "When I left, you were super pissed and the Labyrinth felt it, setting the area into an imbalance that destroyed several walls and the City. Your anger is what destroyed the buildings and I'm the reason behind the anger."
The Goblin King lifted his full goblet to his lips. "Clever girl."
"If you say so." Mai watched his face, taken aback by the sudden change in his attitude but knowing that she couldn't betray her confusion. "You are the King after all."
"And yet, you are undermining everything that I stand for," Jareth shot back at her. "You are doing things that a servant to the King should not do without permission. You are taking over my duties to find the young babes homes within respectable families. You are performing simple magic to rebuild homes for my subjects." The Goblin King set his goblet down. "You are turning the people against me. And all because you are still under the impression that you are important in the Underground, my dear Mai."
Mai thrust her chin out defiantly. "I may not be Queen and I may not be King, but I'm a princess."
"Are you?" Jareth's voice was light, but Mai could feel the velvet acid contained within.
"Yes, I am."
The Goblin King smirked and leaned forward. "Not in this realm."
"I'm a princess no matter where I go," Mai argued. "And as such, I'm going to do what I think is wise for the people of all the kingdoms that I'm a part of. Including yours."
"You have no right to meddle with anything in my kingdom. The Goblins are mine to rule over and their housing situation is mine to consider."
"Then why haven't you done anything for them in the past three years? Why haven't you rebuilt the City, so that your subjects can have something to live in while worshiping you? If you're such a powerful Fae King, building some houses should have been child's play." Mai leaned her elbows on the table and stared at him from her end of the table. "Why haven't you listened to the needs of your people, Jareth?"
Jareth was on his feet in a split second, his hands slamming down on the scarred wooden table. "Who are you to question what I did or didn't do? You, who ran away and hid for years, not listening to the needs of the people that needed you – how dare you judge me for not listening? How dare you come in here like you're a valiant hero just because you built a few measly shacks for people that you are just as guilty of hurting as I? How dare you?!"
Mai ignored the alarmed looks on the faces of Jareth's family as the table trembled under Jareth's hands. She let Jareth's anger crash over her, but didn't let it sweep her away. She held the Goblin King's gaze evenly and motioned for Avery to stay back.
"Jareth," she began.
"I see it now," Jareth said, straightening his spine stiffly. "You are trying to steal your way back into my life and plan on taking the throne. You're rallying my subjects under your wing with promises of homes and stores." He swept his arm to encompass his silent family. "You're trying to win my family's favor, so that everyone in this kingdom will back you up when you come for my throne."
"That's not what I'm –"
"Don't lie to me," Jareth growled. "And don't think that for a moment that I will let you set one digit upon the throne that I have held for hundreds of years, little girl! You will never be Queen of the Goblins. Never!"
With a growl that warned of retaliation, Jareth thundered out of the room. Mai frowned and rose to her feet as well.
"Where are you going?" Eve asked, staring up at Mai.
"Don't say that you're going after him," Gabriella said, readjusting the napkin on her lap. "When he's like this, no one should be around him. Let him cool down a bit before you try to talk to him, Mai. It will be safer for everyone in the realm."
Mai scooped up a banana and smiled at Jareth's family. "I'm not going to go after him. I have to go check on Mali and help her with some more potions." She tapped her finger against the side of her forehead. "I'm not completely crazy."
"You could have fooled me," Edward muttered and Mai could see Avery nodding in agreement out of the corner of her eye.
Mai waved the comment off. "I will see you all later, I guess."
Without waiting for any other comment, Mai turned and headed out of the dining room. Goblins bowed low to her and some tried to touch her, but Avery scared them away with his bared fangs. Her smile faltered as she got away from the dining hall, knowing that she had really stirred up the wasp's nest.
But we can only heal if we're actually talking to each other, Mai reminded herself, taking a bite of her banana.
OOOOOOOOO
Mai stepped into the Goblin King's library office, balancing a tray full of tea and cookies on her hand. She hesitated just inside the door and let her eyes wander over the large area that remained forbidden to all the Goblins in the realm. So many memories had been created here and this was where she had begun to learn how to use the powers that her mother had passed down to her through her blood. The memories hurt, especially when she looked at the furniture where she and Jareth had spent many moments wrapped around each other.
Don't think about that right now, Mai told herself mentally. It's too soon to think about any of that and you know it.
Shaking herself, Mai stepped across the room to where Jareth sat at his desk, bowed over a large pile of parchment. He didn't look up at all when she set the tea tray on the corner of his desk.
"I did not ask for tea," he said, scribbling away.
"You didn't have to," Mai told him, causing him to look up at her. "You need something to combat all of the wine that you've had and tea is good at detoxing the body." She reached out and grabbed the teapot, pouring some of the steaming liquid into a large cup. "Your favorite chamomile tea with two sugars and a bit of honey…"
She saw the confused mess of emotions in Jareth's mismatched eyes as she held the cup out to him. She allowed a small smile to touch her lips. "It's not going to hurt you, Jareth."
The suspicion didn't leave his eyes as Mai poured herself a cup of tea. Under his watch, she plopped a few sugar cubes into her tea cup and added some honey as well. Toasting him silently, she took a sip of her tea. When nothing happened to her, Jareth took a sip from his own cup.
"Why are you doing this?" Jareth asked, watching Mai as she sat on the chair across from him. "Why are you giving me tea and not running away from me when my temper flares? Finding babes homes and rebuilding houses? Why?"
Mai shrugged a shoulder. "Because that's who I am, Jareth. I'm a Healer and I feel the need to help those in need. You need help. We both need help and we can only do that if we talk." She sighed and looked away. "Besides, I still care for you and seeing you suffer from a hangover coupled with mood swings makes me want to help you even more."
"Nothing can change between us, Mai," Jareth reminded her.
"I know, Jareth. I know that there are so many problems that I have caused you that have burned down the bridges that you tried to build back up between us. And I know that I should have done my part to heal us a long time ago." Mai's eyes returned to look at his. "I know that you have every right to be mad at me, but I want to let you know that I'm not stealing away your family, the loyalty of your subjects, or the throne. I wouldn't do that to you."
Jareth sighed. "I know that, Mai. You put up such a fight about not wanting to be royal when you were first here, all those years ago. And yet, you are here and you're playing the Princess Card when it suits you to."
Heat flushed Mai's face and she tried to hide it by taking another sip of her tea. Jareth chuckled lightly and set his cup down. Feeling childish, Mai stuck her tongue out at him.
"Jareth, I'm sorry," Mai murmured, feeling the heat of her tea warming her fingers. "For doing everything wrong after our child passed away…and for doing nothing to fix anything while on the run." She held up her hand when he looked like he was going to speak. "I know that forgiveness is something that I don't deserve now and that apologizing doesn't fix or change what's happened between us over these past three years. All I can do is try to earn your friendship again. To regain your trust for the right reasons. I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to do my best to gain peaceful terms between you and me once more. We may never love like we did once, but I hope that we can learn to laugh again and tolerate each other's presence without biting our heads off."
Jareth looked at her for a long moment in silence. "We shall see what happens then," he said finally. "You have a long way to go to fix even the smallest crack in our relationship, Mai. But you are worthy of my patience and maybe one day my friendship."
Mai smiled slightly before glancing at the clock that sat on the wall behind his desk. "I should be going now," she said, rising to her feet. "I'm going to bed early since I have to meet families tomorrow and the Goblins are asking for a few more houses…Is it all right that I'm helping them, Jareth? The Fae parents and your subjects?"
The Goblin King nodded. "You have my permission to help those who you see fit."
Mai set her cup down and placed a hand on his when he reached out to reclaim his pen. A wave of heat passed through her body from the limb. By looking in his eyes, she knew that he had felt it too.
"Thank you, Jareth," she whispered, moving away. "I will see you tomorrow."
As she stepped out of the library, she pressed a hand to the side of her neck and felt the heat of her skin spike. Her heart fluttered with hope, but she knew that it was getting ahead of itself. With a small smile, she headed down the hall with Avery coming back to shadow her after the long moment of privacy he had offered her.
Perhaps I will be able to dream in peace tonight…
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: What did you think, my dears? I hope that I did all right in balancing the anger with the sadness in Mai and Jareth's relationship. Things could begin to take a happier turn from this point on, but I don't think it will become clear for a little while longer. Please leave a review in the little review box and I'll try to get back to you in an orderly manner. Thanks again to you guys! –Scarlet