A.N. - While writing most of this chapter I was listening to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Don't ask why, I just hit random on the player.

Thank you to hazlgrnLizzy who reviews just about every chapter. It is much appreciated!

Chapter Eight

In his owl form Jareth sat on a branch in the Children's Forest, staring down at Ardis and Seth. After visiting the Aboveground and getting Vanessa to relinquish all rights on the child, he'd been in a daze. Now he was full of conflicting emotions and had another problem thrown on him. He scowled over at where his mother was talking with Seth. The boy, Jareth was happy to see wasn't happily hanging on the woman or even sitting in her lap. He was sucking on his thumb gazing at her with uncertain look. Ardis was gazing at the child with a look he knew well. Carefully controlled impatience, irritation, and disgust. Most likely for sucking on his thumb.

As if sensing his presence, the boy looked up at him and taking his thumb out of his mouth grinned. "Burdie!"

Ardis looked up and scowled as Jareth being caught, flew down and retook his Fae form. He smiled smugly as the boy rushed over and held his hands up. Jareth picked picked him up and settled him on his hip. Seth happily wrapped his arms around the Fae's neck.

Looking closer at the boy's eyes he saw they were red-rimmed like he'd been crying. Frowning, he faced his mother. "Still making children cry I see."

Her mouth twitched and Jareth knew she was suppressing the urge to scowl. Getting up, she brushed at her gown. "You can thank Hannah for that honor, actually."

Seth who'd gone back sucking on his thumb gave a tired sigh and laid his head on Jareth's shoulder.

"What did Hannah say to upset him?"

The girl in question bowed in front of her king with an apologetic look. "Forgive me Majesty if I overstepped. I simply told him what we tell all new children. He became upset and her Ladyship was calming him when you came, Majesty."

Jareth nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Hannah."

She curtsied again and went to tend the other children. What no one knew was that despite the tale, Jareth did not make it a habit of turning unwanted children into goblins. Yes, he occasionally had to turn them into goblins. Those were the goblins that inhabited the Goblin City. They were allowed to agitate the Runners of the Labyrinth.

When a child is wished away, the Runner after losing is returned Aboveground. Everyone's memory who knew the wished away child would be erased. Only the foolish Runner would remember what actions their selfish wish caused. On occasion though even the Wisher's memory would be erased to a certain extent.

The now forgotten child would usually come to the Children's Forest which had originally been named the Forgotten Forest. There, they would wait while Jareth contacted Fae parents who had put in a request for a child. The prospective parents would come and observe the child. Then if they wanted the child, the child's memory of Aboveground would be erased. A carefully constructed past memory would be given to the child depending no the age.

If there was no request for children at the time, they would live in the Children's Forest and begin to learn Fae magic. Whatever leanings they had in a certain area they were trained in. Usually by the time the child turned eleven they were apprenticed.

The ones Jareth had to turn into goblins were the ones no amount of memory modifying could help. It also had to deal with the child's age and temperament. That was why even if Jareth completely eradicated the child turned goblin's memory, a trace of it still remained. An intrical part of them resented and disliked the Runners.

The sound of soft light snoring in his ear, Jareth saw the boy was asleep. Seeing this Ardis arched a brow. She wanted to know what he learned while Aboveground. He decided whether or not to make her suffer. She already knew some of it as he had told her of his suspicions and guesses already.

"Would you like to know who's been raising your grandson?"

Ardis gave a smile her eyes flashing victoriously then her eyes narrowed. She knew him too well. "Who?"

A smile that held no humor of any kind graced his lips. His own eyes narrowed as they stared at the woman who birthed him. "Why the woman who was able to lure your beloved precious son into being banished Aboveground."

Ardis' eyes turned glacial, her face taking on the features of a predator. "That creature laid hands on my grandson!"

"More than that. She laid claim to him."

"you will tell me everything now, Jareth!"

"Hannah."

The girl came over and Jareth said, "You will take special care of Seth. I will be back later to collect my heir."

Hannah's eyes widened as did Ardis'. For Jareth to claim the boy as his heir was not to be taken lightly. Ardis looked at him searchingly. "Are you certain about this, Jareth? Once said, it cannot be taken back."

Nodding solemnly he replied, "I know that very well, mother. In this case, however I don't believe there is any other option."

Jareth tried to disentangle the boy's hand from his jacket and hair. His sighed when he couldn't and pouted at Ardis, eyes pleading silently with her. A half smile made it's way to her lips as she remembered when her sons were that age. The one standing in front of her in particular. He used to love to play with her hair and put great tangles in it.

"It seems your heir is rather fond of you."

"So it would seem." Coming to a decision, he sighed. He didn't want to wake the boy so he said, "I'll have to take him with us."

Jareth and Ardis since they were within the borders of the Goblin Kingdom used their powers to relocated themselves just outside the castle's door. They made their way to Jareth's study and while the king settled himself comfortably on the couch, Ardis did the same.

"Now, what were you saying?"

Jareth looked to make sure the boy was still asleep before he started to tell his mother of his conversation with Vanessa.

"Apparently after she lured your beloved son Aboveground they had s parting of the ways. She altered the memories of a mortal family and was close to them. Knowing she had an ulterior motive for this, he decided to make it his duty to watch the family. He ended up falling in love with one of them."

Ardis frowned sharply at Jareth. "A mortal. He was involved with a mortal?"

"He also died for her."

"How could he do something so- reckless and foolish!"
Jareth stayed silent letting her vent. He shifted the boy so he was more comfortable. The four year old let out a soft sigh and burrowed closer to the Fae and the crook of his neck. AT this moment and since he'd found out, Jareth felt a bit of envy at his elder brother.

Seth was the son of Jareth's older brother. The beloved and favorite son of their mother. The son everyone thought would succeed Ardis as the ruler of the Labyrinth and King of the Goblins. Instead, the goblins had chosen Jareth. Something he was sure his mother still blamed Jareth for as well as laid the fault at his feet for her son leaving the Underground.

However, Jareth knew he was blameless. The fault laid at their mother's feet and was partially the reason that Jareth hated his mother. His elder brother had always been a 'free spirit', as the mortals say and was chafing under their mother's rule.

When Ardis was done ranting she glared at Jareth as this were all his fault. He just merely arched a brow and calmly said, "And you've never done anything of the sort, I assume?"

Jareth knew full well that the only reason he and his elder brother were even born was because their mother had in fact done something she claimed as 'rash and foolish'.

"Jealous of the mortal that was with him, she tried to get rid of the mortal several times. He protected her and so Vanessa bided her time. When the mortal was pregnant with his child, she struck again. This time he died because of it. Vanessa then altered the mortal's memory so she didn't know she'd had a child. Taking the child and claiming it as her own."

"Where did you say that woman was now?"

"At a mortal sanatorium,"he replied. "The iron is likely killing her."

There was a flash of savage triumph in Ardis' eyes. Haughtily she declared, "Even that is too good for her."

Jareth did not agree. For a Fae, iron was deadly and he could image a no more painful way of dying. Yet, he still was bound by his promise that he would free her from the sanatorium. The question was, where to put her? He couldn't nor wouldn't allow her to roam the Underground. Even if she was dying, he knew she could still cause him and the Underground damage.

A knock on the door drew both Fae's attention. A page entered and bowed to them. Then gazing over at his king stated, "The Bookerie is here, Majesty."

Jareth went to stand and had to halt his abrupt movement when Seth stirred,but didn't wake. "Send him in."

The page bowed and a squat goblin with pince nez perched on his nose entered. He made himself at home on Jareth's desk, took out a bottle of ink, parchment, and a quill. He gazed at up at his king expectantly.

"I believe my problems with the Labyrinth might lie in finding out more information that only you Bookeries would have."

"What can we Bookeries be of service?"

"I need accounts from the first General's rule and founding of the Underground."

The goblin's eyes widened. "That would be in Erubis' writings as he was the Gen'ral's Bookerie."

Jareth nodded. "Do you think you could get me that information?"

The goblin nodded. "We'll settle payment then?"

"Yes, as you can see, I have my hands full at the moment."

The goblin smiled. "Both figuratively and literally, I see."

As the goblin bounded away, the ex-ruler of the Labyrinth fixed her son with a look. "What else did she say to you?"

Scowling, Jareth glared at her and not able to hold back his irritation any longer and wanting the woman gone asked, "Shouldn't you be going?"

"I already told you, Jareth dear." She didn't even look at him as she gazed down at the little boy. "Paranoia's not healthy for you."

Jareth glared at her which she ignored. "Shouldn't you be deciding what you're going to say to the Fae Council? If you're nice maybe they'll spare you and just give you a slap on the wrist."

He really hated his mother. Getting up, he left his study and went to his room where he was able to extract the little boy from him. Setting the boy on the bed he turned to leave when he heard a young voice say his name.

Glancing at the sleeping child he frowned. "The voice was definitely a boy's but bit older than Seth. Equally puzzling was the fact that his name was followed by, "Bad cat!"

Conjuring a ball he saw an eight year old boy plop on a bed with a book. A woman's voice that sounded familiar called, "We're ready to go, Toby."

"Coming."

Jareth losing all feeling let the crystal dissolve as he sat heavily on the bed. The boy Toby, could be no other than the babe he'd taken nearly seven years ago on Sarah's behest. That woman's voice he knew now, belonged to Sarah.

In the odd intervals that he had tried to get his crystals to show him even just a tiny glimps of Sarah, he had forgotten he might be able to get around that rule by asking to see the boy. How old was she now anyway? He did quick calculating in his head. She would be twenty-three now.

Conjuring up a crystal half fearing it wouldn't work, demanded, "Show me, Toby."

At first he didn't think it worked when the crystal turned dark. Then he realized it was because he was looking into a dark bedroom. Banishing the crystal he frowned when he felt disappointment. There was also puzzlement and curiosity.

Why had it worked before? As he thought he wondered if the boy had an object from the Underground to act as a conduit in his room.

He sat in a daze until he remembered he really should get writing on that report for the Fae Council. He made sure a page would oversee Seth and answer any questions he might have.

Returning to his study he was quite glad to see his mother had left. Whether or not she went back to her shack was another matter entirely.

Murmuring to himself as he wrote his report/proposal, Jareth felt as well as heard a slight hum of his magic alerting him. Abandoning what he was doing, he immediately summoned a crystal to show him Toby.

The crystal remained dark but he had half expected that. Because of her words that day, Jareth was no longer able to summon her image in his crystals. Listening, he felt his heart skip as she sang. Did she know what she was singing? Jareth and his brother were sung to sleep by their parents with that lullaby.

With her singing that song he now could not deny it any longer. Vanessa had been telling him the truth after all. His elder brother, Crispin had married Sarah and even had a child with her. A child she no longer membered having.

Jareth felt a rage like he hadn't felt before. The story about him said he was cruel and some were about to find out exactly how cruel he could be. He would definitely make sure that she would pay dearly for what she had done.

A.N. - Well that's another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it and the next chapter is a quarter finished. Writing it is easy, I just really hate the typing part. That is what takes me the longest. So, until next time.