Chapter 26.

Kuri escorted Sarah back to the healer's rooms. When they arrived back at the castle the new Queen, exhausted from the use of power in her weaken state nearly collapsed. Toby was left alone with Jareth in the throne room. Jareth's first concerns were for Sarah, he watched as the Gwyllion girl helped his Queen down the hall. After they were beyond the corridor, he turned to look at the Heir, his face was stern. "We need to talk," he said in a voice that was as stern as his expression.

Toby nodded, "Yes, we do."

Jareth moved to the Goblin throne, "I'm very displeased," he warned.

"No doubt," again the heir was agreeable.

Taking his seat, Jareth didn't alter his expression, nor his tone. "What you did was fool hearty, and reckless."

"I know," sighed the golden haired boy. "I think so too," he approached the throne cautiously. "Father," he addressed the King politely. "I believe I was still under the influences of Dak`ar's ," he paused not sure what to call the influence, "Interferences."

Motioning the Goblin Heir closer, the King spoke with authority, "It does not excuse your part." He waited until the young man was seated on the step below him. "If you are to be a King, you must accept your responsibility in this mess."

Clasping his hands, and staring at his feet, Toby spoke with remorse, "I've made a right mess of things, haven't I?"

"Yes," Jareth sighed. "You have."

Toby clenched his teeth, "It would be so easy right now to just turn round and blame Sarah, but that's not really fair."

"No, it wouldn't be," Jareth's voice was calm and merciful.

"It's not her fault, not really…" Toby worked out his thoughts aloud. "I guess she left because she thought she was protecting me."

"Sarah has a heroine complex," Jareth stated without emotions. "She has her own demons to face."

Toby cleared his throat, his voice sounded timid for the first time since he'd come to the Goblin Kingdom. "I was so filled with poison thoughts, I was jealous of Sarah, and I blamed her for the fact that I was not here with you all along."

"Go on," prodded the King.

"I was blind to what I was doing, to her, to you… and of what danger I'd placed myself and Kuri in… and in extension, the Kingdom." Toby admitted.

"Keep going," Jareth urged.

"And I was rude to my birth parents," Toby confessed. "I had no right to speak to them in the manner that I had."

"You're getting there," Jareth said evenly.

Blue eyes looked upward, "I behaved like the spoiled brat that I accused Sarah of being."

"Yes you did," Jareth nodded.

"I had no idea of what they were going to do to Sarah," Toby winced, "Hell I didn't even care."

"And now," Jareth inquired.

"Now, I want to dig a hole and jump in and hide," Toby murmured.

Jareth shook his head, "That's not going to do any good, my boy." He tapped the boy with his boot. "You have to make restitution."

"Restitution," the boy sounded doubtful.

"You've injured a good many with your thoughtlessness," Jareth decreed. "Sarah, your parents, Kuri… and myself, not to mention the Kingdom and our subjects."

"I know," Toby said quietly. "Where do I start?"

Jareth pondered what advice to give, and then remembered the words of the wise man in the garden. "Sometimes, the way forward, is the way back."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you have to move forward," Jareth said with a wistful smile. "Start small, and work your way up. Why not speak to your parents first, and atone for your treatment of them."

Toby stood up, and made a face, "Couldn't I just be punished?" he asked shoving his hands into the pockets of his breeches. "Maybe rake the courtyard, or pick up trash at the bog, or polish the shields of the ruse?"

"No," Jareth sighed. "Now go see your mother and father." He ordered.

"Fine," Toby shuffled his way to the exit. "But I think raking would have been easier."

"Easy is not always best," Jareth reminded his protégé. "What is easily gained or forgiven, is easily forgotten and not valued."

"Yes sir," Toby sniffed as he moved down the hall.

Jareth thought of what he'd just said, and looked in the other direction, toward the corridor that led to healer's rooms. "I too have fences to mend," he murmured. Standing he smiled again, and looked at his throne room. "Who would have thought that the babe and the baby would make me grow up?" Goblins hidden in places that were unnoticed by most kept their opinions to themselves.

--

Sarah was instructed to take to her bed once more, and this time she didn't give them a hard time about it. She was tired, and her spirits were slightly down. Much as she was glad that her brother was safely out of the hands of the Mountain Goblin Prince, she was still worried about him. She looked kindly at Kuri, "You should have called for help, not gone after him yourself." She admonished gently.

"Kettle," a voice said just as gently from the archway.

Sarah turned to look at the man who was leaning on the plastered wall. "I'm too tired to argue," she warned.

With a wave of his gloved hand, Jareth motioned for Kuri to leave them. The Gwyllion girl smiled shyly and moved into another chamber, giving the King and his Queen a moment of piracy. Jareth moved toward the bed containing his soon to be wife. "We need to talk," he said compassionately. Taking a seat on the side of the bed, he reached for her hands. "I would have peace between us."

"Can there ever be such a thing," Sarah lamented.

"We both made mistakes," offered the Goblin King. "Impulsive youth," he suggested. Gallantly his hand drew one of hers to his lips and he kissed it. "I offer you an olive branch, my dear."

"What did you have in mind," her eyes began to twinkle slightly at his turn of courtly manners.

"A fresh slate for each of us as we enter into this marriage," his lips whispered. "Don't we both deserve at least that?"

"I don't know," she confessed.

"Sarah, you were fifteen, and I had so many expectations for us," he admitted. "Had I but not waited," he breathed deeply. "Had I appeared to you in that glade, while you were so enchanted by the tale you were acting out…"

Sarah's fingers silenced his words, "No Jareth, no…." she shook her head. "We cannot go back and rewrite it." She took a deep breath, "You want to know why I stayed away from home? I kept my distance because of my guilt over having wished Toby away." Timidly she removed her finger tips from his trembling lips. "And my guilt over having blamed you, instead of shouldering my own part in his being taken." Weary of having hidden the truth, even from herself she shuddered as she declared softly. "You didn't steal him, I gave him away." Tears, unshed for many years, followed her admission.

Jareth leaned forward to kiss them away, "Sarah, thank you…." He breathed as he bathed her face with tender kisses. Once she calmed, he cupped her face in tender hands, no longer were his gloves between them. "Forgive me, as I forgive you," he urged. "Let us begin a new… Fresh and open."

She nodded, "And my family?"

"Will be here to support us," Jareth promised. "They will guild Toby, as they always have done. But there will no longer need to be this wall that you've built."

"A truce," she pondered. "And when Toby reaches his manhood?"

"I've a feeling that there is already a lady who will be most important to him when that time comes," Jareth teased and cast a glance over his shoulder toward the room that Kuri retired to.

"You think so," Sarah smiled too. "That would be lovely."

"When the time comes, you and I shall retire to another castle," Jareth said gently, "One that will house you, me and our children… for many years to come."

"Won't you miss being a Goblin King," she asked wistfully.

"I will always be a Goblin King, dear," he teased. "Not even Toby's taking the throne will change that."

Sarah blushed slightly, before changing the subject. "Where is Toby now?"

"Making amends to his birth parents," Jareth said honestly. "He has much to make amends for."

"Not all his fault," Sarah said bitterly.

"No, but it's a good lesson to be had." Jareth stood up. "I'll leave you to rest now, come morning we will meet with family and representatives to begin the process of finalizing our union." Once more he kissed her hand. "Sleep well, my Queen," he bid her before moving away from her bed. "Sweet dreams."

"Easy for you to say," she murmured as she settled back into the pillows and closed her eyes. "You're not going to marry a goblin King."

"I should hope not," he whispered as he exited with a smile.

--

Toby paced outside the door of his parent's compartment, sorting out what to say to them. Having worked out in his mind a plan of handling the situation, he tapped on the door.

"Enter," a voice from within called.

Apprehensively the boy turned the knob and moved into the space. He looked at his parents; his mother seated looking as if she'd been crying, and his father standing with a hand on his mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said with more sincerity than he'd used in a long time. "I don't mean to disturb you, but if you have a few moments, I'd like to talk."

"Come in son," Robert said.

The boy stepped closer. "I don't quite know where to start," he hung his head and looked ashamed. "I've been a~ jerk."

Karen waited, wondering if he was going to own up and face up to his misdeeds. Robert stood impassive, listening.

"I'm not going to push the blame off on anyone," Toby confessed as he came to where his mother was seated. "I have to shoulder this one," he said at long last.

"And your sister," Karen asked.

Toby gave a half hearted laugh, "You can really tell we're related, can't you?"

Robert smiled, "Welcome back Toby, we've missed you."

The boy shrugged and sighed, "Well I did learn a valuable lesson…" he sat down at his mother's feet. "Beware of Goblin gifts."

Fin

Author's note:

That's it for this one….

There may be more another time,

But for now… this is it.

Thank you all for reading, reviewing

And for supporting.