*holds onto plot bunny with both hands* got ya...Hey new chapter...took me a while to catch this again...please review...
Lochain frowned as he went to see Tam Lin. The boy was sleeping fitfully, his face flushed. He gently brushed the boy's dark hair away from his face. The boy turned away from his touch.
"Athair..." Tam Lin murmured.
To hear the child say that wrenched at his heart. He knew the Steward wouldn't have softened the blow about the boy. He brushed more strands away, warmth beneath his fingers told him the boy wasn't well.
"Athair...Please...No..."
"Shush, sleep little one..." Lochain said softly.
"Master Lochain..." A voice from the doorway.
He turned, one of the Guild members stood at the door. He moved away from the boy's bedside to hear what would have brought one of his to the room
"Lord Silverlance walked to the hearth under his own power, for her..."
He smiled, leave it to the stubborn Fey lord to have enough strength to go to his bond mate when most wouldn't have been able to move.
"...She is his bond mate, such ones are never far apart for long." He said. "Do not disturb them."
"As you wish, master Lochain..."
Lochain dismissed the man and turned to tend to Tam Lin.
The Guest chambers...
Pen stirred, snuggling closer to the warmth of her bond mate. She nuzzled his chest and received a soft sound of contentment. She stirred more into wakefulness to look up and observe Nuada's face in sleep, she reached up and touched the bridge of his nose.
"...Even after all these years, it still fascinates you..." He murmured, still half asleep. "The pain of it was momentary and now long past..."
She opened her mouth to say something but his fingers touched her lips.
"No, do not speak." He said softly. "spare your voice..."
She traced a pattern on his chest, and down his stomach. He took in a breath.
"Do not tease, little human, when I cannot enjoy it..."
Her fingers came up his sides, gentle, and then along his ribs. Her fingers sliding over the bandages.
"Enough." He said, catching her hands. "Enough..."
She looked up into his face, and then leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose. He made a contented sound and began murmuring in Gaelic, she knew those words now, understanding them fully. She reached up her hand and placed her fingers on his lips.
"...I would have remained with you, even if you had taken a queen..." She whispered as she laid her head against his chest.
He kissed her fingertips and continued. He knew deep within, if he'd taken a queen it would not have been her he summoned to his bed each night. He repeated those vows, now meaning every word of them. They both drifted back to sleep, curled tightly around each other.
Lochain left Tam Lin in the care of the guild's finest healers while he went to check on the boy's parents. He knew they would wish to know that the boy was ill, though the cause was still unknown. He knocked upon the door frame before entering, finding them curled together. Pen stirred and slowly extracted herself from Nuada's embrace, whispering she was not going far.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," He said. "But Tam Lin is ill, he woke with a fever this morning. I've left him with the healers, I thought you should be at his side when he wakes again."
She looked down at the robe she wore, she wasn't going much of anywhere dressed like this. The Guild head held out a set of clothing, which she took and went to the screened water basin to wash up and change.
"You should tell your bond mate where you are going." He said. "I do not wish him wandering the halls to find you..."
Pen emerged dressed and slightly damp from washing up. She made her quiet way over to Nuada and whispered something in his ear.
Lochain watched Nuada stir and give several protests before she informed him of their son. It seemed all the Fey lord's protests vanished at the mention of his child. He heard only one question...How long. He heard Pen answer and saw the fey lord try to get to his feet.
"No...you need to rest."
He watched they fey lord struggle for a moment before laying back among the blankets.
"I will ask master Lochain if Tam Lin can be brought to us..."
He nodded. "I will see if I can..."
He left them wondering if the boy's illness had anything to do with Finnas' hatred of Balor's line.
Nuada lay on his back, listening to Pen moving around. He knew she was worried, he was too. He thought of what he'd been told, the boy had been chosen to be his assassin. His mind was still trying to process that with the images of the past month. Tam Lin idolized him, sought them out when he could not sleep. The touch of her fingers upon his temple turned his head to her.
"...Those of Fey blood do not fall ill easily." He told her softly.
"I know that well enough." she said. "But our son is half human as well, we do not know what could make him ill."
He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
"Your guild head said he would try to bring us our son..."
She nuzzled in, laying her head on his chest. His strong and steady heartbeat gave her hope.
"After Jaeren's betrayal, I do not know what to think."
"Your guild head will bring us our son." He said. "Of that I have no doubt..."
She sighed and hoped it would be true.
Lochain's chambers...
The guild head rubbed between his brows, the dull ache was only beginning. He cursed Jaeren, the damned goblin prince had near ruined everything. He had intended to name the girl his successor shortly after her maiden year, but the pregnancy and the Prince's almost outright abandonment had complicated things. In the ensuing years he had kept an eye upon her, waiting for her to return to the guild hall on her own. He had not known that Jaeren had manipulated her so badly that she had chosen to serve in one of the markets rather than in the guild hall.
"...She should have been given the choice a long time ago."
Lochain looked up to see Jareth in full regalia standing in the doorway.
"Come to plead your brother's case, Goblin King?"
"No, he dug his own grave a long time ago when he let one of Finnas' spies into my kingdom." Jareth's tone was sad. "The one person I never thought would betray me, he took her to Finnas' dungeons..."
"The most bitter betrayal is usually by one's own." Lochain said. "Come in, sit."
Jareth made his way to sit in a straight backed chair across from the guild head.
"My own son..." Jareth said. "I've come to request the execution song..."
Lochain nodded, watching the Goblin King's face tense.
"...We will arrange it, if you have brought the prisoner."
Jareth nodded, "He returned begging my forgiveness...He has been in an oubliette since."
"Deliver him to us, we will return him..."
Jareth closed his mismatched eyes, Tears he'd refused to shed upon his son's initial betrayal now slowly rolled down his cheeks.
The next morning....
Lochain looked down at the prisoner, his face was dirty where his captors had thrown him against his prison walls, one eye was swollen shut and the raven armor hung off him in shreds. The guild head touched the prisoner's face. He had requested that just he and the prisoner be in the courtyard. All the doors and windows surrounding had been bolted shut, no one but he would witness this execution.
"...know sentience of betrayal has been passed upon you." Lochain said. "Know your ties grant you this mercy..."
The song began, and the first cries of pain began to echo through the courtyard.
Lochain escorted the tightly wrapped corpse to the reception hall, where Jareth and Sara were waiting. He had his own prepare the corpse to spare the Goblin King one further heartache.
"...He died well." Lochain told Jareth. "You delivered me a traitor, I return your son..."
The litter was quietly covered with the colors of the Goblin Royal house as Jareth and his queen gave orders to leave. Four stout goblins carried the litter, the young prince would be buried befitting his station. He said nothing as the goblin guards surrounded the four bearers and the slow march began.
In the guest chambers...
Pen knew an execution had taken place, the mood servants was too somber for anything else. She had gotten Nuada back into bed, propping him up on pillows. She looked out the window, watching the procession of goblins file past in the courtyard below. The Royal banners passed, no doubt Jareth and Sara were beneath them. The slow beat of a drum signaled the bearers, the slow march step ringing against the walls.
"...I do not think we will be too welcome in Jareth's kingdom." She said, softly.
"The death of a prince is not taken lightly." Nuada said. "Though perhaps we should remain here for a time."
She turned to sit on the bed beside him, it was a good idea.
"...The guild will house me for as long as it can." She said. "You, however...once you are well...you will be returned to your exile..."
He raised his hand, touching her face.
"I go where my heart goes." He said softly. "We are bonded enough that my presence at your side would not be questioned."
"The patrons of the guild would say otherwise." She said. "They see me as an jewel to be won, courted and pampered. I would much rather live in the market and help those I can..."
"You would give up all you have..."
"What do I have in the human world, an apartment I barely live in...a business that can easily be taken over...my life was among the Sidhe, it always has been." She sighed. "We must ask Lochain, and our son must be well."
He nodded, she loved him with a fierce will that had not diminished in all the time they had been parted.
The healing rooms...
Tam Lin lay quite, his arms wrapped around his doll. For the first time in two days the boy was sleeping peacefully. The healers had narrowed down the symptoms to the equivalent of a human cold. No doubt from the dungeon and the stress of his capture. They wanted to be sure it was not transmittable to either of his parents before being bundled up and delivered to their rooms. Lochain watched, his heart heavy with the day's previous events.
"...He sleeps, and his fever went down." The head healer said softly. "...we have handled him carefully, encase his illness is transmittable to either human or Sidhe..."
"He has what humans call a cold, children get them regularly..." Lochain said. "And tend to infect a good portion of their surroundings."
"We shall take further precautions." The head healer said. "we do not need half the guild sick..."
Lochain let a sad smile grace his face, that was true enough. Illnesses tended to run rampant in confined communities.
The Castle beyond the Goblin city...a week later
Jareth paced back and forth, the mix of emotions playing upon his face. He'd buried his son a week ago, royal but nameless in the family tomb. He'd forbidden the young man's name to be spoken ever again. The High council was up in arms that he had executed one of his own.
"...He betrayed our kingdom..." Hoggle said. "Youse had no choice..."
"Would that I truly believed that, Hoggle." Jareth said. "I should have known when he came with his armor."
"Youse couldn't have known that Rat Finnas..."
"I know the man who calls himself High King very well." Jareth said. "...I should have advised against naming Finnas heir if something happened to the Royal twins..."
"Balor couldn't have known that that rat would want his line ended."
"I will be going back to the guild hall, I need to know if the guild will shelter the Singer and her family if Finnas decides to declare war..."
"He'd be committing suicide...a war with the Drow...not even Silverlance was that out of his mind."
"If he goes to war...he'll be doing the humans' work for them." Jareth said.
The ancient dwarf nodded, "I'll go talk to some of the light siders..."
The Goblin king nodded, wanting to inform the few clans of Drow who had no quarrel with their sidhe kin of the High King's intent.
The Guild hall, four days later...
Lochain welcomed Jareth to his audience chambers and bid him sit. The goblin King waved away the servant who poured them tea. Jareth was in no mood to find serenity in a tea cup.
"What brings you again to my doorstep." Lochain said, adding a bit of sugar and a lemon wedge into his cup.
"Finnas...He's planning to attack the Drow..."
Lochain nearly did a spit take, coughing on the mouthful he'd managed to swallow.
"...Not even the High Kings of old were that stupid." He said, looking at the goblin king. "And the council approves of this?"
"He's got enough of his cronies on the council to get the edict passed." Jareth said. "I still have connections at court, I was informed that was the reason Finnas wanted Pen..."
The guild head frowned, this was not welcomed news. He'd known another king who had done something equally foolish and destructive.
"I knew another so foolish, he cost the guild dear." Lochain said softly. "A very long time ago..."
Jareth wasn't going to pry, rumors said the guild head had banned the war songs because of what they had cost the guild.
"What shall we do about the High King?"
"Restore Silverlance to the throne or set Tam Lin upon it...either we will have a war..." Lochain said. "I would rather it be a war we can find an end to..."
"Are you sure you could stop Silverlance if he was restored..."
Lochain shook his head. "I don't even think Pen would be able to..."
Jareth frowned, he knew the young Singer had been chosen to be Silverlance's executioner if no middle ground could be found.
"Will you tell Pen of these developments?"
The guild head shook his head. "She should not have to make the choice between her loyalty and her heart..."
Jareth agreed, too long had humans forgotten and perhaps this war would remind them that they didn't just destroy themselves.
