Sarah and Jareth went back inside the castle to find his parents waiting for them in the throne room. Wordlessly they all transported to the library where Jareth's siblings were assembled. The look on Trea's face clearly said the only reason he had stayed within the castle during Jareth's speech was because his father had not let him leave. Now Jareth was here however, he was not about to stay silent any longer.

"How dare you speak to my people that way? This not their war, they should not have to fight for a King who puts the entire Underground in danger over a mortal."

It had been a while since Sarah had been spoken of with such contempt, and she was surprised that it still hurt so much to hear. Yet she knew it was that he spoke the truth of her involvement rather than the way he spoke the word 'mortal' that had caused her pain. She felt herself stiffen with apprehension as Jareth let go of her hand and walked over to his oldest brother.

"You may be their King, but they are not your people, for years you've been poisoning them against me, then you used this war as an excuse to further your own plans. But all it took was five minutes, five minutes of hearing their High King speak words of truth instead lies, and they turned their back on you. You lost Trea, and listen carefully, for I will not repeat myself. Should you interfere once more, should you try to turn a single subject against me, should you affect this war in any way, I shall not only strip you of your title, of your lands and of your powers," Jareth moved closer to Trea until his nose was a mere inch away from his brothers before all but whispering his final words, "I will kill you."

The finality of Jareth's words rang through the room. Here was a man fighting for everything he cared about, everything he believed in. He knew the suffering that awaited his subjects should he fail, and to prevent that he would sacrifice much… even his own brother.

For a few seconds neither brother so much as blinked, until eventually Trea looked away, unable to bear the anger in Jareth's eyes. Satisfied he would have no further trouble Jareth turned to go back to Sarah, but was stopped by the sound of mocking laughter.

"Tough words from one so weak."

The sound of Aladrea's voice sent a fiery anger through Sarah's veins. Did Jareth not have enough enemies without his own siblings being against him?

"I remember when you were a powerful King. Gerard's wanted the Goblin Kingdom for years, wanted revenge for what was done to his brother. Yet he never made a move against you, he was always too afraid of you." Aladrea slowly moved towards her brothers as she spoke. Jareth's face was empty of all emotion as he listened to her words. "A month doesn't seem like very long at all, but that's all it took for you to go from a powerful King who invokes fear in his enemies hearts…" As she finally stood face to face with Jareth, Aladrea turned her head to look at Sarah, a sneer forming of her mouth as she continued. "Into this mortal bitch's pet."

Aladrea had hardly spoken the last word before she found herself on the floor, thrown across the room against a bookcase hard enough to knock all the books to the floor, and silence her for a few seconds. This was more than long enough to allow Jareth to cross the room and pick her up from the floor by her neck. Fae could not die by suffocation, but preventing airflow to the lungs was painful nonetheless, and an effective way of preventing speaking.

"Understand Aladrea, this war is bigger than your petty grievances with my fiancé. If I fail, the Underground will fall, and life will be far from pleasant for all who live here, you included. You have known nothing of pain or hardship in your entire life, but if you do not leave the Goblin Kingdom right now, I promise you I'll give you a taste of what is to come if my army loses this war."

As Sarah watched her future husband, she got a glimpse of the power he held inside. And the darkness. Just as her eyes went white when she summoned her full power, so now, his turned to fire. The glow was reflected in Aladrea's face, but Sarah could read nothing there. The haughty, arrogant look was gone, but there was no fear at her brother's threats, no sign of the pain of his hand around her throat, no indication she cared either way about the outcome of the war. When Jareth released her, she simply smirked at him and disappeared.

For a while there was silence, the severity of the situation having fully sunk in now. The fury and determination Jareth was showing had finally won through the veil of denial that shrouded all of them. Jareth had lived the horror of life under Gerard's rule, he alone understood the true consequences of defeat. The darkness that had been glimpsed in the Goblin King when Jareth's soul was split, was coming to the fore. His desire, his need to win this war had turned him cold. Sarah longed to go to him, to hold him, to comfort him, but the man she faced now was not the man she loved. He was the Goblin King, and for the Underground to have a chance at victory, he must remain so.

As Sarah looked around the room, she noticed that even Trea looked worried, although he would never admit it. As King of the Fae, he could not fight even if he wanted, but no longer did he seem intent on opposing his brother. When he left a few minutes later, it was with a promise to support Jareth, and let his people know they were under the full command of the High King. A small victory, but significant nonetheless. Finally there was hope of a united army, and with the new threat of the Creatures of the Land of Arnagoth, only a united army had any chance of success.

Jareth's parents left not long after that to try and find the Faeries who should have returned by now for the wedding. Their absence was worrying and everyone knew they would be needed in this war. Jareth and Sarah were left alone, but despite the closeness they had shared just moments before entering this room, there was now a clear barrier between them. Jareth's row with his siblings had brought his strength to the fore, he needed his strength to lead his army, and he needed his Queen firmly behind him. Sarah's nod was almost imperceptible, but the deal had been sealed. They understood their roles in this war now, and nothing would come between them and what they had to do. Nothing, but death.