Lemon warning! (I nearly forgot)
Chapter 33
'Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses have gone ahead
The royal bedchamber in the Palace was dark, yet Sarah could tell that a little light was soon going to peak through the closed binds as she sat up in the bed. She covered her mouth as she yawned before briefly looking over her shoulder to see the other side of the bed empty and cold.
"Damn," she muttered.
Rubbing her hands over her face, she sighed as she stood from the bed, magically lit all the candles in the chamber and then walked to the bathroom.
The knock on the door startled Sarah as she finished putting on her gown.
"Enter," she stated.
"I would say that I'm surprised to see you awake this early," Lydia said as she entered the room. "But this is quickly becoming a habit of yours over the past several months."
"Yes, well," she said while putting on her ear rings and bracelet. "It's been difficult to sleep lately." When Sarah turned to face her, Lydia was mildly to see the monarch so somber and drained. "Did you have something for me or did you come here to stare?"
"Oh yes," Lydia said, approaching. "I knew it would be difficult to get a hold of you today… I need you to sign off on the planning committee for the twins' introduction ceremony. The exchequer said I must before he would release the funds."
Sarah grabbed the papers, produced a quill, signed her name, and handed them back to Lydia.
"Is that all?" she asked as made her way toward the door, leaving Lydia behind.
"Yes, ma'am," Lydia said quietly as she followed behind the Queen.
Sarah let out a sigh before turning around.
"One, you know that I hate it when people call me 'ma'am'," she said, turning around to walk toward the chamber doors. "And two, I apologize for being short with you."
Lydia gave her a small smile as she continued to follow behind. "The few years or so hasn't been easy on anyone, least of all you. Hopefully, everything will be better after today."
"Your optimism is appreciated," Sarah said as opened the door. "But I don't believe you."
Jareth reclined in his throne as he peered into a crystal, turning his wrist to change the scenery from one runner to the other.
Avitus made his way into the throne room. Once he realized that it sounded curiously empty, he slowed his stride in caution. The throne room was normally bustling with goblins at this time of day.
"Your Majesty," he said, inadvertently saying it as a question. "You are here… at such an early time."
"Yes, well, that's what happens when you receive two calls within an hour of each other," he muttered as he threw the crystal in the air before it faded away. "Bloody humans."
Avitus let out a small sigh as he considered his next words carefully.
"Should I send a note to Her Maj-"
"No," Jareth snapped, giving his advisor a warning glare.
"Then, may I bring you something?" he offered. "Some tea perhaps?"
"No, I need to focus," Jareth said. "There are two runners in the maze- on opposite ends."
"What?" Avitus blurted out, stunned. "Is there a way for there to be two runners and yet they both stay clear of the more treacherous areas?"
"No," Jareth answered, nonchalantly. He formed another crystal and briefly looked into it before turning his attention back to his advisor. "Which is why I said I need to focus."
"Yes, of course," Avitus said before giving a small bow and turning to leave.
Before Avitus could leave, Jareth stopped him.
"Actually, bring me a sandwich or something… a piece of fruit," he ordered. "I eaten in a while, and today will be a long one."
Avitus quickly left for the kitchens as Jareth returned to his crystal. He rolled his eyes as he saw one of the humans nearing a chasm yet not paying attention to where he was going. Jareth slowly rose from his throne before disappearing from the throne room.
Soon after, Avitus arrived, carrying a tray with a light meal that his King previously request. Seeing no one present, he let out a resigned sigh.
"I guess I'll just wait."
Sarah attempted to read the piece of paper in front of her for the third time but couldn't focus enough to actually read anything. A knock on her door to her office startled her.
"Yes?" she called out. A guard opened the door, walked in, and gave a quick bow.
"King Brennus of the Troll Kingdom is here, Your Majesty," he stated.
"Yes, of course," Sarah responded as she attempted to straighten the papers on her desk. "Let him in." Brennus walked in with a wrapped gift in his hands as the guard closed the door behind him.
"It's good to see your, Your Majesty," Brennus said with a bow.
"Is it though?" Sarah countered. She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. "Please, sit."
"I've come to realize that a sort of peace comes with finality," he stated, sitting in the offered chair. "There's only one outcome left. Therefore, what's the point in fighting what must be done?"
"I've appreciated your patient, stoic attitude these past few years," Sarah admitted. "But since it hasn't happened now, I doubt that there is any chance that you could placate me with words now."
"There are many reasons why this is easier for me than you. I'm not going to lie," Brennus admitted as he briefly looked down at the floor before returning to Sarah. "I was never keen to the idea of being a king. I only continued on after my father's passing because of duty. And while all monarchs should rule out of duty, I always sensed that I enjoyed it the least out of everyone in the Court. I honestly do wish that these events were not occurring, but I do not ultimately regret my demotion."
Sarah inhaled deeply before letting out a steady breath.
"Well, I'm happy to hear at least some good news came from this," she teased.
"Yes, well," Brennus said. "Also, the safety of your people. It hasn't been pleasant for a while in that region."
"After the announcement at the Court gathering tonight, I'll give the others an update on what to expect going forward," she stated before handing Brennus the stack of papers she previously was staring at as well as an inked quill. "Here: the contract regarding the dissolving of the Troll Kingdom and the renunciation of you as its custodial monarch."
"Ah, the Duke of Greyhall," Brennus hummed as he thumbed through the pages. "Has a nice ring to it."
"Well, it had better. You picked it," Sarah smirked.
"I merely volunteered to lead the fortification effort at the troll barriers near that city," Brennus said. "It's Her Majesty who has been kind enough to bestow upon me a new title."
"Nice to hear you enjoying your new surroundings," she said.
"Unequivocally," he affirmed. "Giants are much more amiable than trolls." Brennus quickly signed the contract and returned it back to Sarah. Seeing a melancholy look cross Sarah's face as she received the papers, Brennus sat up straight and gently cleared his throat. "May I speak freely, Your Majesty?"
Sarah looked at him with curiosity. "Always."
"I hope you realize that just because I said that I'm at peace with this outcome that doesn't mean that I am not lamenting a sort of end of an era," he said. Sarah's brows furrowed, but the former King continued. "I commend you on having such empathy that you have seemed to carry the weight of the worlds on your shoulder. That's not normal to see in the ruler of the Court. But I would recommend that you not see this as a failure. And if we are all being honest with each other, we should all be surprised that the Troll Kingdom lasted as long as it did. You've gone above and beyond what I thought you would do."
Sarah fought against slumping in her chair. "What you said is very nice and all-"
"And very much true," Brennus said. Realizing that he interrupted her, he caught himself. "My apologies."
"What you said may be true," she continued, ignoring his interruption. "But it's difficult to come to terms with everything. I'll admit that this is pure vanity, but I don't enjoy being the first ruler of the Seelie Court to lose territory. But beyond that, and more importantly, this peace you speak of- it doesn't seem plausible. Simply because this seems like just another temporary measure, like the ones in the past. And if this doesn't work, all we have left is war."
Brennus inhaled deeply before exhaling, thinking over what to say. "That may be true. We might be putting off the inevitable. But evacuation of that land and quarantining the trolls the best we can is the right solution for right now. And we all have the twins' induction into the Court to look forward to soon."
"Oh hell," Sarah groaned. "Don't remind me."
"You can't delay it any longer," Brennus teased. "The Court might actually riot over that. It's been a while since we've had a good party."
"Oh, please," Sarah scoffed. "The Court celebrated your wedding four years ago. The collective hangover lasted a year, I'm sure. Never will I downplay Eghan's planning expertise going forward. I think your wedding surpassed mine. "
"You're being generous," Brennus said. "But I believe you are greatly underplaying how much the Court has been anticipating this introduction, especially since you delayed it by five years."
"Everyone just wants an excuse for a month long celebration," she smirked. "I guess that's not a bad thing."
"Before I forget," Brennus said as he handed her the gift that had been resting in his lap. "A final gift of sorts from my former kingdom."
"Oh," Sarah said, taking the small box. "This wasn't necessary."
"Well, some of us disagree," Brennus demurred. She removed the ribbon and top of the box to reveal a fist sized silver amulet with the crest of the now dissolved Troll Kingdom.
Sarah traced the raised edges with her finger. "This is lovely," she said quietly, doing her best to control her emotions.
"At least, all our silver is not gone," he said. "I'm sure His Majesty is now thrilled."
"Never mention that to Jareth," Sarah groaned. "He doesn't need any more reasons to be smug about his kingdom."
The tip of the sword slashed near Kendrick's arm, tearing his shirt across the chest.
"Dammit, Faolan!" he cursed as he shuffled backward, grabbing his chest. Kendrick tossed his sword to the floor, in order to see if blood was drawn.
"You were wide open," Faolan smirked. "It would be ridiculous if I didn't take that opportunity."
"I liked this shirt," Kendrick muttered, quietly relieved that his skin wasn't cut.
"Oh no, whatever will you do?" Faolan teased, dropping his sword as well. "Just wear the hundred other beige shirts you own."
"It's not beige; it's taupe," he corrected, reaching down to pick up his sword. "Well, that's enough of that."
"That's just like you: quit as soon as I get warmed up," Faolan remarked as he returned his sword to its station on the wall.
"We've been in here for three hours," Kendrick pointed out. He pulled his shirt off of his broad shoulders to use as a towel to wipe off the sweat from his face. He inwardly cursed the fact that he forgot to pull his hair back. "You are claiming that it takes you that long to get warmed up?"
"Don't question my methods," Faolan quipped with a flashy smile, a smile that mirrored his father's.
"Is there a reason why you wanted us to practice at the Centaur castle instead of at the Palace?" Kendrick asked. "The sparring room is much bigger there."
"That place is a madhouse lately," he grumbled, combing a frustrated hand through his hair. "Envoys coming and going due to those damn trolls, mother is being constantly annoyed by everyone, and now Lydia is starting to bother us about our introduction ceremony."
"It is a very important event for the Court," Kendrick said. The Centaur prince had his ceremony on schedule, nearly four years ago. "You know everyone loves a celebration. If my ceremony was a big deal, you know the ceremony for the heirs to the Seelie Court will be madness."
"But it's nearly eight months away!" Faolan cried out as he dropped to the floor.
"And you haven't told them your plans yet, have you?" the Centaur prince asked, standing over him.
"No," Faolan muttered.
"Not even your mother?" Kendrick asked.
"If I told her, I might as well tell him," Faolan reasoned. "They tell each other everything. You know that."
"Hmm… have you decided to confide in Lady Nuala or the Earl of Rose Isle instead?" Kendrick teased. That remark earned him a withering glare from his sparring partner.
"All I did was have a bit of fun for a short time," Faolan moaned as he fumbled with his boots. "Yet, you can't keep bothering me about it."
Faolan's accusation was true: Kendrick enjoyed teasing his friend over his various dalliances with a few of his peers within the Court. For someone who occasionally complained about Court life, for a time, Faolan rarely let that annoyance hinder any chance for a good time if someone presented themselves to him. However, for the past year or so, Faolan decided to stop all that frivolity he had partaken in, which still didn't cease the occasional request for a formal courting or even to restart the affairs which Kendrick found endlessly entertaining.
"Regardless," Kendrick said, schooling his face not to smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm pretty confident that it's not actually the frantic planning of the events that is driving you away from there. You've never been one to keep anything from your parents for this long, especially your mother."
Faolan pulled his lengthy hair away from his face, placing it into a low ponytail, his hair having grown past the middle of his back. "Yeah, I'm going to tell her- eventually. I'm working on it."
"That sounds familiar," Kendrick said, scratching his chin. "It's as though you told me that exact sentence nearly a year ago."
"Yeah, well, 'working on it' means many things," he spat. Faolan appeared downcast before looking up at his friend. "Sorry for my tone."
Kendrick sighed as he sat down next to the Seelie Prince. "At least, tell Nigella," he offered. "You two are good at keeping each other's secrets."
"Well, so are you," Faolan said as he gave Kendrick a light punch to the arm.
"Feelings mutual," Kendrick replied.
"They better be," Faolan said with a sly smile. "So, since we are talking about things that need to be done: when are you going to ask her?"
Kendrick's back went stiff as his friend's words echoed through his head. "I don't understand what you are saying."
"Oh, okay," Faolan hummed with a knowing smile. "She already has several official courting offers. I overheard father teasing her about them a few months ago." He looked over to see Kendrick doing his best to ignore him. "I know for a fact that the Elf Queen's younger son is one of them."
"Rodric? Bloody Rodric?" Kendrick exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, fist clenched.
Faolan reclined against the wall, enjoying seeing the spectacle unfold before him. "He now visits the Palace on a bi-weekly basis," he added.
Kendrick looked down on Faolan's pleased face and gave him a scowl. "You're just telling me this to upset me."
"Doesn't mean it's not true," he countered with a shrug.
An annoyed growl came from Kendrick as he quickly put his shirt back on in a terse movements.
"Does that mean that you plan to draw up a contract or not?" Faolan asked.
"You know better than me that Nye's not going to enter into a courtship contract at her introduction," he groused. "She's too practical to do something like that at this point in time."
Faolan shrugged his shoulders. "Okay."
"You think she will sign them?"
"Of course not," Faolan scoffed. "She may have excessively dutiful tendencies, but she's not going to spend her days and nights simply working or sleeping. As you know, young faes do as young faes do." He turned to see Kendrick sigh as he dropped his head in his hands. "Hey, I know I'm giving you shit, but for all the jokes, I really meant to give you a heads up. Rodric may be dull, but she seems to really like him and the others- at least she tolerates them well enough, which means a lot coming from Nye."
"Others? Others," Kendrick said as he lifted his head up to glare at Faolan.
"Yeah," Faolan said as he tapped a finger against his chin in thought. "An earl and duke or something from the Dwarf kingdom. I forgot the other guy. They've only had tea with her like once or twice. But I bet they will be there when she's introduced to Court. Oh and Lady Soleil from the Giant Kingdom has spent the last year trying to get close to her. Hasn't worked yet thankfully, but I think Nye's warming up to her. She's better than Rodric though. " Faolan then looked up at the ceiling contemplating his words. "Never mind. They're equally dull and uninspiring."
Kendrick let out a loud groan trying to signal to Faolan to stop listing his sister's admirers as he allowed the back of his head to hit the wall.
"You need to stop talking to me about your feelings of her and just tell her," Faolan said seriously.
"It could ruin our friendship," Kendrick confessed.
"True, but it will be ruined anyway if you keep watching from the distance," he countered. "And you will still have me to talk to."
"Well, yeah, for now. When you leave, I won't have many other options. I can't tell my brother anything. He chatters as though everything he says is the most interesting thing in the world."
"And to think you were so excited when you became a big brother," Faolan smirked.
"Don't make me sound uncaring," Kendrick said. "Titus is simply more excitable. It doesn't seem to be a personality that he will outgrow."
"Yeah, he's fully baked in now," Faolan said with a chuckle. As if on cue, the doors to the sparring room flew open as a small centaur with long black hair strolled into the room.
"Big Brother!" the small centaur chastised as he crossed his arms and yelled across the room. "You're late for our tea!"
"Family tea time?" Faolan asked. "I thought your mother had to be at the Pixie Castle for the rest of the week."
"No," Kendrick groused as he moved to stand up. "Titus demands a brothers-only tea once a week. He started this little tradition a few months ago."
"I can hear you talking about me," Titus complained as he furrowed his brow. "You should put more effort into moving instead of talking."
"Just like his mother," Faolan laughed as the two of them made their way to the impatient centaur. "Sorry for cutting in on your brother bonding time," he said to Titus.
Titus let out an exasperated sigh as he straightened his shoulders. "Just don't make a habit of it," he pointedly said to the Seelie prince as he grabbed Kendrick's hand and led them down the hallway.
Kendrick looked over his shoulder to see Faolan still standing by the doors. "See you later."
"Next time, I'll be sure to check with your schedule planner," he called out, which earned him an annoyed look from Kendrick.
Jareth reappeared in front of Avitus, startling the overworked fae.
"That was quick," Jareth mused as he grabbed just the sandwich from the tray as he made his way back to the throne.
"Well, it is important that you eat," he said, trying his best not to level any sort of tone. "You've been shit at taking care of yourself these several weeks… months, really."
"This place is still running, is it not?" Jareth questioned.
"I wasn't disparaging your administrative duties," Avitus said. "I wouldn't dare to do such a thing."
"But other aspects of my life are worthy of reproach?"
Avitus did his best to not roll his eyes. "Of course not, Sire," he said.
Jareth slouched in his throne as he took a bite out of his sandwich. "I'll be thrilled when this is all over."
"Will it be over?" Avitus asked.
"For the sake of all of us, and mostly Sarah," he sighed. "I hope so."
Late afternoons at the Palace were usually peaceful, allowing Faolan's nerves to not be pushed by the usual on goings that where normal palace life. But due to the events of that evening, the palace was a madhouse with courtiers running all over, ensuring everything was prepared for the guests that they were about to receive. All this made Faolan's retreat to the outreaches of the Palace gardens even more necessary.
"Have you seen Kendrick and Titus?" Nigella asked as she approached her brother who was sitting on the bank of the pond.
"They're here?" Faolan asked before tossing a pebble into the pond. His beagle Hank silently sleeping on the grass next to him.
Nigella groaned in frustration. "Yes, dear brother, his entire family is supposed to be here. You know… because of the proclamation."
"Oh, yeah," he said absentmindedly. "I haven't seen them since this morning at the Centaur castle; I've been here since noon."
"You're not feeling nervous, are you?" she asked. "Even though Lydia keeps saying we should treat this as some rehearsal for our Court introduction, that doesn't mean you should worry about it. We still have several more months before we are actually doing this."
"What? No! I'm not nervous," he refuted. "Maybe a little." He tossed his hair over his shoulder, trying in vain to stop it from getting into his eyes as he bowed his head. "Eh, there are so many things to remember. And everyone keeps annoying me."
"Well, they do need to make sure the tiaras fit," she teased. "And make sure the robes fit nicely over your frame." Nigella's face fell when she noticed her brother's slumped shoulders and general icy demeanor. A behavior he only exhibited towards individuals outside of the family and definitely not to her. She walked towards him and sat next to him on a large, smooth rock. "Are you okay? You can't be this bothered about tonight. It's one thing for Mom and Dad worry over this. Why would you concern yourself with this now?"
"Just been thinking," Faolan sighed as he threw another pebble.
Nigella kept her eyes on the slightly disturbed water. "Anything I can help you with?"
"You do realize that Mom hasn't declared the order of succession, right?" he asked, now fiddling with the tall blades of grass. "Nearly eighteen years yet still nothing. What was the point of delaying our introduction if she still hasn't made up her mind? Maybe she has made up her mind, but she doesn't want to reveal her decision. That's probably it."
"Oh, come on, Faolan," Nigella grumbled as she sat next to her brother. "We shouldn't worry about that stuff. Mom will make her de-"
"It should be you," he proclaimed confidently as he turned his head to look over at his sister. "You should take over the Court after Mom. The Court shouldn't have to deal with me."
Shaking her head, she reached her hand over to rest on her brother's knee. "Don't say that. And you shouldn't view yourself in such a manner. You could be a great ruler."
"Could," Faolan repeated as he rose to his feet- his tall, lean frame rivalling his father's. "Why wait for potential when you're already here? I'm being serious, Nye. I've never seen anyone be so happy to transcribe notes from wherever and send them over to Mom or spend hours in the library researching Troll and Unseelie history." Nigella tried to object, but he raised his hand to silence her. "I know Mom and Dad have been preparing us both to potentially take over the Court, but they shouldn't waste their time on me. I really don't want the job."
Nigella said nothing as her mind swirled with confusion, trying her best to calm her mind in order to say something. Faolan took a deep breath, readying himself to say what he has wanted to say for a long time.
"I plan to join the Goblin Kingdom's army," Faolan declared. Nigella turned to look at the water, doing her best to stop the tears from forming, allowing her long chestnut hair to block her view of her brother. Intellectually, she knows that she and her brother are faes, destined to live long lives- long lives separate from one another, that there was no possible way that they could be joined at the hip forever. Yet, what she was hearing from her twin was coming too soon, and she couldn't quite make sense of what he was saying. Several minutes passed without either speaking a word. She continued to stare at the water as Faolan heard her sniffle.
"Don't cry, Nigella."
"Don't cry?" she repeated as she looked up at him, tears now falling down her cheeks. He turned to look at the ground, not bearing to see her in pain. "Do you realize all that would be required of you if you join?"
"When," he corrected. "When I join."
Nigella shook her head in disapproval. "What about the Palace Guard? Or the Fae army? Either one would be easier."
"But I don't want it to be easy!" Faolan shouted. He took two steps back as he rubbed his hand over his face. "Anyway, I need to talk Dad about this. Is he here yet or with the goblins?"
"Um, he's at the castle," Nigella muttered, still processing her brother's intentions. "I think he was holding court earlier… or there was a runner. I forget."
"All right," he said as he snapped his finger to wake up Hank. The dog startled awake but quickly stood up, standing next his master. Faolan smirked at the deep frown that marred his sister's otherwise picturesque features. He leaned over to place a kiss on his sister's forehead. He then pushed his forehead against hers. "There's no need for that face. We'll be okay; I'll be okay. You don't have to worry about me anymore."
Jareth walked into his office and collapsed into his chair. He never had multiple runners in the maze before. Days like today would teach him to never do that again. A few minutes passed before a knock on the door broke the silence.
"Enter," he called out, putting down his pen. Jareth was a bit stunned when his son opened the door. "I didn't expect for you to be here."
"The same could be said for you," Faolan said as he shut the door behind him. "I was told you were in the throne room."
"And yet I'm here," Jareth said with a smile with a tilt of his head. "Now, what's so important that you couldn't wait for me to return to the Palace?"
"I know Mom said that she is going to wait to decide who will inherit the Seelie throne, but-"
"Is this going to turn into some Shakespeare tragedy?" Jareth groaned as he slightly leaned back in his chair.
"I… I believe Mother should focus her energy on Nigella," Faolan said, ignoring his father's complaining.
"And why is that?" Jareth asked, mostly out of curiosity. If his son didn't want the Seelie throne, that was reason enough. Chaos could rise out of such a ruler.
"I don't want to be responsible for the Court," he answered.
"Then what do you want to do instead?"
"Join the Goblin Kingdom army," he replied with full confidence.
"What?" Jareth asked, dumbfounded. He sat up straight in his chair before leaning over to rest his arms on his desk. Jareth continued to stare up at his son who was still standing by the door, something he finally noticed. He slowly rubbed his forehead before gesturing to the chair in front of him. "Sit down, child of mine."
Faolan didn't move. "Look, Dad, I've been thinking about this for a long ti-"
"Sit. Down. Faolan," Jareth ordered, his piercing stare never leaving his son. "You know I hate repeating myself." With a flick of his wrist, the door to his office was locked and a silence barrier place around the room.
Plopping down and then slouching in the offered chair, Faolan crossed his arms over his chest while staring at the floor.
Jareth inwardly laughed at Faolan's demeanor. This bad habit of Sarah's has been picked up by both children, much to his amusement and exasperation.
"This appears to be bizarre behavior from someone who wishes to command my kingdom's army," Jareth teased.
Looking up at his father, Faolan was relieved to see not a sign of anger or disappointment. "Who said I want to command anyone?"
"Is that not what this is about?"
"I'm not expecting to be simply placed in a senior position," Faolan explained as he sat up straight. "I want to enter like everyone else."
"If this has anything to do with-"
"This doesn't have to do with anything, Dad," Faolan interrupted, shaking his head. "I just- I meant it when I said Nigella should be Queen. She'll be great. She has the temperament for it. I don't want to be doing dumb diplomatic missions or whatever is to be expected of me after the introduction. If one day, you think I'd be able to be appointed your successor or place me somewhere else, then fine. But until that day comes, that's where I want to be; that's what I want to do with my time."
Faolan stated his peace, and then, the room went silent as he watched his father stare at his desk and say nothing for what felt like the longest time. He hoped his plea would be heard and understood. After a moment, Jareth released a heavy sigh before leaning back in his chair to regard his son. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
"Just as a warning," Jareth stated as he inked his pen and began writing. "General Nealon takes on all new recruits personally, and I doubt he'll be kind to you. He might be tougher on you just to prove a point. He's known for that."
Faolan's face cracked a smile. "So… you're okay with it?"
"Absolutely not," Jareth said, briefly looking up from his writing to see his son's face fall. "I wouldn't be okay with anything that would take you away from me. It seems trivial to be fae yet to be concerned about length of time. But to not even see a hint of you for ten years…" The ten year requirement that all new Goblin army personnel live in the sprawling barracks located in an isolated portion of the southwest region of Goblin Kingdom flashed through Jareth's mind the moment his son said that he wanted to join. "And with the escalating Troll conflict…" Jareth released a heavy sigh as he continued writing. "However, your life is not mine to live. Your mother and I only wish the best for you. Our intention was never to force you to live in a gilded cage that you grow to despise."
A minute or do went by as Jareth continued writing before Faolan spoke.
"Just so you know: I don't feel like you and Mom keep me in a cage, and I don't despise my life."
Jareth placed his quill down as he regarded his son.
"So, you don't feel trapped by the life you are living now, yet your ambition isn't to be commander of the army. What is this about, Faolan? We can delay your introduction again. You can see how Nigella deals and decide after."
"But the Goblin Kingdom's army only receives recruits once every ten years," Faolan pointed out.
Although the process had made for an efficient and prolific army for centuries, Jareth now internally cursed his General Nealon's peculiar specification on how the army was to be run.
"Clearly, you've spent time thinking this through," Jareth said as he stroked his chin.
"Almost five years," his son confessed.
Jareth massaged his hand over his mouth, keeping his eyes to his desk, struggling to not break down in front of his child. "You and your valet- head to the Palace," he instructed. "I'll send this information to General Nealon."
"Okay," Faolan said with a small nod. He slowly rose to his feet. "I'll go tell Mom."
"No," Jareth quickly said, startling Faolan. "The proclamation should be front and center for her until this evening. I'll tell her tonight after everything is over. I'll do my best to smooth this over for you. But expect her to barge into your chambers as soon as I tell her."
"Thanks, Dad," Faolan said with a small smile. Jareth rose from his chair and walked over to his son, standing eye to eye. He reached out to grab his son in a hug.
"Did you tell your sister?" Jareth ask, refusing to release him.
"Yeah," Faolan huffed out as he embraced his father as well, trying not to cry himself. "She's so mad at me."
Jareth chuckled as he finally let go. "Well, she's not too keen on surprises or changes."
Faolan smirked. "Yeah, I wonder where she gets that from."
Nigella stood quietly with her father to her right as various nobles and royalty conversed around her, still abuzz from the decree that her mother gave from the throne. Something caught her attention as she turned to see her brother slip out of the hall.
"Nigella?" a concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned around to see Kendrick with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay? It's sort of odd for you to be hanging out with your father after these events."
Nigella turned her head to see her father speaking to the now former King of the Trolls, Brennus. But something about Kendrick's question hit her.
"Why didn't you ask about Faolan?" she asked.
Kendrick was caught off guard. "Wha-"
"He's always here with me, but now, he's not," Nigella stated, her blue eyes narrowing at the young prince. "Why aren't you asking about him?"
"Listen, Nigella, I-"
"Did you know about his decision?" she questioned as she took a step forward, trying her best to crowd him despite her small frame to this large. "Did he tell you first? How could you not tell me?"
Suddenly, she felt a stern, gloved hand grasp her upper arm. "Nigella," Jareth hissed in her ear, doing his best to not draw attention to them. She looked up to see her father's disapproving face. "Now is not the time and surely not the place to have such a conversation."
"Yes, sir," Nigella mutter with contrition. She moved to pull away from her father, yet he didn't let go. He pulled her close to keep his words private.
"We'll discuss this tomorrow," he promised. "Until then, either cordially dismiss yourself to your chambers or mix well with others. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," she repeated, fighting back tears.
Jareth's hand moved to quickly swipe away her one tear. "Remember what your mother said tonight: there's no need for mourning."
"She was talking about the Court not Faolan," she said, trying not to frown.
"It still applies," Jareth said, giving her a sad smile. "Be good. I have to go conference with the others." He gave her arm a quick squeeze before letting her go. Then, he turned to follow the other sovereigns out of the hall.
"Looks like a long night for our parents, eh?" Kendrick said, trying to break the ice.
"I apologize for my outburst, Kendrick," Nigella said, still looking forlorn and avoiding his eyes. "None of this is your fault."
He reached out a hand to place on her shoulder. "He swore me not to tell, Nigella. I didn't mean-"
"I'm fine," she said, failing at her attempt to hide her sadness. Finally looking him in the eyes, she grabbed his hand from her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before dropping it. "We're not to talk about it here anyway."
"Hello, Princess Nigella," a voice whispered in her ear before nuzzling her neck.
"Prince Rodric," she said without turning around, now irritated. "I've told you not to do that in public."
"My apologies. I forget my place. Allow me to escort you to the reception," he asked, offering her his arm. Nigella let out a sigh as she turned to regard the tall elf vying for her attention. If one was able to miss him despite his towering height, the shock of red hair usually caught people's attention. His hazel eyes were uneven in that one was noticeably greener than the other.
"Thank you, but no," Nigella answered. "I'm retiring for the night. You can go with Kendrick though." And with that, she left the two princes standing next to each other.
"Oh, Kendrick, I didn't see you there," Rodric said, sincerely surprised. The centaur prince rolled his eyes and let out a grumble.
"Of course, you didn't," he said as he walked away.
"What a charming speech, Your Majesty," Kalin quipped as she leaned back in her chair. "How much of it was bullshit?"
"Kalin," Taggert grumbled, sitting next to her. Sarah sat at the head of the long conference table, rolling her eyes at her friend's words. She brought a hand to her forehead, struggling with whether to tell Kalin to shut up or to just let the Pixie Queen wear herself out.
"I'm only joking," Kalin huffed. "What I meant to ask was how much are you putting the Court at ease? There were things that went unsaid tonight- which I guess makes sense as to why we are all here."
"Is it as dire as I believe it to be?" King Cillian of the Giants asked. "Although Her Majesty has done exceedingly well in giving resources so that my lands and the Centaurs may facilitate in accepting evacuees from the Troll lands, I must say it feels like a shoe is about to drop- so to speak."
"I trust that this is the best that could be hoped for," King Rhys of the Dwarves said. "From what I could tell tonight, everyone seems to be in high spirits. At least, we shouldn't receive those horrid alerts several times a year of the trolls slaughtering a town."
"Instead of worrying about what Her Majesty might say," Jareth sneered as he fiddled with the hem of his gloves. "Why don't you stop being pleased with the sounds of your own voices and listen her speak?"
Sarah sighed as she finally removed her hand from her face.
"I didn't intend for this meeting to be long," Sarah said with a sigh. "The quicker the better so your lack of presence won't be noticed at the reception. I simply wanted to inform you on what I plan to do going forward after all we've been dealing with these past several years. "
"So there is more to this than what you told the Court?" Kalin questioned.
Sarah gave the Pixie Queen a warning glare before clearing her throat.
"We need to prepare for war," she calmly stated. The room went still not with trepidation but with resigned sorrow. All the other kings and queen stared at their area of the table in front of them- all except for Jareth who was gazing off in the distance as he stroked his chin.
"Knew it," Kalin whispered.
"I spoke to Brennus earlier today," Sarah continued. "So believe me when I say that I'm not telling you this lightly. We've stopped the carnage for now. However, we shouldn't expect them to stop."
"Why not?" Rhys asked. "We've returned the land to the trolls. We have barriers in place."
"Why not?" Jareth parroted back. "Because-"
"Jareth," Sarah said, interrupting whatever rant he was intending to start. She turned her attention to Rhys. "Because… they have turned back to their flesh eating ways. Our people are now gone; so what do you think they are going to do next? They're not cannibals. We have scouts who have said they have multiplied suddenly, and we don't know how or why or where they are coming from. And Brennus as well as other guards have reported that the trolls seem to be testing the strength of the magical barrier."
"But what could they possibly want?" Cillian wondered aloud.
"To eat us," Kalin said with a shiver. "Obviously."
"There is a veil near the troll lands in the Centaur kingdom," Gwendoline said, finally speaking.
"You don't think…" Taggert said as he looked at the Elf Queen and then Sarah. Much to his horror, he did not perceive shock in Sarah at Gwendoline's assertion.
"We won't know anything until some sort of leader comes forward with demands or events have progressed to the point to where only one outcome has been made clear," Sarah said. "Until that day comes, I need the Seelie army to be at the ready, and my generals will send out further instructions on having a standing presence near that veil on the eastern boarder of the Troll lands in the Centaur kingdom. Sorry, Taggert."
The Centaur king gave a short shrug. "It is what it is."
"The next closest veil is in the Unseelie lands," Kalin pointed out.
"All this information will be forwarded to Lochlan as well," Sarah said. "As I have said before, I've already considered all the potential outcomes; you are here to merely be informed about the actions expected of all of us going forward."
The room went silent again as they all contemplated what was needed of them going forward.
"So," Kalin said, breaking the silence. "I'll expect these notes by tomorrow then." Sarah gave her a simple nod. "Well, I believe some libations are in order."
"You're dismissed," Sarah said. Everyone rose to their feet and swiftly filed out of the room, leaving Sarah and Jareth alone in the meeting room.
"That was so much fun," she muttered sarcastically. "I should do this more often."
"I think not," he huffed out. "I haven't been keen on not having my wife around."
For the past eighteen years, Jareth has kept his word that regarding his lack of desire to rule alongside his wife. Yet he lamented the growing turmoil in the Court concerning the trolls mostly because it has kept Sarah in the role of High Queen for weeks at a time with little room for interruptions. Sarah did insist on keeping the family traditions of having dinner together, but lately, on the best of days, that meant less than twenty minutes with her before she had to leave for another meeting. Jareth, Nigella, and Faolan understood what was required of his wife and their mother, and she did her best to make time for them if they came by her office, if she was there. But they all have been less than delighted with the amount of sharing they had to do with the Court and its growing problems.
"This exercise in patience that you've been undertaking has been astonishing," Sarah said.
"You tease, but I believe I deserve some sort of medal," he stated leaned his arm against the table. "Maybe a statue displaying my obvious grandeur in front of the palace. This place needs to appreciate at me more. Take out our family painting at the entrance and replace it with a vast mural of my visage. "
"I wasn't teasing you," she said reaching over to caress his face as he eagerly accepted her touch. "I can't continue like this for another day let alone another year. I'm restructuring my court and the palace."
Jareth said nothing but raised a curious eyebrow.
"But that will be in the documents you receive tomorrow, and I'm not talking about Court bureaucracy anymore for the night. I'm over all of this," she confessed as she stood up to stretch. "I could sleep forever." Jareth rose as well, watching his wife try to release her tension. Sarah grabbed the few papers she had on the table and transported them both to her office.
"Well, you should be pleased; today went better than expected," he stated as he reclined in a chair opposite her desk.
"Yeah, right," she dismissed. Sarah stared at her papers and then her desk, realizing that she didn't know what to do with them, and, frankly, she didn't care where they went. After dropping them on the table to be ignored for the night, she then walked over to the front of her desk. "This was the easy part. Now, we have an independent, hostile Troll territory on our hands."
"They're not completely hostile," Jareth dismissed. Sarah looked at him in disbelief. "Well, not completely. So far, they are staying in their land. Simply stay away from there and you won't be eaten- which some have had to learn the hard way."
"I appreciate your optimism," Sarah said. "But with that veil nearby, it's only a matter of time before hell breaks loose." She took a deep breath and quickly rubbed her hands over her face. "But that day is not today, and I already said that I don't want to discuss this anymore, at least until tomorrow morning." She really did have trouble lately in dismissing Court business from her brain. Sarah let out a sigh before leaning over to gently caress his face which he relished.
"I've missed you," she confessed before giving him a seemingly chaste kiss on the lips.
"Not as much as I you," he mumbled as he grabbed her arm, pulling her down to straddle his lap in the chair.
"Is that so?" Sarah asked as she started to leave little kisses up and down his cheek. "Because you haven't slept at the Palace in a week."
"Ah, so you noticed," Jareth mused, stretching his neck to allow her easier access as he felt her kisses move down to his neck while his hands went to cup and knead her ass.
Sarah pulled back to give him a little pout, causing Jareth to chuckle at the sight of her juvenile demeanor. "Just because I've been running around all over the place, that doesn't mean that I didn't notice when you are gone," she mumbled.
"This is very reassuring to hear," Jareth sighed as Sarah's hips began to grind against his body. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips before slipping her tongue in his mouth. Jareth moaned as she briefly accelerated her pace before she quickly climaxed.
"Ah!" Sarah exclaimed before she rested her head against his shoulder while Jareth held her, as he was felt both arousal and confusion.
"That was… hurried," he pointed out.
"You know that I've been under a lot of stress lately," she groaned, her words muffled against his shirt. "And you haven't been around."
Jareth laughed. Oh, how he's been neglectful of his duties, he thought.
"My apologies, my beloved Queen." He tossed Sarah's arms around his neck as he rose from his chair, continuing to hold her against his body. Jareth then placed her on top of her desk with no thought of the papers littering the space underneath her. After he rid himself of the gloves on his hands, he grabbed one of her ankles and slowly moved his hand up her leg and thigh, bunching the fabric of her dress at her stomach. "I shall make amends until you find my actions to be satisfactory." Sarah lips curved into a large smile as she quickly sat up and grabbed Jareth's shirt to yank him down on her.
"No need to be greedy," he teased as he rested his hands on either side of her head.
"Shut up," Sarah breathed against his lips. Then, their lips collided as their mutual lust vied to consume the other. They each fought for dominance, a carnal tug of war that neither was intent on losing. Her legs wrapped around his back in an attempt to bring his entire body flushed with hers. Jareth's hard arousal pushed against her abdomen, making Sarah moan in his mouth. Deciding to stop wasting time, Jareth reached up with one hand to gather her wrists above her head before reaching down with his other hand to tear her silky underwear from her body. He magically removed her dress, leaving her only in her corset, an emerald tiara, and a matching bejeweled necklace. He lowered his head to lick the top of her breasts before exposing her nipples to his wants and desires. Rolling her head to the side as her breath quickened, Sarah eagerly accepted Jareth's need to control her in any way he wants. She always loved his attentions, but she craved his touch more and more over the past few weeks. Sarah's breath hitched and her pussy clenched when she felt his teeth scrap across one nipple and then to the other.
"Oh, yes," she groaned, staring at the ceiling.
Smiling, Jareth briefly latched his mouth to her neck before thrusting his dick inside her, all the way to the hilt. Before she could yell out in pleasure, he covered her mouth with his as his tongue wrestled with hers. Sarah was hardly allowed any time to revel in the pure bliss of being filled before he pulled out and slammed back into her. Jareth's hand latched onto Sarah's ass as he continued to kissing her and fucking her ruthlessly.
Sarah futilely twisted her bound wrists even though she knew he wouldn't let release her. Jareth stopped kissing her yet still continued fucking her relentlessly.
"Don't," he warned as his grip tightened around her wrists, his pointed nails sunk into her flesh.
Sarah wished she was able to say something back, but all she could do was moan as she felt her release begin to wash over. Jareth thrust into her hard as she climaxed. Her body tensed and then shivered as she realized the little control she had over her body was leaving her. Sarah started to let out a loud cry, yet Jareth let go of her wrists to cover her mouth, strangling her scream. With his cock buried deep inside her, Jareth's mouth latched onto one of Sarah's breast, muffling his roar of pleasure.
They held on to each other as they attempted to control their breathing. Jareth gave Sarah's breasts one last quick sharp bite before turning his lips to her neck, giving her open, languid kisses along her skin.
Sarah let out a contented sigh. "That was serviceable," she said, still catching her breath. That remark earned her a hard slap on her ass. "Ow!"
"It's what you deserve," Jareth sneered as he nipped her shoulder.
"That hurt," she pouted. "You're going to make the guards come in here."
"If they haven't come in already," he said as he reluctantly pulled out of her, already missing being inside her. "They won't bother now."
Sarah did not move, deciding to linger in her current, disheveled state on the oversized desk. "Yeah, they have figured that out by now," she said, staring at the ceiling. Jareth walked into her view, gazing down at her, amused at her current state.
"And here I thought I was going easy on you," he jested. With a small wave of his hand, his clothes returned back to his body. "Was I that rough with you that you must be like this?"
"If I say no, will you do it again?" she asked, earning her a small chuckle from her husband. "However, I now feel very, very tired." She gave a cursory look at the clock on the wall. "I know I should make an appearance at the reception, but I just want to go to bed and be done with today. And since I'm in charge, I'm going to do that."
Jareth rubbed his gloved hand over his face, lamenting what he needed to tell her. "You can't go to bed yet."
"Why not?" Sarah asked, still not moving from her precarious yet tempting position.
Jareth grabbed Sarah by the arms, pulling her up and off the desk to stand. He did his best to put her dress in the right place, ensuring everything was covered so that she no longer appeared unkempt. Removing the tiara from her head, he quickly straightened her hair before replacing the bejeweled piece on her head. Sarah looked up at him, expecting to see anything other than the deep frown currently marring his face.
Sarah's face fell. "What?"
"Let's go to our chambers," he said before transporting them both from her office.
Nigella appeared before the grand double doors of the Unseelie Castle where two dark faes stood guard.
"I wish to see my uncle," she muttered as she struggled to stand. She never moved herself this far before, and now she fought fatigue as her magic and body became feeble. Before either guard could react, Lochlan appeared before her, frowning with disapproval yet unease.
"You look ill, you foolish child!" he shouted as he gathered her in his arms before she collapsed to the ground. Lochlan transported them to the visitor's hall where Nigella and her brother had their own permanent chambers. He kicked her door in and carried her over to the bed before placing the almost unconscious fae on the mattress.
Suddenly, Tali barged into the room, shocked to see Nigella in her current state. "How did she get here? I don't see her valet." she asked as she rushed over to her niece, conducting a cursory check to ensure Nigella was all right. "I didn't feel any other magic other than hers."
"That's because she came here alone," Lochlan said, glaring down at his niece. "Isn't that right, Princess?" Nigella's eyes struggled to open as her breathing became shallow. Tali wrung her hands, frustrated that there was nothing else that she could do. Nigella had to get through this difficulty with her magic by herself.
"I'm going to contact Sarah," Tali stated as she turned to leave.
"No," Lochlan said. Tali stopped but turned around to face him, giving him a look of disbelief. "She came here at great cost. The least I could do is hear her out before throwing her to her fate."
"Lochlan," Tali sighed, not knowing what else to say. She flicked her wrist to light the candles in the room. "Fine. But I'm too anxious to stay in here. Come get me when she wakes up."
An hour passed before Nigella suddenly woke up and jolted upright in the bed.
"She awakens," Lochlan muttered. She looked around and found her uncle sitting in a chair in the opposite corner of the room.
"My head is spinning," Nigella mumbled, rubbing her forehead.
"Have you lost your bloody mind?" Lochlan yelled as he rose from his chair.
"What do you mean?" she asked, tugging on the bed sheets.
"Don't insult me," he sneered. "You're way too smart to play dumb convincingly. Do you realize how much harm you could have caused yourself? No. You clearly don't because, if you did, you wouldn't have done something so foolish."
"But I made it here, didn't I?" Nigella countered. Lochlan marched over to her and seized her chin, forcing her to look up at him
"You…," Lochlan hissed, trying to reign in his anger and panic. "You have only moved between the Palace and the insipid city nearby. Yet you have taken it upon yourself to move between Courts. You may be great at your magic for your age, but what you did tonight was lunacy. You could have miscalculated and found yourself anywhere within my Court. Who do you think you are? Your brother? Have you gone mad?"
"I needed to talk to you," she stated, tears forming in her eyes.
"They're called letters, my dear," he cried as genuine dread and concern etched across his face.
Her tears now flowed freely. Lochlan released her from his hold as his features softening at the distraught nature of his niece. He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair.
"I'll be right back," he said softly. "I need to go speak to Tali." Lochlan nearly made it to the door when he was stopped short by Nigella's question.
"Why did you leave?" she asked as she stared at her hands in her lap.
Lochlan turned around to give her a confused look. "What?"
"Why did you leave dad?" Nigella asked. "I mean, I know it was the war. But why? How? How could you leave him and never go back?"
"What is this about?" he asked as he took a few steps forward. "What has Faolan done?" A look of confused amazement crossed her face. Lochlan interrupted her incoming question. "Context clues, my dear."
Nigella stared at the floor with her hands folded in her lap. "Faolan plans to join the Goblin army," she stated quietly.
Silence stretched between the two as Lochlan stood in place, stunned at the revelation.
"Well," he finally said as he gazed up at the ceiling, briefly mulling over his words. "Faolan has been known to be unconventional."
The sound of his niece's sniffles caught his attention. He walked back to the chair to sit down next to her.
"If I recall," Lochlan began. "The Goblin army is exceptionally severe, especially compared to the other regiments in the Seelie Court. But Faolan has always enjoyed doing new and different things and has prided himself on being original- well as original as an heir to the Seelie throne can be. I don't see how-"
"They have a ten year requirement," Nigella interrupted, barely speaking above a whisper. "Unless something horrible happens, we won't see him for at least ten years."
"But you will be able to write, won't you?" Lochlan teased, trying to lift her spirits. It didn't work as he saw the newly formed tears she struggled to hold back flowing free, even though she still held on to her passive disposition. Producing a handkerchief and handing it to her, he inhaled deeply before speaking. "To answer your question: I left when I was thirteen because I wanted to; I stayed away because I was a fool."
"How are those different?" she asked. "No one stopped you from going back. You left because you wanted to and you stayed away for the same reason."
"No," Lochlan corrected quickly. "I didn't want to stay in the Goblin Kingdom and do whatever middling work I thought my mother and brother had planned for me. I wanted to fight in the war. I wanted to be with the Unseelies. But I never went back, not because I wanted to be away from my mother or Jareth, but because I was too proud to return. Too ashamed. I never regretted leaving the Goblin Kingdom- only how I left and my actions following that day. I believe it's quite unfair to compare my reckless youth with Faolan's decision. Did he tell your parents yet?"
"He told Dad," she answered, still sniffling. "Probably didn't have time to tell mom yet."
"There you have it. He's already doing much better than I was when I was younger," he proclaimed. "Much more thoughtful and kind. I was nothing like that at his age." That remark earned him a small chuckle from Nigella, who still had her head cast down. "I must say, this was an elaborate way to learn about this news."
"He told me for the first time several hours ago," Nigella said.
"All these tears and worry over just ten years," Lochlan mused. "But I must admit that I, too, am not keen on the prospect of not seeing the bugger for that amount of time."
"I just wish he would have decided on something else," she admitted, her blue eyes looked up at her uncle in resigned sadness.
Lochlan gave her a smirk. "I'm sure you do." He reached out to grab the tip of her chin again but more gently this time. "Your feelings are valid, but so are his. He's allowed to live a completely different life from you. He may be your twin, but he is not your shadow. And you're not his. He's not running from you; he's simply trying to find something… anything. Your twin will return to you in time."
"But for ten years, he will be separated from us," Nigella pointed out. "When he comes back, he'll be different."
"Maybe. Maybe not, but so will you," he countered. "At least, a little. However, I've become more cognizant of how little we faes change. Two millennia could pass by, yet we still act the same as when we first reached adulthood."
"Are you talking about yourself now?" she smirked.
"There's my irreverent niece," he said with a chuckle. "I was hoping she didn't run away and hide. That would be a tragic shame."
Nigella relaxed her shoulders and leaned back to rest against the wall. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble; I guess I should go back to the Palace now," she mumbled.
"Yes, you should," Lochlan agreed as he rose to his feet and helped Nigella to stand. "Besides, I'm sure it's been a while since you've been the one to get in trouble. You are past due for a thorough dressing down."
"I was able to do something new though," she pointed out as they made their way to the door. "Even if it could have gone horribly wrong."
"Hold tight to that reasoning, my dear," Lochlan said with a laugh. "It served your brother well many times."
"Wait- what?" Sarah exclaimed, shortly after Jareth transported them there and told her what Faolan said to him earlier. "I need to go speak to him."
Jareth snatched her arm to pull her back against his chest. "And what are you going to say to him?" Sarah turned around to face her husband, tears forming in her eyes. "Your tears- you're not planning to go about this in a rational way."
"I don't care about that," Sarah snapped as she pushed away from him. "He's my son, yet he wants to leave us. To leave me." Sarah felt as though she were about to break down when she felt Jareth's arm envelop her, his chin resting against her head.
"You know what you said is not true," he whispered into her ear.
"I know," she groaned as her arms wrapped around his waist. "Earlier today, I thought my most difficult problem was dissolving the Troll Kingdom." She struggled to speak in between bouts of sniffles. "I haven't even told the children my plan for succession."
"Yet he already knew what he wanted," Jareth interjected, his hands delicately stroking her back.
Gazing down at the floor, she muttered, "He still wishes to do this knowing everything we know about the trolls."
"Seems that fact hasn't deterred him in the least," he said.
Sarah took a step back yet was still being held by her husband. "Ten years, Jareth."
"I understand."
"Do you think we can have visits?" Sarah wondered, looking up at him with optimism in her eyes. "Just once a year?"
"I don't claim to know all that Nealon does with new recruits. But asking for special provisions is not the best idea. Faolan will already face scrutiny from everyone because of us," he explained. "Do you wish to add to that by allowing the rules to be bent for him when everyone else must follow them?"
Sarah shook her head. "No," she answered as she leaned against his chest. "This all seems so much. I don't like this… wait a minute." She looked up to give Jareth a suspicious glare. "Why are you so calm?"
"I've had several hours to deal with everything he told me," he admitted with a shrug. "Also, I have a stronger constitution than you."
"Is that so?" Sarah asked, looking at him with suspicion.
Jareth sighed as he hugged her tight, allowing her to rest her head against his chest. "To be completely honest, I wept in my office for nearly an hour after he left. Avitus was quite confused when he brought me my notes from earlier in the day. I was nearly a wreck when the Court convened tonight. I had to force composure on myself. Everyone would find it odd if I burst into tears over bloody trolls."
"So whose idea was it for you to tell me?"
"Mine," he admitted as one of his hands continued to rub her back. "I told him I would soften the blow for him."
"Does Nigella know about this plan?" she asked.
"Seems as though she was the first to know," he said with a nod. "She's also not thrilled if Faolan's account is to be believed."
"Well, that also explains a lot," she mused. Sarah did her best not to look at her children whenever she gave speeches, but she slightly surprised by her daughter's disposition earlier that night.
Jareth gave his wife a brief shoulder rub before dropping his hands. "Now, that you have ceased your crying, you should go speak to him." Sarah wiped errant tears from her cheeks. He grabbed her hand and placed a small kiss on the back of her hand. "He's probably sitting in his room anxious that, at any moment, you are going to run in there with attempts to talk him out of his choice."
"So… you are saying that I shouldn't do that, right?"
"Sarah," Jareth sighed.
"I know; I know. I just- This changes everything," she explained.
"Not really. He can leave whenever he wishes after ten years," Jareth stated.
"But what if he doesn't? Doesn't Nealon have an equally brutal officer program that one must commit to if one passes training?" Sarah asked. Her pitch went higher as her speech became faster. "What if he doesn't even want the Goblin throne? What if he abdicates completely? What if he disowns us? Lead a rebellion against us, against his sister? What if he hates me? Have I made his life miserable?"
"Sarah!" Jareth shouted, grabbing her shoulder to give her a shake. "First, you simply had tears, but now you are descending into madness." He guided her over to the couch to sit.
"I'm not going mad," she murmured as she sunk into the couch cushions. "I just need to get this all out of my system-some of it anyway. I'll never be happy with this. It's not reasonable to think that I would."
"Are you actually going to try to talk him out of this?" he asked warily. Earlier in the day, he briefly considered that Sarah might do it, if only because she had the power to so. "Make him stay here and go through his introduction?"
"Of course not," Sarah snapped, staring at him with hard, determined eyes. "You should know better than anyone that I would never force a life on our children that they don't want. I would never want that for either one of them." Jareth said nothing but instead grabbed her hand, caressing her thumb with his. "I'll admit that my main reason to delay their ceremony by five years was selfish: I didn't want to choose a successor. But I also wanted them to be as carefree as long as they could. I wanted them to have what I didn't."
"And your son took that freedom and decided to do something that neither one of us expected him to do," Jareth said.
"Oh, my son?" Sarah scoffed, giving him an incredulous look. "He's mine now? Not yours or ours. Mine alone?"
"Be rational, Sarah. What he's doing is more in line with you than me. Faolan is always coming up with bizarre ideas," he teased. Sarah reached over to her side, grabbed a decorative pillow, and quickly wacked her husband in the head with it. "Ah!" he yelled, holding his hand up to his face to defend himself, but he was too late. "That's the type of behavior I'm talking about." Sarah fell back into the couch as she let out a hearty laugh. Jareth tried hard not to be entertained with her antics, but he could help the small smile forming on his lips.
"Are you finished?" he asked, watching as she continued her laughter.
"Maybe," she said, gently wiping tears from her eyes. Sarah looked at her hands briefly, contemplating the tears on her finger tips. "I should go talk to Faolan." She rose from the couch and walked to the door while Jareth stayed seated. "I haven't even had a chance to change clothes."
"Yes, that's the biggest concern here," he smirked causing Sarah to roll her eyes as she left their chambers.
When she arrived at her son's door, Sarah took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
"Enter," Faolan called out. When Sarah entered, she was shocked by the state of her son's room. It was clean and not just clean enough to where the floor was clear of clothes. Everything was put away in its specific place. She then noticed Faolan lying on his bed, his back facing her.
"Hey," she said softly, closing the door behind her.
"Hey," he said as he turned in his bed to face her, still lying down. Sarah walked across the room and sat on his bed next to him. The past few years, she's seen her children grow from precocious little children to grown fae. However at this moment, her only son regarded her with an anxious, timid look that Sarah was certain he had outgrown years ago. "Are you going to override Dad's decision?"
Sarah raised a curious brow. "I thought it was your decision."
"It was. I mean, it is," he admitted as he sat up, his dark blond hair covering half his face. "But he was the first one to say I could go, and you have power to overrule… everything, actually."
"But I'm not going to do that to you," she said as she moved his hair from his face to see him fully. She tried not to smile at Faolan's deep voice juxtaposed against his nervous childlike demeanor he was exhibiting. "Judging by what your father said, it sounds as though you thought about this for a long time.
"Yeah," Faolan confirmed as he fiddled with his blankets, not looking at his mother. "After our thirteenth birthday, the idea popped into my head. Once we attended Kendrick's introduction ceremony several months later… I- I knew that I didn't want to go through with the tradition. I didn't want to be the heir. I don't want to be the Seelie King. And the idea of going to the Goblin Army seemed like something I would like better." Reaching out to grab her son's hand, stilling his movements, Sarah said nothing, allowing him to speak as long as he wanted. "I tried to fit in with the other nobles, mom; I really did. I was trying to change my mind for a few years, but it didn't work. I just felt myself becoming jaded with it all. And I don't want to feel that way anymore. "
Sarah always wondered why he spent nearly two years being highly sociable among the lower nobles only to spend the last year turning into a near shut-in, only spending time with his family and Kendrick. Although Sarah had always told him that he could talk to her about anything, he never spoke to her about his issues with Court life until now.
"Faolan," she struggled to speak, wanting to keep her emotions in check. "I really wish you had told me about this a long time ago."
"I know," Faolan admitted under his breath. "I know I shouldn't have kept this from you. I'm so sorry, Mom. I was afraid that I would be disappointing you." He looked up at his mother. "Have I disappointed you?"
"No," Sarah emphatically said, practically scoffing at his accusation. Suddenly, she reached out to hug her son, and Faolan wrapped his arms around his mother. "I just wish you hadn't spent the last five years anguishing over a decision you believed we would hold you back from- that I would hold you back from."
"I didn't want to worry you," he said, still holding on to his mother.
"I'm always going to worry, Faolan," she countered. "That's my job." Mother and son held on to each other before Faolan finally broke the silence
"Recruits must report at the barracks in two weeks," he muttered, afraid that the short time frame might cause panic.
"Seventeen days, actually," she corrected. Faolan pulled back to look at his mother, his dark eyes wide with surprise. Sarah let out a little laugh as she placed a small kiss on her son's forehead. "It's my job to know these things as well."
Faolan sighed. "Your job is to know everything."
Sarah did her best to suppress her smirk. "It's such a surprise to hear you say you don't want anything to do with the Seelie throne. Anyway, we need to have some sort of going away party for you."
"Mom," Faolan groaned and rolled his eyes- a wonderful trait that Sarah found hilarious yet annoyed Jareth to no end.
"Okay, maybe not a party-party," she amended. "But I'm going to do something special for you before you leave us."
"But you're so busy-"
"Stop it," Sarah interrupted. "I've never been too busy for you, and that's not going to change now. So, tell me: where do you want to go and what do you want to do for your last week with us? I will have something planned by then- whatever you want."
Faolan's dark eyes peered up at the ceiling as he contemplated his last weeks with his family.
"The lake house, Aboveground," he stated. "Just the four of us and Uncle Toby… even though I can tell he gets sad whenever he visits us."
"He'd be more upset if he wasn't told," Sarah pointed out.
"Oh and I guess Uncle Lochlan and Aunt Tali could stop by. Maybe Kendrick. But mostly just us," Faolan said.
"That's simple enough," she said before kissing him on the cheek. "We can talk about this more tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
Faolan said nothing but smiled and nodded his head.
Sarah went to the door but stopped before leaving. "What did Nigella say when you told her?"
Jareth decided to make his way toward their bedchambers as soon as Sarah left, also feeling exhausted by the day's events. He surprised himself when he realized that he had missed this place. His own duties have kept him from his chambers at the Palace for too long. Before he could reach the door, he was startled by a knock at the sitting room door.
"What now?" Jareth muttered to himself as he rubbed his forehead. He walked back to stand in the middle of the room. "Enter."
To his utter surprise, he saw not only his daughter walk in but also his brother.
"What the hell is going on?"
Lochlan walked ahead of his niece to stand between her and her father. "Your daughter learned to use a new magic ability, and she was kind enough to show me first. Well, actually, my castle guards first, but I was second."
"What?" Jareth yelled, simultaneously livid and stunned at this news. He moved to the side to look at his daughter. "What did you do, Nigella?"
"I'm sorry, Papa," Nigella said, failing to meet his gaze.
"Papa," Jareth sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Please, do not tell me that you went to the Unseelie castle unannounced and by yourself."
"Okay," Nigella said, clasping her hands firmly in front of her. "Then, I won't say anything."
Jareth turned to his brother. "Get out, Lochlan."
"Don't worry," he said, waving off any concern. "I wasn't planning on staying long." Before he left, Lochlan grabbed his brother to pull him off to the side. As always, Jareth was less than thrilled at this action. "Do go easy on her," Lochlan implored as he looked at his older brother with a little sadness in his eyes. "She didn't take the news of Faolan leaving well. She merely wanted to ask me some questions."
"Ask you questions?" Jareth hissed, confused at what he was being told. Suddenly, understanding dawned on him. He took a step back and gave a nod Lochlan. "Thank you for keeping her safe and bringing her back."
"Always," Lochlan said with a slight smirk. He turned to walk out of the room but not before he walked over to his niece and planted a small kiss on the top of her head. "Next time, my dear, don't get caught."
"Lochlan," Jareth said as a warning.
"Leaving," he called out before walking out of the room.
"I'm sorry," Nigella said, finally looking him in the eye.
"I know you are," Jareth sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation. "I can't decide if I should be more surprised that you did such a reckless action with your magic or that you left the palace against the stated rules."
"We can talk about the magic, if you want?" she offered, wringing her hands.
"Sit down, mon cœur," he said, pointing to the couch. Nigella walked over to the couch to do as she was instructed as her father sat next to her. "I must admit that I should hate when you or Faolan do something like this, but that's never true."
"That was impressive, wasn't it?" she said with a beaming smile.
"Yes, and it was unbelievably thoughtless and irresponsible," Jareth said, causing her smile to fade. "I'm surprised that you don't look ill."
"Uncle said I slept for an hour," Nigella confessed, her eyes making contact with the wooden floors. Jareth let out a loud groan as he rose to his feet, doing his best to control his rising temper and sense of frustration.
"I could scold you, allowing my voice to become hoarse as I scold you – telling you all the things that you did wrong. Things which you already know," he mused, pacing back and forth in front of his daughter. "So, you already know what I'm going to say, and you are already made your apologies…"
"So…"
"Therefore, the little Palace work that your mother has been so kind to give you, that you oddly seem to enjoy, is put on hold for the near future," Jareth said.
"Daddy!"
"And Rodwin…"
"Rodric," she carefully corrected.
"And the other ones are barred from the Palace for the foreseeable future," he continued as he stood in front of her, looking down at her shocked face. "Because you and I are going to be busy working on this magic you very clearly wish to talk about, and let's see if you are stronger than your lessons with me have previously shown."
Nigella said nothing but her face couldn't hide her shock and dismay.
"How long should we continue these extensive lessons for? Five months?" Jareth asked with a tilt of his head.
"Yes, sir," she mumbled, her face falling into a small frown. She and her brother learned a long time ago that arguing meant more time was added to the punishment.
Taking a few steps back, he said, "You're dismissed."
"All right," she grumbled as she left the couch. Jareth ran his hand through his hair before watching his daughter leave, but she stopped before reaching the door. Turning around, she quickly walked over to her father to give him a hug. He leaned over to allow her to kiss his cheek. "I don't like when you're angry with me."
"I'm not angry with you," he clarified as he wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "Not completely. But you can't be making such dangerous decisions with your magic. Your magic is too powerful and too unknown for you to act this way." Then, he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Now, go to bed before your mother arrives."
"You're not going to tell her?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.
"Of course, I plan to tell her," Jareth scoffed. "However, I'll tell her in the morning. Consider this a reprieve for several hours."
"Fair enough," Nigella muttered, releasing her father and then walking out of the room.
When Sarah entered their sitting room, she was surprised to see Jareth still there, laying across the couch, dressed as he was before she left.
"I thought you would have been in bed by now," Sarah said as she walked toward him.
"Something ludicrous came up that I had to deal with," he stated.
Sarah paused before reaching him. "Do you need my help?"
"I've dealt with it," Jareth said, sauntering towards her and closing the gap between them. "We can discuss it tomorrow. How was your talk with Faolan?"
"Overall, great," she answered with a large sigh. "That also can wait until tomorrow."
"Fantastic," he muttered. Suddenly, his hand reached around to grab the base of her neck to pull her into a kiss. But Sarah pulled out of his grasp.
"This idea of yours sounds wonderful, but, please, let me get out of these clothes and take a bath first," she pleaded as she walked toward the bedchamber door.
"Sarah," he said as a warning.
"Jareth," Sarah mocked as she stopped to turn back to look at her husband's annoyed and frustrated disposition. "It's ridiculous when you put on such a pitiful face."
"It's not pitiful for-"
"For a husband to desire the attentions of his wife," she said, finishing his well-worn sentence. "Yes, I know. And I never said you couldn't join me." Jareth's mouth twisted into a predatory smile as he stalked towards Sarah who quickly fled from the bedroom, her laughter ringing through their chambers.
"May you never stop running from me, Precious."
A/N: I'M BACK Y'ALL! (I hope) lol.
Thank you for the well wishes. No worries. I am making my health a priority (Side note: Doctor visits will never not be annoying, but I must go so I go). I'm hoping to get back to a schedule: hopefully, a chapter a month. But no promises. So sorry. Still have problems with focus and lethargy.
Anyway... I'm thrilled to be doing this again. I hope you enjoy my stories and thank you again for readership and patience.