"Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still."
He flew. For how long, he didn't know. It could have been minutes or days. The only thing that got him to keep going was the thought for Sarah's health and safety.
Somehow, he ended up back in the Goblin Kingdom. He had no idea how or why he ended up here, but he was glad that he did. This was his home, his kingdom, his reign. Both and he and Sarah were safe here.
His poor Sarah probably had a seizure or a stroke of some kind. As a human, she was much, much more fragile than he was.
Setting her down as gently as he could into his cape, he tried to assess her as best as he could, but he was not a healer by any means.
Soot covered her face and her hair was wet with sweat sticking to her skin. His heart was shredding itself to pieces just gazing into her anguished face. He put a hand to her forehead, whispering a spell that would take any pain away.
"My Sarah, my Precious, Precious Sarah!" He laid on his side next to her. "I'm so sorry."
He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. Maybe for his deception for the day they were supposed to marry. Maybe for being presumptuous and commanding instead of approaching her like a true equal. Maybe for not coming to save her sooner. Maybe for not considering that Miread would go so far as to hurt her in order to retaliate for her lost crown. Maybe for his pride. Maybe for not being able to heal her.
Or all of the above.
He pushed more of his life force onto her, trying to keep her alive. His eyes felt heavy, the pain from the fire and explosion insignificant compared to the pain of losing her.
Even if she lived, would her mind still be intact?
Not that it mattered. Even if she lost her mind, even if she went psychotic, he would still love her.
Her mind was his treasure, and if it were broken, it would be his treasure still.
"Please don't go." He stroked her cheek, savoring the softness of her skin, his voice rising into a fervent prayer. "I love you. Please don't leave. I need you alive. I need you safe. I need you to be happy. With or without me."
He put his head on her shoulder. "I love you, Sarah. For all of forever."
They were on the side of the road. He was too weak to transport them at the moment. Even if he wasn't so weak, Jareth was afraid that Sarah may not survive the journey.
Lifting his amulet in one hand, he gave a command. "Your King commands you to help him. Take us to the nearest hospital."
He held on for as long as he could until he felt goblins lifting him up, carrying him beside his beloved to a place where they could heal.
When Jareth awoke, it was bright outside. He groaned, sitting up. "Where am I? What time is it?"
"Go slowly." A familiar voice held a cold rag to his head. "You've been asleep for about three days."
"Sarah." He called out. "Where are you?" Why was it so hard to see?
"She is well, trust me." The voice told him, giving his face gentle dabs with the same cold rag.
It was then that he remembered where he heard that voice from. "Alondra?"
This would be the second time that she saved his life. He would never forget how she, Terrance, and Eldar found him on Yule's Eve.
"Yes, Jareth." Her face was focusing. Oh, how good it was to see a familiar face. "How do you feel?"
"Why is it so hard to see?" He looked around, feeling quite odd, his head hurting the more he tried to use his eyes.
"Slowly." Alondra reminded him again, helping to prop him up.
Jareth lifted his hands to see his face, grief dawning upon him. "No!"
The sight in his left eye was completely gone. He closed his right eye and waved his hand in front, unable to sense anything. His face felt tight and painful.
He felt Alondra dab a handkerchief under his eyes, wiping his tears away. "I'm sorry, Jareth."
He looked around with his right eye. His vision was just as sharp as before, which was a consolation, but it came with a strange side effect.
The colors were so dull.
It wasn't that every color was gone, but the skies didn't look intensely blue like they usually did. He picked up his amulet that was thankfully still on his chest to inspect it. Just as he feared, the gold looked muted instead of it's usual brilliance.
"Alondra, I can't see colors." He felt like a child asking his mother for comfort. Not that he could relate, as his mother was a terrible and unfeeling person.
"Take it slow-"
"I don't want to!" He roared, his temper at its edge. "I want answers!"
"Alright." She put her hand on his arm, her voice still calm and soothing. "I will tell you. You're in safe hands."
She pulled a chair and sat down next to him. The act alone told him that this would be a while. "You are at a hospital. Some goblins brought you and Sarah over."
He could see the question in her eyes, wondering why he was with Sarah. Of course she would know of their failed engagement, she was Terrance's sister after all. She would also know about the war, as it was news in the entire Underground.
"Sarah first." He demanded. "Tell me about her."
Alondra nodded. "You both suffered burns. You much more severely than she in that regard. Sarah seemed to have suffered from a stroke, but we're able to stabilize her. She developed a fever and is sleeping it off right now. She will make a full recovery, although her ankle seems to have sprained quite badly. Not broken, but sprained. It looks as if she was running for a long time on it. I wonder if she did not feel pain as she was running, possibly due to the high level of adrenaline and endorphins in her body. She inhaled quite a bit of smoke so it took us a long time to clear that out."
"But she will be fine?"
"A complete recovery, as I said." She repeated, wanting Jareth to understand. "We have done our best."
He settled back into the pillows, relieved. "And of me?"
He wiggled his toes, glad to know that they were still there. It seemed that all of his limbs were fine.
Something did feel off though…
Alondra looked a bit unsure of what to say next. "You suffered much worse than she did."
"Then why I have I woken up first?"
"You are fae and she is human. You recover quicker. Aside from the injuries in your eyes, your face and wings have suffered as well."
At the word "face," Jareth conjured a crystal, transforming it into a mirror, looking at himself.
Alondra braced herself.
All along the left side of his face and neck were angry red scars, bumps and blisters all along that side, just short of his ear and nose. It descended down to his collarbone and shoulder.
He looked completely hideous.
Unlike the crying that he did when he learned about his eyes, he swallowed this down, trying to not show weakness in front of her. "And what do we do to heal the rest of this?"
"We have this ointment for you." She handed him a jar. "It not only soothes the skin, but will help with the blisters. Apply it twice a day, and sponge wash until you no longer have open blisters for your baths. I can't promise that the scars will disappear completely, but they surely will fade in time. Maybe not all the way, but it will look better."
That wasn't much of a reassurance for him at the moment. He was a vain sort of man, like most fae. Most likely even worse than most fae when it came to his own beauty. He prided on his beauty, dressing in a way that highlighted his body, showing his best features from his makeup to his tight pants.
To his surprise, his left eye wasn't burnt off or anything of the sort. His eyelid suffered the same burns but the actual eye looked the same as his right, except that it was strangely much more dilated. That was the only saving grace to his injured eyes.
"And my wings?" He waved the mirror away.
Alondra's face told him that this was going to be worse than his face. "Your wings… they were so badly burnt, Jareth."
He let the silence wash over them for a moment.
His wings. The wings that gave him the ability to fly in his fae form. The wings that gave him solace when nothing else did. The wings that made him forget the weight of the world for one moment. The wings that accompanied his broken heart when Sarah left.
They were gone.
"You gave a large portion of your life force to Sarah, and it almost killed you, among the many other injuries. We were lucky that we could heal you." Alondra tried to be positive. "We had to cut them off. They were never going to heal and would kill you if we kept them. But, I can't imagine how you must feel."
Jareth was silent, once again. What else could he say?
Alondra summoned a crystal and handed it to him. "These are the feathers that we were able to salvage, if you want them."
She patiently held them out, watching the emotions flicker across his eyes. Gingerly, he eventually took the crystal.
"Do you have any more questions for me?" She asked him.
Jareth shook his head. "No. Thank you, you have been very helpful to me."
Alondra nodded and made her leave. "I will be back for your dinner. Try to rest."
A few days later, and Jareth finally arrived home to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.
He left as soon as he could, not wanting to be tempted to see Sarah. She ran away from him for a reason, and he was going to respect that.
He asked Alondra to let Sarah know that she was welcomed to stay at Aster Hall, especially now that she was considered a traitor to her home country. Not that he hold Alondra that last part, wanting to protect Sarah in case of anyone overhearing them. He thanked her and the staff there profusely, unable to really express his gratitude to her and her whole team for healing him. She made sure that he was comfortable and had anything he needed.
Just as he was about to head to sleep, a goblin approached him.
"What now?" He was still in pain, putting on a loose shirt but not bothering to change out of his silk pajama pants.
"Emergency, in the Fae Throne Room." He said to the King. "Queen Larissa of Thalassa and Prince Nolan of Estella want asylum."
He stood up straighter. Well, this was news indeed. "Were they escorted by guards to the throne room?"
"Yes. They took them from outside the castle."
"Good. Give them a guest room. Leave no guards to protect them." He ordered.
The goblin was surprised. "No guard, Kingy?"
"No, let them be free in the castle. They are our guests for the time being. I will meet with them tomorrow." He commanded.
When the goblin was gone, he immediately called for Cyzz and Blirt to the Goblin Throne Room. He had two throne rooms, the Goblin Throne Room had been constructed when he was King for the goblins. The Fae Throne Room was to receive most guests. The Goblin Throne Room was to be a sort of home, a safe haven for his goblins and any Runners or Wished Aways. It was messy, but much more welcoming and fun than the empty and polished Fae Throne Room.
Cyzz and Blirt bowed. "Yes, Kingy?"
"I am in need of your services once more." He said seriously. "We have guests in the castle. I need you spy over them, but don't let them know that you are following them. Work with each other. I want to know if they are ever lying to me or not. Gather any help that you may need, but discuss with me over every detail."
"Yes Kingy!" They said in unison.
Sarah woke up slowly. She had a fever for the past few weeks or so, nearly dying from sepsis but the nurses and other medical personnel did their magic and saved her.
"I can't thank you enough." She said to Alondra when she was gaining more of her strength. "I would have died without your help."
"It's good to help a friend out." She hugged Sarah.
How good it was to be here. If it weren't for Toby, she would no longer worry about Estella. In the time that she had spent here in the Goblin Kingdom, there was no question that this was her home.
"Umm." Sarah felt a bit awkward at her next question. "So, how is Jareth?"
She asked Alondra a whole host of questions about her health and Jareth's, but Alondra was a bit hesitant to share about Jareth.
"He was badly hurt, Sarah." She said quietly. "He's already back at the castle."
She could tell that Alondra didn't want to tell her, so she let it be. She was both sad and relieved that he was gone. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face him or not at the moment. She desperately wanted to know what happened, if she was able to speak to Jareth about why he was there and him saving her, but she was also unsure of how much she should say. She trusted Alondra but you never know who was listening in. Sarah was, after all, a traitor to her country.
And Miread. Gods, she didn't have enough time to really process everything. What the hell was Miread doing there, commanding the Estellan troops?
After Alondra explained about how they helped with her stroke and her other injuries, Sarah had the will to ask about Jareth again. "Alondra, did Jareth… did he say anything? To me? About me?"
The nurse looked into her eyes. "He wanted to say to you to not worry about him, that you are not in any way indebted to him. He also wants you to know that you are welcome back to Aster Hall at any time."
Sarah wasn't sure what to think. To go back to Aster Hall? Would he be there? Or was it just a place for her to stay? What would the rest of the household think and say?
"Sarah?" Alondra called her name out softly. "It may not be my place, especially when I don't know why you two split up or how you got injured. But I wanted to tell you that he does care for you. Deeply. You were hurt and he pushed his life force onto you to keep you alive. You deserve to know that he saved you, that we may have healed you but he's the one who paid the price for your relative good health. I'm not saying that you owe him anything, just that you deserve to know."
Sarah nodded. "One more thing, if that's alright?" She asked her friend.
"Of course."
"Do you know about what happened with the war between Estella and Thalassa?" Her mind drifted to Hope, wanting her friend to be alright too. Not to mention Toby. "Any updates?"
Alondra tilted her head. "The war has been over for a few days now, Sarah."
Sarah didn't understand. "What?"
"The Goblin King received Queen Larissa and Prince Nolan as refugees, but found that they were guilty of the crimes that they were accused of. They were promptly dropped off in Thalassa to receive their sentence by the Goblin King, saying that he had no sympathy for such abhorrent crimes. Because of this, both countries have signed a treaty to end the war, releasing any prisoners of war and hostages."