AN: Thank you for your patience in this slow going monster of a story. I really do appreciate comments and questions and do respond to them fairly quickly. If you have questions, don't hesitate to message me. Even though I might not be posting frequently, I am on FF . net every day. This chapter is unedited, so should you find mistakes, please let me know. Shout out to my friends at the LFFL FB group! Thanks to you, I began focusing on this story again. Warning: Brief scene of intimacy.

Chapter 33: Severing and Mending

Only once every decade had the Threstline actually found it necessary to convene and determine what the future might hold. It was agreed long ago that knowing too much about the future could lead to self sabotage. But with the unceasing destruction by the Labyrinth as of late, it was agreed that a solution was presently needed. They wanted to see if there was a means to control it without having to use much magic to completely destroy it.

Having this meeting during Tsojin's celebration had not been something planned, so the room to hold the seers was crudely put together. Cestral remembered this room from her childhood; it had been where she and her siblings were given their daily education. Now, there were cushioned couches and cots scattered around the chamber, rather close together as there were around thirty or so people to fit in this room. On a table in the center was a basket, the vessel to hold the vision crystals that would need to be analyzed.

As people took their place around the room, Cestral watched who sat next to whom. Of all the courts in the Underground, this was the most diverse. Kings and servants intermingled for here, ability of sight had precedence over political status. Though she was surprised when her father chose to sit in a recliner next to her. He said nothing but did glance at her and nod. Once it seemed everyone was settled, the head of the Threstline, a wise servant of the Jovian King, addressed them.

"We have gathered for a gravely important task. No kingdom wants to lose the power of the Labyrinth-it is one of the last remaining primal sources of pure magic. It holds the balance between worlds by keeping humans from entering our realm. But without its king it has destroyed much and misplaced peoples of many kingdoms. It has even reached into the sea of my Lord Aquinus, which we all had assumed would be an impossible thing. We are tasked to discover how to tame it again, for if we can't, we will be forced to band together and destroy its walls. We can only hope that the magic remains within the original boundaries if it comes to that. For now, focus on the Labyrinth. See what must be done."

Once he had finished his speech, the room was cast into darkness.

Cestral hated the dark, but it was tradition for the Threstline to have a setting where there was minimal chance of distraction. With the darkness came silence. The room was too quiet as Cestral couldn't hear even another person breathing. She lay down on her cushion and curled herself slightly as she put her head down, listening to her own intakes of air and trying to concentrate on the required task. Some of the others had taken maculatum, which had been on a plate at the front door of the chamber when they entered; Cestral was repulsed by the sight of it. She felt a bit exhausted by the number of visions she had had of Jareth's son already that day. Taking the drug would not only jeopardize the well being of her child through her mother's' milk, she felt as though she might get trapped in a never ending trance if she did consume it.

In the past she had eaten it and knew the effects were ideal for inducing visions; it slowed down the functions of all parts of the body but the mind, giving the mind the strength to do things beyond its own means. She had only taken it twice in her life, unlike others who relied on it for their visions to even come. The first time had been when her gift had first been discovered, in order to see how strong of a seer she was. It had been terrifying to not be able to move her limbs when her mind was awake and the visions had been frequent. She was so very hungry three days later when she finally was able to sit up. She hadn't wanted to take the drug the second time she was told to, however it was for her initiation to the Threstline so she put on a good face and did as told. That time she was immobile for nearly a fortnight. It was a near death experience for her; no one had ever seen someone affected by the drug for so long a time. The visions she had during this time, though, were of great importance, for others saw in them the most accurate depictions of the events they were concerned of at the time. When she met with the Threstline without consuming maculatum and still produced the same quality visions, no one ever asked her to do it again, that was until yesterday. She thanked her ancestral spirits for whatever changed her father's mind when she was told she didn't have to consume it after all..

A clink like tapped glass was heard loudly echoing in the room as the first vision crystal fell to the ground. Cestral sat up and saw that it had fallen from someone four seats to her left. Its internal glow was the only thing lit in the room and soon the orb seemed to float away as a servant picked it up to be placed in the basket in the center of the room.

Seeing the crystal was her motivation to finally try to focus, but instead of a new vision, a memory surfaced-the one time Jareth had invited her to visit him in his kingdom. They had rekindled their friendship after it was safe for him to return once his stepmother was gone. The woman he had thought was his mother had auctioned him off as a slave and sold him to the king of Moireach, Troy's father. Jareth had fought tooth and nail and magic to escape. The Labyrinth had taken him in and the two had come to an understanding. Jareth had been the only Fae the Labyrinth had allowed within its walls. So though Jareth had invited her in, the Labyrinth would have none of it. It was almost comical how many times Jareth tried to transport her into the maze-he had been so frustrated-but each time it had sent her somewhere outside the walls. Cestral giggled aloud at the memory and abruptly had to stop herself.

She forced herself to concentrate, but when she felt bored because nothing was happening, she arose and carefully made her way to the basket holding the vision crystals. So far, there were only five, and thankfully none of them showed the Labyrinth being destroyed by magic. Three of them showed with quite consistency Jareth and his adolescent son working together in their kingdom. Another orb showed Sarah standing between the Labyrinth and its next destination: Sendai with the harvest moon high in the sky above them. This meant that in five days time this situation could all be resolved.

Many thoughts ran through Cestral's mind; joy at knowing Jareth might one day happily have a family and rule the Labyrinth again, and fear that danger may threaten her childhood home in a few days.

Another thing that Cestral found in being a frequent seer was that the timing of visions was rarely convenient.

It was at this moment when she wasn't even trying that she felt the tingle of a vision brush her mind. In it, Troy was doing what he was best at: Hunting a human. He had the young woman trapped, a collar with a piece of ihum stone around her neck; this human must have magic Troy wanted to repress with the stone. Rather than killing this woman once he reached her, Troy did what he was infamous for: molesting human females. It is then that Cestral saw the most defiant flash of green eyes of Jareth's Sarah.

Cestral's crystal hit the ground hard. She only registered that she hadn't moved, hadn't breathed, once the orb was picked up by a servant and placed in the basket. She took it out and studied it. It betrayed the future happiness shown in the other orbs. If this happened, Sarah wouldn't protect Sendai from the encroaching destruction by the Labyrinth.

Maybe it was from her adrenaline starting from her distress at the vision of Troy, but another vision snapped into her mind, this time of Sarah in chains, further injured and being circled by the Empress. There was no defiance in Sarah's eyes, only confusion as she was about to have her blood removed to release the magic from within her.

Terror now filled Cestral's heart at seeing these tortures happen to her friend's beloved. Three flashes of thought hit Cestral at once and three more crystals fell, all with a variant of the same theme: Get Sarah. Stop Sarah. Kill Sarah.

"My lady, please return to your cot."

The voice made Cestral jump, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

Unexpectedly, in the glowing light of the orbs, she met the eyes of her father staring at her.

"What did you see, my daughter?"

Her voice came out as a whisper, or else she would sob, "I want to unsee it. We cannot allow it."

She watched as he picked up a vision and gazed at it, one of Sarah's violent ends, "Who is this woman?"

Cestral found the orb of a happy family and the one of Sarah saving Sendai and handed them to him, "She is to be the Goblin Queen. She is to tame the Labyrinth. Why couldn't I have seen this? Why could I only see her destruction before she can even help us?"

Tsojin picked up other orbs and viewed them, then nodded to himself before telling her, "Come with me."

Before she knew she should follow, he had already walked away toward the door. She quickly went after him and he led her to his sitting room in his private chambers. She had only been in this area twice in her life. Even as his flesh and blood, she hadn't been allowed unless invited.

"Daughter, tell me what you know of this woman." He asked after sitting on a couch, waving his hand to indicate she should sit also.

"Her name is Sarah. She is the Above woman we tried to contact using the blood of the gudgels. She has the Goblin King's magic and is the mother of his child."

"Jareth is alive?"

Cestral nodded, not sure if the tone of her father's voice was happy or concerned. "Yes. And his son was kidnapped to get Sarah to come tame the Labyrinth. Beyond knowing where Jareth's son is, I do not know where to find Sarah. But one vision here shows her confronting the Labyrinth in a few days time. But this intervention will not happen if Troy or the Empress destroy her."

Tsojin nodded and hummed. He could not voice his thoughts to his daughter that he agreed with her. The Labyrinth needed to be tamed for the good of the entire Underground. But the decision fell on the Empress. He knew the last he had spoken with Malora she was distressed about the new Goblin Queen usurping her.

"Thank you, daughter, for telling me this. Do not share what you know with anyone. I will do what I can to halt Malora's pursuit of this Sarah."

Put on a mask. Hide how you really feel. Don't show worry. Don't show fear. Hold it in for as long as you can. Hope that eventually you'll feel the smile you put on your face. Isn't that what acting is all about?

Sarah didn't want her anxiety to show when Jareth was so enthusiastic about enjoying the evening, but how was she supposed to feel the same when he said he thought it might be the last night of his life? The intense relief of hearing the boys were safe was immediately dashed by learning they wouldn't be able to leave without a fight. Because Orin wanted her for something. Knowing his apparent obsession with the Liberator, she didn't have to guess what it was he wanted of her. So she danced and made merry. It was not hard to do anyway since Charlie Malone still had the whole tavern buzzing with the Christmas spirit.

When they returned to their room, the door had hardly shut before Jareth was removing Sarah's clothes, kissing every piece of skin as it was exposed. It was as though he was wanting to memorize every inch of her in the dark. She didn't feel guilt this time, knowing that the boys were safe. In the back of her mind, she thought it awkward to be making love while those staying in the next room might hear them, but she couldn't deny Jareth's desperation.

What if this was their last time to ever be intimate? Realizing that Jareth's fear could become a reality, Sarah started her own exploration of him. His smell; perhaps it wasn't her uncle's cologne after all that made her notice his scent; sage, rosemary and ginger. His touch; the warmth of his skin as it connected with hers as her hands wandered over the smoothness of his arms and back. The flexing of his buttocks when he pushed into her core. His willingness to go harder when she whispered he could. The satisfied thrumble of his throat when he hit a spot that made her cry out. His erratic breaths as he moved within her. His hair tickling her nose and eyelashes when he sought her mouth again. The satisfying fullness when he spilled within her. The licentious sound his voice made as he groaned in his release. The involuntary throb she felt as he held still in that moment.

This was beyond sex, this was knowing. She thought on how the Bible always referenced a coupling with the words: "And he knew her." To know was to have no doubts. To know was to have a relationship beyond just the physical.

He lay atop her, not removing himself from her, wanting to stay connected as long as possible. She stroked her fingers through his hair, eyes unseeing in the dark as she took in the feeling of his heated skin engulfing her body. As his breathing calmed, he moved his mouth to her neck, slowly placing kisses there, occasionally using his tongue. Sarah found it to be the most intimate moment she had had in her entire life.

Sarah hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until a golden light shone over her face, waking her. She didn't want to open her eyes because the source of illumination seemed to be right outside her eyelids. Thankfully, the light stopped and she blinked sleepily and dared to open her eyes. When she saw the room was dark, she closed her eyes to go back to sleep but as soon as she did, the brightness happened again. She opened her eyes again and she honestly had no idea what she was looking at. There was a tiny ball of light the size of a pea one foot away from her head. It took her a moment to realize there was a hand floating under it. The room was so dark and the light so bright that all she could see was Jareth's illuminated bare torso as he sat above her. It took a few more seconds for her to realize the ball of light was emanating from Jareth's hand.

Sarah quickly sat up, "You have magic!"

Jareth cocked his head and sounded confused as he answered, "Strangely, no."

"Where is the light coming from?"

"Magic." He affirmed, though it sounded like a question.

Sarah slowly drew in a breath to contemplate what he said, "So you don't have magic, but the light is magic."

Jareth reached out and placed the tiny ball of light on the bedside table, allowing the whole room to be illuminated. It didn't go out when he let go.

He then turned fully to face her, "When we were making love, I felt something, beyond what the Coniurimus bond allows. When I manipulated you on the beach, I did so with the knowledge that spouses can have such control, but I felt none of the magic within me. But tonight….even now, I feel it. And yet I went out in the hall to seek the keeper and his stone did not react."

With the light, Sarah could see that Jareth had put on his pants, which he must have done carefully to have not woken her. That, or she had been exhausted from their love making to not have even felt him leave her.

She blinked to get herself to focus on what he had said, "So you don't have magic."

He stood up off the bed, "Watch."

When he placed his hand out, nothing happened.

Sarah said again after a moment, "So you don't have magic."

"Wait." He sounded excited, "Give me your hand."

Sarah felt a bit odd that she was still nude while he was asking this of her, but she raised her hand and he lightly held her fingers.

"Watch." He held out his other hand and sure enough, another little ball of light appeared. "I can only feel it if I am directly touching you."

Sarah was astonished. "How?"

He sat back down beside her, "I suppose now that we are in a world with magic, our marriage bond allowed the connection to awaken. I felt nothing when we made love at your uncle's."

"Wait, you're saying that having sex gave you magic?"

"Intimacy or death, those are the ways magic is shared."

Sarah eyed him slyly, "So, if we have more sex, will you get more magic?"

He laughed, "Although I would enthusiastically try, I doubt it. For the Fae, sharing magic with a lover only happens one time. This is why we are very particular, with a few exempt individuals, in whom we chose as our mate. Once we are intimate, that act is final. We share our magics as well as sometimes our minds."

Sarah bowed her head a little and didn't look at him when she calmly asked, "Have you ever obtained anyone's magic that way?"

"No. Even before I knew you were to be my queen after your mother wished you to me, I had no relations. Of course there are 20 years missing from my memory, but I doubt I was unfaithful to you in that time."

"So what now?"

"Now, we continue as planned. While the men work on a way to get us to Fen Lear, you and I will work on getting you connected to your magic."

They slept for a few more hours before they were awoken by a knock at their door. Sarah rushed to quickly dress before she sat on the edge of the bed, letting Jareth open the door. Micah was standing there with a smug, knowing smirk on his face.

"Good Morning. Did you sleep well?" He peeked in and wiggled his eyebrows at Sarah, "Are you well rested?"

Sarah blushed, "Sorry if we woke you."

'"You were quiet, I just don't sleep much and hear everything. For example, the baby five rooms down just pissed on his father while trying to change him."

Sure enough, a door down the hall opened and a man with a very wet front came stomping out, bidding them good morning as he headed to the stairs. Sarah couldn't hide her smile at remembering the first time Brendon had done that to her.

Micah turned to Jareth, whispering, "So is it true, you can use magic?"

Jareth nodded and motioned for Micah to enter the room with them before shutting the door. Then he asked for Sarah's hand so he could show Micah his use of her magic. This time, he tried something new and was able to form a crystal, albeit the size of a golf ball.

Micah beamed a great smile. "Excellent."

Jareth released Sarah's hand and the crystal remained. He then placed it in his pants pocket, "I would like to go to that abandoned mine Phaedra mentioned to see how much I can do, and perhaps awaken Sarah's magic as well. That is if you consent, Sarah."

She shrugged, "Of course I would rather us go now to get the boys, but if that isn't an option, I'm game."

"Great." Micah nodded, "We've made it so Boin isn't expecting you in the tavern today. And hopefully we can also get Orin's watcher occupied for a while. You should have about four hours."

"All this effort just to leave the tavern, why not use it to actually leave?" Sarah huffed.

"Those Orin left to keep watch over you are very powerful. The people of this settlement believe them to be humans too, but they are not." Michah answered.

"It's obvious the woman following me is an elf. Don't they know elves naturally have magic?" Sarah refuted.

"You're right. She doesn't hide her true nature since elves and humans have many similarities and are rather tolerant of each other." Micah clarified. "But she isn't the only one of Orin's entourage that is not human. Some who have magic can force those without it to accept a different perception. The humans don't know what to look for, so they take everything as perceived."

"How many?" Jareth asked him.

"Let's just say more than I think we can handle." Micah said lowly in the language Sarah didn't understand. "Arch and Sul are contacting our captain now to see how we should proceed."

Just hearing Micah switch so Sarah wouldn't worry worried her. "Please, don't leave me out. I need to know."

At Jareth's nod, Micah told her, "There are many. We don't know how we can safely get you out. It will take longer than expected."

Tears formed in Sarah's eyes, but she accepted the news calmly, "The boys are safe. That is what matters to me now. Thank you, and your men, for helping us."

Jareth leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek, whispering to her, "Spoken like a queen."

Even with Micah present, Sarah couldn't help but to pull her husband into a deep kiss for his compliment. But because of Micah, she shortened the kiss drastically from what she wanted.

"Well, I'm starving. Let's go eat." Sarah jumped up and grabbed Jareth's hand to pull him to follow her out into the hall.

While having breakfast, Sarah thought that Christmas Day at home was definitely over by at least a day, Charlie Malone's celebration was still going strong as if it were Christmas morning. Maybe these people needed something to lift their spirits so they allowed the festivities to linger. Today, Charlie was handing out what she assumed were gingerbread man cookies, although their color was a light green hue and their shape more like snowmen. But taking a bite of one, sure enough it had the essence of ginger and cinnamon. This morning's music was more cheerful and childlike than the previous night. And there were much fewer people; those currently present either lived at the tavern or worked there.

Sarah noticed that she wasn't the only one who had slacked off in her assigned kitchen duties. Phaedra had also joined in the festivities and was leading a chantey that sounded very much like Deck the Halls. Sarah couldn't help but to smile and admire Phaedra's showmanship. It was as though she was born to entertain, her first nature. Her curly hair bounced around her as she danced to make others happy. Like a magnet, she smiled at the site of Micah coming towards her.

But as Fate deemed, there had to be a balance of bad with the happiness.

A man had made his way over to Phaedra. By the looks of his unsteady feet and slurred speech, even if Sarah couldn't understand him, she knew he was drunk. And he was not a happy drunk either. He pushed Micah out of the way and took hold of the red headed woman. At first, Phaedra seemed to handle him well, speaking to him in calm tones. But the moment he punched her, Phaedra rightfully looked terrified. Try as he might, Micah was unable to pry the man off Phaedra as he wielded a knife. Phaedra screamed as this man stabbed the knife down on her hand.

Sarah felt like everything went into slow motion as panic for her friend surged through her. She never felt herself walk forward. She never felt her hand grab Jareth's hand. She never felt her pull him around to face what was happening to her friend as she reached out their hands towards the man. But she felt the energy surge out of her in one quick burst and the assailant was suddenly on the other side of the room.

The music stopped. The room got quiet. All eyes were on the five of them as hardly anyone had paid attention to the argument, but they had all seen the effects of the magic. And they couldn't help but now hear the agonizing sobs of the woman clutching her bleeding hand to her chest while the man who cared for her gathered her in his arms.

Micah shouted something at the crowd and Mara immediately came out of the kitchen. The woman had no idea what had happened, but she saw the blood and she saw the now unconscious man whom no one seemed to be helping. Mara took a rag off her belt, grabbed something off the floor in front of Micah, and had him follow her. She said something over her shoulder as she exited the tavern.

Jareth clasped his fingers around Sarah's hand, pulling her along. "She wants us to follow."

Some of the patrons tried to stop the people they had seen injure their citizen with magic, but Boin held them off and let them pass. Jareth nodded to him in thanks and they tried to catch up with Micah and Mara.

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Phaedra lost a finger. Mara is taking her to a healer to see if it can be saved."

Just hearing it made Sarah want to lose the contents of her stomach. So that's what Mara had picked up. She prayed her friend's hand could be healed.

With the quick pace, it was hard to see where they were going, either up the mountain or down by the docks, but the hut they ended at was well kept, surrounded by an herb garden and a shady tree. Sarah was relieved to see the familiar face of the woman who had healed her the previous day. She had been able to heal the wound on Phaedra's leg, so perhaps there was a chance she could mend the severed finger as well.

There was no room for all of them to be inside the small hut, so Mara waited with Sarah and Jareth outside. Mara took the one bench on the porch outside the hut while they sat staggered on the steps.

Sarah looked up at her husband, "Jareth, I made you use magic...how?"

"Most likely the same way I can, through our marriage bond."

Sarah could feel the magic within her, even tried to see if she could make a ball of light, conjure a crystal, move a pebble on the ground next to her feet. Nothing. But when she nonchalantly placed her fingers to the edge of Jareth's ankle, the pebble went shooting like a bullet and struck the nearby tree.

Mara was startled at having heard the impact but not seen where the object had come from. Jareth spoke to calm her, then looked to his wife for an explanation.

Sarah laughed in amazement, "Jareth, I think we have to be touching for either of us to use magic." She moved her hand away from him, "I feel...nothing now. I mean, I've felt the magic pulsing in me ever since I was healed the other night, but...it was just instinct to grab you. In that moment I just had energy flow through me quicker than a thought. I didn't even know I was doing it until it was already done. I think my magic needs both of us to work."

Jareth grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles. "It's best we not experiment until we are in a safer environment."

Sarah blushed and nodded.

"Why did that man attack Phaedra?" Sarah voiced her worried thoughts.

Jareth spoke to Mara, and when she answered back, he nodded. "It seems the man was a former lover who felt Phaedra had been unfaithful to him. He...removed the ring of their commitment."

Sarah's hand automatically went to the unmovable ring on her own finger, "Is that how...would you…"

He took her hand and pulled her to sit upon his lap, then placed her hand over his heart. "No, love. I hope it never comes, but should there be a day that you do not want to remain at my side, I will let you go."

"I don't think I could let you go." Sarah gently kissed his jaw before resting her head in the crook of his neck. "Can someone be bound if their partner doesn't also wear a ring? I suppose yes since you don't have one and I am certainly bound to mine."

Jareth's fingertips fidgeted with her ring, "Yes, it isn't required that both do so, but it usually is a mutual action. Is it something that you would like for me to do?"

Sarah blushed, "Would it be selfish of me to say yes? I want others to know you are mine."

"No," He chuckled, "I like the thought of you wanting to claim me."

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close in an unspoken answer that she also hoped they never came to the point of angry separation. "Poor Phaedra. She's just escaped a man who raped her, and now this man attacked her. It's not fair."

"Yes, that is not fair. But I have a feeling Micah will help heal her heart."

"So, you never told me why you were gone so long yesterday." Sarah said after a few moments of silence. "Why don't you tell me how you learned that Toby and Brendon are ok."

"Things happened near this settlement that brought my brother's soldiers here to investigate. In discovering that I am no longer missing, they thought I might like to reach out to my brother. So when Boin needed firewood, they had me go with them so we might get a moment of seclusion to use a crystal and speak to Corbin. It was during this that my brother showed me the boys are safe with him."

With a creak of the door of the house, Micah came out to them, shaking his head sadly. "She's done all she can but needs more magic. Sarah, she is wanting your help."

Sarah immediately grabbed Jareth's hand and pulled him to follow her. Inside, the healer looked very worse for wear, her skin ashen and eyes hollowed. Jareth quickly went to kneel beside her and asked what she needed of him. She looked confused as she knew Sarah was the one with magic, but she answered him.

He then looked towards Sarah and called her to him. She placed her hands around the base of his neck, the only place of direct contact she could manage while standing. She watched as Jareth gently grabbed the old woman's hand and placed the other on Phaedra's forehead, as she had been made to lay down.

Sarah looked at the tears streaking down the cheek of her friend; she didn't let herself look at the mangled hand. She closed her eyes and willed everything she could into her hands, willing whatever she had to flow through Jareth to help her friend. She didn't feel much of anything, but she hoped it was helping.

Three minutes later, she heard Phaedra laugh. When she opened her eyes, the red head was staring at her wiggling fingers, all intact. Phaedra hugged the old woman in thanks and nodded to Jareth and Sarah in gratitude, then ran out of the hut to find Micah.

Jareth helped the healer to lay down. He then motioned Sarah closer, "Let's see if we can help her."

Sarah knelt down next to him, this time holding his right hand as his left hovered over the woman's head. Being closer to him, she noticed that he was whispering under his breath. After a while, Sarah started to flutter longer blinks and a yawn overcame her. She couldn't help but to lean her head on Jareth's shoulder.

That was Jareth's indication that they had used enough magic for the moment. The woman's complexion had returned to normal colors, so they had been able to help her. Jareth asked the woman if she felt well enough for them to leave. She patted his hand and nodded. Quietly, he led Sarah out.

Phaedra and Micah were gingerly talking out by the tree in front of the house, Mara was still on the bench.

At seeing them emerge, Phaedra left Micah's side, "I cannot thank you enough."

Sarah smiled, "That's what friends are for."

One thing that the King of Denobrega was going to amend as quickly as possible was his inability to communicate with his nephew. Brendon and Toby had so many questions as they were being put to bed. Corbin was glad that Holt had a better grasp on the language and was able to assist in appeasing the boys enough to make them go to sleep. All things considered, Corbin felt happier today, watching his nephew and Toby play, learn, and explore, than he had been in ages. Something about the children brought joy to the castle walls. So was the delight in actually speaking directly to his long lost brother, who was not dead. Corbin's heart couldn't be more full of joy.

What wasn't joyous was finding out that his brother couldn't get to him. Apparently, Orin had taken advantage of the freedoms he was given by the monarchs of Denobrega over the years. Orin had gathered an army not of humans, as would have been expected since the place he governed was a haven for human kind, but an army of magical creatures and Fae meant to someday soon overtake the entire Underground. Orin's obsession with the Liberator led him to create this army so that when she rose to power, he would be the one to command her. Jareth urgently explained that it was imperative that he and his wife get away from Orin as quickly as possible for she was the true Liberator. But she was not yet aware of the prophecy or her purpose. Corbin promised that he and Holt would forge a plan on how to get them safely to Fen Lear. As much as he would have liked to spend time with his nephew, Corbin's priority was now getting Jareth and his wife home.

Also, to his great annoyance, were the multiple attempts of Gelyna trying to get him to answer her. Seven different crystals came over the course of two days, all from people who owed her favors since she couldn't use her own magic. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say; no amount of groveling would make him forgive her. But the last attempt made him listen:

"Troy left. He's gone after the child's mother. Corbin, he's been ordered to bring her to my mother. She'll kill her, I've no doubt of this. Please, just...know I didn't want this to happen. All I wanted was for the Labyrinth to be stopped, but now...I've awakened the prophecy. I accept the blame. I hope you can one day forgive me."