Author's Note: This was written for the Kingdom of Sarah J. Maas discord's April writing prompt. Spoilers for ACOSF.

Feyre

It was the anniversary of the end of Amarantha's reign and Rhys's return from Under the Mountain. All of Velaris was celebrating, and my family was no exception. I had to practically shove my hovering mate out the door, insisting I'd be fine at home alone with little Nyx. I could tell he didn't like the idea, even though he'd only be a thought and a winnow away.

Mor, surprisingly, volunteered to stay and keep me company. It wasn't like her to give up a night out on the town, drinking and dancing until the early hours of the dawn.

But she was awfully fond of my son.

I had never thought of Mor as the type of person who enjoyed being around children, but whether I had misjudged or whether she just enjoyed the role of being the wacky aunt, the fact remained that she was fabulous with Nyx.

We were firmly ensconced in the warm nursery, the windows thrown open to let in the cool night breeze. The sky was perfectly clear and hundreds of stars glittered down at us. I was sitting in the armchair near the cradle, rocking it gently with one foot as I tried to lull my son to sleep.

It would have been peaceful, except that Mor and I had very different ideas of how to put a child to bed. The Bedtime Story was an important, never-to-be-missed ritual, and she was just getting warmed up.

"Once upon a time," she crooned, holding a dramatic pose in the center of the room, "there was a beautiful young woman whose stepmother always made her stay with the baby." She glanced at Nyx pointedly. "The baby was a spoiled child who wanted everything for himself, and the young woman was practically a slave girl." My son had pulled himself up to stand, wobbly-legged, against the railing. He gurgled in childish delight, unaware that he was being maligned.

"But what no one knew was this," Mor's voice dropped to a conspiratorial purr. "The King of the Goblins had fallen in love with her, and given her...certain powers!" As she uttered the last words, she flung her arms into the air dramatically.

Nothing happened.

Mor jerked her head at me and gave me a not so subtle gesture. Rolling my eyes good-naturedly, I flicked my fingers. Mor struck her pose again, but this time a breeze stirred her golden hair and little starbursts twinkled around her head like a glittering halo. Nyx squealed and clapped his hands.

Mor continued her story with increasingly melodramatic flair, but my attention drifted. The gentle breeze and open sky seemed to call to me and I was itching to stretch my wings, sail out the window, and join the revelries outside.

I reached down the bond. Having fun? I asked my mate.

I sensed Rhys's relaxed amusement, and then he opened to me and I was enveloped in his presence. He was letting me see through his eyes.

They were at a pleasant-looking bar—not Rita's, I noticed with some humor, without Mor there to insist on it—and Cassian was currently perched on a table, telling a filthy story loudly and with as many exaggerated motions as Mor. I shared my own images of Mor's storytelling and felt Rhys grin in response.

I should be there with you. His voice was a caress and my eyes drifted shut to relish the feeling.

I should be there with you, I replied. But we both knew neither of us meant it. Nyx was our greatest blessing and joy, and while neither of us was willing to leave him alone, we had learned to at least take turns enjoying a child-free night.

I'll make it up to you later, he purred, and I shivered in response.

"Hey!" a sharp voice interrupted and my eyes snapped open. Mor was mock-glaring at me. "I said, Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be, come and take this child of mine far away from me!" She had wrapped a filmy scarf around her head for some reason and her pose this time was even more ridiculous than before.

I rolled my eyes, preparing to summon my magic. "I wish the goblins would come and take you away," I grumbled good-naturedly. I flicked my fingers. "Right now."

Thunder rumbled outside. My head jerked toward the window in surprise, but a brilliant flash of lightning blinded me. I blinked rapidly, then realized that my eyes weren't the problem. Every light in the room had gone dark. Even the stars outside were no longer visible. Mor was silent. Nyx began to cry.

And I felt something in the room with me. An unfamiliar presence. I pushed myself to my feet, sending a frantic tug down the bond to Rhys, but I didn't wait for a response. Whoever was trying to frighten me with darkness would quickly learn that I was its mistress, not its prey.

I stretched out my hands and...nothing happened. Behind me, something giggled. I whirled, but the darkness was complete. A scuttling sound had me spinning back the other way. There were multiple creatures in the room with us, I realized.

Instinct took over and I lunged for the cradle. My fingers unerringly brushed Nyx's curls and I scooped him into my arms protectively. "Mor?" I hissed. I swept my arm through the air where she had been standing, but encountered only emptiness.

"No," a cultured voice drawled. "It's me."

Light burst over the room and I blinked rapidly to adjust my eyes, taking a few steps back as I took in the strange man standing by the windows.

He was clearly High Fae. His ears were hidden behind a wild mane of blonde hair, but the power emanating from him was unmistakable. He wore a glittering black suit that fit him like a second skin and a black cape that billowed around him, even though the wind had disappeared. His features had the unnatural beauty of the fae and his arrogant grin showed me a flash of pointed canines.

I angled my body to block his view of Nyx as much as possible. "Who are you?" I demanded.

He braced his hands on his hips and his smile grew at my defensive reaction. "You know very well who I am."

I arched a brow, refusing to be intimidated. "Do I?" I asked, matching his arrogant tone.

Behind me, another round of snickers and giggles broke out. I spun, one hand raised. The creatures darted out of sight, but not before I finally caught a glimpse of them. They looked like small, misshapen children, clad in ill-fitting armor. Goblins.

I turned back slowly to face the imposing male, straightening my spine as I let the mantle of the High Lady of the Night Court drop over me like a cloak of power. "Goblin King," I greeted him formally, giving him the miniscule nod that befitted an equal.

He tilted his head to the side, studying me as if I'd done something fascinating. I realized that he had no idea who I was and it was my turn to grin wickedly at him. I lifted a hand to summon my power and show him exactly what I could do and...again nothing happened. I frowned, concentrating harder. I could feel the well of my magic within me, same as always, but for some reason I couldn't touch it.

The goblin king tutted. "Oh dear, it looks like you have no power over me." His lips curled in satisfaction and I sensed there was a deeper meaning behind his words that was beyond my grasp. "But I have power over you, sweet thing. Now give me the child."

I tucked Nyx more closely to my side, narrowing my eyes at the king. "No," I snarled. Rhys? I tugged on the bond again, but it was as silent as my magic.

The goblin king took a step forward. I took a step back. "You can't keep him from me," he scoffed. "What's said is said."

"I haven't said anything!"

"You wished him away to the goblins, did you not?" His tone was patient, almost bored.

I blinked. "I—" It hit me suddenly.

My eyes darted around the room. Goblins darted through the shadows, the king loomed in the window, but Mor was nowhere to be seen.

"What have you done with my friend?" I snarled.

"Friend?" He was caught off guard, though he hid it well. It wouldn't have been noticeable if I wasn't High Fae myself, with plenty of practice reading the moods of fractious High Lords. Then his smile turned predatory in a way that would have bothered me if I didn't know how capable Mor was of taking care of herself. "She's there," and he stepped aside, gesturing out the window, "in my castle."

I edged forward cautiously, torn between keeping my body between him and Nyx, and not wanting to turn my back on him. I stared out, barely concealing my shock. The night sky was gone. Velaris was gone. In its place was a massive labyrinth, stretching as far as the eye could see under a ruddy sky the likes of which I had never seen.

The king was watching me, clearly expecting some kind of reaction. I cast him a cool look. "Why is she in your castle?"

He clucked his tongue. "You wished her away. She belongs to me now." I bristled, but he continued. "Unless...you think you can win her back?"

"She belongs to no one but herself," I said coldly. "Her life is not some kind of game to be won or lost."

Suddenly he seemed to lose patience with the conversation. "That's not how these things work and you know it," he snapped, his eyes flicking over my ears that marked me as fae. He prowled toward me. "Time is short. Make your choice. You have one chance to win your friend's freedom, or you can go back, tend to your child, and forget about the girl forever."

I opened my mouth but he wasn't done. "Unless you'd prefer a trade?" He leered, but his gaze was on Nyx. "Children are so much more adaptable."

I clutched my son more closely to my chest and took a few steps back defensively, fighting the urge to destroy this male in any way that I could for threatening my child. "Never," I hissed. At his smug grin of triumph at my reaction, I struggled to get my emotions under control. "What are the terms of this bargain?" I asked, once more the High Lady.

He gestured again and an elaborate antique clock appeared, the hands whirling as if setting a timer. It seemed off-balance somehow and it took me a moment to realize it was because it counted to thirteen instead of twelve. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve my labyrinth or your friend will become one of us forever."

"One of us?"

He smirked. "I am the king of the goblins."

Sweat trickled down my spine. "Twenty six hours and I want my magic returned to me."

He tilted his head back and laughed, his sharp canines flashing. "This is not a negotiation, little princess." I stiffened. "It's a gift, one that I am not even obligated to offer. Thirteen hours. Take it or leave it. Choose."

I looked back to the castle at the center of the labyrinth. The maze was truly massive, but I had faced perilous mazes before. And even without magic, I wasn't powerless. I bit my lip. Really, what choice did I have?

Turning to face the king, I lifted my chin. "I accept."

Suddenly, I realized I was no longer standing in the nursery looking out a window at the labyrinth, but standing on a hill before it. The angle was so perfectly matched that I felt disoriented, as if it was the house that had vanished rather than a clever transportation spell. I was grudgingly impressed, but I refused to be cowed.

I looked around for the king just in time to see him drawing back, vanishing into nothingness. His voice echoed around me, coming from everywhere at once. "Thirteen hours, little princess. I'll see you soon."

Then I was alone, on a hill in a strange realm, with an impossible task. With my infant son.

Nyx had been surprisingly quiet through the entire encounter, in spite of the drama unfolding around him. I looked down at him and found him sucking calmly on his thumb, peering at our new surroundings with wide, curious—but not fearful—eyes.

"I guess we're going on an adventure," I said to him, and started down the hill.

Jareth

Jareth materialized in his throne room, surprised to find it quiet and empty. Normally his goblins would be throwing a riotous party to celebrate a new runner and welcome (ie, terrify) the wished away child. He frowned as he glanced around the room, but his gaze was immediately arrested by the figure in red who lounged indolently on his throne. On his throne.

He scowled and strode forward, reaching for the girl, prepared to rip her from the chair and turn her over to the goblins, but before he could touch her she lifted her golden head and smiled at him. Jareth froze in his tracks.

"Well, well, well," Mor drawled. "If it isn't the Goblin King. What a pleasant surprise to see you after all this time, Jareth." Her words were honey and venom, and she settled more comfortably into the throne, making it clear that she had no intention of moving.

Jareth took a few steps back and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing with frustration. He could feel a headache coming on. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a long-suffering glare.

"Hello, sister."

While Jareth would normally enjoy tormenting a runner, he spent most of this particular event holed up in his favorite tower, sulking and watching the fae girl's progress through his crystals. Mor had forbidden him to interfere, which normally wouldn't have stopped him, but he knew she would take it as an excuse for her to interfere as well, which would be even more of a disaster. At least this way his sister was confined to the castle.

Technically, Morrigan was his half-sister. She'd still been a child on the brink of adulthood when Jareth had stormed out of the Court of Nightmares and vowed never to return. His father, in return, had named him an exile. Jareth snorted softly. Keir could never let anyone else get the last word.

He'd wandered for a bit, spent some time carousing with the mortals on the other side of the world where the land was untouched by the war, and then eventually, somehow, stumbled into the Underground. And he had claimed it. It had claimed him. He had his own lands now, more than his petty, ridiculous excuse for a father could ever dream of.

And yet, the story he had sown amongst the humans, prompting them to wish away their children and fuel his magic with their silly dreams, had somehow made its way back into the faerie realm. His past had come back to haunt him.

Without any trickery to hamper her, Feyre, as he had learned was the fae girl's name, was making short work of his labyrinth. Five hours in and she had already reached the city. She had a kind nature, treating the denizens of the labyrinth with respect whenever she encountered them and winning allies who were eager to help her succeed. He'd thought that blasted child would hinder her, but instead the infant had charmed creatures Jareth hadn't even realized cared about children. They cooed and fawned over the boy, who burbled and giggled and showed no fear, no matter what monstrous thing he was being introduced to. Jareth glared at the child's image in his crystal; why couldn't he ever get the nice, happy children?

With a sigh, he descended from his tower sanctuary. He should be in the throne room to greet the victor, and as much as he was put out by this strange turn of events, he was eager to be rid of his sister and go back to the life he had built for himself, without any reminders of his past.

Mor had vacated his throne and was standing at the window, staring out over the labyrinth and twirling a lock of gold hair through her fingers pensively. He decided she must have been standing there for quite some time, long enough that the goblins had decided it was safe to return to the room. They were scattered through the pit in the center of the room, only slightly more subdued than normal. Which, for goblins, meant it was almost possible to hold a conversation without screaming.

Jareth slouched into his throne and affected a bored expression, which was wasted since Mor didn't acknowledge his arrival. He summoned a crystal and checked on Feyre. She had almost reached the castle. He slid his attention to Mor again. "Your friend is a pretty, little thing," he said slyly.

She did turn to him then, but not with the indignation or defiance that he had expected. She merely eyed him with a peculiar smile. "You should tell her that," she said, muted laughter in her voice. "She's almost here, isn't she?" She settled comfortably on the window ledge.

Jareth pursed his lips and frowned at her. "Of course she is. I wasn't even trying," he said airily, as if it had been his idea to let Feyre win so easily. He scooped up the ebony and crystal cane that had been sitting near the throne and pretended it to study it intently, as if it was far more interesting than whatever Mor's little friend was up to.

Mor laughed at him. "It wouldn't have mattered if you were." Jareth scowled, unused to being the butt of jokes that he didn't understand. "You still have no idea who she is, do you?"

Jareth sat up, pointing his cane at her. "Is Keir still in charge?"

She blinked, then nodded once.

"Then I know exactly the type of women he'd allow you to associate with," he purred.

Again, his attack failed to land. Mor just looked at him with something like pity, a reaction that completely baffled him. "Oh, big brother," she sighed. "I left those nightmares behind long ago. I serve in a court of dreamers now." She straightened. "I serve the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court."

He stared at her. "High Lady…?"

At that moment, the door to the throne room burst open, revealing a tired, sweaty, angry Feyre.

"Ah," Mor said, executing the most beautiful curtsy Jareth had ever seen. "Welcome, High Lady."

Jareth was very glad he was already sitting down.

Feyre

I expected it to be late when we got home, but it was as if no time had passed at all. If it hadn't been for Mor, who promptly flopped into my rocking chair with a sigh of relief and exhaustion, I would have questioned my own sanity.

I took care of getting Nyx settled first. He had long since passed from quiet tiredness into manic exhaustion and finally fell asleep soundly on my shoulder. As soon as he was tucked safely into his cradle, I grabbed Mor and dragged her out of the nursery. I barely waited for the door to shut before I rounded on her.

"What-—" I hissed, but she raised her hands, cutting me off.

"I know, I know. I should have told you it was more than just a story."

"You shouldn't have been telling it as a bedtime story to begin with! We're lucky he just wanted to play a little game. And to drag Nyx into things!"

Mor huffed. "I'm sorry, I never thought you'd actually make a wish! I deliberately did not use those words in my story so that nothing would happen!"

"But something did happen, Mor." I knew I should be furious, but I was too tired to muster more than confused frustration.

"I wouldn't have let him hurt either of you." The certainty in her voice made me pause.

I let her lead me to the kitchen, where she had two mugs of chocolate in no time at all, and then we settled on the couch before the fireplace. I sipped my drink, letting the warmth heat me both inside and out, but Mor just stared at hers.

Finally, she said, "Jareth is my half-brother."

I almost dropped my mug.

"He's older than me," Mor continued. "He left before… Before. But sometimes I wondered if he was like me, a dreamer." Her eyes were distant and sad. "I never blamed him for abandoning me. I always hoped he found happiness, wherever he ended up." She stared into the flames. "I'm not sure he did."

I swirled my chocolate thoughtfully. "You want to offer him a place in Velaris?" I guessed.

She shook her head. "Whatever bond he's formed with that land, that Underground, I don't think he can leave it. But…" She hesitated.

"Tell me," I encouraged her, leaning closer.

She pursed her lips, and I realized it was to hide a mischievous smile. I grinned at her. "Please tell me. And yes, whatever it is, let's do it."

It was late when the males returned. Almost so late that it could be called early, with the faintest light visible at the edge of the horizon. They were extremely drunk, unsurprisingly. They staggered through the front door and into the sitting room in a tangle of riotous laughter and swearing.

Cassian spotted the note on the mantle first. Mor had written it on thick vellum paper, expensive, folded it in half and propped it up where a nosy Illyrian might notice it.

From our spot in the shadows of the hallway, Mor and I grinned at each other as Cassian thumbed open the note and read it. His face lit up.

"Hey, Rhys," he slurred. "Mor says to tell you, I wish—"