Jareth felt the sun hot on his back as he strode up the trail to the disused temple. It was a folly once. A playful house to a fictive goblin god erected by a former king long ago. But now it sat neglected and choked with creeping vine halfway up the mountain ridge overlooking the main Labyrinth, seen by few and approached by fewer still. Jareth leaned against the one of the columns of the entry portico, taking a swig of water from his canteen and surveying his progress. He had only been back in the Labyrinth a few days from his last mission, and the hike had been a welcome reintroduction to his home. The task before him was far less reaffirming, but he had put it off too long already.

"Your appearance is a rare one, Highness," came a smooth, biting voice from the shadows inside the temple. "To what do I owe this honor?"

Jareth took a moment to breath before answering. "I come to apologize, Lord Daemon. And hopefully to make amends."

"We shall see," said the voice as its owner stepped into the light. The creature looked closest to a maned wolf, long-legged and tall, with a canine face and teeth glinting from his muzzle. He was royal blue in coloring, with smatterings of iridescent scales along his back, legs, and face, with matching horns, straight and ribbed like a gazelle's. His claws clicked along the stones as he walked, and his great tail swished behind him like a cat. The beast regarded the Goblin King with his striking golden eyes, expression inscrutable.

Jareth took a knee and inclined his head. "Mercutio," he said simply, not meeting his gaze. He was struck with sudden fear over exactly what was before him. Mercutio the Righteous, a Daemon of Justice, one of the oldest and last. He was appointed by the Labyrinth herself as Chief Judge of the fiefdom, and gifted by the Deep and the High with the power to exact retribution. Such power lay in those golden eyes and could kill the wicked through conviction alone.

Wicked not unlike Jareth.

"Look me in the eye, Marline," said Mercutio with a sneer. "And don't tremble so much. As far as I'm concerned, your judgement is being handled by another court."

Jareth raised his eyes and submitted to being known. A cold, squirming feeling spread just under his skin and his insides felt hollowed out. A wave of guilty memories crashed over him, and for a moment Jareth could swear he could hear the voice of a drugged teenage girl. This was vivisection. He was having his soul lacerated by the embodiment of Lawful Good, but the fatal burn never came. The squirming just receded to nothing, and the glow in Merctio's eyes faded.

"You do carry your sins around your neck for all to see," the Daemon finally said, quietly, sadly.

Jareth sat down on the temple steps. The sun was getting low over the Labyrinth, turning it a soft amber. "It beats stuffing them in a corner to fall backwards into again."

Mercutio sat beside him, his tail curling around himself. "Sooner or later the self-loathing is going to stand in the way of healing, but I doubt one Confession will convince you of that."

"I didn't come here to discuss The Incident," Jareth said after a firm shake of his head.

"No, you came to apologize. Do get on with it, Highness." Mercutio gave him a sidelong glance.

Jareth cleared his throat before going into 'King' voice. "I apologize for not ending your exile upon my coronation. I broke a promise to you."

"I'm not Hoggle, you know. I don't hold adults to promises made when they were children. And I've certainly no use for a grudge in that regard."

"And," Jareth continued pointedly. "I apologize for keeping you from your duties within the Labyrinth. I apologize for not seeking your council as an adult, despite seeing what happens when this throne is ruled alone. I apologize for breaking up the Council. Merc, I… I'm sorry I became my father."

Mercutio looked over at the man who seemed to have deflated upon running out of words. "The fact that you recognize your mistakes shows that transformation is not yet complete. You could do far worse than to turn from his path at this juncture."

Jareth was silent as he watched the sunset. A soft, furry head nuzzled into his lap. Merc chose a canine form to evoke the comfort of a pet as much as the threat of a wolf, and he had no issues employing both in one conversation. Jareth smiled as he scratched that one spot between his horns, breathing deeper.

"I am afraid, old friend," he said after a moment of silence.

"Of what?"

"That I will become worse than my father. Maybe the Oath will warp me, maybe Uncle's spy missions will harden me, but I'm more afraid that I'm just kidding myself. That I took the Oath out of denial or fear and now it's the only thing holding me back. And once the clock runs out..." Jareth shrugged. "The real me returns."

"Don't you get a say in who you become?" Asked Mercutio, craning his neck to look up at him.

Jareth looked a thousand miles away. "I'd like to think so. But my wants have changed so much in so little time, and I'm only beginning to understand why. It's just…" He hesitated. "Seven years is too short a time to become a good man."

"Scrooge managed to do it in one night. Maybe we should find you some ghosts at Christmas."

Jareth managed a wry smile at the quip and ruffled Mercutio's mane.

"Besides," he continued. "One is always in the process of becoming a good man. Let us take each day as it is given, and we will see where you stand in seven years, young man."

Watching as twilight descended over the Labyrinth, Jareth stood with a hopeful smile. "I would appreciate your help in that. Among other things. I'm re-forming the Council, and I'll need your help with Runners."

Mercutio's ears perked up. "You'll need my help convincing the others as well, were I one to gamble. Can the Labyrinth not handle the Runners on her own?"

"We've been lucky so far, but she tends to be… cryptic in her guidance. Not every kid who walks in is going to respond well, so a watchful eye with more authority than myself couldn't hurt."

In a moment Mercutio leapt atop a pedestal stand at Jareth's eye level. "I will accept your offer and come down to the castle with you."

"Excellent."

"On one condition."

"Name it."

Mercutio circled the King a couple times. "It will not be today. And it will likely not be soon, but we shall sit down and discuss The Incident. I would like to know what became of that poor girl, and what you've learned from the whole episode. Is that clear?"

Jareth sighed in resignation. "Deal. Now can we get down from here before the snails come out with the dew and make this pathway impossible?"

"Lead the way, your Majesty," Mercutio said with a grin. "Might I suggest we recruit Hoggle tomorrow? Restoring his position first would be an impressive gesture when approaching the others."

"You really want me to start with the most awkward conversation?" Asked Jareth as he gingerly stepped over a large snail.

"Think of it as a trust exercise, Jareth."

And as the two bickered like the old friends they were down the pathway, the first stars blinked over a peaceful Labyrinth.