Sarah tucked her blue knit scarf over her shoulder before once again heading out into the blustery Scottish morning. Dried leaves tumbled down the cobblestone streets. The smell of rain was in the air and the clouds were threateningly gray, but it wasn't raining yet. Clutching the white box holding pastries tighter and holding on securely to the small carry tray of coffees she'd bought, Sarah fought against the wind as she made her way back to the Georgain style townhouse in the middle of New Town in Edinburgh where she, Jareth, Toby, and Inara had been living for the past ten days.
Sarah reflected over the past several days as she walked the mile back to the townhouse. After they had arrived, Jareth showed them the rest of the house. It was large for a townhouse in the middle of New Town, Edinburgh, and Sarah didn't even want to think about how much it cost. Jareth had said it was maintained by a staff that came in and cleaned weekly, he made a bit of money off of it by renting it out to wealthier travelers who wanted to stay in the middle of Edinburgh while visiting. He'd owned the property almost since it had been built back in 1756, and he had hired a discreet solicitor to manage the place during his absences from the Aboveground.
The house was beautifully decorated with four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a dining room, kitchen, library, office, and a more recent renovation of a living room with a flatscreen TV. However Sarah, Jareth, and Inara found themselves, more often than not, in the library. It held a few thousand books that had been collected over the centuries, and was proving a very useful tool for researching what the humans knew of the fae and Jareth's father in particular. Apparently the man had visited the Aboveworld enough that he was well-known among folktale scholars. Stories involving him always revolved around his seduction of women and the children that resulted from them. All of this only seemed to confirm what Rhihart and Jareth had been talking about before they left the Underground, but it did nothing to narrow down who they were looking for. Though, judging by the clues they had been left and the one appearance their attacker had made, it was a daughter of Belenus they were looking for.
Toby, meanwhile, had been recovering over the past ten days. Sarah had been overjoyed that he'd woken up on the second day. He'd been very confused about what had happened as the last thing he could remember was Sarah and Jareth's wedding. Between the three of them, they helped him remember what had happened. The memories slowly came back over the next couple of days, along with terrorising nightmares of a dark figure clawing its way into his head as he finished his dreamless sleep potion. More than once, Toby had woken up screaming, waking everyone else in the house as well. Inara had wanted to call on Healer Watts for more dreamless sleep potion, but Sarah pointed out that the nightmares were a way for Toby's mind to deal with what had happened to him, and suppressing them would only lead to more problems. Toby had wanted to side with Inara.
However Jareth had been the deciding factor. He'd offered to help Toby connect with the magic inside him and learn some meditative techniques that would help to lessen the horrifying dreams, while still allowing his brain to work through the trauma it had endured. Toby had reluctantly agreed, and both he and Jareth had wound up spending a couple hours a day practicing meditative techniques and clearing his mind. Last night, was the first night that Toby hadn't woken up screaming. He'd still had bad dreams, but it had been more manageable and he'd been able to make it through.
The newly married couple had also spent some significant time alone with each other examining their new bond, practicing Sarah's magic and teaching her Gaeilge, meditating to find what animal Sarah might hold an affinity with, and of course, doing what most newly married couples do. The bond between them ratcheted up the intensity of their intimacy by several notches. Sarah couldn't ever remember another experience with a man feeling this way. Most of the time, they both were left breathless from not only the physical exertion, but also from the surge of emotions zinging back and forth over the bond. It was amazing in more ways than one.
Toby and Inara had quickly learned that when the door to Jareth and Sarah's room was closed, to leave them alone. It had only taken Toby one pointed stare from Inara to realize what was going on. His cheeks had reddened and he'd quickly made his way to the opposite end of the house. He and Inara had occupied themselves elsewhere. She told him of her connection with him because of saving him. It had been a bit weird at first for Toby, but he was coming to accept it. Inara wasn't so bad… for a girl. He began teaching her all of the things he'd taught Palath of the Aboveground. It definitely helped that they were actually in the Aboveground though. Made it easier to show her things on TV or on the radio. They also started a fierce competition of games. Their favorites were Backgammon, Chinese checkers, and Go Fish. However Inara frequently had to rein in her ability to sense Toby's emotions during their games, else he accused her of unintentional cheating.
Sarah shivered as a particularly strong icy cold breeze sent more leaves skittering down the street. The townhouse was just ahead and she hurried the last half a block to get there. Once inside, she set the coffees and pastry box down on the table just inside the door and hung up her coat, scarf, and hat. "I'm back!" she called out as she picked up the baked goods and wandered into the smaller dining room attached to the kitchen that they preferred to eat at. The larger dining room accommodated up to twelve people and was far too large for just the four of them for every day use.
"Did you get the ones I asked for?" Jareth asked as he popped around the corner from the hallway leading to the library. His eyes were wide as he looked at the pastry box, like a young boy on Christmas day.
Sarah chuckled, "Yes, I found the bakery you told me about and they had plenty of Scottish sweet buns. The guy even told me that it was his great great grandfather's recipe that hadn't changed in over two hundred years."
Jareth grinned as he scooped up the box and brought it to the small circular wooden table. "Excellent!" he said as he plopped down in a chair and opened the box. The sweet smell of warm pastry filled the room and he quickly plucked one out and began eating it.
"Hey, save some for the rest of us," Toby said as he walked into the kitchen just then, Inara following close behind. The young elf princess had taken to wearing more Aboveground style clothing since they'd come. She had claimed that it was simply because it was too cold here compared to the Sylvan Forest, however Sarah had seen how happy she looked in the warm cozy wool sweaters.
"First come, first serve, Toby," Jareth replied to the teenager with a mouthful of pastry and icing covering his fingers.
"That's very unbecoming of a King," Sarah commented on his lack of etiquette as she came over to the table with the coffees.
"Who cares about etiquette when there's Scottish sweet buns!" he proclaimed. "I haven't had these in over a hundred years, and they've haunted my dreams since!"
Sarah laughed as she sat down beside him. "Well I bought a full two dozen, so I think we should all be able to have plenty." She helped herself to one of the large cups of coffee, pouring in a packet of sugar and a dash of creamer. Toby and Inara also helped themselves to coffee, though they both dumped in about four sugars each and enough cream to make the coffee a pale taupe color. Sarah cringed at the thought of so much sweetness in combination with the Scottish sweet buns, but didn't comment as they reached into the box for a bun.
Just as Jareth was finishing his second bun and the others were finishing their first, there was a sharp knocking coming from the salon. Sarah perked up and glanced over toward the doorway. "What is that?" she asked.
"Probably someone doing a mirror call," Jareth replied as he licked his fingers clean. "Come on, we'd best see who it is," he said as he rose from the table.
The others followed him into the salon where a large upright gilded mirror stood in the corner. Sarah had thought it ornamental, but obviously it had a different purpose in a fae house. And sure enough, King Rhihart was waiting for them. "Brother! You'll never believe what I just found out!" Jareth grinned.
Rhihart lifted an eyebrow curiously. "Oh? What's that?"
"Those sweet buns we had at that Aboveground bakery in Edinburgh that winter solstice about a hundred years back? It's still here! And I just got to taste their sweet, delicious, fluffy, pastry again!"
Rhihart's eyes widened and he let out a small groan. "You will be bringing some home with you I hope?"
Jareth smirked. "Perhaps. Depends on what you've found for us?"
Rhihart sighed and shook his head, clearly used to his half brother's antics. "What I have found, is that our father was a bit free with his… love, shall we say?" His eyes darted towards Toby and Inara as he said this, clearly being careful of how he was phrasing things. "There are mentions of several of his encounters in his personal journals, however not all mention children. I was able to find a couple of promising leads though. One of which is right there in Scotland. A man by the name of Tadhg," he said, pronouncing the name with a bit of a Scottish accent. To Sarah it sounded like Tieg. "Though it's entirely possible that he goes by a different name now, to preserve his identity." Rhihart informed them. "He was mentioned in our father's journal a few times. Supposedly he paid off the mother generously to forget about him, but he did check in on the boy a few times as he grew over the years."
"That was decent of him," Sarah commented.
"I suspect he was checking in to make sure that the lad hadn't been roaming the city telling any who'd listen that he was the son of a fae king," Jareth remarked.
"You're not wrong," Rhihart confirmed. "He actually mentions that in his journal."
"Okay, so where would we find this Tadhg then?" Jareth asked.
"Well, he lived in Glasgow during the time father was checking in on him. You might be able to find records there."
"Excellent, was there anyone else you were able to find?" Jareth asked.
"A few, but no locations. He mentions a Tavish and a Catriona and a Sorcha," he glanced up at Sarah with a mischievous grin, but then continued, "But it's only off handedly and with no reference to their location. We could assume that they were in Ireland or Scotland though, based off the names."
"What?" Sarah asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Jareth sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair that he'd shortened to fit in better in the Aboveground. "My brother is trying to poke fun at me, I believe. Sorcha is the Irish version of Sarah," he stated.
"I didn't say anything," Rhihart argued.
"You didn't have to. Your look said it all," Jareth retorted.
"Just making an observation," he said nonchalantly.
Jareth nodded and changed the subject. "Thank you, brother. You've given us something to go on. I'll make sure a box of those sweet buns makes its way to you."
Rhihart grinned and nodded. "My thanks! And good luck in your hunt!"
With that, the mirror connection died and they were left looking at themselves. "Well," Sarah said. "I think we'll be traveling to Glasgow then."
"But how are we going to find a guy who was born like ages ago? I mean, he was born ages ago, right? Cuz like…. No offense, Jareth, but you're kinda old." Toby said.
Sarah snorted as Jareth gave the teen a squinty eyed glare. "I'll have you know that I'm still rather young in fae terms. But yes, the man we're looking for most likely would have been born several hundred years ago."
"Like I said," Toby gestured with his hands as he spoke. "How are we supposed to find him then?"
"Using magic," Jareth replied. "If he is truly a son of my father, I will be able to sense the underlying signature of magic if he is in the city and how long ago that was."
"Oh, well that makes things a bit easier!" Toby brightened. "When do we leave?"
"As soon as we can," Sarah declared. "We'll portal travel there and start searching the older parts of the city as that is most likely where the magical signature would be."
"Great, then I have time for one more sweet bun!" Toby smiled before he dashed back into the kitchen dining room.
Jareth's mouth dropped open a little bit as the boy ran out of the room. He didn't hesitate before quickly following. "Only one!" he said as he chased after him. Sarah and Inara shared a look that clearly said boys…, before following them at a more sedate pace.
Four hours later, they found themselves in Glasgow, walking along the River Clyde in the rain. Jareth and Sarah had managed to conjure umbrellas for them, but it didn't stop their pants and shoes from getting wet. "I should've worn rubber boots," Sarah muttered.
"You didn't know it'd be raining," Toby pointed out.
"No, but it's Glasgow in autumn," Sarah replied. "Odds are that it's raining."
Toby shrugged and continued to follow them. He and Inara were walking side by side behind Sarah and Jareth. They had been walking for a while now and Jareth had picked up very faint magical signatures that were quite old.
"Might I suggest a lunch reprieve?" Inara suggested. "We've been at this for a while with no signs of the man. A chance to dry off and get some hot food would be welcome."
Sarah sighed and nodded. "You're probably right," she said.
With that, they found a small fish and chip shop that had indoor seating. Inara and Jareth were a little leery of the place, but Sarah assured them that it would be good. Forty five minutes later, they were forced to agree that fish and chips were amazing, despite the less than aesthetically pleasing presentation of the food. They walked out of the fish and chip shop warmer, satisfied, and ready to begin their search anew. It also helped that it had stopped raining and a small bit of sunshine was peeking between the clouds.
They crossed the street and started walking up High Street towards the Glasgow Cathedral. If there was any place in Glasgow where they might find magical traces of a several hundred year old man, they figured the cathedral would be the place. Sure enough, as they were passing by a statue of William II of Scotland in Children's Memorial Park, Jareth stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. His eyes widened and he looked around. The others stopped once they noticed he had as well and looked back at him. "Jareth? What is it?" Sarah asked.
"I can sense his magical signature here," he gestured vaguely into the park area near the statue. "He was here, and quite recently. I'd say within the last couple of weeks at most."
The others gathered near him. "Can you trace the signature back to him?" Inara asked quietly, glancing around at the humans passing them by.
"I should be able to, but it may take some time," Jareth answered. "He could've gone anywhere from here and the trace, like I said, is a couple of weeks old."
"Well, let's get started then!" Sarah said brightly as she threaded her fingers with Jareth's. "Where to?"
"This way," he gestured with his other hand and started leading them onward in the same direction they had originally been heading. The magical trail led them up to the cathedral. From there, several paths crossed over each other. Apparently the man had been here multiple times over the past few years. However Jareth was able to find a newer path, within the last week, that led away. They continued to follow it away from the Cathedral, back down the way they'd come, and into the Barras Market. Once again, several paths of different ages overlapped, but they all seemed to converge on a single market stall called Peddler's Station. The small stall was packed full of bric-a-brac, vintage goods, and antiques. A man, who looked to be in his early forties with dark slightly graying hair and a short scruffy beard, was adjusting things in the shop so the display looked better.
"Is that him?" Sarah asked quietly.
Jareth nodded. "Yes, his magical signature is undeniable."
"So how do we do this? All approach him at once? One person? Ask him if he's been alive for the past eight hundred years?" she thought out loud.
Inara moved closer to them. "Might I suggest that King Jareth and yourself approach and ask to speak to him privately? Tobias and I will wait nearby so that we don't overwhelm him."
Jareth nodded. "That's a good idea."
"Stay close though," Sarah added.
Inara and Toby nodded and walked over to a nearby stall selling second-hand clothing, pretending to go through the racks while keeping the Peddler's Station in view. Sarah and Jareth slowly approached the man whose back was turned to them. "Excuse me?" Sarah addressed him.
He turned around with a smile on his face. His warm brown eyes were kind looking, but his nose was crooked from being broken at some point in the past. He was also shorter than average, perhaps only about five and a half feet tall. And when he spoke, his accent was slightly different than that of a modern Scotsman. "Welcome to Peddler's Station! What can I do fer ya?"
"We were hoping you could help us find someone," Jareth spoke first.
"Perhaps I could. Been sellin' here fer a while, so I know a fair few people who've passed through."
"His name is Tadhg."
The man's eyes widened slightly before he resumed a more neutral expression. "No' a very common name now-a-days," he commented.
"No," Sarah replied. "But we were told you might know him. His father's name was Belenus."
At this, the man's face paled a little and he looked like he was debating how to respond. Finally, he replied in a lowered tone. "Yer no' from around here, are ya? Why are ya looking fer Tadhg?"
"Because we think he may be able to help us with a situation we've found ourselves in," Sarah said.
"Hmm, yes, Tadhg has been able to help all sorts." He looked over Sarah closer, then switched to Jareth. "Ya look familiar," he commented. "Have we met before?"
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe so. Allow me to introduce myself? Jareth Fionnlagh Nuada Llewellyn." He gave a short bow of his head.
"Shite," the man muttered. "I thought it might be ya when I firs' saw ya." He suddenly straightened and gave a short bow of his head. "Apologies, yer Majesty. I dinnae ken ya were in the Aboveground. I am Tadhg. What is it I can do fer ya?"
"As you were," Jareth nodded at the man who relaxed fractionally. "You know me by sight?" he asked first.
"Aye," Tadhg nodded. "I keep abreast of happenings in the Underground well enough."
"Have you heard then, of the Battle of the Labyrinth and its results?"
"Aye, I 'ave. Which I'm guessin' would make you the new Lady o' the Labyrinth?" he looked over to Sarah again. "Congratulations, yer Ladyship." He bowed his head again.
"Thank you," Sarah blushed a little, still not used to being addressed so.
"So, like I asked before. What is it I can do fer ya?" Tadhg asked again. "Can't say as I ever get fae royalty askin' fer me help."
"We really are looking for someone," Sarah answered. "And we think you may know of them. However it might be better to speak in a less public place. Would you meet with us in a different location?"
Tadhg considered for a moment then nodded. "Aye, tha' would probably be best. I close up shop at four."
"Excellent, meet us at Caffe Nero once you've closed up," Jareth instructed, his royal commanding voice out in full force. "We'll be in one of their private rooms upstairs. I'll tell them we'll be expecting you."
"Very good, yer Majesty," Tadhg nodded. "I'll be there, if fer no other reason than to quench my curiosity."
They left Tadhg to his shop and collected Toby and Inara as they made their way out of the Barras Market. It was only another hour until four, so they started making their way towards Caffe Nero. It was in a very busy area of the city, full of shops and people making their way along the sidewalks. They took their time though and admired the city and its sights. Eventually, they entered Caffe Nero and claimed a private room upstairs. The room they were led to held a long low wooden coffee table with six mismatched cushioned armchairs gathered around it. Mismatched antique picture frames lined the walls showing pictures of an older Glasgow and the working people who ran it. A window with gauzy white curtains let in the weak light from outside. The smell of ground coffee was pervasive, filling the air.
Tadhg arrived shortly after the coffee and tea service Sarah had ordered. It included a fresh pot of rich coffee, black tea with cream, lemon, and sugar available, and a spread of biscotti, fairy cakes, scones with clotted cream and preserves, and dainty sandwiches with thinly sliced cucumber. "Well, I feel like I'm at the 'igh King's court with this spread," Tadhg commented after the server had left and shut the door.
"I've been to the High King's tea," Jareth commented. "This is actually quite similar," he smiled as he accepted a cup of tea from Sarah who was pouring for everyone.
Tadhg and Sarah took coffee and Jareth, Inara, and Toby took tea. Each person helped themselves to the variety of snacks available, and everyone was introduced to each other formally. After a few bites, Tadhg got down to business. "So, who are ya lookin' fer, yer Majesties?"
Jareth set down his cup of tea and pulled out the drawing that Remy, the artist in Avalon, had created for them based on Inara's visions. "This woman," he said handing the drawing over. Tadhg took it curiously, studying the image of the long dark haired woman with intense eyes and high cheekbones. "We believe her to be another of Belenus's children, possibly half human like yourself. Does she look familiar to you?"
Tadhg frowned, but nodded slowly. "Actually, she does. I think I might'a met her a long time ago." He looked up at the monarchs across from him. "I dinnea ken her name though." He handed the drawing back. "Why are ya lookin' fer her?"
"We think she may be trying to kill or seriously injure me and my family," Sarah replied shortly.
Tadhg's eyes widened and he set down the scone he'd been about to take a bite of. "Yer serious?"
Sarah nodded. "We suspect she's responsible for the recent death of my and Toby's parents."
"Crivens," he muttered and then took a larger than normal bite of the scone in his hand, thinking as he chewed. "Like I said," he stated once he'd swallowed. "I dinnae ken her name, but I'll tell ya what I do ken. She's old, more ancient then I by a long shot. She may be Belenus's firs' child, iffin I'm right. The one time I met her, was on a spring day at the market in Inverness back in, oh, I'd say maybe early 1600s?"
Toby choked a little on his tea and Sarah reached over to pat his back firmly. He coughed a bit more than looked up at Tadhg. "The 1600s? How old are you?"
Tadhg smiled as though he'd been asked this question many times before. "I dinnae ken the exact year I was born, lad, but it was sometime in the early 1200s. The cathedral up on the hill there?" he waved towards the direction of Glasgow Cathedral absently. "It was only half built when I was born."
Toby set his teacup down and reached for a fairy cake, taking a large bite out of it as he stared at Tadhg, clearly unsure of how to respond to that. Beside him, Inara just nodded unsurprised.
"Please, continue," Jareth invited him.
Tadhg nodded and continued his story. "As I was sayin', I met her in the market in Inverness. I'm sure she introduced herself, but I cannae remember her name. She did say tha' we were related though, said she was a daughter of Belenus and tha' made us siblings. She wanted ter learn more about Belenus's other children and what kinds of things we could do. I think she was tryin' ter start her own little army, truth be told."
"What do you mean by the kinds of things you could do?" Jareth asked.
"Oh, well as far as I ken, those of us what have fairy blood have a fair bit o' magic too. Some more 'an others. I, meself, can persuade people. Nothin' too drastic, mind, but jus' enough to get out of a bit o' trouble."
"And the woman? Did she say what her powers were?" Sarah asked.
"She dinnae specify, but I gathered she were able ter do some actual magic. She mentioned dream magic at one point, but I always thought she were able ter do more."
"And the other children of Belenus? What do you know of them?" Jareth asked. "How many are there?"
"Hmm, I've personally met four others, including her. But I'd wager there's more of us. The other three I met were all younger than I. Two women and a man. The two women were twins though, each able to read the other's mind. Met them during the plague. They had some small powers in healing and were trying ter help as many as they could. The man I met during the Renaissance. Became quite famous back then, went by the name of Shakespeare."
"Shakespeare? The Shakespeare? He was a child of Belenus?" Sarah nearly spit out her coffee at this news.
Tadhg snorted. "'Course 'e was! Where do ya think he came up with all them stories? That was 'is power, see? Creatin' illusions and weavin' tales. Went by a few names over the years in order to keep creatin'. Far as I ken, he's still alive and livin' somewhere in Canada these days."
"Canada? Shakespeare is alive and living in Canada?" her eyes were wide and she couldn't seem to wrap her brain around this information. Jareth smiled and reached over to squeeze her hand gently.
Tadhg shrugged. "Last I heard." He sipped at his coffee then started munching on a scone smeared with clotted cream and raspberry preserves.
"Going back to this woman you met in Inverness," Jareth changed the subject. "What else can you tell us about her? You said she was there to raise an army of sorts?"
"Aye," he nodded. "She dinnae say that exactly, but the way she was talkin' made me think tha' was her aim. She kept goin' on abou' birth rights and how we were bein' robbed o' ours. I told her tha' I had no ill feelins toward our da'. He'd made sure me mum was well off fer the rest o' her days and checked in on me to make sure I wasn' givin' away the secrets o' the fae." He shrugged. "Even helped me develop me magic a bit before disappearin' back to the Underground."
Jareth nodded and sipped at his tea for a long moment before setting it down on the table in front of him. "I'm guessing you heard of his passing?"
"Aye, I did. T'was a bit o' time afterwards, but one o' me contacts what goes between the two worlds told me."
"These contacts of yours, who are they?" Jareth asked.
"Jus' some fae what travel between the worlds," he shrugged. "They usually have business up here and make a point to stop by me place and tell me of the goin's on down below. I return the favor by tellin' 'em the happenin's up here."
"So we're looking for an ancient half fae who has a grudge against me because she believes I stole her birth right?" Sarah clarified.
"Sounds abou' right," Tadhg agreed.
"Do you have an idea where we might find her?"
"Well, from what I remember and from what I've heard since, she has a place in the Underground hidden away from everyone. Said it was a small parcel o' land given to her from Belenus. Always suspected he ken what she was up to and gave her her own lands to quiet her. Anyway, supposedly the property was large enough to be a base fer us should we join her to take back our birth rights, as she put it. An' she mentioned something abou' a lake with a kelpie guardin' it."
At this, Jareth perked up. "A kelpie you say?"
"Aye, does tha' help you, yer Majesty?"
"Aye, I think it does," he nodded then turned towards Sarah, Toby, and Inara. "I believe I have our next clue to track down, and it's not going to be pleasant."
Sarah gave him a curious look, but he didn't elaborate. They finished their tea and coffee with Tadhg, told him to take care of himself, then headed back through a portal to Jareth's townhouse in Edinburgh for the night. The next day, he informed them, they would be traveling back to the Underground.