The Gaelic index for some of these words will be at the bottom for those of you who wish to know what the Fae are saying to one another. It was a dousey to write. I really hope that I didn't botch the language too much. I have a lot of respect for all the Gaelic Gods and Goddesses out there. Some of these descriptions are not the most accurate. I manipulated some of the history to fit my story line purely for fantasy reasons. If you wish to learn more about Gaelic deities and beliefs, I encourage you to do so. It's histories are so interesting and fulfilling. I would never wish to disrespect anyone.
I own nothing. I am writing this purely for shits 'n giggles.
~Childhood Conundrum~
"Order!" A lively and euphoric voice chimes in the room full of Fae leaders. The voice belongs to an older woman who stands at one end of a grand table to all who is in the room. The room buzzes with meaningless banter from one leader to another as they bicker and prod at one another's reign and rules of regulation. "Order!" The older woman repeats, but no one listens. She combs frustrated fingers through her long silver hair. "Is anyone listening to me?" She stands from her end of the table, but her command only gains the attention from her son, Jareth that sits next to her. The wittilous wordplay around the room doesn't let up and she looks to him in a displeasuring sigh.
"Áine," a thin woman with long, wispy dark hair, squints her eyes at the woman trying to command, "No one cares."
"Clúdaigh do bhéal gránna, Morrígan." Another feminine voice calls from the end of the table.
"Would you like to say that to my face, Ériu?" Morrígan's hands start to glow a dark purple.
"I'm still waiting for you to finish our last fight before you ran away like a babe that's still suckled onto her mother's teet." The voice stems from a strawberry blonde at the opposite end of the table.
"I think you have me confused with yourself, you little cailleach an diabhal." Morrígan lifts her nose to her cousin.
"Mo Bandia, when will the both of you grow up?" A younger woman with white-blonde hair rolls her eyes.
"Stay out of this, Mab." Morrígan says as she threatens to close the distance between her and Ériu.
"Jareth-" Áine speaks towards her son through gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill them." She holds her head as it fills to the brim with all the tension.
Jareth grins in regards to a stressed mother. "Not if I get to them first." He says nonchalantly as he stands. The shouting and bickering seems to worsen with every moment. He pats the dust off of his shirt. "It figures that I would be cursed to rule alongside women who prove to be the physical embodiment of the estrogen ocean." He comments as he takes a deep breath.
"I will take it from here, uaisle." A deep voice suddenly fills Jareth's ears along with the softest touch to his shoulder. He turns to see The High Goddess Danu looking to the disrespectful crowd full of Fae Goddesses that instill the Royal thrones of Domhan de Cruinne . Goddess Danu motions for her grandson Jareth to sit as she caresses the cheek of her eldest daughter Áine.
"We are all called here to order." Her deep voice rises among all others. They all grow quiet as they hear the booming voice, a voice that is less than pleasant. "When I ask for one of my children to take order, I expect for all of you to follow suit. Is that understood?" She looks to the small group of members from her Tuatha de Dennan. They all nod in silence upon hearing her speak. "Now that I have your attention, I shall take a headcount." Goddess Danu respectfully bows her head towards the table. Everyone stands in routine. "If you will please sit when I call upon your name," she looks around the room at all of the faces, looking for any missing partners.
There are quite a few Fae leaders present of various shapes and sizes. The many representatives are gathered around a gargantuan white marble table, embroidered with a golden border. Each side holds a dozen seats and is perfectly balanced out with a single seat on each end. The room is silent.
"Goddess Morrígan, Queen of Spirits and the Underworld." She sits.
"Goddess Ériu, Queen of the Elven Capital." She sits.
"Goddess Mab, Queen of the Fairy Sanctuary." She sits.
"Goddess Áine, Queen of the Dwarven Ruins." She sits.
"Jareth, son of Áine, King of the Labyrinthian throne." He sits.
"Goddess Bridgid, Ruler of Domhan na Dóiteáin." Danu looks up but everyone seems to be sitting. "Bridgid has not yet arrived?" There is an uncomfortable silence between everyone. Goddess Danu turns around to see her husband, God, and High King Dagda. "Leannán, will you please see where she might be?"
"Sea, mo ghrá." He lovingly smiles as he bows out of the room.
"We will also find that Chief God Finvarra will be reclusive from our gathering today for personal matters." Goddess Danu says as she motions for everyone to take a seat.
Morrígan scoffs, "It doesn't surprise me that he is unable to make our gathering. He never does." She crosses her arms.
Goddess Danu is kind in her reply. "Being the Ruler of all Domhan Na Sidhe is not an easy task. There are Seven different Domains that make up Sidhe, not just your Domhan na Cruinne." Goddess Danu's voice is very calming and loosens Morrígan's arms as well as her rage. "You would do well to keep your temper, sapling. I will not have a war break out at a time like this."
"Yes, mother." Morrígan's voice hushes to a whisper, wishing not to anger Goddess Danu.
"Now, since Bridgid has failed to make herself known to us today, I trust that her grandchildren, Montgomery and Michelina will not arrive, either." Goddess Danu looks to the group of leaders for an answer.
Mab looks around in confusion. "I have not seen those kids in centuries."
"I have only seen them once since their mother had died." Ériu adds as she leans up against the table.
"That was quite a few centuries ago." Áine says looking to Goddess Danu.
"It's been a bit longer than that." Jareth adds in a slight huff.
"Jareth," Goddess Danu turns to her grandchild. "How is the Bendith y Mamu crisis coming along?"
Jareth's ears perk upon hearing his name. "Stable," he nods to the group. "If we are lucky, they will finally be extinct. This will prove fruitful for the upcoming Samhain. I won't be as worried for the thinning of the veil of Réimsí Daonna." His Gaelic remains rusty as always. "Hopefully this baby stealing crisis will finally be through."
"That is good to hear," Goddess Danu gives a pleasing nod. "And what do we plan to do about the Goblins? I hear that they are still finding ways out of the Labyrinthian walls."
"I don't see why we shouldn't have them face extinction, either." Mab harshly adds, keeping her gaze away from Jareth. "Those createns are responsible for raping my fairies and creating the monstrous Bendith y Mamu, anyway."
"More slaughter?" Ériu pleads to Mab.
"What would that even accomplish?" Morrígan asks. "I have enough bloodshed to keep track of."
Jareth agrees with Mab. "It would do me a world of good-"
"Jareth." Áine scolds her son as she hits his shoulder.
"There is no need to cause the extinction of, yet another species." Goddess Danu speaks to dim the voices of the crowd. "We just need to keep them occupied and free of their own depression so they do not continue down this darkened road." She looks to all of her children. "Centuries ago, the Goblins were a primitive species. When we found them, they couldn't even create cognitive sentences or approach one of the Sidhe without the threat of their rabid bite. King Jareth has brought them up to be civilized throughout his years as ruler. He has raised them to speak, to build, to communicate, and to live a somewhat peaceful life. They are not perfect, but they are not what they once were."
"They are still unruly and tiresome." Jareth adds. "Lately, they have picked up some extra energy. It's quite out of the ordinary and something that I am looking into. There are some nights that I do not sleep. Some even refuse to assimilate and I constantly have to keep my eye on them to make sure some do not escape." Jareth is firm with his words towards Goddess Danu. She lets him continue. "They are still capturing human children."
Goddess Danu calms him with a simple rise of her hand. "How many human children have they taken in the last century?"
Jareth slowly exhales. "Only six-"
"Only six?" Goddess Danu seems confused with this number. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"That is a glorious number. You have done well." Goddess Danu's words are meaningful, but the emotion behind them warrant a second thought in Jareth's mind.
"You are a liar, young Jareth." Morrígan suddenly speaks.
He looks to her, eyes wide and a little baffled at her words. "I beg your pardon?"
"With the amount of human magic that has been seeping through the walls of our skies and soils, you cannot tell me that only six children have been taken."
"Six children have been taken." Jareth looks directly to Morrígan with fierce eyes. "Only five have stayed and already been given homes. My most recent runner, as you are all well aware, had rescued the baby back. This was only a few short human years ago."
"Then why is there a surplus of human magic, dear Jareth?" Ériu speaks.
"Surplus-" Jareth looks to his mother. "What surplus?"
"Jareth, mo ghrá," Áine smiles to her only son. "Are you sure that only five children have been kept?"
"It has been a slow millenia, but I am sure." Jareth leans his upper body up against the table.
"This is why we have called this meeting today, Jareth." Goddess Danu says as she lays a loving hand on her grandson. "Samhain Ceiliúradh na Sidhe is coming up, and your time of reign is coming to an end." Goddess Danu stands with Jareth. "As we all know, Montgomery and Michelina are up for the Labyrinthian crown, but there is a fear that something sinister is happening."
"Explain," Jareth says.
"Mo ghrá," Áine stands, "There are large pockets of unstable magic all around the Domhan Na Sidhe, in all Seven dominions." Her voice sounds sad. "It is causing sickness of some species, and railing up the rest. The instability of such magic leads us to believe it is human. If this is true, this means that there are more humans entering here through by other means, and we need to know where they are coming from."
"I had no idea this was happening." Jareth looks to Áine. "This explains why the Goblins have been more hyperactive lately. Mother, why hadn't you come to me sooner?"
"I was hoping that you would come to me first, mo ghrá." His mother lays a loving touch upon his cheek.
"This isn't my doing."
"And I believe my grandson." Goddess Danu speaks up. "But because of your position, Jareth, you are the only suspect that we have." She backs her chair away as she starts to walk around the room. "Now, with the Ceiliúradh na Sidhe coming up, you will have the possibility to pass your crown down to the twins. The twins have to be willing to take your place, of course."
"Which is highly doubtful, but do continue."
"They have been living within the Human Realm for some time now." Goddess Danu continues. "And humans are suddenly arriving in loads." She eyeballs Jareth to make sure he is keeping his attention. "Jareth I suggest that you go and make a visit to your cousin's and remind them of what is coming up." She looks to him intently. "And while you are in the human realm, I suggest that you try and clear your name and find out what is going on there. You might want to remind them that manipulating human magic is a capital crime, and maybe they can help you on the right track to figure out what is going on."
"Aye, Bandia." Jareth bows, catching what she is telling him. "I will leave by the break of dusk. I will need some help with my kingdom while I am gone."
"We can discuss details once this meeting is adjourned. And you may not stay there too long." Áine says threading her arm around his. "I will not force my son to dwell in that forsaken world any longer than he must."
"And young Jareth," Goddess Danu pulls him back. "You know more than any of us of the magic that humans unknowingly hold." Her words are heavy in the air. "Do what you must. But please be weary."
+x+x+x+
Jareth, the Goblin King; a feared and mighty Fae King that rules over the Labyrinthian throne and all who inhabit his land has succumbed to the restless throws of a twisted and fragile sleep. He made it a goal to find an accomidable sleeping position, but nothing he tried had worked. After what felt like hours, he ended up passing out in exhaustion with a silent prayer that nothing valuable would be broken by the break of dawn.
It is now a chilly Sunday morning and Jareth's eyes are finally closed and serious. He lays on one side of his body. He feels some discomfort as if his dreams had slipped into nightmares. His face is firm for his sleep had not been planned. He gradually slips back into consciousness as he feels an incessant poking sensation upon his shoulder. This feeling causes a slight groan to arise from deep within his throat, and the poking immediately stops. Trying to shift into a more comfortable position, he quickly remembers his predicament as he exhales in a huff before slowly fluttering his eyes open.
Mere inches from his face, a young pair of large emerald colored eyes stare directly into his. He blinks profusely, taken aback by the sudden closeness of the person. He manages to back his head into the cushion of the couch as the young, cherub-like face smiles brightly.
"Hi!" A small and meek voice springs from the youngling.
He continues to blink. "Hi."
It takes a few moments to regain his composure as he pulls himself up to some sort of sitting position. With no shirt, he does his best to make himself somewhat decent. Clearing his throat, he gently shakes his head to wake up.
"Are you hungwy?" She suddenly asks as she pulls her hands from behind her back to show a square-shaped pastry partly wrapped in silver packaging. He smiles at the unexpected gift.
"How kind of you." He lightly nods as he holds his hand out.
"It's a Pop Tart." Her smile grows exponentially as she places the sweet substance in his hand. "Mommy says to always eat bweakfast." She nods her head to every word. "Even if I'm not always hungwy." She scrunches her face at the rule.
"Your mommy is right." He says as he takes a nibble. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have you eaten?"
"Uh-huh." She hums through her smile as she twirls in place. She stops her movement as she points to the space heater. "Why..." she tries to think of the words to say. "Why are you... stuck?" Her brow curls in determination. "On the hot... thing?" She sees his predicament and is very confused.
"That is a wonderful question, dear." His reply helps her small grin grow. "A question that I've been asking myself all night."
"Huh?" His answer doesn't help her confusion.
"Who, might I ask, is your mommy?" Jareth swiftly changes the subject.
His question causes a giggle to stir within her. "Yo'wr silly! You know my mommy!" Her smile is adoring.
"You know that?" He asks with playfully wide eyes.
"Mmhmm!"
"Aren't you going to ask who I am?"
"Okay." Her smile never leaves. "Who are you?"
His brow curls. "You're not afraid that I might be a stranger?"
"Silly!" She giggles as she holds her stomach. "You work with mommy!"
"I do?" He genuinely asks. She giggles more.
"Mommy says yo'wr from work." She leaps in the air. "Yo'wr new!" She throws her arms in the air.
"New?"
"Yeah!" She twirls in place. "Lots of mommy's fwiends come over!" Everything she says comes off as a celebration by how she leaps in place. "They're all fun!"
"What does your mommy do?" He is curious to see how much she knows.
"She does the circus!" She exclaims with excitement.
Jareth's eyes grow wide. "The circus-"
"What's yo'wr name?" The small child rocks back and forth on the soles of her feet. Her hair is long, dark, and wavy, much like her mothers. He can hear a slight lisp in her voice from what he assumes are her baby teeth forming.
His head tilts in the slightest. "I'm Jareth," his voice hums in a warm bass of the morning air as he slicks his bed head back. "What might your name be?" He asks, although he is almost positive that he might already know it.
"Ellie!" She shouts, shoving her arms high in the air. Her smile brightens the room. "I like yo'wr name, Jaweth." She points to him as she slams her hands back down at her side.
"I like yours, too." He adjusts his legs to get a little more comfortable.
"Really?!" She gasps in surprise, slapping her hands to her face in playful shock. Her smile never leaves.
"How old are you, Ellie?" His eyes sparkle with impish delight at her personality. Toddlers always have been Jareth's favorite age to watch.
"Fowr-" She struggles with the number as she pulls her hand up to show her age on her fingers. "Almost." She has a hard time holding the number up as fingers find their place in the air. This charms Jareth to no end. He was never able to control his impulse to mirror the attitudes of the children he had come into contact with throughout the years.
This moment ends with the sound of the front door opening from the hallway. Jareth watches as Ellie's eyes grow in fear of the noise. She stays silent as she spins around to see who enters the house. Sarah can be seen wobbling into the living room with stacks of newspapers, folders, and books.
Seeing Ellie, she calls to her. "Ellie, you're supposed to be in bed." Sarah's tone isn't brash, but it is enough for Ellie to lower her head in shame. "Sweetie can you please close the door?"
"Yes, mama." The child speaks in obedience as she does what she is told.
"Aah, I see our guest is awake." Sarah smiles as she plops the bunches of paper onto a chair up against the wall.
"Is this how you treat all of your guests?" He lifts his chained arm to Sarah's attention.
"Only the ones I like," she leans up against the mountain of papers, "I see that my daughter has treated you to her specialty."
"And I am grateful." He lightly nods in Ellie's direction. This causes Ellie's smile to brighten.
"I got him bweakfast, mommy!"
"Yes, you did." Sarah turns her attention to the little girl. Her demeanor changes from friendly to motherly as she crosses her arms over her chest. "What are you doing out of bed?" Her voice is firm, but not angry.
Ellie's face instantly drops, as if she knew she was doing wrong. She immediately starts tearing up. "I'm sowry mama." Her eyes squeeze shut.
"Are you supposed to be running around?"
"No..."
"Then why are you out and about? And without any socks on?" Sarah notices Ellie's bare feet.
"I was..." Ellie struggles to come up with an excuse, "-scawed!" Her voice peeps as she pulls her hands up to rub her eyes.
"Scared of what?" Sarah asks as she kneels to Ellie's height.
The child looks to Jareth. "Of the... man."
"Oh," Sarah looks to Jareth. "You were afraid he might be a stranger."
"Mmhmm," Ellie's hands don't leave her eyes.
"That is understandable." Sarah continues. "But tell me," Sarah lovingly pulls Ellie's hands down to look into her eyes, "if you were afraid of him then why did you give him a Pop Tart?" Sarah fights the urge to grin to the hospitable three year old.
Ellie's eyes instantly become soaked. "I'm sowry!" Her emotions get the best of her as she starts to cry and wail.
Sarah's stands shaking her head at her daughter's over reaction to the situation. She shows a faint smile. "What are you doing?" She swiftly swoops her little girl into her arms.
Ellie sniffs, trying to control her cries. She hugs her mother with a strong squeeze. "Am I in twouble?"
"Of course not," Sarah chuckles as she leads Ellie's eyes to look to hers. "but you are sick and you are sensitive." Sarah's voice returns to a motherly firmness. "You don't need to be running about the cold house, especially without any socks on." Sarah lovingly grabs one of Ellie's toes.
Ellie giggles through her tears at her mother's antics. "I feel good, mama." Ellie's voice is small. Sarah has a hard time believing her tone.
"Hmm," Sarah kisses Ellie's forehead to feel for a temperature. "Your fever has gone down since I have left. That's good." Sarah's smile reassures Ellie as she leans over to let her down. "But just because you feel better doesn't mean you are well enough to running and wasting all of your energy. You need rest." Sarah caresses Ellie's cheeks as she brushes a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"He's pwetty, mama." Ellie points to Jareth.
"Don't change the subject." Sarah playfully reprimands.
"Why is he stuck?" Ellie's curiosity has instantly tampered with the mood of the room.
"Nice try." Sarah admits, "But back to bed you go-"
"You'll get burnded." Ellie slips away from her mom and walks up to Jareth who still continues to eat the Pop Tart.
"It's not turned on. He's fine." Sarah responds.
"Why are you there?" She asks, pointing to Jareth. Jareth takes this moment to look to Sarah, with curious eyes of his own. He, too would like to know the answer.
Sarah gently sighs, rising her hand to the center of her forehead. "He-uh... Okay fine- he is a magician and he is working on a magic trick. He got stuck and he is trying to fix it." Sarah blurts out something that resembles the truth.
Ellie's eyes squint in disbelief at her mother. "Magic?" She turns back to Jareth. "You can't do magic."
His brow perks at her challenge. "Can't I?" He sets aside the half eaten Pop Tart as he straightens up. He brings his face close to hers. "Are you watching closely?" She watches him intently.
She sees the unique shape of his eyes and whispers. "Yo'wr eyes are pwetty." Jareth smiles, at the compliment.
"Pay attention." He replies. His magic is quite muted, but he is able to work out a few little party tricks when he wants to. Right in front of her vision, he holds up his hand. She watches his hand as he slowly, yet swiftly pulls a yellow daffodil out of thin air. As the daffodil slowly appears, glitter spouts from each petal like a firework. Ellie's eyes are large in wonderment. Her jaw drops in a gasp as he hands her the flower to take. She holds it and pulls it close to her face to inspect the object. She pets the petals and sniffs its sweet smell and suddenly giggles.
"Magic." she can barely whisper. She is in awe.
"Okay. Bedtime." Sarah nods as she holds out her hand for Ellie to take.
Ellie turns to see her mother's hand and takes it. "He can do magic, mommy." She shows the flower with wide eyes.
"I told you." Sarah looks to see an extremely smug grin on Jareth's face. Sarah's eyes slightly roll.
"Can I lay in yo'wr bed, mommy?"
"Of course you can." Sarah leads her into the bedroom.
"Wait!" Ellie lets go of her hand as she runs back into the kitchen.
"Stop running-"
"I can't sleep without Lancelot!" Ellie runs to the kitchen table to find her brown teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck.
Sarah playfully tisks. "Oh no. How could you even forget?" She throws her hands in the air in exaggeration.
Ellies tender emotions take Sarah's joke seriously. "Imma bad mama." She says pulling the toy in for a sad hug. "I'm always forgetting him."
"Don't say that." Sarah acts shocked at her words.
"But I am." Ellie's sadness even affects Jareth to a degree.
"Well, if you're a bad mom, that means that I'm a bad mom, too." Sarah says looking down in disappointment to get a rise out of Ellie.
"Don't say that!" Ellie shouts as she runs back to her mom. She glomps Sarah in a big hug, causing Sarah to stumble in her balance a bit. "Yow'r the best mama." Ellie voice is muffled through Sarah's leg. "Yow'r my mama. Don't ever say that again."
Sarah wraps her arms around Ellie. "Well, then I don't want to hear you say that you're a bad mama either." She pets Ellie's head. "We will both be the best mama's ever. Deal?"
"Deal." Ellie's voice is weak and tired. Her lack of energy is starting to catch up with her. Sarah nods in agreement as she picks her up to take her into the room.
Jareth is left behind with his introspections. He watched the charming moment between a mother and a daughter, something that he never sees with the runners and wishaways. He thinks back to the day that he met the young Sarah. The memory is only a few years old in human years. It feels like mere days to a Fae being such as Jareth. He keeps replaying the thought in his head, but he just cannot conceive the thought that she now has her own child. The situation is far from difficult to understand. The father is nowhere to be seen, so Jareth suspects that the father wanted nothing to do with the child. He remembers this being a common theme in the story of young mothers who would wish their children to him- no- to those creatures. He is content to see a break in the pattern. Sarah's disposition changes completely when young Ellie enters the room. The child seems to unlock something within Sarah that causes Jareth more pondering. He feels as though can watch the the mother and child for ages. They entertain him enough for him to forget the interminable sting he feels in his wrist.
He looks to the hand that is still cuffed to the heater. He is starting to see a little redness around the area that is in continuous touch with the iron. He feels the urge to itch, but he knows that it will just worsen the pain. He silently replays the previous nights events and shakes his head at everything leading up to her slamming these cuffs where they now lay. Sarah was boorish and inconceivable. He doesn't have time to sit and dilly with this silly girl and her problems. He needs to get what he is here for and get out of here. He tries to think of some way for him to get out of these blasted cuffs and out the door.
Sarah comes back out of the bedroom and gently closes the door as quietly as she can. "I can never get her to just lay down and sleep." She says as she heads back into the room and into Jareth's vision.
He looks to her. His eyes are lazy and uncaring. "So, we work in the circus, do we?"
Sarah shrugs. "It's easier for her to pronounce than a "Professional Cabaret Ecdysiast"."
"Charming." He half-assedly remarks as he sees her come towards his direction. He watches her as she pulls the handcuff key out of her shirt. He sees that she has tied it to a chain as a necklace. "What's the matter? Has my captor grown bored with her plaything already?" In one swift motion she unlocks the cuff that keeps him chained to the heater so he is free to move about.
"It's cold in the house." She says with a calm voice as she turns the space heater on. "Ellie's warmth is more important than keeping you tied up."
"Why not just turn it on whilst I am attached?" He stands to stretch.
She looks to him with surprised eyes. "I may be bitchy, but I'm not inhumane." She finishes as she makes her way back towards the hallway, she can hear a harsh jingle that she knows is being made by the trapped Fae behind her.
"Hello?" His voice coo's the room.
"What?" She comes back in the room with a plastic bag in her hand.
"Get these off of me." He reiterates as he stands.
Sarah releases a confused chuckle. "Did you somehow get me out of my contract with "The Tweedles" last night?"
"No." His voice is stern.
"Then I guess you won't be getting out of those today." She tosses the bag for him to catch.
"Did you get me a prison costume, as well?" He starts to rummage through the bag, but he is pleasantly surprised by what he finds.
She shrugs, "I didn't know what size you were, so I took my best guess." She finishes as she returns to the papers that sit on the chair.
He pulls out a simple white long sleeve shirt and immediately starts to put it on. Trying to fit the cuff through the hole of the arm is a trying endeavor, but after a moment, he is able to breathe as his head pops out of the top of the soft cotton shirt. "It's a little snug," he mentions as Sarah turns to see his finely toned stomach pressed against the department store shirt. She mentally note that hugs his torso in all of the correct places for any attracted eye.
"It will look better if you changed into the pants I got you."
"I could handle my own clothing if I had my powers." His patience wears thin on this facade.
"Which is why I thought I'd return the favor and help you out." Sarah dismisses as she returns to her papers. "You're welcome." She adds as his anger seems to fill the room. Unable to take any more of this, he decides to drop the bag on the couch and head for the door. Her eyes don't have to follow to know what he is planning. "Where are you going?" She simply asks.
"To find that damn cop. I know he'll help me out." His footsteps are forceful.
"Are you sure?" Her question causes his movements to slow.
"Yes. I'm sure."
"Okay." Her voice berates his mind, urging him not to be so hasty. His belated sigh is enough for Sarah to know that he is listening. "Go ahead and risk ending up behind bars. Even if you are innocent, they will have to detain you for further questioning for having professional grade handcuffs on. But if you wanna waste time, go right ahead. I don't know how much time you have, and you know that you really can't do any of this alone, anyway, and you told me yourself that you needed some help-"
"Alright, enough." He stomps back into the room. "I'll play your stupid little game." He hisses standing in front of the stack of papers, "Not like I have a choice in the matter-" his eyes leer over to Sarah, "You could use a lesson in humanity from your child. I motion to remain here as her guest for the duration of my stay." He crosses his arms. "She has manners."
Sarah smiles with a gleeful look in her eye "She is quite endearing, isn't she?" She happily ignores his insult. "She likes you," Sarah looks up, "and I must warn you, if she likes something, she will feel inclined to keep it."
His arms drop to his side as he starts to wander around the apartment to stretch. "Something that she and her mother definitely have in common."
"And her father-" Her reply is quick and harsh. Jareth's ears perk at the comment. He looks towards her direction, wondering what that could mean. She continues with a different tone. "Don't be surprised if those cuffs will soon be replaced with ribbon."
"I beg your pardon?" He backs away from her.
Sarah grins turning, hoping to see some kind of reaction. "How else do you think Ellie makes her stuffed animals to sit up straight during tea time?" She chuckles as she turns back around to start sorting the papers. "She has been putting those stuffed toys through etiquette boot camp ever since she was able to walk. All besides Lancelot. He is the only one that will sit up without any help. That's why it's her favorite." She slows her movements as she gazes her bedroom door with sentimental eyes. "But now a new favorite might be in the works. Now she has a real boy."
Jareth continues to observe, taking everything in around him. "Well, at least we know where she gets that." he looks to the cuffs.
"Hey," she calls to him as she motions him to come to her. "I can't get through all of these by myself."
He leisurely waltzes up to the pile. "Am I supposed to know what all of this is?"
"I figured you'd be nosy enough to look and see for yourself." She says pulling a random newspaper to his face. He reads something concerning the club "M's Orchid". He looks down and glances over everything to see that every page and bundle inquires something about the twins' business.
"Where did you get all of this?" Jareth looks in wonderment as he picks up another random piece of paper to speed read.
"The city library keeps documentation on all buildings in the metro area. It's absurdly easy to gain access to all of this." She skims through all of the titles. "Some of these date back to the early 1920's." She whistles at the shocking year. "Looks like your story might not be so far-fetched, after all."
"Before we start," he asks as he picks up the plastic bag from the couch, "might I beg my captor for a request?"
"And that would be?"
"A washroom." his lips tighten, and his eyes grow dim. "I have been practically human for over twelve hours now, and humans are disgusting organisms."
"Ain't that the truth." Sarah points down the hall to the last door.
INDEX:
Bendith y Mamu - Fun fact! - Goblins were not the original monsters to be known to steal children, but rather their hellspawns named Bendith y Mamu's - which is the end result of a goblin raping a fairy. The species Bendith y Mamu is incredibly unstable and are known to steal human children from their cribs. They are not good creatures. The Fae are working to abolish them completely, while trying to bring up Goblins in their own society.
Tuatha de Dennan - "Tuatha" meaning "tribe". "Dennan" meaning "Danu".
Mo ghrá - "My love", or "loved one".
Sidhe - Or "Aos Sí" which is the name of the Fae race. Sidhe is the realm which they reside.
Ceiliúradh na Sidhe - It a rare annual event to elect new appointees to specific places of power celebrated during Samhain.
Domhan de Cruinne - Okay I completely made this one up. It is a botch gaelic way of saying "The Land of Seven". Not sure it if comes out correctly or not. "Domhan" generally translates to the word "dominion".