AN: *blinks* Wow, if I had known almost killing off one of the main
characters would get that kind of response I would have done it about
five chapters ago... LOL, kidding. I was totally blow away by all the
reviews, replies, etc... You guys keep me writing... well I'd write
anyway but you guys keep me writing a lot faster! =) (Wohoo I broke 100!)

Anyway, some explanation here in this chapter for what's been going on.
I think I took care of everything I meant to, course I can't reveal
everything, mainly because I haven't figured everything out for myself
yet.

And yes, I've read Anne McCaffrey, Dragonriders was my first fantasy
novel ever when I was a kid. My concepts are a little different, so
no this isn't a Pern crossover by any means (god help me if it was
cause her lawyers are scary) but the whole dragon thing is similar.
And I'm also a big fan of Terry Pratchett, especially Death. Death
and the Luggage. Sapient pearwood just can't get any cooler than
that. ;) *glances up* Dang I was chatty. Enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever...



*******************Sacrifices: Chapter Twelve**************


"Damn it you almost killed her!" Drevlyn raised dark brows in an
exxagerated expression of disbelief.

"I?! I almost killed her? Calm down Jareth, she's immortal." Jareth
growled as one hand gently smoothed away strands of errant hair. His
trembling fingers strayed for a moment, to brush across pale ivory
skin, to outline the shape of soft parted lips. He turned to look at
his almost brother and the Dragon Prince failed the test in his grave,
cold, passionate eyes.

There was too much pain there, too much love to be looked upon by any
but the receiver. And the receiver was lying unconscious in Jareth's
bed. Jareth spoke and Drevlyn couldn't help but listen, listen and
wonder if one day he would ever, could ever feel such passion, such
sincere tenderness, such warmth for any one creature.

Drevlyn's gaze flickered to his Queen. She was watching him silently
from her perch on the end of the bed, emerald gaze steady.

"You forget Drevlyn. She was granted immortality but she's
defenseless, as defenseless as a babe..." Jareth glowered at the
Dragon Queen. "As she ever was before," he amended sourly. "I... If
this had been directed at her she would have been dead right now
instead of greviously wounded."

"Yes," Drevlyn replied, voice sardonic, "instead it was, luckily,
directed at my Queen and the future of my race. My future Jareth.
What the hell got into you back there?" The question, the accusation
came too soon. The Dragon Prince realized it the moment the bitter
words left his mouth.

Jareth had not thought before he acted back there. Drevlyn should
have expected little else. He had professed his love of the human to
the Dragon Prince, had sworn not to reveal that love until he knew,
without a shadow of a doubt, that it was returned. But Jareth was
never good with controlling his anger and his brush with Evirey had
set him on edge... Drevlyn's interference and slight breech of trust
had probably only heightened the Goblin King's uneasiness. When faced
by another wanting what was already claimed and sworn as his...

No wonder he had lashed out, even if it was directed at the Dragon
Queen. Jareth pulled himself to his full and considerable height,
eyes blazing as he glared down his almost brother.

"I shall not be criticized in my own home. In my Labyrinth, in my
castle, in my private quarters. I am King here Drevlyn, never forget
it." Drevlyn fought back rising anger of his own but couldn't stop
the acid reply that came rushing out.

"And would you have us leave? Would you feed us to our enemies
Jareth? Go ahead! Tell us to leave! We shall, in a heart beat!
We'll be gone, and dead a breath later." Jareth hissed, furious.

"I didn't ask to be your bloody protector Drevlyn!"

"No!" Drevlyn snapped back, "You volunteered! Or does Dragon's Trust
mean nothing to you?" Jareth wanted to hit him, Drevlyn could see it
in his cold mismatched eyes, and only barely managed to fight down the
urge in himself. Jareth was not an easy man to fight with, despite
his inclination to anger. The only one Drevlyn had ever seen handle
the Goblin King in a state of true fury was Sarah. Sarah who lay,
still, pale, like marble. Beloved marble.

The new Queen of the Dragons broke the moment. She was off the bed
like lightning and standing, roused, in between the two men, sliver
smoke pouring out of flared nostrils.

'Fools!' The mental reprimand was scathing. Two pairs of eyes fixed
on her, the argument broken by her timely unwanted interruption.
Emerald eyes whirled and sparked as a golden snout pointed, accusing,
to the silent human who shifted in the restless slumber of one lost to
unconsciousness.

'I live and she lives yet. No fighting! We stay, for now.' Drevlyn
bowed promptly with the verdict of his Queen and she smiled a Dragon's
smile.

"And if I demand that you both leave?" Jareth's delicately poised
question was deadly. The newborn Dragon cast a bland calculating
glance towards the cold, seething Goblin King.

'If I leave Sarah leaves. We will all die at Draculo's fangs.' It
was said off handedly but, gods, it was the truth and every conscious
being in the room knew that.

Knew that for all her power the Dragon Queen was still a child, a
babe. Never mind that she possessed the racial memory of every Queen
before her. That in a week's time she would be able to handle all
affairs of the Dragon State. It would be fifty years before she could
transform into a human, full grown. Seventy five before she would
marry and Drevlyn would become King of the Dragons, complete, and
Jareth's equal.

Dragons were unique as a race. In their monarchy only the position of
King was handed down by blood. Drevlyn was son of the reclusive,
previous King of the Dragons and the deceased Queen. A Queen could
come from any one bloodline though... Whenever the current Queen
stepped down or, due to choice or tragedy, died, one egg out of all
the eggs laid by every female Dragon had a chance of being the Queen,
identified by the gold shell.

There was less discontent, less revolt that way which was fortunate.
Despite Drevlyn's easy-going manner Dragons, on a whole, were hot
blooded and quick to goad into a rage. There was enough tumult now
that, that not even Draco castle was a safe refuge. There were enough
magical protections to shield the weak and vulnerable Queen from the
wrath of Dragon's mortal enemies, Vampires, to be sure but betrayal
from within the Dragons was all too likely now days. Not all
bloodlines had been pleased by the birth of this newest Queen.

Without an acting King and bereft of a Queen the Dragons, as a race,
had been stagnant and powerless politically. They had no one to
represent them at Sidhe Court and didn't have enough magical power to
ignore the Court with the arrogance that Jareth succeeded with.

For almost thirty years there had been no Queen egg and, little hope
for the Dragons as a whole, save the friendship of one particular
Goblin King. A friendship that had been sorely tested as of late. A
friendship that was one of the sole reasons that Dragons still existed
as an independent race. There was not slavery Underground but there
was war. There was the bitter enmity of the Vampires to contend
with.

But the little Dragon Queen could not, would not leave without Sarah.

"Jareth... forgive me my harsh words, forgive my race its impetuous
actions." Drevlyn bowed his head and stepped away, putting distance
between himself and the irate Goblin King, protector, defender of the
Dragon people, his people, as the little gold Dragon watched on with
silent approval. Drevlyn spread his clawed hands before him in
supplication before continuing, frightened, because so much rested on
the good will of his hot tempered friend.

"Please, try to understand about Sarah... I, you are holder of
Dragon's Trust but I, none of us, ever explained, truly explained what
that title means. This you know, that by accepting it you are made,
in all sense but form, one of us forever. I could call you Brother
and none would gainsay me.

"But its something greater as well. Dragons don't have a true
childhood. We grow larger, stronger, more sure, but our minds are
almost fully formed when we are born. Every Dragon has a store of
racial memory passed down through their bloodline and family tree,
bits of stored wealth and personality... this you know as well. What
you do not know, what no one does outside the small select circle of
Dragon's Trust is that we, we are very vulnerable when we are born.

"You... imagine cracking open the only world you have ever known and
finding yourself in a place where your head is already full of a
thousand bits of wisdom, where you must speak and move and think along
with hundreds of voices, ghosts of the past, clamoring for a say.

"Insanity is common in young who do not soul touch when they come out
of the egg. Its is vital, necessary, for a child to make contact, to
touch the soul, the mind, of an ordered, coherent individual, to feel
common sense and reasoning at work, to know what their own mind, their
own souls, should look like.

"There's a bond between those who are soul touched and, it is a sacred
position usually held by close family friends, other Dragons.
Occasionally, when another being has proven themselves worthy, beyond,
above worthy they go through the ceremony that was performed for you
Jareth. And in becoming part of our race those of Dragon Trust are
candidates for soul touch.

"There are some beings who walk from cave to cave, meeting children as
they come from the egg, giving them the gift of sanity and ordered
thought. I... Forgive me Jareth. I thought, hoped, that you would
be the one that my Queen soul touched.

"My people are troubled Jareth, are in so much pain, and I cannot help
them, not yet. Not until my Queen, my treasure, is grown, is strong
enough to mend the tears of the Dragons. I... I have never met anyone
with more strength, with more power, with a soul as bright as yours.
I did not tell you because I feared you would refuse to let another
being look into your heart. And she would have. If you were the
first person she saw when she breathed her first gasp of air then she
would have saw the deepest parts of you and, would have reflected
them. We are not made by those we soul touch, but we are formed, are
molded into a rough approximation that time and life smoothes and
polishes.

"I, I did not set out to deceive you. You are my Brother Jareth but I
can't stand by and do nothing, not when, by giving such a small part
of yourself, you could save a race so close to being lost." The
Goblin King's frigid, severe features did not soften with Drevlyn's
speech, did not forgive, but his eyes, the tightness around his full
mouth eased, thawed. The angry line of Jareth's shoulders wavered and
broke. The Dragon Prince tried not to weep in relief.

"But your Queen soul touched Sarah. Sarah is not of Dragon's Trust."
The little Queen blinked once and replied.

'Sarah holder of Dragon's Trust.' Jareth raised brows high in
response.

"Not that I am aware of Dragon Queen." The little Queen blinked,
lazily, again.

'I am Queen. Sarah holder of Dragon's Trust.' Drevlyn shrugged
helplessly at Jareth's sharp look.

"She... she is Queen Jareth. In that she is no different than you.
Her word is law." The Queen startled them both by stepping forward
and nudging Jareth's still fisted hand.

'She wakes Goblin King. We will retire to our rooms now.' The little
Queen paused for a moment and studied the Goblin King who met the
emerald gaze with brooding eyes. The newborn Dragon clicked sharply
and continued.

'Love her well. Do not cause her pain, more than you have dealt
anyway. She is, she is beautiful inside as well. Remember that.'
The Dragon went to the bed side where Sarah rolled, cold lips
murmuring soundlessly, restless in her physical pain. The Queen
touched her golden snout to one pale, lifeless hand, and turned to
leave, Drevlyn at her heel. She paused once, in the door way, and met
Jareth's piercing, hawk like eyes.

'When I leave, she leaves.'

The Goblin King replied, voice wintry.

"Then you shall be here for a very long time indeed Dragon Queen for
Sarah is mine, by my word, and her own." The little Dragon snorted
once in amusement and inclined her reptilian head, not a bow, but a
gesture of mutual respect.

'Good. She is yours, I am hers, and she is mine. And...' The Dragon
Queen faltered for a minute before her mental voice continued, softer,
more unguarded, less demanding as her emerald eyes shifted to Sarah.

'I have chosen a name.' Beside her Drevlyn stiffened. It usually
took years before a young Dragon decided upon a name, not hours. But
she was Queen. Her word was law. The newborn Dragon finished
speaking.

'My... My name is Melani. I am not Sarah's child but... One day I
hope someone will love me as she loves that girl. That someone will
love this Dragon Queen.' Her bright eyes flickered to Drevlyn who,
astonished by this unwarranted, unexpected, unprecedented show of
eloquent speech, was even more unnerved by the longing in his future
mate's voice.

Sarah's soul must be very beautiful indeed. The Dragon Queen, Melani,
left then, a gold shadow, and Drevlyn, after exchanging a many layered
look with Jareth, followed, gently closing the door behind him.

Leaving Jareth and Sarah alone.

Suddenly weak steps carried the Goblin King to her side. Jareth
swallowed. She was beautiful indeed, beautiful in such a fragile,
achingly fragile way. Sarah seemed so strong sometimes, was. Strong
enough to beat him at his own game, strong enough to capture his
capricious heart. Strong enough to be hit by a magical blow that
should have killed her.

Meant for her or not there was no way she should have been able to
survive that much power being thrown in her face. Almost hadn't.
Jareth swallowed again, terribly aware of how close he had just come
to losing something, someone that he had dreamed of for over twenty
years.

He wasn't the only one who hadn't been forgotten. He had woken up
enough times with her name, her elegant name on wistful lips, to know
that there was no use in pretending, in wishing for his heart and
sanity back. He would die for her and that frightened him, frightened
him almost as much as losing her because that meant, on a level never
before imagined, that he was losing himself, to love, to Sarah.

To a human that was his for eternity. But there were no guarantees
that went with that eternity. No way for Jareth to know if Sarah would
ever love him back, despite his assured words to Drevlyn, to himself.

The Goblin King sighed deeply as he sat on the edge of his bed and
took up one cold hand within his own warm one. He kissed the knuckles
and closed a pain filled gaze before leaning down and kissing a brow
unwrinkled yet by time, despite the two decades that had passed.

"Oh Sarah," he whispered as the other hand reached up rested, the back
of his hand against her flushed cheeks. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah... Do
you have any idea what I've been through, what I'd go through, what
I'm guaranteed to suffer for you? Do you have any idea what it's like
to be in love with someone who may never return that love?"

Sarah's eyes fluttered and, with a tired sigh of her own, opened.




AN2: Just a side note, cliff hangers aside, you guys will know when
I'm finished with this story. Trust me, the whole world will know.
I'll be darn glad to get my preoccupied mind back I might add. This
story has taken rein and isn't nice about letting go. =) Till 13...

~Kei