MORTAL BELOVED
CHAPTER 2.
*Explanations and Revelations*
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS!! PLEASE REVIEW AND A BIG THANK YOU TO KATZZAR and ELIZABETH Mc KAY FOR THE REVIEWS!
Ps: I do own Alanya, Findlay, the adoptive family, King Fagan, Seran the warrior woman and Corah, so please ask if you'd like to borrow them.
Get on with the story it only gets better from here!
Sarah couldn't believe her eyes. The woman that she had known mostly only from photos and a couple of dim memories stood here before her. Sarah knew her mother only as an actress and wondered how she had gained access to the underground. Yet here she was, living breathing. Sarah turned to face Jareth, unsure of whether or not this was some kind of joke or whether he had really summoned her from the Aboveground. Yet as she stared into his changeling eyes, she saw that he had no answers for her and his surprise was as potent as her own. Yet she also saw a hurt shining deep within their depths and knew that Jareth held his own reasons for being taken by surprise.
"Mother?" he echoed faintly, a look of disbelief crossing his perfect brow. The woman nodded. But looked past the goblin king and to her daughter.
"Come child, I have much to tell you" she stated simply and indicated that they should go outside and into the castle gardens.
* * *
As soon as the women had left his presence, Jareth let out a low growl. Why didn't Alanya tell him that Sarah was her daughter? He wondered silently. That woman was going to be the death of him. Alanya, the stubborn hard headed rebel elven leader had always gotten on Jareths nerves. With her damning speeches always condemning his conduct in some matter or other, or demands for troops to assist in the defence of her masters kingdom. He had known that their was something about her but had never bothered to discover what it was. A fact that he regretted now.
"Now I know where Sarah gets her stubborn streak from" he muttered and conjured a crystal. He was on the verge of commanding it to show Sarah and her mother so that he could find out what they were saying but decided against it, thinking that he should at least try and respect Sarah's privacy.
Anger raging through him, he hauled the crystal against a wall with all his might, leaving a strangely satisfying chip out of the bricks. The shards went flying into the air and disappeared silently.
Jareth didn't even feel the presence of his friend Findlay until he had spoken.
"I thought you had given up that bad habit what with your "lady" back and all!" teased the voice. Jareth motioned for Findlay to follow him into the throne room.
Jareth sat, as always with one leg draped over an arm of his throne. Turning to look at the older man he had to smile. Finn could go nowhere without causing a happy laugh. He was tall, with shoulders as broad and thick as small trees. His shoulder length ebony hair that glinted blue black in the moonlight, his blue, child's eyes full to the brim with innocence yet underneath, just beyond reach lay an untapped pain. His smile was broad and he always wore on yet was ferocious when defending a loved one.
Picking his anger back up, Jareth glared at the Feyan warrior, his friend that stood before him. They had met in the later years of the civil war when Jareth had been newly crowned after his fathers death, and had stuck close to each other since. Findlays young family had been caught in the fray and were massacred along with a great chunk of Jareth's population by the infamous borderlords who had united to see the Labyrinth and its new King fall, as the old one had so that they could take his place.
"Not right now Finn, how bout you go take a tour of my bog!" he snapped. Findlay quickly backed away and saw that Jareth really was troubled by something.
"Jareth, King or not, I am your oldest and dearest friend and you can tell me anything" he stated solemnly.
Jareth sighed in acquiescence "I have just discovered that Alanya is Sarah's birth mother" he said shortly. Findlay's eyes widened "Geez, that's harsh" he replied sympathetically.
"I don't need you to tell me that!" he roared. Narrowly quashing the desire to pitch his friend headfirst into the bog of eternal stench.
Finn saw this cross his face and decided to make a hasty getaway. Disappearing, he called. "I'll come back when you've calmed down and when it's safe!!" Findlay's voice echoed through the halls of Jareth's palace.
* * *
Outside, Sarah and Alanya were seated on the grass underneath the shad of an obliging tree. Sarah had so many questions but she wasn't sure which one to ask first. So she asked the one that she had wanted to for over ten years.
"Why?" she asked rawly.
Alanya sighed, "Sarah in order for you to understand why, you must first be told who, when where and what. I'd like to tell you, if you'll listen." She said voice strained.
Sarah nodded enthusiastically.
And Alanya settled down on the grass and shut her eyes, The she began.
"A long time ago, during the ages war, there existed a fierce warrior woman. This woman was trained in the arts of the fey, herself being of full elven blood and also the fighting techniques of mortal warriors. She was unstoppable, fiery, beautiful. She would yield to no one and was the one leader that the mortal king; Fagan, could rely on to bring back all of his soldiers alive from the ravages of battle. She was stunning, with magnificent red hair flying behind her setting alight the sky as she rode her steed. Gradually, as the war progressed, Fagan found that he loved his warrior in chief and they married. All this while the war was burning around them, choking them like smoke. The warrior woman fell pregnant. Yet until her due date, she fearlessly led the warriors into battle and cared for them.
After the child was born, and for the first year of it's life, the war seemed to subside, reduced to mere skirmishes in the tropical borderlands. Yet the warrior was certain that it would rage up again and she knew she had to be ready for that day. Shortly after, on the child's second birthday, the war reached the castle gates and the demonic soldiers of fortune that the borderlords had employed as mercenaries broke through their last line of defence. The soldiers tried, but they were no match for...for those creatures. The warrior barely had time to place her daughter in a basket, run up to the tallest room in the tallest tower and hide her there. She ran back down in time to see the creatures slaughtering her husband mercilessly and ran straight in to fight, no matter what the consequences. The warrior was outnumbered and was easily executed by the heartless mercenaries. The borderlords took the castle they had conquered for their own and set up base there for their next attack. The Goblin King, Jareth's father. That was their ultimate goal, to posess the castle, the city the labyrinth and the throne of the most powerful king of the underground, Jareth's father was mortified to hear of the surprise attack on his allies castle as he and his forces had been on the south border pushing back with ease, the demonic army. It was then that he realised that he had fallen into the bordelord's hands and had taken the bait. Effectivly seeing him out of range to help the mortal king and giving the borderlords another move closer to their goal, his throne.
In a fit of foresight or rage, *no one ever knew* he called all of his army together for a force march on the now fallen castle of his deceased allies. The borderlords had no hope, with only half of their forces having arrived at the new base. Most of them perished in the fray, and the few that didn't, the King, displaying his rarely shown merciful side, exiled them back to the borderlands never to pollute his noe his allies cities with their presence ever again.
As The then Goblin King was leaving the castle, to return home, he heard the plaintive cry of a babe and remembered that the pair had indeed had a child. He tracked the sound and with his preternatural hearing quickly came upon the feyling. He scooped up the female child and placed her in a loving, though childless home in the elven city.
The Goblin King kept his eyes on the child and knew that this child would be instrumental in the future of his family and land. After this he placed another mortal on the throne and prayed that he would fare better than his predecessors.
The child grew, bearing no resemblance to her vibrant mother, instead looking like her father, *not that she knew this* she was small and dark with wild fierce brown eyes and a peaceful temperament.
She grew quickly into a beautiful young woman and very soom found herself with child to a fey that she was in love with, The child was born and the two were to be married soon after, yet tragedy struck yet again for this ill fated family and her beloved perished in the newly broken out civil war. The young woman feared for her safety and upon advice from a sage, fled to the above ground with her child. The first person she met, was a nice man who took her into his home and looked after her. After a couple of months in the mortal realm, both felt the attraction to the other and they wed. However, the woman was never able to stop thinking about her home, her family she had left behind. and she knew that she would have to return. When her daughter was seven years old, she left. She knew that the war had not stopped and that it wouldn't be safe to bring a child to the underground at that time. So she returned to her family, a woman without her child and found nothing but a shell of the life she had used to lead. Her mother was old and frail, the death of her father being a heavy burden for the woman to bear, also the worry for her son who had enlisted in the army of the Elven King to defend their city from invasion.
It was then that her mother told the woman the story of her heritage that the Goblin King had told her as he had given her the child. The woman wept for her parents and knew that she must honour them. She became an ambassador of peace for the kingdom and helped bring about the end of the civil war that had cost all involved greatly. The Underground was once again returned to peace. It was at this time that the previous Goblin King passed on from a severe illness to which there was no cure and a young, naive, as yet un-cynical Jareth took the throne.
He had watched the daughter of the ambassador ever since her mother had departed and when her "father" re-married and her stepmother bore a son, he saw his chance, he knew that it would only be a matter of time until she said the words and wished the boy away into oblivion."
Alanya stopped talking suddenly and gave Sarah time to absorb all that she had said, she watched the girls expression go from shock, to love, to anger, and back to plain old amazement.
"You know the story from there on" she stated.
"What was my grandmothers name?" asked Sarah,
"Seran" replied Alanya. "My mother"
Sarah rose shakily to her feet and held out her hand to her mother.
"Are you a fey?" she asked.
Alanya shook her head. "I have my father's influence and am a mortal, yet my mothers heritage gave me the ability to travel between this place and the mortal realm." She answered.
Sarah hesitated. "Am I a fey?" Alanya hesitated this time and then lifted sarah's arm showing her the birthmark that she had thought nothing of until them.
"You have the mark" she replied. Sarah's eyes widened.
"So then that she should mean that I am half fey, half mortal" she stated.
Alanya nodded. And stared apologetically at her daughter.
"Am I immortal?" she asked her mother. Alanya nodded.
"Your growth patterns are almost untraceable, you will, be forever an immortal half fey" she replied looking away.
Sarah smiled, "Mother, I know that you did what you thought was right and that you were only thinking of my safety when you left me behind to return to the underground" she said softly.
Sarah embraced her mother. "Did you bring me back here or was it Jareth?" she asked, not daring to hope. Alanya looked at her daughter, knowing full well what she wanted to hear, telling her the truth, she said. "Jareth" Sarah smiled and then asked,
"Do you know why?" she asked, curiousity about the tormented King filling her.
"You have given up your three mortal rights" she said regret tinging her voice.
This puzzled Sarah but before she got a chance to pursue the question further, she saw Jareth approaching.
"Come my ladies, breakfast awaits you" he said with a wicked grin toward Sarah. He bowed then escorted them back to the castle.
Let's hope there are no more uninvited breakfast guests… thought Jareth wryly to himself.
He knew that he needed to talk with Sarah, about why he had brought her back here and he hoped that her mother hadn't said anything yet.
* * *
They sat at the table and ate the delicious breakfast that was served to them by two blonde goblins. Sarah wanted to talk further to her mother about her being half fey, yet she also felt the prick of hurt upon discovering that her father, the man she had known her entire life, was not what he had made himself out to be.
Yet, much to Sarah's disappointment and Jareth's relief, Alanya announced that she had important business to attend to and that she would return that evening to talk to Sarah further. The instant she was gone, Jareth scooted over to where Sarah was sitting and turned on his best charm. "What did she have to say?" he asked genially.
* * *
Sarah turned on him, a glint in her eyes. She wasn't ready just yet to share what she had discovered, and she couldn't be sure that he hadn't just listened in anyway.
"Uh Uh Mr! You are not getting off the hook that easily! It's great to be back here, but tell me why Jareth, why did you bring me back?" she asked.
Jareth smirked and Sarah felt the breath being pulled out of her.
"I didn't, you did" he said in the riddle ridden tongue of his.
"Cut the crap Jareth, tell me or I leave now" she demanded. Jareth smiled. Only his sarah would make demands when he was the one in control here, the one who held all the power, he thought, deciding to ignore that mocking little voice in the back of his head telling him that indeed Sarah did wield some pretty potent magic over him.
"You gave up your three mortal rights" he stated simply, in answer to her demand.
Sarah rolled her eyes skyward. "I keep on hearing that. But comprehension Is so far, elusive" she said.
Jareth eyed her carefully and explained.
"Before I brought you here, you acknoweaged that you had lost your friends, your family and your sense of self. You thought it freely and as those are the three traits a mortal need possess you gave up your residence in that world and unknowingly accepted life in mine, As I was the last fey you had contact with, my claim on you in renewed and you now are allowed to reside here with me for as long as you desire. But know this, there is no going back from such serious actions Sarah, even if they were unconscious"
The words reverberated in Sarah's ears "No going back" she heard it but didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to believe that the man in front of her could be so cruel.
Dipping into her thoughts, Jareth was distressed by what he found. On the contrary, he was not to blame this situation just fell into his lap, Not that he minded.
"Sarah, I'm not to blame for this, there are certain rules in place that have been for as long as any fey can remember, I am forced to abide by them and according to the rules you are now," and he laughed wickedly. "mine".
CHAPTER 2.
*Explanations and Revelations*
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS!! PLEASE REVIEW AND A BIG THANK YOU TO KATZZAR and ELIZABETH Mc KAY FOR THE REVIEWS!
Ps: I do own Alanya, Findlay, the adoptive family, King Fagan, Seran the warrior woman and Corah, so please ask if you'd like to borrow them.
Get on with the story it only gets better from here!
Sarah couldn't believe her eyes. The woman that she had known mostly only from photos and a couple of dim memories stood here before her. Sarah knew her mother only as an actress and wondered how she had gained access to the underground. Yet here she was, living breathing. Sarah turned to face Jareth, unsure of whether or not this was some kind of joke or whether he had really summoned her from the Aboveground. Yet as she stared into his changeling eyes, she saw that he had no answers for her and his surprise was as potent as her own. Yet she also saw a hurt shining deep within their depths and knew that Jareth held his own reasons for being taken by surprise.
"Mother?" he echoed faintly, a look of disbelief crossing his perfect brow. The woman nodded. But looked past the goblin king and to her daughter.
"Come child, I have much to tell you" she stated simply and indicated that they should go outside and into the castle gardens.
* * *
As soon as the women had left his presence, Jareth let out a low growl. Why didn't Alanya tell him that Sarah was her daughter? He wondered silently. That woman was going to be the death of him. Alanya, the stubborn hard headed rebel elven leader had always gotten on Jareths nerves. With her damning speeches always condemning his conduct in some matter or other, or demands for troops to assist in the defence of her masters kingdom. He had known that their was something about her but had never bothered to discover what it was. A fact that he regretted now.
"Now I know where Sarah gets her stubborn streak from" he muttered and conjured a crystal. He was on the verge of commanding it to show Sarah and her mother so that he could find out what they were saying but decided against it, thinking that he should at least try and respect Sarah's privacy.
Anger raging through him, he hauled the crystal against a wall with all his might, leaving a strangely satisfying chip out of the bricks. The shards went flying into the air and disappeared silently.
Jareth didn't even feel the presence of his friend Findlay until he had spoken.
"I thought you had given up that bad habit what with your "lady" back and all!" teased the voice. Jareth motioned for Findlay to follow him into the throne room.
Jareth sat, as always with one leg draped over an arm of his throne. Turning to look at the older man he had to smile. Finn could go nowhere without causing a happy laugh. He was tall, with shoulders as broad and thick as small trees. His shoulder length ebony hair that glinted blue black in the moonlight, his blue, child's eyes full to the brim with innocence yet underneath, just beyond reach lay an untapped pain. His smile was broad and he always wore on yet was ferocious when defending a loved one.
Picking his anger back up, Jareth glared at the Feyan warrior, his friend that stood before him. They had met in the later years of the civil war when Jareth had been newly crowned after his fathers death, and had stuck close to each other since. Findlays young family had been caught in the fray and were massacred along with a great chunk of Jareth's population by the infamous borderlords who had united to see the Labyrinth and its new King fall, as the old one had so that they could take his place.
"Not right now Finn, how bout you go take a tour of my bog!" he snapped. Findlay quickly backed away and saw that Jareth really was troubled by something.
"Jareth, King or not, I am your oldest and dearest friend and you can tell me anything" he stated solemnly.
Jareth sighed in acquiescence "I have just discovered that Alanya is Sarah's birth mother" he said shortly. Findlay's eyes widened "Geez, that's harsh" he replied sympathetically.
"I don't need you to tell me that!" he roared. Narrowly quashing the desire to pitch his friend headfirst into the bog of eternal stench.
Finn saw this cross his face and decided to make a hasty getaway. Disappearing, he called. "I'll come back when you've calmed down and when it's safe!!" Findlay's voice echoed through the halls of Jareth's palace.
* * *
Outside, Sarah and Alanya were seated on the grass underneath the shad of an obliging tree. Sarah had so many questions but she wasn't sure which one to ask first. So she asked the one that she had wanted to for over ten years.
"Why?" she asked rawly.
Alanya sighed, "Sarah in order for you to understand why, you must first be told who, when where and what. I'd like to tell you, if you'll listen." She said voice strained.
Sarah nodded enthusiastically.
And Alanya settled down on the grass and shut her eyes, The she began.
"A long time ago, during the ages war, there existed a fierce warrior woman. This woman was trained in the arts of the fey, herself being of full elven blood and also the fighting techniques of mortal warriors. She was unstoppable, fiery, beautiful. She would yield to no one and was the one leader that the mortal king; Fagan, could rely on to bring back all of his soldiers alive from the ravages of battle. She was stunning, with magnificent red hair flying behind her setting alight the sky as she rode her steed. Gradually, as the war progressed, Fagan found that he loved his warrior in chief and they married. All this while the war was burning around them, choking them like smoke. The warrior woman fell pregnant. Yet until her due date, she fearlessly led the warriors into battle and cared for them.
After the child was born, and for the first year of it's life, the war seemed to subside, reduced to mere skirmishes in the tropical borderlands. Yet the warrior was certain that it would rage up again and she knew she had to be ready for that day. Shortly after, on the child's second birthday, the war reached the castle gates and the demonic soldiers of fortune that the borderlords had employed as mercenaries broke through their last line of defence. The soldiers tried, but they were no match for...for those creatures. The warrior barely had time to place her daughter in a basket, run up to the tallest room in the tallest tower and hide her there. She ran back down in time to see the creatures slaughtering her husband mercilessly and ran straight in to fight, no matter what the consequences. The warrior was outnumbered and was easily executed by the heartless mercenaries. The borderlords took the castle they had conquered for their own and set up base there for their next attack. The Goblin King, Jareth's father. That was their ultimate goal, to posess the castle, the city the labyrinth and the throne of the most powerful king of the underground, Jareth's father was mortified to hear of the surprise attack on his allies castle as he and his forces had been on the south border pushing back with ease, the demonic army. It was then that he realised that he had fallen into the bordelord's hands and had taken the bait. Effectivly seeing him out of range to help the mortal king and giving the borderlords another move closer to their goal, his throne.
In a fit of foresight or rage, *no one ever knew* he called all of his army together for a force march on the now fallen castle of his deceased allies. The borderlords had no hope, with only half of their forces having arrived at the new base. Most of them perished in the fray, and the few that didn't, the King, displaying his rarely shown merciful side, exiled them back to the borderlands never to pollute his noe his allies cities with their presence ever again.
As The then Goblin King was leaving the castle, to return home, he heard the plaintive cry of a babe and remembered that the pair had indeed had a child. He tracked the sound and with his preternatural hearing quickly came upon the feyling. He scooped up the female child and placed her in a loving, though childless home in the elven city.
The Goblin King kept his eyes on the child and knew that this child would be instrumental in the future of his family and land. After this he placed another mortal on the throne and prayed that he would fare better than his predecessors.
The child grew, bearing no resemblance to her vibrant mother, instead looking like her father, *not that she knew this* she was small and dark with wild fierce brown eyes and a peaceful temperament.
She grew quickly into a beautiful young woman and very soom found herself with child to a fey that she was in love with, The child was born and the two were to be married soon after, yet tragedy struck yet again for this ill fated family and her beloved perished in the newly broken out civil war. The young woman feared for her safety and upon advice from a sage, fled to the above ground with her child. The first person she met, was a nice man who took her into his home and looked after her. After a couple of months in the mortal realm, both felt the attraction to the other and they wed. However, the woman was never able to stop thinking about her home, her family she had left behind. and she knew that she would have to return. When her daughter was seven years old, she left. She knew that the war had not stopped and that it wouldn't be safe to bring a child to the underground at that time. So she returned to her family, a woman without her child and found nothing but a shell of the life she had used to lead. Her mother was old and frail, the death of her father being a heavy burden for the woman to bear, also the worry for her son who had enlisted in the army of the Elven King to defend their city from invasion.
It was then that her mother told the woman the story of her heritage that the Goblin King had told her as he had given her the child. The woman wept for her parents and knew that she must honour them. She became an ambassador of peace for the kingdom and helped bring about the end of the civil war that had cost all involved greatly. The Underground was once again returned to peace. It was at this time that the previous Goblin King passed on from a severe illness to which there was no cure and a young, naive, as yet un-cynical Jareth took the throne.
He had watched the daughter of the ambassador ever since her mother had departed and when her "father" re-married and her stepmother bore a son, he saw his chance, he knew that it would only be a matter of time until she said the words and wished the boy away into oblivion."
Alanya stopped talking suddenly and gave Sarah time to absorb all that she had said, she watched the girls expression go from shock, to love, to anger, and back to plain old amazement.
"You know the story from there on" she stated.
"What was my grandmothers name?" asked Sarah,
"Seran" replied Alanya. "My mother"
Sarah rose shakily to her feet and held out her hand to her mother.
"Are you a fey?" she asked.
Alanya shook her head. "I have my father's influence and am a mortal, yet my mothers heritage gave me the ability to travel between this place and the mortal realm." She answered.
Sarah hesitated. "Am I a fey?" Alanya hesitated this time and then lifted sarah's arm showing her the birthmark that she had thought nothing of until them.
"You have the mark" she replied. Sarah's eyes widened.
"So then that she should mean that I am half fey, half mortal" she stated.
Alanya nodded. And stared apologetically at her daughter.
"Am I immortal?" she asked her mother. Alanya nodded.
"Your growth patterns are almost untraceable, you will, be forever an immortal half fey" she replied looking away.
Sarah smiled, "Mother, I know that you did what you thought was right and that you were only thinking of my safety when you left me behind to return to the underground" she said softly.
Sarah embraced her mother. "Did you bring me back here or was it Jareth?" she asked, not daring to hope. Alanya looked at her daughter, knowing full well what she wanted to hear, telling her the truth, she said. "Jareth" Sarah smiled and then asked,
"Do you know why?" she asked, curiousity about the tormented King filling her.
"You have given up your three mortal rights" she said regret tinging her voice.
This puzzled Sarah but before she got a chance to pursue the question further, she saw Jareth approaching.
"Come my ladies, breakfast awaits you" he said with a wicked grin toward Sarah. He bowed then escorted them back to the castle.
Let's hope there are no more uninvited breakfast guests… thought Jareth wryly to himself.
He knew that he needed to talk with Sarah, about why he had brought her back here and he hoped that her mother hadn't said anything yet.
* * *
They sat at the table and ate the delicious breakfast that was served to them by two blonde goblins. Sarah wanted to talk further to her mother about her being half fey, yet she also felt the prick of hurt upon discovering that her father, the man she had known her entire life, was not what he had made himself out to be.
Yet, much to Sarah's disappointment and Jareth's relief, Alanya announced that she had important business to attend to and that she would return that evening to talk to Sarah further. The instant she was gone, Jareth scooted over to where Sarah was sitting and turned on his best charm. "What did she have to say?" he asked genially.
* * *
Sarah turned on him, a glint in her eyes. She wasn't ready just yet to share what she had discovered, and she couldn't be sure that he hadn't just listened in anyway.
"Uh Uh Mr! You are not getting off the hook that easily! It's great to be back here, but tell me why Jareth, why did you bring me back?" she asked.
Jareth smirked and Sarah felt the breath being pulled out of her.
"I didn't, you did" he said in the riddle ridden tongue of his.
"Cut the crap Jareth, tell me or I leave now" she demanded. Jareth smiled. Only his sarah would make demands when he was the one in control here, the one who held all the power, he thought, deciding to ignore that mocking little voice in the back of his head telling him that indeed Sarah did wield some pretty potent magic over him.
"You gave up your three mortal rights" he stated simply, in answer to her demand.
Sarah rolled her eyes skyward. "I keep on hearing that. But comprehension Is so far, elusive" she said.
Jareth eyed her carefully and explained.
"Before I brought you here, you acknoweaged that you had lost your friends, your family and your sense of self. You thought it freely and as those are the three traits a mortal need possess you gave up your residence in that world and unknowingly accepted life in mine, As I was the last fey you had contact with, my claim on you in renewed and you now are allowed to reside here with me for as long as you desire. But know this, there is no going back from such serious actions Sarah, even if they were unconscious"
The words reverberated in Sarah's ears "No going back" she heard it but didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to believe that the man in front of her could be so cruel.
Dipping into her thoughts, Jareth was distressed by what he found. On the contrary, he was not to blame this situation just fell into his lap, Not that he minded.
"Sarah, I'm not to blame for this, there are certain rules in place that have been for as long as any fey can remember, I am forced to abide by them and according to the rules you are now," and he laughed wickedly. "mine".