"Kyfrem, why does everyone keep congratulating me?" Toby demanded, handing his clothes over to the little goblin who was watching him with a stern frown, "And don't frown like that! I'm not going to wear these pants again tomorrow anyway. They're too tight!"

Kyfrem had lived a long time in the service of the King, having been the personal valet to a minor Lord of the realm before being sent over to assist King Jareth when he was ill with some kind of fever. From having dressed a goblin- who, truth be told, could only look marginally better no matter what he wore- King Jareth had been a joy to work for. Of course, the downside was that once the King recovered, Kyfrem had been left without work. But now that he had been told to take care of the King's new bond mate... Kyfrem considered himself the happiest goblin in all of the Goblin Kingdom. Except where Toby's fashion sense was concerned. Nevertheless, Kyfrem was resigned to working within a narrow limitation.

"Well, your Lordship, it's the principal of the thing," Kyfrem answered, bundling the clothes together, "It's a great thing to find your bond mate. And you and King Jareth make such a beautiful pair. They all think you're very happy with such a match."

"But I don't want to be his bond mate! I didn't even know what a bond mate was until he dragged me down here!" Toby was tired and petulant, feeling restless in the stillness of the dark night. Something called to him, tickling his mind like a butterfly's wing... the threat of impending danger. The feeling of being watched had intensified over the days, leaving him unable to sleep most nights for the weird dreams sleep brought.

Kyfrem shrugged helplessly. "It happens. Why, my nephew got married to a pretty little goblin lady and then got himself bonded to her elder sister. She was married too!"

Toby suppressed a grimace at the thought but sat down on the edge of his bed and asked, "What did he do?" Actually, he got the feeling he didn't want to know; not so much because he wasn't interested, but because this liberal kind of attitude boded ill for his own situation.

"Hmmm? Oh! They live together in one house, all four of them. Works well mostly, unless the ladies get into a fight."

Toby rolled his eyes. Personally, he couldn't see anything worthwhile in bonding yourself to one person for life. Suppose one began to hate them, or they died, or it was just inconvenient to act on the bond? What then? But he didn't say so to Kyfrem. He was getting rather fond of his personal valet and didn't want to offend him. Kyfrem left after a few more minutes, leaving his 'lordship' to walk listlessly around the room and scratch at one pale hip. Toby was feeling very out of place right then. According to his calculations, Sarah was due to be getting married in another ten days too. He wished he could have seen her one last time before then.

There was no moon that night and as far as he could tell the Underground did not have stars. The sky hung low and purplish- black, blanketing the unusual land as if wrapping it up in a protective layer of something. The morbid fancy fed the fears already lurking deep in the boy's mind and he winced as the invisible touch of apprehension prickled over his skin. His mind fixed on one thought. His feet reacted before he could think. And Toby found himself walking swiftly out the door of his room and padding noiselessly down the corridors. He hadn't thought to pull on a dressing gown or something before he left, so he shivered slightly in the fresh air, feeling the goosebumps rise on his arms as he passed the windows.

Door after door he passed, not sure whether he wanted to open them and liking this dark quietude even less than the loneliness of his room. Jareth, he thought frantically, Jareth must be behind this. The boy tried to think of anything unusual that the Goblin King could have planned to have happen to him, or anything he had eaten that the Goblin King could have poisoned. But there had been nothing untoward that had occurred in his day and for some reason he doubted Jareth had touched anything he'd eaten. It was just a thought, one of those slender rays of sunlight that had begun to filter into his head more frequently as of late.

Toby saw the light under the door of the library and baulked, too nervous to enter. It was open to all and he didn't want to meet someone else right now. He didn't feel like he could trust anyone except Hoggle or Kyfrem and both those didn't like books. Even the goblins could be frightening, just in the way they looked at him or spoke to him. He wasn't very comfortable with the ribald joking at his expense, or with being worshipped like a living God. Having to put up with it at night was too much.

Cautiously he opened the door.

Cautiously he widened the opening as he saw no one and made to enter.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

Toby yelped, bumped his head against the wooden door frame and hit himself in the foot as his hand on the door jerked in shock.

Jareth emerged from behind the stacks; book in hand and a slight smile on his face. He said nothing as the mortal cursed pungently beneath his breath and rubbed at his bruises and injuries. In truth, he was rather surprised to see Toby here at all. While he was aware that the boy used his library, he hadn't thought he would be quite fond enough to use it at night.

The library was situated in a room unusual in its seemingly small enclosure but its enormously high ceiling. The two windows set in the left wall were one of the few with glass panes set in them, and curtains available to drape closed or open as one pleased. A desk and chair stood beneath the windows and a table and armchairs were littered over the floor invitingly. The majority of the books were on shelves constructed on a platform guarded by a strong iron railing. The shelves rose up into the soaring eaves of the ceiling and Toby had not yet mastered the courage to climb up and see what lay on the topmost shelves.

Jareth vaulted lightly over the iron railing with the book under his arm and curled up in an armchair. Gaping, Toby thought he looked a bit like an overgrown kitten, resting on his left hip with his legs drawn up under him. The half-goblin then proceeded to prop his fair head in his hand and start to read.

"I, uh, didn't mean to disturb you," Toby muttered, turning to go.

Mismatched eyes didn't look up but Jareth shook his head. "You weren't," the deep voice said pleasantly, "Come in, if you'd like. I'm just getting some work done. You are perfectly at liberty to go where you want in here."

"Thank you."

Toby stepped into the cold room, enjoying the strange flickers of light from the blazing lamps. It was a welcoming light at all events, he excused. He didn't want to think that some of it had to do with the unexpected sight of his host's domesticity. He began to wonder what work could keep Jareth up so late. "Um, what are you reading?"

Again those eyes rose to meet his. But there was no hint of teasing, or long searching glances; even anger or frustration was absent. Startled, Toby realized Jareth was looking serious and- if he admitted it- rather exhausted. It brought to mind Hoggle's little lecture on the job of the Goblin King. The half-goblin silently closed his book and held it out to Toby to take for himself.

After a slight hesitation, the child took it, glancing up warily one last time before reading the cover and beginning to flip through it. "The history of the Labyrinth?" he asked, intrigued already as he flopped down in the other armchair. From long habit he bit at a nail, warmly cocooned in the leathery depths of his seat as he avidly devoured the few bits of information he got from flicking past pages.

Jareth frowned slightly at the interest. "You are very peculiar," he remarked, "You actually sound interested in my work."

"Well, I live here now," Toby defended himself, trying not to seem too accommodating, "I might as well know a little bit about everything. It's just interesting, you know."

"I do," Jareth nodded, "But I do not imagine many would see things your way. The Labyrinth is not the most interesting of places. And it certainly is a frustration." The book was handed back to him with a sigh so soft that even his preternaturally good hearing almost didn't pick it up.

Briefly he dived back into his book and began to sift through the pages. The Labyrinth was due for an overhaul- as was done every six years or so- and he was finally running out of ideas to implement. Trick doors and pit falls were all very well, but he needed something really worth the risk, the effort. The point was not to make it impossible to win, but to make it so possible that it dangled like a prize just out of reach of those desperate to solve it. He was hoping to get a few ideas from times past. But something out of the corner of his eyes bothered him.

He looked up: Toby was still sitting there, a reflective look on his face as he played with the hem of his t-shirt. The thin shoulders shivered slightly and Jareth remembered that to a mortal, the night air could be somewhat cold.

The half-goblin sighed and put the book down. Summoning a crystal, he tossed it lightly at the fireplace and watched it flare into bright flames that flickered in that warming way. His own body did not really need it, but he saw memories in the dancing flames. He turned to his bond mate and nodded.

Toby was quite certain that this Goblin King had more moods than his mother during menopause. Right then, he seemed oddly likable. And from the friendly concern in those usually cold eyes, it seemed Toby was going to be drawn into a conversation for the next few moments.

"Tell me what troubles you," Jareth said gently, "You look very pensive. Is there something wrong?"

Toby shrugged and looked back down to the hem of his shirt.

"You know wandering the hallways in those clothes is not advisable."

Blue eyes rose sharply but Jareth merely looked concerned and very non-threatening. "I don't think your goblins will do anything to me," Toby muttered.

Jareth smiled and nodded ruefully. "That is right," he admitted, "I had forgotten. They have strict orders not to hurt you in any way." The half-goblin paused for an instant and then plunged on. "You need not look so frightened, Toby. I won't hurt you either."

"Look, if this is some attempt…"

"No attempt, just a reassurance. I will not apologize for the way I have behaved, for you are unharmed and I wouldn't have hurt you in any case. From now on you can feel safe from me. Or perhaps I should say from any unwanted attention from me."

"In other words, you won't try to seduce me again?"

"No. Not unless you wish it," Jareth agreed. He grinned in a disarmingly boyish way as Toby gave him an incredulous look. "Yes, yes, I know: 'you will never wish it'. That is your choice; you are free to make it. I do, however, ask one thing. You are going to be here for a very long time and I would like to think we could at least have a civilized conversation."

Toby continued looking unconvinced. The way he saw it, he had two options. He could leave immediately and deny this weird dream-thing was ever happening. Or he could stay and give this a chance. One side of him reminded himself of every manipulative thing Jareth had ever done or said, warning him that the fae could not be trusted. The other side- the side that Toby rarely heard at all unless in matters concerning Jareth- told him that Jareth looked too tired and lonely to be lying about anything. Another, much more cynical side of himself, pointed out that if he was going to watched at night, he might as well stay with Jareth to keep an eye on the watcher.

"What do you want to talk about?" he finally settled on, sidling further into his over-stuffed armchair and folding his arms across his chest.

Jareth shifted to a more comfortable point and absent-mindedly pushed a few wisps of blond hair behind his ear. "You could tell me about what you were thinking," he suggested dryly.

Toby found himself grinning in return as he laid his head back. His eyes moved slowly over the ceiling as he marshalled his thoughts. It was a delicate subject but by logical conclusion, the Goblin King was the best person to question- "I was thinking about this bond thing. And there's stuff that I don't know or don't understand. And no one can really tell me anything about it."

"What do you want to know?" Jareth prompted. He thanked his fates that he had removed the heavy coat he'd been wearing for a simple peasant shirt in blue. That fire was getting too warm for his liking and there were about to be a lot of things said that he thought Toby needed to know if this was to work on any level. Toby might not want to know a lot of it.

"Well, why does everyone think it's such a big deal?" Toby demanded, "For example- I went down to the Goblin City today and at least five people congratulated me on the thing. How come?"

"As I told you before, a bond is a very special thing to the immortal. At least, we call ourselves immortals because we live far longer than you mortals ever will," Jareth corrected, "For instance, I have ruled as King for two hundred and twenty seven years. I ascended to the throne when I was already passed my two hundredth year. In total, I have lived for four hundred and fifty one years. And over four hundred years can be a vast amount of time to spend alone."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

The two sat in silence for a moment, contemplating such a length of time from entirely different points of view. Toby couldn't even imagine living that long. Jareth, for his part, felt he had revealed a little too much of his life to his new bond mate for his own comfort in too ambiguous a manner.

"I suppose that would be lonely," Toby commented, "Don't you have friends or something? Family?"

Jareth looked astonished at the question but then smiled, remembering that Toby truly didn't know anything about him. It seemed so easy to believe he had been here forever. "I do have family.

But my parents are dead and I was an only child," he explained, "It was rather... a disordered household, to grow up in. My mother was a fairy."

Toby blinked. A fairy? Like the little ones that flew around in the gardens and poked people with their little fingers? Jareth had come out of a fairy? He asked as much, looking very relieved when the half-goblin rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Of course not, you ignorant child," Jareth snapped, a hint of his old humour showing through, "Those are mere hybrids. I suppose you have been told of the Fairy-Goblin tensions that exist in the Underground? When my father began to look for a wife, he was offered his choice of the noblewomen from that land as a seal to a truce he had recently negotiated. He accepted and married the Lady Frielda. The marriage was one of convenience and they certainly never bonded. However, it was enough to allay fears of war and it explains the reason that I look more faerie than goblin."

"I did wonder," Toby admitted thoughtlessly.

Jareth suppressed a smile as he watched the small face frown slightly as the boy thought it through. He found it all quite amusing, actually, that Toby was so fascinated by the stories of the Underground. Toby treated them like some complex new study, absorbing all this information and persistently asking 'why'. Of course, it was all opinion, he realized. His goblins could listen for hours to lists of electric appliances that were available in the Aboveground.

"So you're half fairy and half goblin," Toby remarked, "Man, that would be tough!"

"It has its advantages," Jareth pointed out, not wanting to be pitied, "It allows me greater leverage when negotiating with the fairies over trade or peace-keeping treaties, and the attributes of both my parents have been invaluable to the job. I'm content."

"Really? Then why do you need a bond mate?" Toby demanded, "Not like I mind or anything- much- but if you're happy, then why am I here?"

"You're here because I am not happy," Jareth murmured, stiffening in his seat as the talk became too personal, "I am content. There's a difference."

"Why's there a difference?"

"Because there is!"

"But why?"

"Because!"

"Why?"

"Because everyone needs someone to understand," Jareth growled, "A bond mate understands and cares. I believe I am entitled to have that in my life"

Toby digested that fact like all the others. Did he understand Jareth? No. So he didn't understand why Jareth needed a bond for anything. Did he care about Jareth? He hadn't thought so but it was currently becoming a hard question to answer. He cared about this version of the Goblin King, who was busy with work but took the time off to talk like a decent human being, who seemed lonely in spite of being so proud he wouldn't admit it, and who looked so worn out that he might just collapse if he tried to stand.

"Sit," Toby commanded, "I'll get you some water."

"I don't think I want any." Toby glared, Jareth sighed, and the water was accepted and drunk. "Thank you, my elf."

The endearment dropped from Jareth's lips as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Toby wanted to contest it, disliking the memories it conjured up of that first hateful day when Jareth had humiliated him. He still could not think of his father without flinching as if the slap had landed on his face all over again. But as Jareth seemed not to notice it, Toby wisely said nothing and let it go.

"So tell me more about the bond," he said, clearing his throat to bring Jareth out of whatever haze he was in.

Mismatched eyes blinked a few times as reality pushed back and then he nodded, waving Toby back to a seat. "The Underground is a magical world," he began, "And very often the magic between an individual and an object is not so different than that between two individuals. No, let me explain! Hmmm. If, for instance, I was to summon a crystal for you, what would you do with it?"

Toby thought hard. "Float it around the room," he said at last.

"Fine. You would play with it. If you were to summon that crystal, you would feel the touch of it on your fingertips. Crystals feel like soap bubbles made tangible- very slippery and smooth. But touching them can sometimes be like touching a human. They contain energy, the magic within them gives them movement and they certainly have the potential for pleasure or pain. Do you see what I mean?"

"A little," Toby murmured, shifting uncomfortably at the thought. It made him wonder what Jareth thought of as he conjured one up.

"Well, this magic can bind us to a certain place. For example, I am myself bound to the Labyrinth. It exists with me and through me and I pledge myself to it. That is why I am only the Lord of the Labyrinth, though I am the King of the Goblins. Everyone here has a place that has an especial meaning for them, be it their place of work or a place of leisure and thought. I think you will find your friend Hoggle is bound to the boundaries of the Labyrinth. He prefers being outside the goblin influence, you see, and appreciates the peace of his chosen place. Hence he is my gatekeeper."

Toby nodded and wrapped his mind around the concept. He supposed it was something like having your own room or a favourite seat in class.

"Well, it repeats itself for people," Jareth explained, leaning forward and using his hands to illustrate, "As individuals we look for something in another person that we need in our lives and we bind ourselves to them. A twin may often be bound to a twin; or a friend may bind with a friend. A husband may bind with a wife or a father may bind with a son. Any relationship is possible. It is most often sexual, but need not be. The basic reason is that, in the Underground, classification is a very fluid and unnecessary barrier. And if you have trusted your soul and all you are to a person, would you not then find a desire within your heart to explore a physical experience of that bonding? Most do; and that is why most relationships are formed between lovers or between people who go on to become lovers."

Toby felt his throat go dry. Jareth's voice had dropped several notes to a deeper purr. And he had begun to worry that all this friendliness had been a ruse to get to him again. He didn't even know why Jareth would bother with someone like him; he wasn't the greatest looking guy at the best of times! And just because he was thin and blond and boyish-looking, it didn't mean he was a faggot. But the Goblin King was staring at the worn carpet underfoot, his glowing eyes looking inward to something Toby could not see.

"So why do they call me a Child of the Sun?" Toby asked abruptly. He hated that look on Jareth's face. It made him look too vulnerable! And somehow that seemed wrong.

Jareth looked startled, but gained his composure. "The Cosmic Equation," he pointed out, "Nature has two basic shifts- the day and the night. The sky is the central point in all our magic, as the sun warms the earth and encourages life, and the moon pulls the tides and allows the land cool respite. The Sun is widely considered to be the mood of light- cheerful, optimistic, honest mostly... things that an open, uncomplicated person is said to be. The Moon is widely seen as the mood of darkness- caution, mysticism... even duplicity. If you like, you can think of it this way: a Child of the Sun is rooted in good; a Child of the Moon is rooted in evil."

"So I'm a Child of a Sun?" Toby asked, looking quite a bit taken aback by that explanation, "That's a good thing, right?"

"Very," Jareth grinned, "Considering I am, myself, of the Moon."

Toby's lower jaw dropped. Jareth was a Child of the Moon? And how had he explained it... 'rooted in evil'? Oh no, Toby did not like the sound of that. "I, uh, think I should go to bed now," he stammered, getting up and walking warily to the door, one eye on Jareth to watch out for surprise attacks.

Jareth stayed curled up in his seat, an odd look in his eyes as if he had expected something of the sort but wished it did not have to happen. "It does not mean that those descriptions are of actual character," he said quietly, "Light may be persuaded to evil as the rain can cloud the day, and the night can be persuaded to good as the moon lights the way. The night is merely the time for shadows and mysticism, and that is traditionally the setting for danger. But some of the most beauteous things come from the night. Have you, for instant, heard a chorus of wolves?"

Toby stood by the door and shook his head, making sure he knew exactly where the door handle was in case he needed to escape in a hurry.

Jareth sighed dreamily. "It is a terrifying thing, but the wonder of it all is immense. The glories of nature, you see. And if you look out the window now, even on a night like this, the Labyrinth will glitter with lines of silver and bronze beneath the night sky. We of the Moon do fight a natural inclination to darkness within ourselves, but it does not make us evil. Which is why the Cosmic Equation is so essential."

Toby felt the fear dissipate as the whispers ceased and the conversation began to make sense again. Plus, this was more information than anyone else would ever give him and he was curious about this Cosmic Equation. "What is that?"

"Night cannot live without day just as day could not live without night," Jareth murmured, as if chanting something he had studied for many such lonely nights in his long life, "The relationship must have a balance. A Child of the Moon has, as I said, a natural inclination to darkness. Darkness is not evil, but can be a manifestation of such. A Child of the Sun can become lost in the pleasures of life to the exclusion of all else. Not a bad thing in moderation but extremely dangerous if it becomes an entire reason for being. Therefore one needs the other for balance."

Toby cleared his throat and noticed, when he spoke, that his voice was as soft as a fall of snow. "You need me," he interpreted, wide-eyed and numbly comprehending, "Is that what this is? When I was a child and you played with me, you needed me and so we bonded. Because you need me to balance your life."

"Yes."

"I see."

"I don't think you do," Jareth disagreed. He rose from his seat and approached his bond mate, reaching out a gentle hand to stroke the side of the shell-shocked face. "I have given you much to think about, Toby. Go to bed now. Sleep. You can think on it in the morning. There is all the time in the world."

Toby nodded and unconsciously nudged further into the touch. It was oddly soothing. No one had ever told him the seriousness of what he had gotten himself into before, and now that he knew, he was a little terrified. To be all that and more to someone was a frightening thought. And for this Goblin King, when the darkness was evident in the mocking gleam of his eyes and the almost cruel curl of his lips... Toby needed the comfort to know that he could do this.

"Good night, my elf," Jareth whispered, leaning forward and placing a soft, sweet kiss on the boy's brow, "Make your own decision in your own time." He released him and watched as the door shut softly behind the small golden figure.

Frowning slightly, Jareth rubbed at his sleep-heavy eyes and steeled himself to go back to work. The reordering of the Labyrinth was a long process and required too much of his energy to waste time in getting it done. The sooner the plans were completed, the sooner he could finish it. He certainly didn't want such powerful magic as his running rampant through the land while the harvest was on! And it soon would be in a few more months. No, he needed to work now, and think of his bond mate later.

Toby's dreams were strange that night. The dark shadow that had begun to haunt his dreams sat by his bed, a cold hand on his shoulder as a deep voice whispered terrible things to his mind. It questioned everything he was and everything he could be, reminding him of failures and scoffing at victories. There was something so familiar about the phrases and the little mannerisms that Toby tried to move away from it. And the hand began to slip under the blanket and down until the figure was touching the curve of Toby's lower back.

Toby opened his eyes with a gasp as something grasped him tight and pulled him closer.