Disclaimer: I only own the Councillor, and the two Councilmen Tiana and Flynn. I only borrow the others. I promise to return them when done, no worse for wear.
Author's Notes: This chapter covers the eleventh hour, in its entirety. Forgot to mention, that for last chapter, the references to Puck, Oberon and Athens, of course, belong to William Shakespeare, and his pcomedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. I make several references to prvious chapters and testimonies. in this chapter. Just so there's no confusion, Albus Dumbledore and Hogwarts belongs to JK Rowling's Harry Potter universe. Serena belongs to me.
Moonjava: A writer always appreciates knowing her work is appreciated. Glad you like, and glad Flynn and Tiana are making such a good impression. Must admit, they are extremely fun to right. And, it always good knowing your original characters find followers of their own.
LDDurham: Ah, yes, good ol' Jareth. He'd make a good lawyer in his own right. Good to know the sweetness of last chapter came off well. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Lots of Jareth action.
dramatiks: Yes, I'd say the jury is thoroughly confused, and personally, I'm glad for it. They deserve to be confused. Glad to know the j/s moment went well. As for the ending, a writer never reveals her secrets. But I do assure, I love a good semi-happy ending.
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Wild 'cause it doesn't make sense/For me to cry out in my own defense/Wild 'cause I would do anything/To tear you off your precious fence …--"Wild", Poe
Curtly, the Councillor nodded his consent. "Proceed, Councilman. Jareth, you will now take the stand."
A collective sigh of consciousness filled the general population of the room. Jareth, King of the Goblins, continued tyo stare after the spot that Sarah had been standing in moments before. Idly, in a gesture as if he was not quite completely aware of his own actions, Jareth echoed the sigh, and reached his hand upwards to caress the air where her hair had been only moments before. The Councillor cleared his throat—loudly, but Jareth didn't even have the decency to focus or to react. "Jareth," the Councillor spoke again. "Jareth!" he called louder.
Jareth nodded, silently. He dropped his hand, and he smoothed the front of his poet-style shirt. He wore the black elbow-length gloves today. He swung one leg over the side of the chair, and he stood in one fluid, straight motion. He moved across the floor almost gracefully, and he took the seat at the witness stand, crossed one leg over the other, and crossed his arms over the wood of the stand itself. "You called again, Councillor?" His voice was calm, and just slightly detached.
The Councillor echoed that long, collective sigh. "Proceed, Councilman Flynn."
Flynn inclined his head, and he rose, his motions much less fluid than Jareth's, that slightly mischevious glint still in his eyes. "Your Highness," he greeted. "Apparently, your day is as eventful as mine is."
"I do not go around staking claims in front of live audiences, Councilman."
"No." A mischevious grin quirked the corner of Flynn's lips. "I don't suppose you do. Perhaps you should. Now," he clasped his hands behind his back, and he paced the floor between the table he sat at, and the podium where Jareth sat, "you obviously love the Miss Sarah Williams just as she obviously loves you."
"Obviously," Jareth agreed.
"Why give her that peach then? To harm your lady love is not exactly a practice we Labyrinthinians look up upon."
"A distraction, Councillor. The Lady Sarah was too devoted to her task. I needed someway, somehow, to prove my love to her."
"The peach proved your love?"
"Not the peach itself, but the ballroom I transported her too having given her the peach."
"And yet, you were too coward to even give the peach to her yourself. You had Hoggle give it to her instead."
"Hogwarts, yes."
"Hoggle," Flynn corrected for the courtroom's sake. "We determined earlier that Hogwarts was the name of a premier wizarding school in Northern Scotland. In fact, Your Highness, the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore testified here earlier today."
"I remember, Councillor. And, if you remembered correctly, you would realize that his testimony fell to my favor as he said himself I would not have knowingly harmed the human babe or Sarah."
"I remember. However, I also remember him saying something about the Sarah William's parents."
Jareth sighed. "What do you want to know?"
Flynn raised an eyebrow. He paused in his pacing to glance full-force at Jareth. "Ah, so you did know?"
"A King always makes sure to know about those who are subjected to him. I said earlier that the human babe held promise. Sarah too holds much promise in that respect. A squib or no squib in her world. I do agree with Albus in one respect. Really is a shame her parents gave up on magic after the first war. Besides," Jareth added with a shrug, "the Lady Sarah stated herself I watched her for years in the shape of an owl. Eventually, my watching of her spilled over to Toby. Sdo you really think there is very much I do not know about her or her brother?"
"But you do admit to that you ordered Hoggle to give Sarah Williams the peach?" Flynn asked purposely.
"Yes, of course," Jareth waved his hand and the admittance away. "I also admit to tipping him into the Bog of Eternal Stench. Her too. Call it jealosuy, if you like, I prefer to think of it as fate."
"Fate, Your Highness."
"Are you truly this dense, Councilman?" Jareth chuckled. "Perhaps that kiss did more than swell your bottom half."
"The Question, Your Highness!" Flynn did his best to ignore the amused smile he knew Tiana would be showing.
"Had I not tipped the Lady Sarah into the Bog, she would not have met Sir Didymus."
"You wanted her to meet Sir Didymus?"
"Of course." Again, Jareth sighed. "In each friend she found, Councilman, Sarah found a charateristic she needed to beat my labyrinth. In Hoggle, she found loyalty. In Ludo, she found humility and affection. In Sir Didymus, she found courage. Without any of those ingridients, she would have won back her brother, I would have my heir and wife, none of us would be here, and Sarah would very likely hate me for trapping her. But, in me having Hoggle give her that peach, I successfully planted the seeds of love in her, or at least, I helped to cultivate what was already there; and, by tipping her and Hoggle headfirst into the Bog, I gave her reaosn to fight on, to come to grips with what she felt, and to ultimately, make her decision."
"Were you hurt when she made her decision?"
My personal feelings have no place in law or in fate, Councillor. However, seeing as I had my own little display just these few moments ago, I would think you'd be able to figure out my personal feelings well enough." Jareth raised his eyebrow suggestively.
Flynn nodded, and he sighed. "You mentioned just now something about your heir and your wife. Had Sarah lost, would you have kept her?"
"My very law demands I did."
"And yet, because she won, she would have then had the choice?"
"Correct."
"And she chose to return home."
"Correct."
"Had she lost, Your Highness, what would you have done with the human babe?"
"Kept him in my castle."
"Turn him into a goblin babe?"
"Objection!" Tiana cried suddenly. "He's purposely leading the witness."
"Over-ruled," the Councillor noted duly. "Proceed, Councillor."
Flynn glanced over his shoulder to Tiana; the latter laughed silently, the departed giggle viewable on both his mouth and in his eyes. Flynn almost laughed himself, realizing Tiana had only called out in a belated chance to keep appearances professional. "Would you have turned him into a goblin babe, Your Highness?" he repeated.
"Have you listened to any earlier testimonies, Councilman? In fact, the Lady Serena answered quite thoroughly when asked this same question, that I would not have done any harm towards the boy for the reason that I would have kept and raised him as my heir and son."
"Called him Jareth too?"
"Ah," Jareth leaned causually back in his seat, "so you are beginning to learn after all."
"No further questions, Councillor." Flynn sighed. He looped around the desk to his seat, and he dropped himself into the seat. "Your witness," he added quietly.
Almost tenderly, Flynn felt a hand braze across the bare skin of his forearm. He shivered slightly, and looked up to see Tiana standing there, that same amused smile, and something else, soemthing much more powerful, something much more raw, in his eyes. Flynn swallowed, and Tiana leaned closeer to him, his lips only a breadth-width away from his, to whisper, "He's not the witness I'd prefer right now."
Tiana straightened; he allowed his fingers and skin and palm to linger on Flynn's skin a fraction longer. Very much aware that Flynn's ragged breaths now echoed his own, Tiana turned to the calmly waiting Jareth, whose only trace of current emotion was that usual amused smirk from watching them. Tiana took a deep breath, and he said, "Plainly, Your Highness, you are the only one who's beginning to finally learn."