Sarah was not alone in her pain. Another faced a difficult choice.
Even when death was a necessity, and execution carried out in the name of justice, it did not fail to leave scars on the soul of the one meting it out duly. Yet, Emilek was evil. Of that, there was no uncertainty. Once already, he had attempted to kill his brother. Jareth being essentially exiled to the Goblin lands, a world distasteful to Emilek, was all that had prevented a second attempt. Eventually, however, would find a way to circumnavigate his abhorence of this segment of their world and slay its master. Hatred and a need to control all would drive him as surely as an addict seeking his next fix. Power and destruction were the wines that gave him a high.
One thing only could be done.
In the middle of the night, Jareth awoke to see a grey shadow standing over him. The next day, he had planned to bring Sarah home. Cliche'd as it might be, he had decided that her car would be found in an abandoned area, melted and burnt with the body of an already dead stranger, someone who would otherwise not get a decent burial, inside. A glamour combined with the effects of the flames would disguise the stranger so that no one would know Sarah was not that person. After she was safely in his palace, he would go and attend to what must be done. Should he fail, Moira was powerful enough to keep her safe.
"Son," a silken voice whispered. Blinking, the king recognized his mother.
"What is wrong, Mama?" he asked softly.
"I came to say goodbye, my son." Now he heard the pain in her voice.
"Goodbye?" This made no sense.
Gently, she sat on the edge of his bed. "I- he who was once my son and your brother is no more. Ambassadors will come and ask you to take up your rightful throne by week's end, to take his place. I have taken his headless corpse and placed it in Sarah's vehicle. It has been reduced to a molten heap and plunged into the ocean. Your beloved is in the room prepared for her; she slept through the transfer- with a bit of help, of course. Now, you must exile me."
For some reason, the fog of sleep or the abruptness of it all one, his majesty could not comprehend what she said. She could not be saying what it seemed that she was.
"Who killed him?"
Giving Jareth a look that said he surely knew, Moira sighed. "I did. You can not harbor a killer. And I could not let you perform my duty. My body bore him, it was-- mete that I end his evil. " Her voice broke. "I could not -- I could not save one of my sons, but the other, I had to --I had to...death does not belong on your soul, my child."
Tears ran down the Queen Mother's face as she kissed her favorite child's forehead. "Fare well. Forgive me."
And she was gone.