Elban, for one, was very glad when the meal had ended. He was used to the strange silence of the Castle at the centre of the Labryinth, but the hyper-tension in the room was proving too much. Jareth was far too brusque- not, in itself, a big surprise- but enough so that his oldest friend was vastly suspicious of the thoughts in his head.
As for the rest! The forest sprite was convinced that he should leave. Preferably leaving Beran behind. The dwarf was having far too much fun growling at Luka's presence across the table. Elban was fair, however, and he would admit that Luka was provoking him. The two had fought three years ago about a piece of pasture that both insisted were entailed to their estates. The legal question hadn't been solved yet and Jareth had categorically stated that he had better things to do than take sides in such a ridiculous discussion. Luka had just lately thrown Beran's prized herd of koerns out of the pasture and installed fences preventing them re-entering. The dwarf was livid.
Toby seemed to find it quite as frustrating, though, and Elban shared a speaking look with the mortal.
The rest of the table was basically ignorant of any other individual.
Jervohl's knees had almost given out on her when she'd seen the male sitting opposite her. Jareth's brief order not to kill Gildred had been the only thing stopping her picking up the carving knife to put a fatal gash in him. Her mother was trying to make peace between the two of them, assisted by Gildred himself. Jervohl was having none of it.
Jareth tossed a last speculative look at his ward from the corner of his eyes, making his decision for at least one of the problems on his mind. "Toby, may I speak with you, please? Mother, I require you too."
All eyes turned to him. Luka frowned slightly and opened his mouth to say something but caught Jareth's level stare. He didn't say anything. Toby quirked an eyebrow and looked to the Lady. She shook her head and the two followed the Goblin King from the room.
Leaving, Elban dismally noticed, Beran and Luka glaring at each other and Jervohl and Gildred trying to ignore each other. "I'm going to bed," he huffed. None of the four paid him the least attention.
Jareth took his mother and Toby to a room that he had had previously prepared. "There is something of importance I need to discuss with you, Toby," he said, "About your future."
"I have already said that I am happy here," Toby pointed out, "There is nothing more to discuss."
"There is much more. I haven't been quite forthcoming with you, Toby. Some brandy? No? Then take a seat, please. Where was I? Oh, yes- your future." Jareth swirled the liquid in the decanter for moment and then put it down again, taking a deep breath to prepare himself. "There will be consequences if you choose to stay."
Pandora looked up sharply. She had kept her nose out of it so far because Jareth hadn't spoken to her. But now- "Consequences? What consequences, Jareth?"
Her son made a vague motion with his hands. She knew that motion; it meant he was certain of not bearing very good news.
"Toby must decide which world he belongs in," Jareth sighed, settling the lace cuff at his wrist, "Toby, you say you are happy here. At what price?"
"There is no price that I am aware of," the mortal replied cautiously.
Mismatched eyes flicked up to look at him in as straightforward a look as he had never known the Goblin King to use. "If you stay here, you do so as my ward. Do you agree to that?"
"I suppose so… once I know what the catch is."
Toby Williams was not stupid, Jareth knew that. He would prefer it if the mortal went back to his own world, but since he was too stubborn, Jareth was going to have to rouse himself from his self-interested saunter through life and get on with his social responsibilities. "As my ward, you approach your coming-of-age."
Blue eyes blinked in sudden recognition even as Toby's lower jaw dropped open at that blunt admission. "You are not serious!"
"I am very much so. Myself, I would not bother either you orI with this notion, but the Duke approached me not a month ago. He feels this is expected. Personally, I don't, but he is the Duke."
"That pompous windbag!" Pandora burst out, "This is ridiculous, Jareth. You know that Toby is a mortal. He's already an adult. A coming-of-age ritual is not necessary for him."
"I agree," her son said dryly, "Particularly since Luka seems to have taken on his education without any prompting."
Toby was still opening and shutting his mouth like a goldfish out of water. This time when Jareth silently handed him a glass with brandy he swallowed the lot without question. The alcoholic kick to the back of his throat finally loosened his vocal chords. "You are asking me to do something I have no intention of doing."
"No intention or not, as my ward you will go through with it." Jareth took the glass back and set it on the cabinet with the rest. "I take it you will go Aboveground now."
"No!"
The gloved hand paused in the act of putting the crystal stopper back in the decanter. "No?"
"No. I am not running away from my home because some snooty old man thinks I have to mature from a child to an adult! He can take his opinions and choke on them. I am not leaving."
"Then you will select someone on the first day of the ball," Jareth commanded, a hand outflung to punctuate just how simple the choice was, "And you will live with this someone for a year while they teach you everything they know about adult life. That is the tradition."
"Be reasonable, Jareth! Toby cannot…"
"Then it's a perverted tradition," Tobybroke inquietly.
Jareth raised a cool eyebrow. His mother fell silent. She might have agreed with Toby on whether or not the mortal should be subject to the laws of Underground social norms, but she would not be a part of his rejection of it. "It is still our tradition," Jareth reminded his ward, "And if you will be a part of our society, you will follow our rules. I gave you the choice. You cannot have both."
"Why not?" Toby shot back.
A slow smirk greeted his words. "It seems a part of your sister does live inside you. Next you will say it's all so unfair. And I will have to tell you that that is life. Any other childish rages you need to utter?"
Toby froze and Pandora winced on his behalf. It seemed both her son and the child she had reared were well matched. They were both stubborn; they were both far too proud for their own good. She wondered if it really was the way she had brought them up. Jareth was looking bored with the situation already, and Toby was looking furious.
"Toby, dear, sit down. I know this is a shock, but we need to discuss this rationally." The mortal sat down, nodding briskly. "Jareth, you too."
"Thank you. I prefer to stand."
Pandora's blue eyes regarded her son balefully and reminded herself that it was too late to smack the back of his hand and send him to stand in the corner. She ignored him and turned back to Toby. "I understand how you feel, Toby. But you know the Duke. You know even Jareth is subject to him."
"Actually, I am not," Jareth interrupted, "But ordering the man to shut up and get out of my Castle is a bad idea. If I don't follow his suggestions, then I cannot force anyone else to do it."
"Strange," Toby commented, "Are you telling me that you are setting an example for your people?" He gave it all the scepticism such a notion deserved.
The Goblin King only smirked to himself once again.
"Enough, both of you! Jareth, is there no way that Toby need not do this?"
"As you very well know, all the other mortals here have been wished away. They are not in the Aboveground because that choice was taken from them. They convert within a year, mother," Jareth growled, "Toby, on the other hand, was not wished away. He chose. And therefore, he is still mortal and not a part of our society. But he is under my protection, and therefore a part of this family. He has a choice. You heard his decision- he will be a part of us and no more a mortal. It is not hard to comprehend, mother. It only takes a little effort."
Pandora turned impatiently away from him. "Be quiet. Toby, I have to admit my son has a point."
"Oh, he does," Toby agreed, composedly, "But I have not decided to give up my mortality. I am still a mortal."
"Then you can be a mortal in the Aboveground," Jareth determined. He folded his arms and leaned a shoulder against the wall. He was tired; he just wanted to go to bed. But something caught at his senses and he lost concentration for a moment, wandering away in his mind before drifting back a moment later with a grin. It was only Gildred venting some frustration in a magical burst of energy.
"Then send me away," Toby shrugged, "I desire to stay. I do not desire to be fae or goblin or centaur or sprite or any other of a score of the races that make up your subjects. I'm mortal. It's what I am."
"Your race does not give you definition," Jareth snorted, impatient with the direction of the conversation, "You are already more of the Underground than you realize."
"I owe the Underground for protecting me," Toby murmured steadily, "But I am still a mortal. I didn't choose to come Underground; you frightened a child into making a decision."
Pandora groaned and buried her face in her hands. Toby was asking for trouble and from the annoyance radiating from the Goblin King's direction, he would be receiving it very soon.
Jareth lifted a hand and took a firm hold of his medallion, fingers wrapping around it to caress the pure white stone that lay on the other side, lying against his skin. "Have a care to how you speak to me, Mr. Williams. My patience is almost over."
"I shall endeavour to show you the respect you deserve, Your Majesty." The cool words were a double-edged sword.
"The respect I deserve is as your saviour. Make no mistake- I saved you, Toby, and I can still order your death. I've had enough of this. You have two options- get out of my Kingdom and go back Aboveground, or stay here as one of us. I expect an answer by tomorrow."
He vanished without a word more, leaving his mother to deal with the cardboard-stiff man with the ice-blue eyes.
"Toby?" Lady Pandora ventured.
Toby said nothing for a long moment and then snapped out of that chilling rage that threatened to make him lose his mind. "Goodnight, My Lady," he said abruptly, "I shall see you in the morning."
And he too left.
Pandora gave up and had a glass of brandy to fortify her nerves.
Luka was waiting for his lover when Toby got to his room, half-asleep already and drowsy enough that he only held out a hand and scooted over beneath the sheets. The mortal sat down and tugged off his shoes, still stifling the urge to hit out at something or someone.
"He's made you angry, hasn't he?"
The soft question was sympathetic. Toby turned his head to see whether Luka meant to mock him. But the fae was just blinking sleepily at him, hazel eyes free of any triumph or amusement. That was very rare for Luka. His lover was always laughing at something or other.
"We had a disagreement," Toby allowed, turning around to put his shoes out of the way and get undressed. "How tired are you?"
Luka chuckled under his breath and sat up, crawling close enough to slide his hands down the mortal's back. "Not too tired," he grinned, "Just don't call me by Jareth's name, hmm?"
"Mention him," Toby threatened, "And I am liable to damage one or both of us."
"Ooo, promises! Come on, then, mortal. I challenge you to do your worst!"
For an instant, Toby almost did hiss and spit, even into his lover's pretty face. Mortal, indeed! As if that were all he was! That was exactly what Jareth had reduced him to- a mortal in the Underground- no power, no family, not even the privileges that all the races of the Underground were born with.
But it was fairly late at night. Toby didn't want to think any more. He would only lose his temper if he did. So he pushed the bitterness away and concentrated, smiling down at those wide hazel eyes as they slowly fell into the rhythmic quiet of making love.
