Chapter 11: Tears Like Diamonds

The earth glittered.

Alex stood staring out the open window, icy wind blowing around her, tossing her purple hair and inky dress around like tattered lace. The wind all but froze her diamond-like tears to her face and stung at her eyes. She didn't seem to notice. Her emerald eyes were filled with pain, and nobody knew. Jareth had perhaps sensed some bitterness toward him the night before as they went to their respective rooms, but nobody had seen her since. She knew she was acting foolishly, that he had been truly hurt by his father, and yet…

She didn't turn around as the door to her sitting room opened. She didn't acknowledge Jareth's presence until his hand on her shoulder turned her to face him. She didn't smile at him as she normally did, she glared daggers at him. He frowned and looked closely at her.

"You're angry at me."

"How'd you guess?" she snapped back.

"Why?"

She looked away.

"Alex, how can I make you happy again when you won't tell me what I did wrong?" he whispered to her as he brushed her tears away.

"How can I make you see?"

"How do you know you cannot unless you try?"

She sniffed and looked up at him, her dress changing to a deep blue, "It just… I don't…"

Jareth hugged her close to him, "You must tell me."

She sniffed again and lost all composure that she might have had before. "You don't realize how lucky you are!" she said between suppressed sobs. "You never really got to know your father because he wouldn't let you, then you thought he was dead, but now he's been given back to you. You have your dad back, he's said he's sorry, told you how much he hated himself, but never begged you for forgiveness. He knows he's done wrong and he hates himself for it still. You have a chance to know your father, but you threw it in his face. Didn't you see how much it hurt him? Don't you get it?"

He seemed confused as he held on to her and let her bury her face in his chest, "Why do you care about him?"

"I don't know him, so how can I care? I care about you. Maybe if you gave him a chance and forgave him, some of the pain that you still have in you might go away."

"How did you know I still hurt?" he breathed.

"Because you couldn't forgive him." Alex replied as she pulled away from Jareth, wiping her face on her royal purple sleeve.

"Perhaps I shall forgive him, but that whole thing may have been a theatrical production simply to win my trust. I've been betrayed far too many times to allow people so close to me. Luc has been the only person close to me for centuries, and now you. Perhaps I will forgive him, in time, but I simply cannot yet. I have been hurt far too deeply for you to understand. Your father loved you, mine didn't love me until the alcohol had been cleared from his head. Let me have some time, I beg of you."

Alex nodded, unaware of the tears that still fell down her pale face, and turned back toward the window. Her dress was still a dark color, but at least purple was brighter than black. Jareth left her to her silence and wandered the halls on his own. He had been betrayed by those close to him many times before. Mathis was a prime example of this, Elena was another. Some of his childhood friends had betrayed him. People used theatricality and deception to trick him into thinking that they were his friends, then later revealed that they only wanted to hurt him.

Jareth understood Alex's anger, even commended her on it. She had every right to be angry at him, but he also had every right to reject his father's love. It would take a lot of work before Jareth forgave his father. He had never been good at forgiving. Ever.

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"I really am sorry, Jareth, you must see that." Elena pleaded.

Jareth spun a pyramid of four crystals in one of his hands and seemed not to hear her pleas at all. It amused him greatly. Let her come back to him time and time again, it would gain her nothing. She only wanted him because of his power. He was strong, and he knew it. She was on her knees begging him. He snickered. Begging. Like a dog.

He stood up suddenly and she nearly toppled over backward in her hurry to get up. He took both of her hands in one of his, his strong hand clasping her wrists together painfully. His other hand he ran through her hair until he reached the nape of her neck, then he grabbed a fistful and yanked her head back. "Do you know how much you hurt me? You left me, Elena, and now you will never get me back. You want my power, not me. Get out of here and never, ever come back."

She was shaking with fear, when he let go of her she simply fell to the ground and sobbed. "I only said what I did to make you stand up against Mathis, I never meant for you to…"

His cruel, crazy, quiet laughter made her trail off. "You never meant me to get angry at you? You never meant for me to go crazy? That's comforting Elena, but just a little too late."

"Jareth…"

"Get out of here, Elena. Get out and never return."

"But…"

"Now." his whisper filled the stone room.

She pulled herself up straight and threw a defiant glare at him, "I will no-"

What she would not do was cut off as Jareth forced her out of his realm. He had had it with her and her pleading. Never again would she have him. Never again would she get him to smile. She had hurt him almost as much as Mathis and she would never get another chance.

Well, Mathis was gone, Deram was rampant in the countryside, and Elena was reduced to a sobbing child. His position was unshakable and his power would become unmatched by anything save his ambition. He was the Goblin King and would die before giving that up. Besides, nobody could get him deposed, nobody was brave enough to.

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"What do you mean 'they disappeared'? You're supposed to keep them from bloody disappearing! Where'd they disappear to?" Deram shrieked at the armored Bounty Hunter.

"They disappeared. They went through a door using a key and ended up who knows where. Their trail is cold, there's no way to track them, now. We'll just have to wait for them to come back out, which they may never do."

"No, that's not good enough! They must be found and killed! Find them!" Deram was in a fit of rage, his face flushed and his dark eyes wild.

The Bounty Hunter sighed, "Of course, Your Highness."

"Get out of my sight, fool, or I'll kill him myself."

The Bounty Hunter wisely withheld any comments he might have made and bowed his way out of the new Goblin King's presence. Jareth may have been a harsh dictator, but deep down he loved his kingdom and was only harsh to those who crossed him. Deram was cruel to anyone and everyone. He went out of his way to find cruelty. Perhaps he could find Jareth, but that point was now obviously obsolete. He had to, or Deram would set about getting him killed, simply out of spite.

Deram watched the Bounty Hunter go. How had Jareth managed to escape the Hunter? Luc had already been visited and punished for helping, but Deram needed to know how he had gotten that key, and where it led. The mage had probably been given it by some unknown person, and had probably not known what it was or where it led.

Ugh! How had his brother gotten away? He had that little human brat tagging along after him! The Hunter was slow, apparently. All that armor must wear one out eventually. Deram shook his head. He was all but invincible and the one man who could destroy him was being chased by countless Bounty Hunters hungry for the large payment that Deram would give. Nothing could go wrong, now. He was safe.

Waving his hand at a mirror on the wall of the throne room he conjured an image of Jareth's whereabouts before he disappeared. After several minutes he identified the territory as Karesh. He then found a list of five territories that were rumored to be the only territories connected to Karesh.

Three of the five could only be found using a key, and only two of those were by a wall of the castle. This information was passed on to the Hunters. Soon. Very soon. He need not wait much longer, the threat that he brother posed him would soon be eliminated. Then he would begin his reign in earnest.

First thing first: Jareth must die. It had been so decreed by the one Deram served. Jareth must die.

Realms away, Alex woke up, her face glittering with tears like diamonds.