Rites of Passage

Jareth was in the ballroom planning a party with Miren about six weeks later. Terra had had her Blossoming and in the Nine Realms, such a thing was a highly anticipated and celebrated event in a young girl's life and celebrate they would, Goblin Kingdom-style. It was to be a surprise. The goblins had been working in secret for just over a week and were just as excited as he. Jareth grinned, imagining his little Marie's face when she saw the transformed ballroom. It may have been a party for Terra, but he couldn't help anticipating Marie's reaction even more.

"What has you so happy?" Miren raised a knowing eyebrow at his King.

"Oh, nothing," Jareth drawled innocently. "Only picturing the sight of a little girl at her first Underground party."

"All of them, or was there one in particular?" He smirked.

Jareth chuckled. "Who's to say?" It was common knowledge within the castle that the goblin King held a soft spot for Marie. She had taught him much that he had put to good use with the others that followed and had taken it upon herself to become a sort of leader to them, just as Relde took charge over the other attendants. It was an amusing study, the hierarchy that had developed between them on their own. "Has Ziark returned with news of parties from the Aboveground yet?"

"No, but he's not expected back for two more days and if there's one thing I know about that spy of yours, he's thorough. He'll utilize every minute of those two days and return with more information than even we can process," Miren laughed.

"Of that, I have little doubt. He's never failed me yet." Jareth sighed. "I only hope Kylie is in better spirits." The girl had arrived a fortnight after Jessie and had kept to her room the entire month since. Her meals returned having barely been picked at, her attendant diligently stood just outside her door, but she was never acknowledged, never called for. The other girls had tried repeatedly to engage her, but it was for naught. She refused to speak to anybody. "Perhaps I should demand that she at least dine with the rest of us?" Miren was shaking his head before Jareth even finished.

"No. That would only make matters worse, I fear. She must come to terms with Ghilanna's findings on her own. It is a hard thing to hear, what was done to that poor girl. What those monsters did to her."

Miren's purple eyes blazed with fury and Jareth was sure his were just as hard. He felt his stomach lurch at the thought of her condition. Should he ever be so fortunate as to get his hands on any of them… He felt his fingers begin to twitch of their own accord, an icy wrath overtaking him. How could anyone do that to a child?! Every time he thought they'd seen the worse, he was proven wrong.

"-reth. Jareth." He blinked to Miren snapping his fingers in front of his eyes. "There you are, my King. Thought I'd lost you." His friend smiled softly, gazing around the room. "Not that I don't love watching your magic at work, but unless you're going for a winter theme, perhaps you might want to get rid of the ice fixtures?" He blinked again and looked around him. Sure enough, massive spikes of ice jutted out from the stone floor on all sides, leaving him and Miren in a small circle. Patches of ice could be seen beyond the spikes, glistening in the late-afternoon sun. The goblins who happened to be in the ballroom with them assisting with the decorations were either cowering in the furthest corners or dangling helplessly on spikes by their clothes.

"You might be right about that," Jareth replied, struggling to bring his anger into check. The dinner bell would sound soon and it would not do for the children to see him in such a state. He conjured an orb that, when he tossed it in the air, let out a wave of heat. "My apologies in advance for the clean-up." He turned to his closest companion, placing a grateful hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, my friend. I am lucky to have you to pull me back when I lose control like that."

"You have no need to thank me. I understand. I was in a similar frame of mind, and though my magic is not as powerful as yours by any means, I can still feel it coursing through me. The only thing that stopped me from losing control was you losing it first. Fret not my dearest friend. I will always be here for you, just as we will be there for her. When she's ready. Until then, we just have to keep reminding her that she need not travel her path alone."

"And how do you suggest we go about that?"

"We continue as we have been. We send her meals to her and take back what she has not eaten. We encourage the girls to redouble their efforts at communication as we do the same. We have Ghilanna check in on her more frequently to monitor her condition. Eventually, she will come to us, my King. I have no doubt." Jareth took a deep breath, releasing the remainder of his rage.

"My greatest fear for her is that the only one she might talk to, the only one who might be able to truly help her, is inaccessible to us."

"The one they call 'Big Sister?" Jareth nodded. "Hmm…I hadn't considered that."

"Yes, well, there is a reason I'm King and you're just an advisor," he smirked.

"I am not just an advisor," Miren huffed, indignantly. "I am the advisor. You couldn't do your job without me. Besides, who else is brave enough to knock some sense into your head when you go off the deep end?" Jareth chuckled lightly, trying to put himself back into a better mood. He ran a restless hand through his wild mane, a habit he'd picked up in these recent months since the arrival of Marie whenever he felt at a complete loss.

"A fair point. In any case, I believe you may be right. After all, each of the others came to us in their own time. Even Marie, though regrettably, that was still mostly due to my pressing."

"Indeed, my King. Have faith. She will see." They stood together in a moment of silent companionship as the cowering goblins began helping those caught by the spikes.

"Majesty, come quick!"

"Cevesh?" Jareth replied confused, looking around. The little goblin was bracing herself against the ballroom doorframe, panting as if she'd just run the entire way to them. "What are you doing? You are supposed to be outside Kylie's door awaiting any request." He magicked himself and Miren from their circle of ice to stand in front of her, the other goblins staring at her as well. It was unheard of for a goblin to abandon their post after the Champion had caught them all off guard. Upon closer inspection, he could see her pale and shaking. Her yellow eyes were wide and terrified. The goblin was in a full panic, making Jareth's blood run cold.

"Ma-jesty," she panted. "Please. Come quick. She's…she's…there's…every-where."

Jareth and Miren glanced at each other uneasily. "Stay and clean up," the King called over his shoulder.

He picked up Cevesh and took a step, transporting the three of them to the entrance to the Wing of the Eight Realms. Cevesh scrambled to be free of Jareth's grip. As soon as he let her go, she took off running for the middle of the hall here the pair could see two of the other girls gathered as well. Jareth and Miren were right on her tail, coming to a grinding halt when they took stock of the girls. Pale, shaking, crying silently or staring off in shock, both of them on their knees, their arms around them as if that was the only thing holding them together, their attendants trying desperately to soothe them while pale and horrified, themselves. Each pair was inconsolable.

Before he could even address them, he felt a trembling hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Miren, his bosom companion since near birth, looking more horrified than he had ever seen in their three hundred years together. Purple eyes wide with undiluted alarm, his pallor closely resembling Cevesh's, his mouth opening and closing in silent anguish. Miren wasn't looking at him, but at something behind him. Jareth turned to the wide opened door of his most troubled charge. And would forever wish he hadn't.

If he hadn't, he would never have had to see the pool of dark red blood gathering on the floor beside her cot. If he hadn't, he would never have had to see the knife from her midday meal clutched loosely in her unmoving hand. If he hadn't, he would never have had to see her stomach slashed open with a savage viciousness. If he hadn't, he would never have had to see her lilac eyes opened wide, unseeing. If he hadn't, he would never have had to see Kylie's lifeless body lying on her cot, helplessly devoid of any light.

Jareth stumbled. Felt his knees weaken. Caught himself on the doorframe. How could this have happened? To take one's own life? To be so utterly without hope that Death was the more preferable outcome? He'd never heard of that occurring before. He didn't understand it. He was there. They were all there. Trying to help her. He shook his head, wanting desperately to dislodge the images that were still in front of him. He was the King. He needed to act like one, now more than ever. But this…this was so much worse than anything he'd dealt with thus far.

"Take," he whispered hoarsely. To whom, he did not know. He tried clearing his throat but the dryness didn't go away. "Take the girls…to the throne room. Clear out…clear out everyone but for them and their…their attendants. I will be there…to talk to them. Do what you must but news of…this…does not go beyond the castle." Jareth could hardly form a sentence. He ran a hand through his wild mane. He couldn't comprehend the sight before him. He only vaguely heard his orders haltingly carried out. When some part of his mind eventually registered that the weeping of the girls could no longer be heard, he retched, losing his earlier meal.

"M-majesty?" He turned sharply, nearly tripping over his own feet despite having never been clumsy before. Cevesh was still there, holding out a handkerchief to him, which he took and gratefully wiped the bile from his mouth. She wasn't looking at him. Not once since they'd arrived had her eyes strayed from the door to her charge's room.

"Why don't you go. Wait with the others. I will…take care of her." Cevesh shook her head.

"Let me…let me help. I'm her attendant. And I failed. Let me help her now." Jareth nodded, in no mood to reassure the goblin that she could not attend the girl if the girl gave her nothing to do.

Together, the two took hesitant steps into the room. The iron-stench of her blood nearly incapacitated him at the door. There was enough in the air for him to notice an immediate drain on his power. The first thing Jareth did was produce a crystal that he placed on the stone floor. The moment he did, the orb began moving toward the blood on its own, sucking it up as it went. It stopped and changed direction when it reached the other side of the puddle, clearing a new path.

Cevesh watched it for a few moments with a melancholic expression on her face before shaking her head and carefully approaching the body. Jareth was still bound near the door by the iron in her blood so he watched in helpless frustration as Cevesh very gently wrest the knife from Kylie's hand. She brought the bloody weapon to her chest, almost hugging the accursed device, and laid it carefully at the edge of the writing desk that adorned the room.

Only then did Jareth notice the three folded up pieces of parchment placed there neatly and the crumpled-up bits scattered around it. His fingers itched to discover their contents. His crystal had suctioned up most of the blood on the floor but the over-saturated bed still remained a problem. Yet he did not want to touch her body without being able to perform the Rites of Passage through the Void and there were things he needed for that.

"I am going to get the fe and silver. When the crystal is finished with the floor, pick it up and place it on the cot. With luck," he spat out ironically, "most of the iron will have been absorbed and I will be able to begin the Rites." Cevesh nodded absently, fully engrossed in her task of peeling away the soiled linens and clothes, tears falling as she went.

Jareth turned from the sight and brought himself to the Hall of Relics. He hadn't had to use the fe in two and a half centuries. Not since the last war when his Father taught him how to use them so he could send his Grandfather through the Void. Approaching the long Aspen rod, he removed his gloves, tucking them in his belt, and grasped it firmly. He could feel the Ogham runes vibrate at his Fae touch. That used to make him flinch, but he was thoughtless of it now. He was thoughtless of anything. Nothing except the girl in the Ice chamber entered his mind. His very movements were automatic. He turned again and entered his study. In a glass cabinet behind his desk were shards of the purest silver the Dwarves could mine. He kept them for this very purpose, as did every household in the Nine Realms. Jareth then took to the Southern Garden for a large clipping of violets. Clutching the items in his fists, he returned to the Wing of the Eight Realms.

As expected, the crystal had consumed the majority of the iron-filled blood, so Jareth was able to move about the room freely. He could still feel it in the air, but it could do nothing to him now. Cevesh had clothed her in a thin, white sheath and stood brushing Kylie's short, mahogany-colored hair. The King laid two silver shards over her closed eyelids over her lilac eyes and the violets on her chest. He had to fight back another onslaught of rage. She was but an infant! Still just a babe herself, yet this… Jareth closed his eyes and breathed deeply, calming himself. Such anger served no purpose at the moment. The King leaned in close to her ear and whispered the same instructions that he had given his Grandfather on how to pass through the Veil of the Void.

He took the fe in both ungloved hands and lowered it next to her body. She barely measured half its length. Then he placed it gently across her torso. She was so little. He spoke a few words in his Mother-tongue while spinning the fe in his hands, crafting a beautiful coffin for her of polished maple, engraved with ivy wrapping around it, sized specifically to the measurements collected by the fe. It was…so much smaller and more detailed than the crude one he'd created for his Grandfather. Perhaps the creation depended on how well one knew the deceased? Or how much one cared for the deceased? Perhaps it was simply time that had allowed his power to grow since then? He knew not, nor did he particularly care. All he knew was that he was satisfied with what was accomplished. He glanced down at Kylie to see Cevesh had weaved some of the violets into her hair. She looked to him worriedly but he found her actions to be acceptable so he spoke nothing of it.

"Go and fetch Miren. He should be in the throne room with the rest."

"Y-yes, your Majesty." He waited until she was gone from his sight before turning his attention to the sheets of folded parchment on her desk. They were each labelled in her clumsy script. One bore his name, one bore the names of the other girls, and the last, surprisingly, bore Miren's name. He tucked the two not addressed to him into the breast of his leather vest and all but ripped open his, hoping to glean some understanding of her actions.

Goblin King,

Please don't blame yourself for what I'm about to do. And don't let Sevesh blame herself either. It's not your faults. And I know it isn't mine either. It's the Masters faults I'm like this. And Lord's. But mostly the clients. And I know that. But I'm not strong like Big Sister was. I'm not even as strong as the other girls. I can't handle what they did to me. I know you tried to help. You all did. And I'm sorry I keep pushing you away but there's no fixing me like you did the others. There's no repairing or comforting what they did. I'm unfixable. I keep thinking I never should have wished myself here. I should have just stayed there until the Lord killed me off because of what they did to me. Then I wouldn't have been such a burden to you. Then I wouldn't have made Gilana? cry while she told me about…it. I'm sorry, I never even learned how to spell her name. I wouldn't have made everyone worry so much. The last thing I want to say, is thank you. Even though you didn't have to, you could have tossed me out a long time ago, you didn't. You tried to give me a home here. A home I haven't had since before Master Johnathan took me. So thank you. I don't care what anyone else thinks. You really are as nice as Big Sister always said. Keep watching the other girls. They need you. That is my last wish.

Thanks again for all you've done for us.

Kylie

The parchment shook in his hand. A thick lump in his throat blocked his ability to swallow. He felt a wetness on his cheek and when he raised a trembling hand to it, discovered it was his own teardrops. All this time, this was what she had been feeling. What she had been thinking. He'd had not a clue as to the true depth of her internal torment. She'd locked herself away from everyone the moment she learned what had become of her.

"Jareth?" Miren's voice sounded so far away, yet while his eyes never moved from the letter he held, the King could see his friend in his peripheral. Could see him but could not move. "Jareth! Jareth, what is that? What does it say that has you so distraught?! Jareth, answer me!" He knew his friend was growing frantic but he still could not tear his eyes away from the untidy scrawl. It was only when Miren attempted to wrest it out of his frozen grip that he glanced up, fire in his eyes. These words were his and his alone. Miren had his own! "Jareth, please," Miren begged. Jareth yanked away from him as if his very touch burned and thrust Miren's letter into his hands. As soon as Miren was sufficiently distracted, he returned to his letter, scanning each and every line, each word, each letter until he had it fully memorized. Even then his attention to it never wavered.

'That is my last wish.'

The words blurred before him. How fitting a line. All of this started with an unprecedented wish and her part in it ended with one. One that he was more determined than ever to fulfill. He walked over and leaned into her ear again, hoping her spirit still lingered close. "I will," he muttered to her. "You have my word."

Darkness filled the room and he looked to the window, confused. It was not time for the sun to set. Yes, the sun still shone, but it and the sky were covered by a thin, black layer. He looked to the grounds to see the trees and bushes bowed over or hanging limply. It seemed even the Labyrinth, Itself, mourned her Passing. He clutched his medallion in his hand and felt his dismay growing through it. 'I know, my old friend,' he thought to himself, wiping another tear from the corner of his eye. Finally, he allowed his attention to drift to Miren.

His eyes were wide as tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks. His letter shook in his slender hand as well while the other covered his mouth. Jareth was forced to look away. He couldn't stand to see his closest friend in that state. The silent anguish was too much for him to bear on top of his own. Miren's footsteps caught his attention again and he watched as his friend walked over to her body, leaned in close, and kissed her forehead tenderly before whispering some words to her that he could not hear. Miren then touched his forehead to hers, his eyes closed while his tears still fell, dropping onto the silver shards, and held there for a time before kissing her again and straightening once more. Jareth wondered what she could possibly have written him to inspire such actions but he knew better than to ask. As his letter was his alone, so was Miren's.

"We should place her," Miren whispered brokenly. Jareth only nodded, and together they lifted her, the King at her feet, Miren at her head. It seemed only fitting considering his friend's response to his letter. With as much care as they could muster, they laid her in the coffin that Cevesh had moved next to the cot without either male noticing. "I like the ivy," he whispered again. "It suits her." Once they had the lid sealed, Miren looked up and Jareth froze at the suffering he found in those beloved amethyst eyes. "My King, I beseech you. Please allow me to build the pyre myself and lay her in it."

"Of course, Miren." As though he would deny the man after such a plea. His friend threw his arms around his shoulders, wrapping him in a fond embrace. Jareth returned the embrace immediately.

"Thank you, Jareth." The King tighten the embrace for a moment and released him.

"Light it not yet. The others have a right to be there if they desire. And I need to find out if they have any rituals in the Aboveground that must be completed. Do you need something to move her in?"

Miren shook his head. "I will carry her myself. If it is acceptable to you, I plan to build her pyre in the Eastern Garden. I believe that would have become her favorite place." Jareth didn't question why he felt that way.

"Do what you must but join us after." Miren bowed. An unusual act of subservience from him. Whatever Kylie wrote really hit his friend hard. Jareth shook his head from his pondering. It was between the two of them. He would not involve himself. He had far more pressing matters to attend.

After Miren had turned from his sight, having lifted the girl effortlessly, Jareth began a slow trek to the throne room wondering how he was possibly going to explain this. He'd kept Ghilanna's findings a secret from the girls, believing she would tell them in her own time or it would come out on its own. Now he must not only explain her actions but defend his own. He knew not how the other three were going to react. He knew not how Didymus was going to react, it being the knight's job to explain the goings on to young Terra. She was going to take it the hardest, having been the only one Kylie knew from their prison. The two were as close as Kylie allowed her to be.

His feet carried him to his throne room far sooner than he'd hoped. The girls and their attendants gathered at the steps to the throne. His boots echoed off the stone as he walked to his throne, still mulling over where to even begin. He could hear their quiet sobs as he lounged distractedly, one leg propped up on the arm, the other planted firmly on the floor, his elbow resting on his knee, holding his chin in his fingers. His brow furrowed in frustration and ran his other hand through his wild hair. The minutes passed. Jareth could feel the tension rising in the room but he had no words to alleviate it. How could he? There was nothing he could say that was going to make this any easier to bear. It wasn't until he felt a small body collide with his that he even spared any of them a glance. Tiny arms wrapped themselves as far around his waist as they could go and squeezed.

"You need hugs too," Marie mumbled, sobbing into his shirt. She was still the only one brave enough to do such a thing. Even after the weeks had slipped into months, the others kept their distance from him and Miren both. But Marie held no such reservations anymore.

"Can I pick you up?" Jareth whispered hoarsely. He felt her nod against him and when he placed her gently on his knee, she redoubled the grip on her hug, squeezing him as tight as her little arms could. He returned it. It was all he could do. He held her close and rocked her. How she understood what he needed in that moment, he knew not, nor did he care. But she was right. He did need this. The second she started to pull away, he let her go, expecting her to hop from her perch and rejoin the others, but she stayed put, wiping at her face. "Thank you, little one," he said, patting the top of her head. He placed his hands around her waist to keep her balanced as he sat straight in the curved throne and immediately removed them when he was done.

Miren entered with Ghilanna walking alongside him. "It is done, my King," he said somberly as he approached the steps.

"Thank you, Miren. And thank you for having the forethought to retrieve Ghilanna. What must be said involves her as deeply as the rest of us."

"With all due respect, my King, I did not do it for you."

"I understand, my friend, yet you have my thanks all the same."

"Will someone please tell me what's happening?" A wavering voice interrupted. Terra held fast to Ambrosius' lead. "I'm sorry but everyone's crying and you two sound, I don't know, like you're empty? What's going on?" The girl was becoming more distressed by the moment. Didymus pat her hand soothingly.

"Sir Didymus, have you said nothing to her?" Jareth demanded incredulously. "You and your steed alone are her eyes. It is your sole purpose to inform her!"

"Your Majesty, how can I explain what I do not understand, myself?" Jareth sighed, seeing his point. "We were in the library when we were summoned to the throne room."

"You are right. My apologies. What I have to say…it is hard news and I haven't a clue where to begin. Still, I should not have taken my frustration out on you." Marie gave him another squeezing hug.

"Apology accepted, your Majesty, as always."

"Your Majesty, what is this about?" Ghilanna cajoled softly. She was not looking at him, however. She was scanning the faces of those gathered. He waited, knowing what was coming. At her gasp, he flinched as though he had been struck. "Tell me nothing has happened to her…" she whispered. He flinched again.

"I wish I could, more than anything," he replied just as softly, barely heard over the cries of the two remaining girls who had seen the devastation first-hand.

"Who?!" Terra demanded, uselessly turning her head in the directions of the sounds she could hear before settling her unseeing gaze on where he sat.

"Kylie," Miren answered, distraught. Terra went eerily still.

"What about her?"

Jareth responded this time. "She died. By her own hand." The girl froze. As did Ghilanna. Jareth could feel Marie's shaking form and he held her close.

"No," Terra muttered, almost soundlessly, her grip on the lead falling from her hand. "No, she-she couldn't have. She didn't. Why would she-?"

"Is it because-?" Ghilanna muttered softly, her ears lower than he'd ever seen them, her glistening crimson eyes begging to be wrong. How Jareth wished she was. The King nodded. The old elf clutched her hands over the center of her chest, tears falling.

"When young Kylie wished herself here," Jareth finally addressed the group, "she was not in as bad a shape as some of you. She had no more bruising and even less injuries than Marie, here. Being older, her body could handle those a bit better. However, it was as Ghilanna was healing her that we learned the truth of what those monsters had done." He paused for a moment to brace himself for what he had to reveal. "Kylie was with child when she arrived at the Labyrinth's boarder." None of the children were exempt from shock. But unexpectedly, that shock morphed into understanding, leaving Jareth confused. Even Terra seemed calmer having received the explanation.

"Now it makes sense," Terra muttered to herself.

"What does?" Had Terra heard something that would have shed some light on Kylie's situation but neglected to share such information?

"Whenever I tried to talk her into coming out of her room, to eat with us or play with us or even just to take a walk with me, she would always tell me she wasn't sure. I didn't know what she meant because she'd never tell me when I asked, but I always thought she meant she wasn't sure about you and Sir Miren. But now I get it. That's not what she meant at all. She meant she wasn't sure if she could keep that a secret."

"What do you mean, my Lady?" Didymus prodded gently, clasping her tiny hand in his paw.

"When we were…back there…" she continued softly, "Kylie and I had the same problem. Neither one of us could keep our mouths shut." She pointed to her cloth-wrapped eyes. "Obviously, it got us in a lot of trouble but we just couldn't keep our thoughts to ourselves. Big Sister took most of our punishments like she did for everyone, but she couldn't be there all the time, which is why I'm here like this now. I think she was entertaining Lord when I was getting this. Anyway, when Kylie said she wasn't sure, she really meant she wasn't sure if she could zip her lips for once. Truthfully, if it had been me who got pregnant by one of the clients," she sighed, trailing off. It wasn't difficult to guess how it would have ended and Jareth had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her close.

"She must have been so scared," Marie added, her ice-blue eyes all but hollow.

Jareth brought her into his embrace again, stroking her hair soothingly. Didymus guided Terra to the floor and stroked her chestnut hair as she leaned against Ambrosius. Aft and little Jessie were nearly equal in height so they sat one beside the other, Aft's arm wrapped around her charge as the youngest girl stared off, fear written all over her face.

"What troubles you, little one?" Miren asked, noticing her as well. She jumped but answered shakily.

"Will I be like that too?"

"Absolutely not," Jareth answered quickly. She seemed to take his answer to heart and slowly, her trembling eased. She would never suffer as Kylie had. As any of the others had. He would be certain of that. She was the only one who somehow remained untouched and untouched she would stay.

More as a distraction than anything, he pulled out Kylie's letter to the girls and told them they were free to read it together later but as her words were for them, he and Miren had no interest in knowing what it said. Relde took it, holding it carefully in her green hands and assured him that she would read it when they were all ready.

"Have the Rites been preserved?" Ghilanna asked, somberly.

"I saw to them personally. She is now resting upon her pyre in the East Garden." Ghilanna nodded.

"Rites?" Marie questioned.

"Rites of Passage. We here in the Underground have rituals that must be observed during certain events. I'll explain them later if you want, but for right now, I'd like to know if you have anything similar in the Aboveground."

"If you're talking about funerals, I think I'm the only one who's ever been to one," Marie answered. "Right, Terra?"

"I know I haven't."

"Me neither," Jessie piped up. "When my mommy died, grandpa had her cream ated."

"Had her…what?" Jareth asked, sure he heard her wrong. Apparently, he wasn't the only one either. Miren looked appalled and amused at the same time. Ghilanna bore a highly confused expression. Even Terra and Marie were making a strangely disgusted face.

"Her cream ated. Grandpa said it's like a giant oven. They put mommy in and then put her in a jar." This clarification only served to further confuse him but what he could see of Terra's face lit up in recognition.

"Oh, you mean 'cremated'."

"That's what I said," Jessie insisted. "Cream ated."

"Jess," Terra replied patiently, "there's no space in the word. It's just 'cremated'."

"Oh," the youngest pouted as she processed the new information, causing a few of them to snicker at the misunderstanding. Terra turned back to the child in his lap.

"So, yes, Marie, you're the only one of us who's actually been to a funeral."

Her brow furrowed as she thought. "Well, I remember lots of flowers. But Sir Miren said she's in the garden so we already have that. I had to dress up really nice in black clothes. There were big pictures of mommy and daddy. I drew one of Kylie but it's not that big."

"I'm sure it will serve her well," Jareth assured. "What else?"

"People talked a long time. Mostly they said nice things about mommy and daddy and sometimes people laughed but I didn't know why."

"I see. In that case, Terra, would you be willing to say a few words about Kylie before we light her pyre?"

"What's a pyre?" Jessie asked.

"I was wondering that, too," Terra admitted.

Miren took the liberty of answering this time. "A pyre is a large stack of wood we place the deceased on that is then lit on fire. If I understand correctly, it is similar to your cremation process. We believe it is the last step in setting the soul free to pass through the Void." Terra appeared to understand, though Marie and Jessie still looked confused.

"You three should head back to your rooms and prepare yourselves tonight. We will send our little Kylie off to peace at the sun's first light." The girls nodded and began filing out of the throne room. "I understand it will not be easy but do try to get some rest." He spoke this to both his wards and their attendants. All were equally disturbed by the events of the evening.

Events that should never have happened. Events that he desperately wanted to undo. Unfortunately, his powers over time itself extended to speeding time up, slowing it down, or stopping it altogether. He could not reverse time and he'd never regretted that inability more than this night. He felt his rage flare again, mixed with desperation and despair. She should never have suffered so. He wanted so terribly to shoulder some of the blame but her letter forbade him and he was determined to honor her final wishes. He felt Miren throw his arms around his torso, teleporting the two to his study.

"Jareth, you need to let go," Miren whispered in his ear. "You cannot hold onto this anger much longer and you do not want to release it in front of the girls."

Simple words. But words he heeded before he even realized what he was doing. In seconds, the tapestry hiding Miren's personal entrance and exit was ablaze, as was one of the couches. Lightning flashed, striking his desk but it wasn't enough. He needed to feel his anger being freed. Jareth slammed both fists onto his desk, cracking and splintering the top. He pounded it again, the force of his blows breaking it in half completely.

"Why her?!" He demanded of no one, throwing a large candle into the wall where it shattered. "Why them?!" He roared, lightning flashing again, setting the bookshelves to cinders. "They didn't deserve this!" He finally collapsed on the remaining couch, holding his head in his hands. "They didn't deserve any of this," he repeated, much more defeatedly. "It's not fair," he whispered brokenly.

"I seem to recall a certain Champion using that exact same phrase," Miren joked, humorlessly.

"Spare me any mention of her," Jareth spat contemptuously. "That ungrateful, selfish girl had no basis for comparison whatsoever. Honestly, I wish she were still around just so she could understand what truly is unfair." His hand subconsciously rubbed at that low, dying-ember sensation in his chest.

"I have to agree with you there. And I am glad you have finally relinquished your affections for her."

"As am I, my friend. I fear I have spent far too long allowing her to inhabit my thoughts and feed into my emotions. It clouds my ability to focus on these children who deserve it. Though clearly I have not been thorough enough." The two spent the rest of the night sitting in the midst of Jareth's destruction, each trying unsuccessfully to comfort the other.