A/N: Do you recall that long hiatus I took over the summer and fall? Well, happiest of Holidays to you all, for my gift to you is the conclusion of part 1. Three chapters will be posted tonight and I do hope you enjoy them.
The Worst is Yet to Come
It had been two weeks since Alice had arrived at the Labyrinth gates, just as badly beaten as the others and Jareth felt himself becoming more accustomed to their sufferings with each new wisher. The anger at their bruises and broken limbs never left him but taking care of them was becoming almost a routine. The repulsion from the forced lovemaking remained as well but these days all he could do was sigh and move on, helping the girl with her transition to a place where she would not suffer anymore, helping her cope with the mental traumas she was still going to face, all while keeping his distance until she felt comfortable enough to approach him.
The grief of Kylie's passing still hung over the castle like a black shroud. The girls still hung their heads low and he could still hear their quiet sobs once in a while. It was heart-wrenching to listen to. In those moments, he was forced to retire to the privacy of his study where he would let out a few of his own tears. Then he would steel his resolve to ensure that never happened again and usually followed it up by doing some sort of activity with all the children in his care, typically taking them into the Goblin City or some safer part of the Labyrinth.
It was during one of these outings into the city that Jareth felt his medallion flare up with heat against his skin. He clutched at it through his shirt, pulling it away from his chest, causing Marie to glance at him curiously.
"What's wrong?" She asked softly, coming to his side.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, patting her head. "At least, I hope it's nothing." At her confused expression, he explained, "the Labyrinth has made it known It wishes to speak with me. Whether It bears good news or bad, I know not. I am afraid we must cut short our little trip today. I must return to the castle and find out what the Labyrinth knows. "
"That's okay," Marie said brightly. "I'll go get the others." Off she ran, ducking and weaving between the slightly crowded goblins that dotted the market streets.
He watched carefully as she approached each girl, speak with them briefly, and send them his way. He did not hover over them as they browsed the wares but he also did not let any of them out of his sight and welcomed them if they chose instead to stay next to him the entire time as usually happened on their first couple of forays into the City. Sooner than he expected, he had four smiling faces and one loyal knight on his loyal steed staring at him.
"I do apologize, children. I will make it up to you if you allow me to."
"Don't worry, Kingy. Marie already told us something came up. We understand," Jessie piped.
"Let us be off then." He gestured for them to lead the way as a means of keeping watch over them. None of the goblins ever dared approach his wards without his approval first but he was still wary.
"Maybe we'll get cake after dinner as a treat," Alice whispered with a giggle, thinking he couldn't hear her. Some of the others joined in her snickering as Jareth smirked to himself. He remembered Ziarth mentioning that word in his report regarding Aboveground parties as a sort of sweet confection and would be sure to have Grybar create it for them. These girls did not ask for much and what they did ask for was never frivolous. Inks or parchment for Marie, directions to the library haltingly requested by Alice three days prior, Terra just wanted a safe place where she could go outside without her escort. If there was something they wanted, he would gladly provide it.
"Now, you four know the rules," Jareth reminded the girls when they were reunited with their attendants. "You are not to go where you have not gone before. I cannot guarantee your safety if you do. Attendants, you know what awaits you should any of your charges suffer so much as a scratch not of their own making."
"Y-yes, Sire. Of course, Sire," Relde spoke while the rest of the goblins nodded in agreement.
"We know, King Jareth. I was just going to go to the library," Alice informed him.
"I was going to my courtyard," Terra said.
"I will guide you there and wait by the door until you need me again, my Lady," Didymus assured her.
"I think I'll go take a nap," Jessie yawned. "I always feel sleepy after going into the City."
"Very well. I shall see each of you at the evening bell." Three sets of ward and attendant ventured off, leaving only Marie who was biting her lip and shuffling her foot nervously, and Relde. "Yes?" He prompted knowing she still had some trouble with voicing her wants if she thought she might be reprimanded for them.
"I…I was wondering…if-if Icouldcomewithyou," she finished in a rush.
He was torn. She rarely ever asked for anything and he was loathe to discourage her by denying her request. However, he did not have any idea as to the nature of what the Labyrinth wanted to discuss. He did not want her frightened if the news was not pleasant. But the way her ice blue eyes, so like his own, gazed at him, bright and full of curiosity, he simply could not bring himself to say 'no'. His medallion gave off a light warmth, telling him the Labyrinth was fine with her in attendance. He sighed, knowing she would have gotten her way no matter how much he debated.
"Alright. But I warn you, what the Labyrinth has to say is more likely to be bad news than good and I cannot have you leave my side no matter what. That part of the castle is constantly changing to keep the Heart of the Labyrinth safe from intruders who would use its power for ill. If the news is grim, I can't have you running off."
"I'll be good, I promise!"
He nodded, holding out his hand for her to take. The moment her tiny fingers clasped around his, he took a step forward and instantly transported them to a pair of large, ornate doors leading to a cavernous stone room, bare but for the dais currently flickering with the manifested life of the Labyrinth.
Marie gasped at the purple flames when they stepped inside. "It's so pretty," she whispered next to him. She tucked herself behind his leg, clinging to the hem of his leather vest, as they approached closer.
"There is no need to be frightened, little one. You are welcomed in this place. Come now." Jareth gently guided her to stand in front of him.
"Indeed, young Marie. You are protected." Marie gasped again, hearing the Labyrinth's voice in her own head for the first time. Jareth smirked at her darting head, recalling his first meeting with the Heart of the Labyrinth. He had reacted in much the same way.
"Where is it coming from?" She whispered, looking up at him. The King chuckled lightly.
"That, little one, is the Labyrinth speaking to us."
"Oh."
"Oh? Is that all you have to say after I brought you all the way here?" Jareth asked in amusement.
"What am I supposed to say?" Her continued whispers had the King in near laughter.
"How about you start by saying 'hello'?" he suggested. "It would be rude not to, do you not agree?"
"Oh, sorry," she said quickly before turning her attention to the Heart once more. "Um…hello?" The Labyrinth's raspy chortles echoed within their minds.
"Well met, little Princess. It is good to see your health returned." Jareth nodded to himself. So, she was to be the Realm's next ruler after all.
"Thank you, but I'm not a princess," Marie muttered, biting her lip.
"By the Will of the Labyrinth, it would seem you are now," the King answered. "To be perfectly honest, I had much the same thought some time ago but disregarded it as your health took precedence." He turned back to the Heart. "Is this the purpose behind your summons? To discuss Marie's future?"
"I am afraid not, old friend. Though it was as good a time as any to speak of my decision. No, the reason for this meeting is unfortunately, far more grim."
"I thought as much," Jareth grumbled. "You so rarely have good news to share. Marie, do you recall my condition for bringing you here?" She nodded. "And that was…?"
"I can't leave your side. This part of the castle is dangerous and I can't run away no matter what," she recited dutifully.
"Good girl." He sighed. "Very well. Let's hear it, old friend. What news have you this time?"
"It is in regards to the young ones. I fear the worst is yet to come." Marie gasped.
"Worse, even, then Kylie?" The King spoke darkly, the wound still weighing heavily on his heart. He felt Marie stiffen in front of him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders in comfort. "This I find difficult to believe."
"You must for you must prepare. I sense the road ahead will not be an easy one to traverse and there will be no room for error or we shall all suffer unfathomable loss."
"What kind of loss?" Marie whispered, trembling slightly.
"I know not, little Princess. Only that it will be loss felt throughout the Realm."
"You do not usually include yourself in these warnings of yours. What makes this one different?" Jareth asked, his mind whirring in contemplation. Whose could they lose that would be felt by everyone? He could only think of himself or Miren. Were their lives on the line from this unforeseen danger? That made the most sense, though his closest companion was not so connected to the Realm as he.
"In this, I will suffer as greatly."
"But you said it had to do with us but we're not connected to you like Jareth is. How does that work?" Marie asked. Jareth glanced down at her in surprise, not expecting his ward…his heir…to draw such a conclusion.
"Very astute, Princess," the Labyrinth complimented. She blushed under Its praise. "But alas, I do not have an answer for you."
Marie cupped her chin in her fingers, no longer shaking, her brow furrowed in deep thought. "It's like a riddle! The bad news has to do with us and the Labyrinth and the whole Kingdom. But we're not connected to everything else. But if we mess up, everyone will feel it."
"Marie, trust me. You do not want to waste your time attempting to reason through any riddle of the Labyrinth. You will spin yourself in endless circles if you do."
"But then…how are we supposed to figure out what the bad news is so we can prepare like the Labyrinth told us to?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"We do not. We simply wait to the event to come to pass and when it does, we meet it head on."
"I don't get it. How do you prepare for something if you don't know what it is? And what if it happens and we don't know about it? What if we miss it?"
"That is something you will learn with time, little one. You will come to see that events hinted at by the Labyrinth are course-altering developments, not so easily missed."
"Then why do we only get hints?"
"I only have hints to give, young Princess. I am not omniscient but I can feel when significant change is to take place within the Realm, whether it be good or bad."
"When last we spoke," the King interjected, "you mentioned events where much could be lost or gained. Is this summons in regards to those?"
"Indeed, old friend. They are one in the same. As is my advice to you, my friend."
"Watch and listen?" Jareth surmised.
"Yes."
"Very well. I cannot deny that such advice has proven useful. I don't suppose there is any more news you would share?"
"I am afraid not. Only that what is coming will forever change this Realm one way or the other." And with those cryptic words, the Flame vanished.
"Wait, that's it?" Marie asked, glancing between he and the dais. "That's all we get?"
"Such is the way when speaking with the Labyrinth. Honestly, that was more than I've received in a long time. I rather think It was showing off for you," he replied, ruffling her hair. "Shall we go back and let the others know or do you think it wiser to keep this knowledge to ourselves?"
"I think it's better to tell them. I think they'll be more scared if we don't."
"Then we are of the same mind. Come, Marie. Let us break the news together." She nodded, biting into her lower lip, and followed him at a sedate pace. Once they had left the room, stepping into a different corridor than when they'd arrived, he held out his hand for Marie to take. The pair entered the throne room and Jareth flung himself heedlessly on his throne, leaving Marie to sit on the floor in front of him, leaning her back against the ornate, curved throne.
"Iket." A rather stumpy-looking goblin stepped out of the shadows and bowed low. "Go find Relde and have her gather the others. Miren as well. Tell them to meet in the throne room."
"Yes, your Majesty," the dark green male ground out in a particularly gravelly voice. He turned and left.
"Jareth?" Marie called in her shy voice. The one that told him she had a question and was afraid of the answer. He glanced down at her but she wasn't looking at him. She had her head down and her eyes glued to the stone floor under her.
"Yes?"
"What's going to happen to the others? Terra, Alice, and Jessie?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean when all this is over. If I'm really supposed to be the Princess of the Goblin Kingdom, what about them? What's going to happen to them?" He was silent for a moment, considering her question carefully.
"In truth, I know not. I have not given much thought to it. I suspected your position from the first but I never bothered thinking about any who might follow you. Terra, Jessie, and Alice are more than welcome to stay with us, though a new Wing would have to be built to accommodate you four and anyone else who comes. I can't host the rulers of the other Realms without providing lodgings for them and you all have taken over their Hall." He paused, chuckling slightly. "Perhaps Terra and the others would wish to visit those Realms and they may find where they belong there. That is also a possibility. For the time being, however, I do not see any of you going anywhere." She nodded.
"I would miss them if they left." She finally turned to face him and his heart lurched at the thick tears in her eyes.
"Oh, little one, come here," he soothed, opening his arms in invitation. She clambered onto the throne and curled into his side, sniffling. He wrapped an arm protectively around her. "I would too. But if that is what they are destined for, who are we to stand in their way, simply to satisfy our own desires? And it's not as if you would never see them again. We would visit them as they would visit us."
She sniffed again. "I know, but still…" After a moment or two, she spoke again in a voice even softer than before. "Do you think they'll be mad at me for being a Princess?"
"I see no cause for such an occasion. It was not as if you asked for the position. You were chosen by the Labyrinth, Itself. No one can argue with that and if they try, you send them straight to me. Understand?" He felt her nod against him. "Good girl."
A day passed. Then three. The entire castle was on tenterhooks waiting for the preverbal shoe to drop. Three days turned into a week when Jareth felt the familiar pull of a wished-away. As with the others in his care, he did not feel the connection between the child and the wisher, so he sent for Alice.
"Ah, there you are, young one." He smiled gently as the nervous ten-year old approached his throne closely followed by her attendant. "I trust you have been enjoying your day?" She nodded shyly. "Good. I am sorry to interrupt your time but I need your help with something. Will you help me?" Her brown eyes bulged.
"What could I do?"
"Do you remember when you first arrived and I met you with Jessie and Marie?" She nodded. "Did you feel less frightened with Jessie there?" Alice smiled and nodded again. "That is what I need your help with. You see, I believe another has just wished herself to this Realm. I was hoping you would come with me to set her at ease. It is likely she will know you just as you knew Jessie."
"Oh, okay. I get it. But why was Marie there? I didn't know her."
"Jessie felt more comfortable in my presence with Marie at my side. Would you prefer that as well?"
Her mouth opened as if to answer but then snapped shut, causing Jareth to sigh internally. This was, he'd discovered, the most difficult part of their transition: the understanding that they would not be reprimanded for merely voicing their thoughts and desires.
"Yes?" he encouraged patiently.
His patience, he noted not for the first time, had grown leaps and bounds since his heir's arrival. These girls had taught he and Miren much. Alice bit her lip, nodding again and taking a step behind Cauldross.
"Freg," he called to a guard hidden behind one of the pillars. The dark-green goblin stepped out, bowing low. "Retrieve Marie and Relde. I believe they will be in the library with Jessie. Ensure that Jessie has her attendant and send Marie and Relde here. Be quick about it."
"Yes, Sire. Right away, Sire." The goblin turned tail and ran out of the throne room as fast s his short, armored legs could carry him.
"There now. Marie will be here soon and the three of us shall head off to meet the newcomer."
"I wonder who it is," Alice muttered, frowning. "I just hope she's okay." Cauldross patted her head in sympathy, a frown on her own olive-toned face.
"If she isn't, Ghilanna will put her to rights once more," Jareth assured.
"Like with me?" The King nodded. "That's good," the tiny brunette sighed in relief, causing Jareth to chuckle.
"Did you think that I would leave her in her injured state?" He asked with amusement. Amusement that fell into a frown ats the blood drained from Alice's face and her hands began trembling.
"N-no sir, I-I'm so-sorry." She covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head erratically. "That's not what I meant at all, I swear!"
Jareth sat up in his throne. "It's alrigh-," he started softly, holding his hands out in a soothing motion. He lowered them immediately when she flinched at the gesture and braced for retaliation. "It's alright, Alice. I am well aware of what you intended. The fault is mine. You have acclimated yourself so well to the Realm that I forgot how short a time you have been with us. I should have realized it was far too soon to tease you."
She was still so conditioned to their previous environment and it pained him to see her break down over a simple jest. He watched with regret as she turned away towards Cauldross to calm herself until the sound of rapid footsteps and panted yelling caught their attention.
"Come on…Relde…hurry!" They heard Marie shout.
"Princess…wait! We have…to be…announced…first!"
"But someone…else is here! We have to-" Whatever she was about to say was cut off by a dull thud followed by a moment of silence and then, "owww."
Jareth was out of his throne, half-way across the room, and throwing the doors open with a wave of his hand, revealing a winded and slightly disoriented Marie sitting on the ground with her hand rubbing her forehead.
"Princess!" Relde exclaimed, rushing to her charge's side and fluttering her hands uselessly around the girl. Jareth had to cough into his hand to avoid snickering at Marie's bemused expression once it was clear there was no serious injury.
"Are you alright?" he asked once he'd regained control.
"Yeah," she panted, scrunching her face. "I just…wanted…to get here…because you…called and I ran…into the door…"
Jareth could not withhold his amusement any longer. "That is what it sounded like," he laughed. "Should I take a look at it before we go?"
Marie shook her head, laughing with him. He was pleased to hear a tiny giggle behind him. "I think…I'll be okay."
"You can't very well make it down to the Eastern border sitting on the ground, can you?" He smiled when she laughed again and stood, brushing herself off. "Relde, you know what's expected of you while we're gone."
"Yes, your Majesty. I will have Madam Ghilanna waiting by a prepared room along with a new attendant when you arrive and I shall have the others and gathered in the throne room."
"Precisely. You have yet to fail me, Relde. Do not start now."
"Of course not, Majesty. I'll see to it now," she replied, bowing low.
"Very good. Dismissed." Her ears wriggled under his praise and she scampered off to begin her routine anew.
Jareth was very satisfied with the little goblin. She had proven herself more than competent. Her choices for attendants had been well-matched thus far, though her knew that was purely coincidental. She collected reports from the other attendants about their charges and delivered them directly to him, although she made it clear from the start that they were not complete reports because "the young Missies can't trust us if we tell all their secrets". She'd assured him that she gave him the important information, to which he'd approved. She had even grown braver in the past months under Marie's service and could now speak to him without cowering before him.
"Are you ready to go, then?" Jareth asked his two wards.
He was met with Marie's eager expression and Alice's uncertain one. The King held out his hand, which his little heir grabbed without hesitation and waited for Alice to take Marie's other. He took a step, transporting them to the Eastern Gate in a shower of glitter.
"I always love that part," Marie breathed, staring in awe at the golden sparkles.
"Always make an entrance that both captivates and intimidates," Jareth instructed, leading the two towards the place he felt drawn. Alice glanced up at him shyly but he laughed as Marie nodded, looking as serious as she'd ever been. "Ah, my little one, you are a delight," he praised, releasing her hand to ruffle her raven hair. She giggled, batting at him playfully and Jareth marveled at the difference the last four months had made in his young heir.
"Aaaah! Lexi, it's in my hair!" The trio looked at each other in alarm.
"Wait here," he ordered, sprinting ahead. He didn't look back to see if his command would be obeyed.
"Hold still so I can get it without getting you!"
Jareth slowed his pace as he approached the…pair? Thus far, there had never been more than one, yet that was exactly what he saw. One girl sitting upright on the ground with her leg sticking out at an awkward angle. The other one, identical to the first, standing over her, cradling one arm with the other swinging a fallen branch at the hoard of fairies that were attacking them. He had the errant thought that she might make a fierce warrior someday before brushing it aside and focusing.
"Careful, Lexie!" The one on the ground called to the fighting girl. "Watch your arm, I don't want you to get even more hurt!"
"And I don't…" she ground out, taking another swing, "want us to," another swing, "get bitten!" She lowered her makeshift weapon, panting. "Remember what Big Sister said? Fairies aren't nice here."
"I know but…behind you!"
'Lexie' swung her branch fast and wide, taking out three of the little beasts. Seeing more inbound, Jareth decided to reveal himself at last and produced two crystals. One, he threw out to the girls, encasing them in a sphere. The other, he tossed into the air where it emitted a thick, gray smoke that enveloped the area, knocking unconscious everything in its path. The smoke only lasted ten seconds but it made quick work of whatever pathetic enemies he needed en masse. The smoke was not nearly powerful enough to affect the King but he wasn't sure about its potential against human children. When it cleared, the one called Lexie stood in front of her identical counterpart on the ground, facing him with her weapon in hand and a determined expression.
"Easy, brave one," Jareth chuckled, raising his hands halfway in surrender. "I am-"
"The Goblin King," they gasped. Lexie lowered her weapon slightly.
"Do you think it's a trick?" The one on the ground muttered. Lexie braced herself once more.
"I don't know," she whispered back. "Could be the Labyrinth wants us to think that so it can lead us to something worse. Don't worry, sis, I won't let it take you."
"Whatever it is, it can't be as bad as the house," the one on the ground replied bitterly. They stared hard at each other for a few moments before nodding once and turning their attention back to Jareth. He had been listening to their exchange intently.
"Alright." Lexie lowered her branch even more and appeared to be calming down. "We'll trust you. For now. It's not like we have much of a choice. But I'm warning you, if you try anything, I will use this. I may not get a lot of damage, but…"
Her glaring grey eyes dropped to his treasured manhood and in that instant, Jareth felt a flicker of fear and intimidation. It was gone as quickly as it came but the Goblin King was impressed. It had been a long time since anyone had managed to inspire such emotions in him.
"If I do anything to shake your trust," Jareth replied with a flourishing bow, "I welcome it."
He didn't, really, but if that was what they needed to accept his care, he would agree to whatever conditions they set. It seemed to work as he watched Lexie lower her guard further. They were an intriguing pair. Wary of him, not only because of where they had just come from, but also because they knew exactly where they were and what it could do.
"It is safe," Jareth shouted over his shoulder. The girls in front of him cast each other a confused glance.
"Wh-who are you talking to?" the one on the ground asked. He'd really ought to get her name before taking her to the castle.
"Two, whom I am hoping will convince you of my identity. I had them stay back for their own protection when we three heard your distress." The sound of pounding footsteps grew in volume as his wards rapidly approached the trio. "Ah, there they are."
"Jareth!" he heard Marie yell. "Are you okay?!"
"I am well, little one," he called back. "All is well. There is no need-"
His words were cut off as his young heir slammed into his legs at full force, nearly taking him down under the impact. Alice slid to a stop, staring up at him anxiously.
"Aw, were you worried about me too?" he cooed, kneeling to their level and gazing at her softly. Alice bit her lip and nodded. "I promise you both I am perfectly fine. It was only a little pest control problem."
They still looked anxious so he held his arms open in invitation and waited. Marie immediately threw her arms around his neck as tight as she could. Jareth rubbed her back soothingly while still holding Alice's gaze. The moment she took a step back, he dropped his unoccupied arm and offered his gloved hand instead.
"Good job, Alice," Marie praised when she laid her little hand on top of his. "I knew you could do it!" The girl blushed and pulled back.
"Alice?!"
His wards looked at the girls across from him, noticing them for the first time. Alice gasped and ran towards them.
"Lexie! Allie!"
"Alice!" She collided with Lexie in much the same way Marie had, toppling them both. "Is it really you?!"
"Yeah, you've only been gone a couple of weeks and we didn't even recognize you," the other one, Allie, exclaimed.
"The Goblin King's been taking good care of me," she said shyly. The two gaped at him.
"So that," Lexie started.
"Really is," Allie continued.
"The Goblin King?" They both finished together. Alice nodded.
"It's not a trick?" Allie asked low, still staring at him.
Jareth smirked. "I am no trick, nor specter, nor double. Though I applaud you on your suspicion. You must have listened very carefully to your Big Sister's stories to believe I might be."
Allie gasped. "You know who Big Sister is?" she demanded.
"Regrettably, I do not. I only know of her through the others who have wished themselves to my Realm. Now that we have settled the matter of my identity, would you allow me to take you back to the castle so that my healer can attend to your wounds?"
"Oh, you're going to love Ghilanna," Marie gushed excitedly. "She puts you to sleep and when you wake up, it feels like…" Jareth furrowed his brow when her face fell and her voice trailed off.
"Like what?" Lexie asked, tilting her head.
"Like the Masters and clients never hurt you at all," Alice finished quietly. A few moments passed and he could see the burgeoning hope in their matching eyes. They looked from him to Alice who nodded.
"I'd like that," Lexie answered meekly as her fingers grazed over her injured arm.
"Me too," Allie mustered, looked down at her leg.
"Best we be off then. Allie, will you allow me to carry you?" She tensed and panic filled her sunken face. "In that case, will you allow Marie to help you stand?" She relaxed instantly and nodded. One glance towards his heir and she brightened and knelt down on the girl's injured side.
"Alright, Allie, are you ready? I'm going to put your arm around my shoulders and then we're both going to push off, okay?" Allie nodded.
Jareth crossed his arms, watching with pride as Marie carefully explained what she was going to do and waited for the girl's approval. It seemed she had been learning as much as he and Miren. She was going to make a fine Queen someday.
"Best we be off then," he said once both were standing, Allie leaning heavily on Marie. The two identical girls grabbed each other's hands as he took a step. He teleported them to the room Shikah used as it was the more spacious of the remaining empty chambers. "We shall have to procure a second cot," he muttered, watching Marie and Allie hobble over to the sole cot in the room.
"Oh, no, you don't have to do that anymore," Marie exclaimed.
Jareth turned from supervising Alice as she took over ensuring Allie's comfort and sighed heavily, shaking his head. In the span of a moment, Lexie had already lowered herself to the stone floor against the wall with her arms held curiously over her head, crossed at the wrists.
"Indeed not," he agreed, pulling out the desk chair. "Marie, will you help her to her seat?"
She nodded, walking over and holding out a hand for Lexie to take. She shot him a skeptical glance and he calmly backed away, leaning against the farthest wall. She kept her grey eyes locked on him with a doubtful expression on her face the entire time Marie assisted her.
"You don't need to do that either," his heir admonished in an unusually sharp tone. Lexie visibly shrank. "Jareth won't go any closer to you than you want. He knows what we went through at…the house…and he wants to help us, not make us worse."
"Marie, that was cruel," the King rebuked sternly. The four girls flinched and she stared at him wide-eyed. "You recall how long it took you to adjust and she hasn't even been seen by Ghilanna yet."
"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered, tears filling her ice-blue eyes.
Jareth cursed himself for frightening her but it needed to be done. She needed to see her error for herself. He would be speaking to her privately to figure out what caused such hostility in his normally gentle Marie. "It is not I to whom you must apologize, is it, little one?"
"N-no sir," she sniffled before turning back to the girl in front of her. "I'm so-rry, Lexie. The King is…is right. I sh-shouldn't have been so impa-tient. I'm not tel-ling you to…to trust him. Jus-just try n-not to…to see ev-very…thing as a tr-trick."
Jareth softened, crouching down. "Come here," he called gently. Marie walked slowly to him, rubbing fallen tears away with her sleeve. She stepped into his open arms, laying her head on his shoulder, sobbing quietly. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and rubbed her back. "I apologize for frightening you, but you frightened her. Remember, it matters not how many times you have said a thing if the one you're talking to has not heard it once. Do you understand?"
"Yes, s-sir," she mumbled.
"Good. We will be discussing this later, you know that, right?" He felt her nod against him. He stayed crouched with her in his arms as she calmed down and turned to the girl in the chair.
"Your caution is to be admired, young one," he praised in the same soft tone he'd used with Marie. "That it has served you both well, I have no doubt, but you need not worry anymore. Here, you are safe. You are under the protection of both the Labyrinth and its King. None shall ever lay a hand against you again."
The three girls he was not holding stared at him in a mixture of awe and trepidation. A light knock on the open doorway drew their attention. Ghilanna, Relde, and a second goblin Jareth recognized as Ilog, all stood looking thoroughly baffled.
"What sort of magic has the Labyrinth pulled this time?" Ghilanna asked, her head swiveling from one double to the other. Now it was his wards who looked confused.
"What do you mean, Ghilanna?" Marie sniffed, pulling back from Jareth's embrace. He let her go immediately.
"I believe she was referring to the reason the two new ones look exactly the same. I confess myself curious as well," he answered.
"We're just…twins," Allie replied, her brow furrowed and her head tilted.
"Yeah, there's nothing magical about us," Lexie agreed, furthering his own confusion.
"Have you guys never heard of twins before?" Alice asked.
"I'm afraid the term is foreign to us, little one," Ghilanna answered patiently. "Would you enlighten us?" The four girls glanced at each other; their bafflement clear across their faces.
"It's when a mom is pregnant with two kids at the same time instead of just one," Lexie explained. "Most of the time they look the same, but not always."
"A woman can really be with more than one babe at a time in the Aboveground?" Ghilanna muttered, astounded. Jareth was no less stunned. All his years collecting wished-aways, and he had never encountered such a phenomenon.
"Yeah," Alice answered as though simply remarking on the weather. "Sometimes even more than that."
"It's true," Marie insisted. "I once heard a story about a mom who had eight babies inside her."
"Stars above!" Ghilanna exclaimed.
"We gots it, your Majesty." A group of six goblins entered, carrying a second cot.
"It's about time," Jareth shot, glaring at them. "Place it and leave, lest I decide it would be prudent to punish you for this interruption." He was pleased to see them shrink in fear before his ire. That they did not hesitate to obey him further satisfied the King.
"Marie, Alice, shall we allow Ghilanna to do her work then?" Both nodded and followed him out, shutting the door behind them.
"Are you really going to punish them?" Marie asked, so quietly he almost didn't catch it. He glanced down, surprised by the nervous fear in her voice and on her face.
"I should. They had better count their lucky stars I have more important things to attend to than brushing up on their manners. Why do you ask?" Was she still afraid she would be punished for her sharp tone? Those goblins committed a far more grievous mistake.
"Never mind, it's nothing," she muttered, looking ahead. Jareth sighed, pinching the bridge of his knows in exasperation.
"It would not be nothing if it was enough for you to mention. Speak, Marie."
"I just…how?"
"How would I punish them, you mean?" She nodded apprehensively. He pondered for a moment. "I suppose it was really only one who did the interrupting. They could have simply placed the cot and left without a word spoken. Skuelch was the one who decided his presence was important enough to disrupt our conversation. I believe I would have him stand outside an empty room and practice knocking for a full day. That should give him plenty of time for the message to sink in, don't you think?" Jareth ended with a chuckle. Two small, worried faces morphed into ones of relief. As nothing else was said, he brushed it off and continued steering them towards the throne room.