The Goblin King's Daughter

By: DemonSaya

Chapter Twelve

Erin could feel the hunger gnawing in her belly, but she knew that they couldn't stop running. Not yet. They were still too close to his family home to risk doing so. They had, however, left the house far enough behind that the uproar of the Kieran's ancestral home was a distant memory; only the sounds of the forest were around them. Her legs were aching from the pace they were keeping. Kieran was much taller than she, and his legs were longer. She was very nearly having to run to keep up with his jog. Then again, even he was stumbling a bit from the pace they were maintaining. The terrain was uneven and there were lots of raised roots to catch their feet and rocks to cause ankles to roll.

Everything was happening so fast, she didn't have time to think. She was already exhausted from the ball earlier that night, and now they had to make their escape when neither of them were at their best. "Kieran," she gasped, trying to draw enough breath to ask what had happened, why his father had attacked her.

He must have heard how much trouble she was having when she cried out to him, because he stopped abruptly and she collided with him. His arms went around her, embracing her tightly. "Are you alright," he asked quietly. His voice tight, sounding very worried.

She lifted her face and saw the concern on his own. "I'm a little hungry, but besides that, what happened? Your father attacked me-"

"I know." He looked so tired, so weary and she watched him dig into his pack for a few moments before pulling out one of those vials. "Have a sip. It will keep your sugars up." She took the vial, holding it loose in her hand.

"Kieran, what happened?" She searched his face for a long moment, surprised to see pain flash across it. Gently, she set her free hand on his arm.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, he spoke. "Fachen found the note your father sent me. I can only guess that he showed it to my father sometime this evening, most likely when I took you to the room. I had stepped out for some fresh air and to think about some things your father had said and when I came back in, Fachen approached me to...taunt me, I suppose."

Erin frowned. "Stupid of him. If he'd kept his mouth shut you wouldn't have known..."

He snorted. "Fachen isn't stupid. He's shrewd in a way that worries me. He's planning something, beyond just getting rid of me. I just don't know what." He sighed, tapping the vial. "Have a sip, Erin. You need to be at your peek for this."

She took a quick sip from the vial, and then passed it back to him. "Kieran-"

"Yes," he took the vial back, not looking at her fully.

She didn't withdraw at his seeming disinterest. His normally golden skin seemed pale, his hair was growing tangled already from the wind tearing through it. He glowed slightly from the exertion and was dotted with sweat. He looked tired and frightened and she was so worried about him. She didn't cringe away as he slowly turned towards her, that something in his eyes once again. It was a little frightening, knowing someone that was so much stronger than her loved her.

His hand came up and lightly touched her face, one, and then the other, just cupping it very gently. She refused to look away from him, meeting his gaze with her own. Lightly, she touched one of the hands on her face, holding it there. "I'll protect you," he said quietly, and she thought she felt one of his hands tremble lightly. She wasn't really certain if he was telling himself or telling her. It didn't matter. Not really.

She hesitated for only a moment, and then pushed herself up onto her toes, lightly kissing him on the lips. It was short, almost unbelievably so, and she was pretty sure she did something wrong, because he went completely tense. She backed off quickly, looking up into his face only to find his eyes wide in shock or amazement or...something.

She blushed, feeling suddenly uncertain, and pressed her face against his chest, burrowing into his warmth. "Don't say a word," she threatened softly.

After a long moment, his hands came to rest on her back and she felt his chin on her head. Then, a moment later, he shifted his grip and suddenly she was swept up into his arms and she realized with a mental stutter that she was being carried...like a princess. Her face burned and she hid it in the soft feathered collar of his cloak. "Cheat," she grumbled quietly. It just wasn't fair.

He hummed softly and she felt his lips lightly brush against her temple. Then he was moving once again, at great speeds through the forest. She smiled in exasperation. If he kept on protecting her like this, she was going to forget how to protect herself.

So she silently made a promise to herself that she would protect him, too. Whether he liked it or not...

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Fachen watched from behind the king as Bram issued orders to the rabble of people he'd collected. Many were mercenaries or assassins, but there were several of the kingdom's soldiers that were standing there as well. In all honesty, there were probably many more that had been turned away who would like to try their hand at killing the traitors.

However, Bram didn't want them dead. He wanted them brought back so that he could watch Kieran's punishment himself. One thing – the only thing – that Fachen admired in Bram was the ruthless way he handled those who betrayed him. The one time Fachen had the privilege of witnessing such an execution had given him goosebumps. The man, who was essentially filleted alive, had been begging for death before the killing blow was finally struck. Bram had used healers to keep him alive, to keep him conscious so that he would feel ever iota of pain visited upon him.

It was delightfully sadistic.

Kieran's betrayal in particular seemed to bring out Bram's worst nature. Then again, that bastard had always done anything he could in order to gain his father's approval. He never got it until he revealed a level of thinking that had not been expected by the members of the court. Bringing the daughter of the king's enemy had helped.

If only they had realized that Kieran had too much of his mother's blood, which made him too soft, too devoted. And that girl had to have cast some manner of spell upon that brat in order to make him become devoted to a slip of a girl like her. Much as the mortal bitch that the Goblin King was so enamored of must have cast upon him.

Bram turned towards him and Fachen noticed a strangely lonely look on the old man's face. "Fachen, I give you charge of the troops. They will report to you. When you've captured them, bring them both to me. Maybe I'll let you rape the bitch in front of my traitor son..."

Fachen smirked faintly. He wouldn't mind the opportunity to break Kieran's little bitch. "You needn't worry, your highness. When they bring them in, I'll let you know..." He set a comforting hand on his uncle's shoulder, the smirk broadening as the man turned and began to leave. "I'll take care of everything..."

He never saw the look of tired, sad resignation cover Bram's face.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sarah leaned heavily on Jareth, her fingers wound together with his own. Since the accident, he'd not really released her, even when she insisted on walking on her own. She'd known he was hovering on the other side of the bush when she'd needed to use the toilet.

It was as though he was worried she'd disappear. Then again, she couldn't deny that she'd been hanging closer to him since the carriage tipped. Accident or intentional, she'd had the briefest flash of fear and then they were surrounded by invisible padding, and while the palanquin was destroyed around them, they sat in the eye of the storm, uninjured.

She wasn't sure if it was stress, or lack of rest, but she was already exhausted. She didn't know how Jareth managed to keep moving forward at such a steady pace, kept moving her along at that same pace. She didn't complain, refused to. The faster they moved, the sooner they'd catch up with Erin. She glanced up at the grim face of the man at her side and knew he was having the same thoughts as she was this time.

Before, he'd been relaxed, even as he'd carried her immediately after the accident. The stress she saw on his face hadn't arrived until several blackbirds streaked across the sky. Except one. That one flew down to their level and Sarah found herself staring at a boy with black hair and pale skin. His eyes had no iris and they were completely black.

The youth was winded, frightened. "Goblin King..."

Jareth had stared at the boy for a long time, and then answered. "I know you, don't I?"

The boy nodded, trying to catch his breath. "Kieran's loyalties have been revealed. They run."

All at once, her somewhat serious lover became a grim-faced man she barely recognized. "The old oak?"

"That is what old Mab will tell them..."

Jareth gave a short nod. "Then we will collect them. Take your brethren and hide at the castle beyond the Goblin City. I will reunite you with your master then."

Once the boy had gone, she'd looked towards him, but he didn't answer any of her unspoken questions. Instead, he'd simply moved more rapidly that she thought he would, that grim look on his handsome face.

She was getting tired of his silence, however, and she wanted answers. "Jareth, who was that boy?"

He didn't hesitate, and she saw his jaw clench briefly. "That was no boy. That was a raven, precious. While a few fae possess that animal form, it is rare. Raven's already possess the ability to transform, they possessed it long before the fae were bore into existence. They are one of few creatures that can travel to the underworld and return unscathed." He gave a rough laugh that sounded rather angry. "That was the raven that brought the message regarding your daughter."

Sarah frowned deeply. "If these creatures are so powerful, why would they allow themselves to be used as messengers?"

"I know not. However, when we reach our son-in-law, you can bet I am going to inquire about it."

She sighed, sensing the man's irritation and gently set her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Jareth. Let us hurry..."

He nodded sharply. She could feel the stress in his body, but he still took the hand that had held hers and slipped it gently around her shoulders, holding her easily against his side. Sarah slipped her arm around his waist in answer and glanced at his profile for a long moment. "Jareth, after we get Sarah and Kieran to your castle, I suggest we take a day or two where we don't think about what has happened and we bar ourselves in your room."

He glanced towards her, an eyebrow arched into his hairline and there was trace amusement on his face, wiping away the worst of his grim expression. Underneath the amusement, however, was a faint trace of sadness. "You have some nefarious plans in mind, then precious?"

"Less nefarious, more toe-curling," she admitted, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He barked out a laugh and his head rested on hers as they walked. "Darling, I like the way you think..."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Kieran had resorted to piggy backing her once again. It was the third or fourth time he'd insisted on doing so. She'd been nibbling on food during their infrequent stops, and the only times she slept was when she was as she was. He was worried about her. Even if she was rapidly becoming the fae she would have been had she been raised here, her body was still very human and due to the rapid change, needed rest more often.

She was, in a word, exhausted. He could feel her soft breathing stirring his hair and continued trudging along the forest floor. They hadn't been attacked yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Knowing how his family was, Bram would not be among his attackers. No, that man would be waiting at the castle, sharpening his own brand of weapons.

Knives used to torture their victims until they begged for the sweet release would give them. Bram wouldn't grant him swift death. He would drag every ounce of suffering out of his body as was possible. He would torture Erin until she was hoarse from her screaming. Likely, he would make him watch, bound and unable to save her.

Unfortunately, he was getting tired as well. He couldn't afford to rest, but he knew that if he didn't that he would be a detriment. He couldn't protect her properly if he didn't get some sleep. He would need to find a safe place for her before he would be able to. Perhaps a small burrow, something hidden behind grass...

His eyes found a small mound of ground and he moved towards it. It was the kind of thing he'd been hoping for, just small enough for her, like a small cave burrowed out of the dirt by some animal seeking shelter. Gently, he laid her in the burrow and pulled off his cape, draping it gently over her. She was shivering from the cold, from weakness and perhaps from fear as well. He shivered as well, and when it ended, he was in his raven form and he moved into the burrow as well, glad that the grass was high enough it mostly hid their hiding place. A simple glamour would do the rest.

He nudged open the pack that she'd been carrying while riding on his back and pulled out some of the bread and meat, nibbling at it. His bird form had its advantages. It needed less food to sustain itself, it was compact, and it could sleep anywhere. It also held the advantage of being easily awoken, something that could not be said for his fae form.

Once he'd eaten his fill, he'd nested close to her stomach, rested his head on her thighs and finally fell asleep.

What woke him was not a great noise; it wasn't yelling it wasn't the sound of shoes. It was the eerie absence of the normal forest sounds. He wanted to look out of his burrow, but knowing the forests as well as he did told him that the lack of noise meant that someone was closing in on this area, someone who could move silently, someone who was not embraced by the forest as normal. An outsider- which meant that it was very likely that one of the men his father would have sent after them was dangerously close to their location.

Kieran heard the footsteps only moments later, moving towards where they were hidden. He glanced towards Erin and saw her eyes were open and staring at him. Her lips were tightly shut and after a brief moment, she glanced towards the burrow's opening then her eyes returned to him. He could hear the unspoken question and he simply nodded.

She shifted just a bit, bringing an arm around his body, her hand restlessly stroking his feathers. Had he been in his human form, he would have blushed. As it was, his body settled comfortably into the position and they waited intense silence.

The crunch of leaves grew closer and closer and then stopped. Kieran felt Erin shiver and he shivered in answer. "There's nothing here," came a cool voice outside the burrow.

"The trail ends here," another voice said. "They have to be here somewhere!"

"Maybe they're just covering the trail with glamour. There's one right there, after all. Maybe they're just using those to mislead us."

"Then again, maybe they're right around here somewhere and are hoping that we'll make that assumption."

A sigh. "Look around further if you must. I'm gonna have a cigarette," the man muttered, and both of them barely managed to stifle a startled cry when two boots showed in their line of vision. Erin's grip on him tightened and he glanced towards her, seeing an obstinate look on her face.

After the long tense moment, the voice spoke once again. "Prince, you would do well to hide your tracks better," came a quiet voice. "Not all of the guards on your tail are as idiotic or easily led as Flemming over there."

Kieran drew away and glanced from the burrow, seeing golden eyes and tanned skin beneath black hair. The man who been granted the position of captain of the guard following his mother's death- and his mother's brother. The man's face was filled with exasperation. It appeared he had managed to retain some friends in his father's court.

"I thought you were taught better than this," the man reproached.

"Alastar," called the other voice.

The man looked away, over his shoulder. "Did you find anything?"

"There's a faint trail leading off to the north, towards lord Brendan's lands, away from the Labyrinth." The other voice said. "I think they're wandering aimlessly, or they're lost." There was an audible snort. "And everyone was talking about how great a navigator and survivalist this brat is..."

Mildly, Alastar replied, "Indeed." His voice was laced with sarcasm. "Well, let's be off in that direction, then."

Kieran watched as the man stood and once the sound of footfall retreated, he changed back to his fae form, and then helped Erin out of the burrow. "He's right, I've been careless," he said quietly.

"Kieran, you're exhausted," she objected. Her hand lightly rested on his arm. "You've been trying to put distance between us and them, and...I can't keep up. You're bearing my burden as well, so don't you dare blame yourself!"

He heard her irritation and looked at her. Her hair stuck in all sorts of directions, she was smudged with dirt and he could see scrapes on her skin where she'd stumbled and fallen, trying to keep pace with him the night before. With a tired sigh, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against his chest and resting his chin on her head. "Alright," he agreed. "Let's hurry and eat something so we can get away from here. If Alastar found us, then the others can't be far behind."

She nodded in agreement, and they divided some food between them before he stood, fastening his cloak around his shoulders once again and they moved through the rapidly brightening forest.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Kieran had done a great job keeping them off their trail for days, but eventually, they knew it would happen. Naturally, it did when they weren't expecting it.

He had found another seemingly safe place for Erin to sleep, in form of a hollow tree, with a glamour hiding the entrance so that it would be difficult to find her. The tree was small, and he was too large to fit, so again, he changed to his raven form, hiding in the tree with her, the pack tucked into the back.

It had been a few hours till daylight when he'd dozed off finally, and scant hours after that when Erin's shrill shriek of pain and fury reached his ears. He startled awake, in time to see Erin pulled by her ankle from the tree. "ERIN!" His voice started a bird shriek, but he was in his fae form before her name had full left his mouth.

He exploded out of the tree stump in time to see several men in light armor holding Erin down and a knife at her throat. More hands grabbed him and a blade rested against his own as well. "Well, well...your dear daddy has put quite a price on your head toy-prince..."

He watched Erin struggling against the hands that held her, and watched the men laugh and teasingly slice across her clothing, leaving lines of bright red blood in their wake. He watched her face closely, seeing her flinch only slightly. "We were asked to keep you both alive, but we're feeling mean right now..." A blade sliced against his arm and he was so surprised that he snarled in pain. "You two gave us too much trouble when we were looking for you. Doubling back on your paths, covering shit with glamour."

Erin's eyes met his and he saw none of the desperation he was feeling. He did, however, see anger bordering on fury. Some of that fury was aimed at him, as though she was asking what he was getting so worried about, that he should just relax and handle this. He felt the blade slash at him again, but this time, he was too focused on her expression, on the message that she was sending him without speaking. He relaxed, went limp, a faint smile turning up his lips before he jerked sideways, grabbing the hand of one mercenary with the hand held by another and he jerked him to the side.

A blade slashed deeper than was likely intended into his side, and he felt the pain, but refused to respond to it. Using the one he held as a shield against the others, he knocked them down, grabbed two of the knives from their hands and dropped two of the guards holding Erin with a blade between their eyes. After that, he had to focus on the others that had grabbed him, using a third knife to drop one with a jab to the solar plexus, then another through the temple, and another across the neck. Blood splashed him, but he saw Erin was free now and had grabbed their pack, slipping it over their shoulders. His torn and tattered cloak was in her hands as well.

"Just leave them," he snapped.

"We need the food," she snapped back and continued, "and the cloak works as a blanket!"

He snarled in frustration at her, grabbing her hand, feeling her hand curl trustingly around his own, despite the irritation he sensed in her. He hesitated for just a moment, looking at her face, smudged with dirt, her disheveled hair, the wounds that were multiplying.

Then, by the hand that he held, he pulled her away from the carnage they'd left behind them.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Jareth frowned, leaning over the body in front of him. Sarah was standing slightly behind him, but when he'd caught the strong scent of blood, he'd forced her to stand back, so that she wouldn't be faced with the sight that he was seeing.

Jareth had known that the boy was good in a fight, had watched him slaughter goblins when he'd been but a child. However, he suspected a few of these bodies were care of his daughter. He frowned grimly, and gestured for Sarah to approach. She did so with worry obvious on her face. "Jareth-"

"They were here, darling, however they're not now. Likely they were caught while taking a rest, and they had to fight off their captors..." He lifted two knives that were heavily coated in blood and sniffed the blade beneath his nose. "Most of this is theirs, however there is a faint trace of royal blood on this blade, and..." He lifted another one, breathing deeply. "This one as well. They weren't trying to kill them, just...taking out some anger, I believe."

"Erin..." Sarah breathed in worry.

"At this point, I'm more worried about Kieran than our daughter."

She looked towards him frowning deeply. "You'll have to explain that, Jareth."

He straightened, still holding the knife that had been used on Kieran. "It's likely that Bram wants them alive, so they will have not done anything to cause great harm to either. However, Kieran has sustained a rather severe wound, and I doubt he realized that these knives were dusted with iron powder. Erin, being female and still partially human, will simply absorb the iron to replace what she lost during her cycle. Kieran, however..."

"I thought the iron thing was just a myth, like the food!"

He sighed. "The myth states we're allergic to it, or that we do not like the touch of it. The truth is this: anything in high quantities is poison, and iron poisoning is more common among males than females, as they need the iron to replenish their blood."

"So you're saying that he could be poisoned and not realize it?"

He cast a grim look towards Sarah. "That is precisely what I'm saying." He offered her his hand once again. "Come, precious. Let us hurry. These bodies are relatively fresh, so we can't be far behind them."

She nodded shortly, her hand curling tighter around his. He wasn't entirely certain if she was seeking comfort for herself, or seeking to give it to him.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Kieran was panting slightly, more winded than Erin could remember seeing him. His normally tanned face was covered with blood, however she could see that his skin was pale, sweating, almost waxy in appearance. His gold eyes had a wild look in them.

They'd been running for what felt like weeks, but had only been days. They'd been found more than that one time, and Kieran had always taken the brunt of the damage trying to protect her. The deep gash on his side wasn't the only one. He'd sustained nasty blows to the ribs and had a few nastier wounds on his arms and one rather bad one on the side of his neck.

Still, not all of the blood that covered him was his own.

Now, they huddled together in the base of a large, hollow oak tree, seemingly hidden from the world. For the first time, Erin actually wondered if her mother and father would find them in time. Gently, she set her hand against the wound in his side. "Kieran-"

He hushed her, pulling her tight against his chest. Those eyes seemed to glow with intensity as he stared out of the hollow space, seeming to wait for...something. She cocked her head to the side and noticed for the first time that the normal sounds of the forest had died down. "Someone's coming," he confirmed in a quiet, labored voice, answering the question she never got to ask.

As if in response to that statement, two boots appeared at the entrance to the hollow space. They were black leather, finely made if she was any judge. A glance towards the man holding her found grim resignation in his eyes. "I'll protect you," he promised again, his voice quiet and sounding somehow weak. She believed him. He would kill himself trying to protect her.

Well, she wouldn't let him, she thought, gripping his shirt and glancing towards the boots once again.

Just as Kieran thrust his hand out to hurl magic at whoever had found them, the owner of the boots leaned down, peering into the hole, an arrogant yet exasperated expression on his handsome face. Mismatched eyes peered at them from beneath pale blonde hair and after a moment, the man straightened. "Precious, I found them."

Erin heard her mother rushing towards them, heard her voice and tears pierced her eyes. "Mom...? Dad...?"

Kieran helped her leave the hollow space, his arms trembling and she lifted her face, seeing her mother still wearing her dress from the ball, although it was torn in several places from her trek through the forest. Her father, as well, was dressed in his finery, looking slightly worse for wear. With a cry, she threw her arms around them, pressing her face into her mother's shirt.

She turned towards Kieran, however as she did, her father stepped away, and moved quickly forward. She twisted in her mother's arms to find Kieran has collapsed, his breathing more labored now than when they'd first found the hollow space. "Kieran?"

Her mother held her back as the Goblin King held a hand over her friend's forehead. "I was right," the older man said grimly, and then his arm wrapped around herself and her mother and the world seemed to crush her for a moment, before everything went black.