The Goblin King's Daughter
By: DemonSaya
Chapter Fifteen
The man, previously black bird, stood before them looking winded and unkempt.
Sarah and Jareth had jumped apart at the sudden intrusion; Jareth stepped forward slightly pulling Sarah behind him, his stance defensive.
The man just looked at them. His hand was curled into a fist, pressed against his side. Jareth felt himself startle a bit as he recognized the resemblance between this man and the convalescing Kieran. He felt Sarah's hand on his arm and saw her eyes were focused where the man's hand was pressed, where blood seemed to be leaking from. "Who are you?"
The man panted softly. "I am Alastar, former Master of the Guard under Bram." Grief filled those golden eyes. "I have a message...for the Goblin King...as well as my...nephew."
"Alastar?" Kieran stood in the doorway, looking pale and unsteady, staring at the man in the room. He staggered forward, gripping the man both to support and to stay up as well. "Alastar, what are you doing here? Did father find out that you helped me!" From the corner of his eyes, Jareth could see Erin hovering at the entrance, as though uncertain if she should leave or stay.
The man shook his head. "No...Kieran..."
Jareth sighed heavily and moved forward, grabbing a chair back and spinning it around as he grabbed the back of Kieran's shirt and hauled him into the chair. "Sit down, you young fool." He pulled the man's hand away from the wound and lightly rested a hand upon it. "Sarah, go get Esmie."
"No," Alastar objected. "The champion should remain as well..."
Jareth frowned, and then grabbed another chair, dumping the other man into that one. He snapped a finger and a goblin skittered out of the shadows. "Locate Esmie. Bring her here immediately. I'm not detecting poison, but that doesn't mean this should not be treated with care." Then he turned towards Sarah, apologizing to her with his eyes. Their conversation would have to wait. Hopefully that would give him more time to think of how to make the request he feared that she would deny him.
The goblin was gone within moments, but Jareth knew there were others present now, watching, waiting.
"What is this message," Jareth finally asked, barely sparing his daughter a glance as she moved into the room.
Alastar took an unsteady breath and lifted the hand that had pressed against his wound, holding it out to Kieran. When the boy put his own hand out, the older man opened his hand and a heavy, man's ring fell. Jareth watched several emotions cross the youth's face as his hand closed around the ring. Most obvious out of them was grief. "Father is dead," he said quietly.
Erin quietly put her arms around Kieran's shoulders.
"Fachen has taken control of the court." Alastar said, looking tired. "He plans to march on the Goblin Kingdom, however, he does not know that his highness and the champion yet live. Likely, he believes that if they are, they wander the wilds and that attacking now would catch the kingdom by surprise." He shook his head. "Mab is on her way, but she is old and cannot move as fast anymore. The message had to be delivered, so I had to go ahead..."
"Mab will be fine," Jareth said, amused.
Alastar, Kieran and Erin looked at him as though perplexed. He shrugged slightly. "After the last war, it seemed a good idea to have a spy within the halls of your father's court. She was low enough down the totem pole that no one would look twice in her direction and a few spells concealed her true age and face. She's very gifted."
"But she's been there since before the war," Kieran objected.
He gave the youth a look of amusement. "Not exactly. The original Mab was her mother, and she'd worked for your family for years. When I needed someone's assistance from inside that house, her daughter stepped up and took on the guise of old Mab. Her mother is living a quiet life in the Goblin City with her own little personal guard of goblins." He waved a hand at their confusion. "Mab was a gifted witch, and because she was so gifted, those less...talented than she did not treat her well. The original Mab left when your kingdom attacked mine and came here seeking shelter. You might imagine that her daughter wasn't pleased with her mother's treatment..."
They were silent, absorbing that information for awhile. Finally, Esmie entered, and looked at the two men dark haired men, huffing in disapproval at seeing Kieran out of his bed before moving towards the other man, setting her hand over the wound. "It seems to be relatively minor, highness. Once your meeting has adjourned, I can put a healing salve on it, and I suspect it will be healed by morning."
Jareth nodded. "Very well." A goblin scurried into the room, whispered into Jareth's ear, frowned deeply, and then looked towards Alastar and Kieran. "It would appear that the young fool has made his move already. Fachen and his army are on the edges of my Labyrinth."
Kieran went pale and Alastar lowered his head, shaking it.
Sarah rested a hand on his arm and Jareth turned towards her. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice meant only for her ears. "It appears that talk we must have will have to wait." He turned, preparing to leave the room, but Sarah held him still. "Sarah-"
"I'm coming with you," she said quietly.
"I am as well," Erin said, moving towards them.
Jareth arched a brow at the woman and child. "While I cannot stop Sarah, I must request that you stay here, Erin." His gaze fixed on Kieran. "You will stay here and protect my daughter. Alastar, if you are under the protection of my country, I expect you to act as such..." Then he pulled away from his most precious thing and moved towards the hallway.
Erin chased after him, her face furious. "So mom can go, but I can't! Look, I know you might not know, but I'm pretty valuable in a fight!"
He stopped, turning towards her. "Child, I am well aware of that. That's why I want you here. I said I wanted Kieran to protect you only to give him a reason to stay abed. He is in no shape to go into this fight, and if given the opportunity, he would. I need you to stay behind, because chances are they will send someone beyond our lines to kill whoever remains." He caught her chin, angling her face up so he could look down at her, his face firm, frustrated. "I need you to protect he who cannot protect himself. You may be my daughter, but you are also the daughter of Sarah Williams and believe me, that means something. As a child of fifteen your mother defeated me. It is no stretch of the imagination to believe that you are able to defend your husband at age twelve."
She flushed darkly. "It was just pretend-"
"Darling child, that boy did what he could to defend you. That does not make it pretend. In this realm, Kieran is your husband, regardless of your physical relationship with each other. And he loves you."
Her eyes lifted to him, stubborn. "Like you love mom?"
He smiled. "I can't speak for him, so I wouldn't go that far. I have reordered time and moved stars for your mother. Until he does something to measure up like that...well..." He shrugged and continued moving down the hall, leaving Erin standing there. "I know you won't disappoint me, Erin."
He could feel the girl's eyes upon his back as he walked. He turned the corner and was released from that stare.
The truth was, he didn't want Erin or Kieran on that field. He did not delude himself to think they'd be necessarily safe from harm here at the castle, but at least they wouldn't be in the thick of battle. After all, if anything happened, they would rule the Goblin Kingdom. It didn't matter if it was on the battlefield or after the last of their enemies had fallen. He had to protect them.
When he reached his suite of rooms, he walked within, closing the door silently behind him. From his closet, he drew his goblin armor, laying it out on a chair. He arranged it for several moments before he heard his door open and shut just as silently as when he'd entered. Even without looking, he knew Sarah was standing there, looking at him. "Hello, precious," he said quietly.
She didn't answer. Not with words, anyways. Instead, two arms wrapped around his waist and her small hands rested over his heart. He felt her forehead rested against his back. In order to distract himself from the woman behind him, he stared off at the distance.
The sun was kissing the horizon, turning the sky a wash of purples and golds, the farthest edges darkening to navy already. The first stars were peeking out at him. Along the edges of his Labyrinth, in the field that so long ago he had battled Bram's men, he could see fires burning. The army was waiting.
"When will we go?"
He turned towards her. Her arms didn't withdraw. No, she kept her embrace, only lifting her head and looking at him. There was fear and pain in her eyes, but it was aimed at him. She wasn't afraid of the battle. He sighed, lifting a hand, caressing her face. "On the morrow. Tonight will be preparations. The goblin which informed me regarding the army moving towards us will rouse my troops this eve." He searched her eyes for a long moment. "Sarah-"
"Can I stay with you tonight?" The words left her in a rush, and he found himself staring down at her in surprise. Her eyes lowered, veiled by her coal black lashes. The deeper lines between her brows and around her mouth had smoothed out with her time in the Underground, her physical change already taking place. How could he have not noticed it before now?
"To what purpose," he asked quietly, gently guiding her face up so he could look at her.
Tears were standing in her eyes and she shifted her grip, her hands now behind his neck. "Kiss me and we'll see." The words were a teasing order, but he could still see the fear in her eyes. He hated seeing that fear, so he leaned down, capturing her lips with his own. He would have gladly rushed forward, used sex to mask the fear they both felt, as he'd done several other times, but her lips moved under his so slowly, so carefully.
He felt her fingertips smooth his cheekbones, over his ears, teasing through his hair. Her lips slanted, moist beneath his own, parted, caressed until he thought he might go mad with longing. "Sarah," he begged, gripping her tightly wanting to kiss her harder, wanting her to feel his pain.
The kiss ended with his plea and he opened his eyes seeking – finding – her own. Her eyes were damp with tears and he cupped her face, kissing them away. Her hands slipped, holding his own against her face as she blinked the tears away as well. Uncertain of how or when he'd started, he was kissing her once again, gently, coaxing and passionate, but keeping things as slow as her own kiss had been.
He wasn't certain if he was taking the time to memorize her feel and taste, so that when she left him it would always be with him, even when he didn't know what it was. Slowly, carefully. Then, he felt her hands leave his hair and she was freeing his shirt from his breeches and he pulled back a bit, looking down at her. She hesitated, but only for a moment. When that brief pause ended, it was because she pulled the shirt over his head.
He looked down at her in surprise, but her eyes held a pleading quality of her own and she let the shirt fall to the floor before catching his neck and pulling him down to kiss her again. Still slow, still sweet.
They had sex since her return. Quick frantic couplings, laced with desperation. Explosions of sexual tension and anger. But not like this. They hadn't made love since-
Since the night before her wedding.
His breath left him, a pained, frightened moan. She pulled back, looking up at him and he knew that she was thinking the same thing as he, remembering the same thing. Gently, she touched his lips, silencing any words he might speak before she leaned forward, brushing her lips against his neck, down to his collar bone. Her fingers teased and aroused him, but he was afraid that she was saying goodbye once again.
Not now.
She retreated again and she lifted her hands to the buttons on her vest. It was only then that he noticed their trembling. He reached forward, stopping her until she lifted her gaze and looked at him. Her eyes were begging him to not stop her. As if that was within his power. Gently, he moved her hands away and resumed opening the vest. Once the last large button was free, her chest heaved with a sigh, as though she couldn't draw a full breath with it on.
The vest joined his shirt on the floor and he reached for the shirt, flipping those buttons open with hands slowed by their own trembling. Once the shirt was open, he moved to push it aside, but Sarah caught his gloved hands, and lifted them to her face. She kissed the leather gloved palms, and then she set about removing their trappings. As she freed his digits, she kissed each fingertip, caressed them, pressed her face against his palm before releasing them.
Slowly, he reached forward, his hands slipping within her shirt, caressing her sides and back. The next kiss wasn't quite as slow or gentle, but it was still as sweet. He pulled her against his chest, his hands ghosting the shirt off of her, tangling with her own fingers. "Sarah," he whispered against her lips, worshiping the sound of her name, the feel of her against him.
She sighed in response, a sound that was filled with relief. "Love me," she replied against his mouth.
He gripped and caressed her skin, moaning. "Yes. Always." He wasn't aware of responding to her, but her breath was a ragged sob on his mouth. He lifted her, walking towards his bed and laid her upon the silken sheets and he gently pulled her shoes off, and then skimmed her denim pants down her legs. He breathed her name as he knelt on the bed above her.
Warm, moss green eyes met his own and her hands reached up, reached for him. "Jareth." Her hands caressed his face and she examined him closely, as if she were memorizing the look and feel of him, just as he was doing to her.
Slowly, he lowered himself atop her and heard her breath leave her in a sweet gasp. Sliding his hands along her, he gripped and caressed her flesh, enjoying the feel of her for what he feared was the last time. "I want to burn you into my memory," he spoke quietly against her ear, feeling her skin grow warm beneath his hands. "I want to mark your soul with my own."
Her arms embraced him and she rocked, arching into him, her eyes falling closed. He kissed her throat, slipped his hands up, caressing her breasts gently, his thumb strumming over her taut peaks and sipped the whimpered moan from her lips. He called to her, stroking her until she was crying out to him, tears on her face from her need and he gave her everything she asked for and more before he finally gave into his own need, spilling inside of her.
His arms trembled as he lowered himself on top of her. He might have minded if the woman in his arms wasn't trembling as well. She moved slowly, her arms coming up around him, gripping the back of his shoulders, holding him tight against herself as she began to shake harder and harder. He knew she was crying, but she was silent, so he could pretend that she wasn't. Gently he wrapped her in his arms as well, rolling onto his side, still inside of her. He stroked her hair, rested his chin on her head and sighed.
After a few moments, she hiccuped softly and lifted her face. "Sorry...it was a little intense," she offered and he cupped her face with one hand, looking down at her. Her eyes still had tears standing in them. Gently, he kissed them away. "Not just..." she shook her head. "It was the memories..."
"Yes," he agreed.
She lifted her face to look at him, as if seeing him for the first time. "Jareth, I know..." she lowered her face, suddenly shy. "I know I don't say it often, but I love you. I never stopped loving you."
Speechless, he used the hand on her face to guide it up once again, kissing her lips softly. "Shhhh," he breathed softly, drinking in the scent of her around him. "I know, darling." Gently, he stroked her hair back from her face, staring down at her. "Whatever happens, precious, I need you to know I love you as well. More than life, more than breath. More than there are stars in the sky."
Eyes overflowed and her hands lifted to cover her face. He drew them away and kissed her softly. "Ah, precious," he said softly. "Tomorrow will be a busy day. Let us take the rest of this evening to rest. We can deal with the rest later. Please. Let us deal with it later."
He pulled from inside her, causing them both to moan, then drew the blankets over them before he tucked her close to his body. She didn't speak for a long moment, then she whispered "yes" against his skin and he tightened his arms around her. He closed his eyes, hiding his face into her hair and listening to the soft whisper of her breathing as he slowly drifted into dreams.
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Kieran tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in the large bed. Too large, too empty, he had decided ages ago, and yet he remained where he lay. His excursion earlier that day had been far too taxing on him and even if he could go to Erin's side, he wasn't certain he should. This was not his home, and he had no doubt that she took solace in the fact that their marriage had only been to protect her.
He had hoped he'd made it clear that that wasn't entirely true, had told her that he loved her. He had hoped that the brief, chaste kiss she'd given him as they'd fled his kingdom had meant that she felt even a fraction for him that he felt for her. Yet, since he'd woken, she'd maintained the distance of friends, a distance that chafed at him and comforted him.
It reminded him that she was still a girl, not yet a woman.
He couldn't help but feel that he would have been better off not meeting her until she was at least sixteen. Perhaps even later, because being physically mature didn't mean she would necessarily welcome him as a lover-
Which was not something he needed to be thinking about.
He sighed, sitting up and preparing to pace about the room, hopefully wearing himself out enough that he could sleep. However, just as he threw his legs over the edge of the bed, there was a brief knock at the door and the person outside did not wait for an answer.
Erin stood there, wearing a long nightgown with ruffles at the cuffs, buttoned all the way up to her throat. Her fingers must have been fascinating, because she was watching them as she toyed with them. She looked embarrassed, even shy.
He sat back, eying her, feeling slightly wary. "Erin, is everything alright?"
She lifted her face, her own serious. She wasn't smiling, just looked at him, quiet and serious. Then she mumbled something, her cheeks turning faintly pink. He wasn't certain if she was aware of the flush or if stubborn pride kept her from averting her gaze despite it.
Knowing her, it was probably the latter.
"I'm sorry," he asked, frowning. "What did you say?"
She lifted her foot as if to step forward and hesitated, planting her foot back down. "Can I sleep here," she mumbled only slightly louder and this time her eyes averted as she spoke, but her head didn't move. Her fingers were still doing their complex acrobatics, weaving in and out of each other. That and the blush were her only sign of any nerves at all. "My bed is too big. It's uncomfortable."
He looked at her in surprise, and then gave her a warm smile, patting the bed beside him. "Couldn't sleep without me, then?"
She began moving towards him, her face lowered again. "Why were you getting out of bed?" He chuckled as she neatly side-stepped his question with one of her own. When she was standing in front of him, he took her hands in his and helped her sit on the edge of the bed.
"Come on, little one. We can prop up the pillows and have a story before we go to sleep as well if you'd like," he teased lightly, but she gave him a wry look.
"I read two books trying to bore myself to sleep. Somehow, the stuff that father puts me to sleep with during lessons is rather interesting if I'm doing self-study." She cocked her head to the side, her lips pursed.
He laughed when she didn't take the bait. "Fair enough. Then again, perhaps it's his voice that does it. I've heard that sometimes people have such...soothing reading voices, it can put a whole castle to sleep." He saw her smile in answer and she turned, propping up the pillows.
"You mean monotonous. He has so much inflection when he's just speaking, but he's got a lousy reading voice. He makes the most interesting subjects seem so dull...until the practical exercises. Those are always very...eventful," she managed, sounding slightly airy.
He leaned back with a chuckle, only to faintly frown when she sprang out of bed. His eyes followed her to a small bookshelf, where she retrieved a book and returned to the bed. "Mom, on the other hand, breathes life into her stories. I'm lucky that she's been reading stories to me for so long, because I'm apparently rather good as well." She hopped back up next to him and pulled the blankets up, as though there was nothing wrong with her being in a grown man's bed.
"Erin," he said quietly.
She turned to look at him. She fiddled with the book for a moment, obviously thinking of what she was going to say. "It's okay," she said quietly. "It's going to be okay." Her eyes lifted and he saw a girl who was looking up at him for reassurance.
In that moment, he realized that was why she was here. She felt that she couldn't go to her mother and express concern, couldn't break the mask she'd worn her entire life of being strong enough to take anything the world would throw at her. She'd come to him because she viewed him as a friend – and because she trusted him. The thought warmed him, soothed his own nerves.
Gently, he touched her head, stroked her hair, cupped her cheek. He gave her a smile that was for her alone and nodded. "Yeah," he said, then leaned back against the pillows with her, while she opened the book and began to read aloud. At some point, he noticed her voice would lag and then pick back up and when he opened eyes he didn't realize he'd closed, he found her listing forward over the book. Gently, he drew the book away from her grasp and helped her lay down. She curled up on her side, facing him and he felt her hand curl in his shirt sleeve. He couldn't help but smile as sleep finally pulled him within its grasp as well.
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Sarah rediscovered that waking in Jareth's bed was a decidedly pleasant experience. She'd noticed that the first time, but this morning was a softer waking. She stared at the rich, dark velvet canopy that hung from the top, the curtains hanging around it. They were tied back and light was trickling in through the window, illuminating the man that still slept beside her.
At some point during the evening, they'd moved. She'd rolled onto her back and Jareth was curled around her, one arm pillowing her head still and the other resting lightly over her waist. One of his legs was wrapped around her own, as if he feared that he would wake and find her gone and his body was trying to prevent that, even in his sleep.
She smiled faintly, lifting a hand and tenderly brushing the hair from his face. Then, the smile slipped away. The sound of war drums in the distance called her from the warm embrace of her lover and she moved off the bed, finding a robe where he'd tossed it at another time and wrapped the black silk around herself. She moved towards the windows and looked out at the encampment that was just outside the Labyrinth.
"You needn't worry. They are not so foolish as to attempt a direct attack on the Labyrinth," came a sleep drugged voice from the bed.
She turned, finding he had rolled over onto his stomach, one hand pillowing his cheek. He was watching her, his strange eyes taking in her form by the window. "I didn't mean to wake you," she offered, slightly.
"It was inevitable," he said, giving her a small smile. "I woke the second you shifted to leave."
Which meant he was either incredibly sensitive to movement in his bed, or her pulling away from him had frightened him into thinking that she was leaving right then. She walked towards the bed and sat on the edge, her hand gently cupping his face. "Jareth-"
He lifted a hand, touching her lips. "Not yet," he murmured and she saw a faint sadness in his eyes.
Would he ever let her say the words she wanted, she wondered. Instead of asking him, which could lead to an argument, she batted his hand away and smiled warmly. "I was just going to say that I love you."
That must have been the wrong thing to say, because his face paled a bit and his arms went around her. Downy hair tickled her skin as his head came to rest over her heart. He sighed and it was like the sound was wrung from his body. Gently, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gently stroked his back. He was afraid and she knew it. Not of the upcoming battle. Her beloved king did not fear his own death.
He was afraid she would leave him again.
Until they were able to sit down and speak with each other there was nothing she could do to assuage his concerns. "We should get up," she murmured softly, caressing his hair lightly with her hands.
He shifted and his arms wound slowly from around her. He wasn't looking at her as he lifted himself from on top of her. There was something in his eyes that was heartbreaking – something compounded by the way he avoided her gaze. He rose from the bed and she watched as he moved across the room to stand by the window. He appeared heedless of the fact that he was nude, of the fact that she couldn't tear her eyes from him. His face was in a carefully neutral expression as he looked down at the invading army. He moved towards where he'd lay his armor and began to dress himself.
No movement was wasted, everything was precise in intention, even as he buttoned the gloves at his wrist once again. Then, fully dressed, he snapped his fingers and a goblin popped into existence. Sarah sat, pulling the robe closed over her chest and watched.
"Squibble," Jareth said, his voice hard and commanding. "You are to go to High King Oberon and deliver a message." With the wave of a hand, a piece of paper was in his grasp and he moved towards his vanity table, pulling out a small stub of wax and a seal. He melted the black wax, pressing the softened end against the paper then pressed the seal into it before handing it to the goblin.
The small goblin gave him a toothy grin, glancing towards Sarah, then saluted them both and disappeared with a puff of smoke.
Sarah rose slowly from the bed, her lips pulled into a faint frown. "Now the whole castle is going to know that we're sleeping together," she teased lightly, seeing the lines of stress around her lover's face and mouth. Concern tugged at her and she walked towards him, gently setting a hand down on his arm. He looked towards her in surprise and seemed to read the concern on her face because the tightness around his eyes relaxed a bit.
"Does that bother you, love?"
She smiled, shaking her head. The lines relaxed further and he put his arms around her, drawing her against his chest. "Come, darling, let's get you outfitted for battle."
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Fachen watched as the goblins began pouring onto the field, standing back from the others, the length of the field between them. Among the goblins were various dwarven creatures, some strange monsters that he suspected were the mythical fieries that were only said to dwell in the forest within the Labyrinth. On his own side were fae commoners, trolls, and magical golems which were powered by the strongest magicians in the unseelie courts.
The goblin army was large, yet not as vast as his own. He wasn't certain it this was arrogance on their part, but without a leader they were nothing.
Just as that thought entered his mind, a strange monster – a mount – he noticed, left the Labyrinth and started moving towards the front of the line. On its back was a fae dressed entirely in black armor, and behind him was a woman dressed in armor as well. Dark, chocolate hair flowed from beneath her helm and he realized with a start that he was looking at the Goblin King and his mortal slut.
Unexpected.
Fachen felt the discomfort ripple among his troops and glanced back at them. No doubt they'd heard from the survivors that the Goblin King was the fiercest sort of fighter, how that king had laid waste to all of Bram's best trained fighters, including Adaia, who had been his lover and master of the guard.
However, the two he sought to kill were nowhere to be seen.
That was fine. If they weren't on the battle, he knew where they were. His lips turned up into a sly smile. In the chaos of the fight, he would slip away and go deal with his little problems...