Chapter 41.

Millicent, with bandaged hands walked quietly in her garden. The lack of chirping birds did not seem to bother her. She walked the same paths she had walked since she was a child. In the same fashion she had been taught, slow and gracefully. She concentrated on each footfall, each step to make her gown sweep just right. Anyone looking at her would be enchanted by her gracefulness. Her governess', and tutors had stressed to her repeatedly how important appearances were. She looked down at her hands and took solace in the knowledge that once healed no one would ever see the scars.

She looked back at her Father's manner house, and sighed. She had hoped that she'd be packing her belongs and making the move to the castle of the Goblin King by now. Jareth had always been a handsome and cunning Fae. He had escaped the clutches of many a Fae woman while enjoying their company and distracting himself with pleasure. Millicent herself had been one of his many companions. She prided herself on the fact that he had spent more time in her company than in any others…until.

The Fae woman's steps faltered, and she paused. Having lost the concentration, she needed to stop. Looking up at the sky, she uttered a curse on the mortal girl who was distracting the Fae King. Who would have thought he would prefer to be bonded to something so far beneath him? Pain in her hand reminded the beautiful Fae woman of how strong the bond betwixt the Goblin King and that creature was.

Hawthorne gazed out the window and watched his daughter walk. "I don't understand why he prefers that mortal."

"Sarah Williams is not a mortal." Phineas spat out. "She Nephilim spawn!"

Hawthorne shuddered. "Indeed, but she was raised as a mortal. So she must think and behave as one." He surmised.

The Scholar tucked his hands into his sleeves, listened to the men discuss the woman neither of them could understand. "You are both wrong." Two sets of Fae eyes went to the Elf and narrowed. "Sarah Williams has never seen herself as merely mortal. She is the girl who beat the Labyrinth! She is the girl whom the Goblin King loved. She is a Mystic from the Vortex… That is part of her title. That is who she sees herself as."

Hawthorne paced the room. "She is the reason my daughter was injured. She stands between Millicent and the throne. She must be removed."

The Elf shook his head. 'Fools.' He thought to himself.

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When they returned to the Goblin Kingdom, it was to the windswept hillside. The sun was beginning to set and Quinn sat down to watch. Sarah looked at him about to say something when the Pixie Meep appeared. He took a seat on one side of the Fae King and he too looked at the Kingdom. Sarah sat on the other side of Quinn and she too watched as the sun went down. "What are we doing?" she asked quietly.

Meep looked over at her and put fingers to his little Pixie lips. "shhhh." Then he pointed to the Kingdom.

Sarah turned to look, and felt a strong arm go round her.

"WE come here often." The voice was like stereo again. Then it changed slightly, becoming more youthful. "I love this place. It reminds me of my purpose." The long soft hair floated on the gentle breeze of the hillside. "From here, at any time of day, you can see how wondrous and beautiful the Labyrinth is."

Sarah did not turn her head, "Jareth?"

"Yes." The voice was soft and reverent.

"We miss you so." She whispered.

"I will not tarry long from you." He promised. "It's hard to be so weak."

"Quinn is working so hard on finding the means to save you." Sarah felt the words catch in her throat.

"Help him Sarah." A hand pulled her closer. "Help us."

Sarah laid her head on the shoulder. "I will." She felt the change, something in the body something in the air and the weaker half of the shattered soul again went deep inside to the place of healing. She turned her head, and whispered. "Did you know he'd come out?"

Quinn nodded a sad but grateful smile on his lips. "Here, at sunset…he tries."

Reaching up Sarah touched the face she loved so much. "Thank you."

Quinn looked at the Kingdom, and the living entity of the Labyrinth. "You are welcome, ma petite."

Meep moved closer to the king and smiled as he too was pulled into the Kings embrace. He snuggled close; it did not matter to him which side of the soul was in charge now. All that mattered was he was part of something special.

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Anne found Ryan waiting for her as she exited her offices. She bid the Goblins a good night and smiled at her husband. "I'm sorry, did I keep you waiting?"

He shook his head. "Just got here." He held a hand out to her. "With the guests gone… except for the Bard and his wife. I thought we might sneak off to the woods for a moonlight picnic." He held up a basket.

"Nice." Anne snuggled into his arm.

"We may not be able to travel on a honeymoon, but there's no reason we can't enjoy some quiet time together." Ryan said wisely. "You and the Bard can start tearing apart any information Babalouie and Sarah bring home tomorrow."

Anne blinked. "How can you call him that?" She pulled away slightly. "How can you call him by that name?"

"What? Babalouie?" Ryan asked.

"He's not Jareth." Anne protested.

Ryan sighed. "Let's find a nice quiet place and I'll tell you why." He pulled her closer again and led her toward the corridor that would lead to the gardens and the path into the woods. Silently they wandered though the winding path that was lit only by the moonlight from above. Finding a spot they had both become fond of, he spread a blanket for them to sit on. Once his wife was comfortable, he took a seat as well. "Now, a glass of wine and an explanation." He poured the wine into wooden goblets and passed one to Anne. "To the King." He toasted.

Anne hesitated, but raised her goblet. "To the King." She agreed.

Ryan looked at the landscape. "Do you remember the first time we can down that path and sat here?" She nodded. "It was after the Tourney. After…the merge."

Anne saw Ryan's eyes darken. "You never speak of what happened." Her voice went sympathetic.

Ryan looked into the night sky. "Anne it's something few have every seen. Something best left unspoken. You have no idea of the pain Quinn was in when we arrived at the mines…Yet in spite of the pain he used his mind and his connection to Jareth to locate him."

"Quinn was in pain?" Anne leaned back against the tree nearest her. "Are you sure?"

"I've seen pain Anne…and I know what it looks like. Quinn was sweating bullets."

"Was he?"

"Honey, I know you harbor resentment against him." Ryan sighed.

"He damn near got you killed!" Anne accused. "When I found you, I thought you were dead."

"Timmus tried to kill me, not Quinn. Not once during the Tourney did he direct his people to do anything sarmy." Ryan corrected her with a tense voice. "Klaws and I discussed it all before he left. He said that Quinn never trusted the Scholar or the Archer he had brought with him. Only himself and the mystic and you saw what they did to the mystic, how they tried to use him to kill Sarah." He looked at her. "Quinn didn't try to kill me, Timmus did."

"Tell me what happened at the mine." Anne said in a dark voice. "I need to know the truth…so don't whitewash it, I need it…all of it."

"Quinn had used his powers to transport us to the area outside the mines. He closed his eyes, and could touch Jareth's mind. Have you ever seen the Fae close their eyes and go sort of blank? Well that's mind touch, Klaws told me all about it. It is only done between intimates, husband to wife…father to son…mother to daughter…in this case brother to brother, or actually Soul to Soul." Ryan sipped his wine as he continued. "He said he knew that Jareth was there, and in pain. Elise had collapsed the mine entrance, but Quinn had thought ahead and called for Angus to bring dragons to dig. That's when Quinn nearly passed out on us. He looked like hell, Anne, he could barely breath." Ryan in his mind was reliving those fragile moments. "His face twisted in pain, Anne. Pain that would have killed a mortal man experiencing it. He lost all color, pale as the Fae are; they do go even paler. He told us they had somehow salted the place Jareth was with iron. Anne, he was in agony but his only thought was for Jareth. He ordered us to get the entrance open as quickly as we could. He said… I'm using what power I have…I can perhaps help keep him alive." Ryan cleared his throat. "He knew he was going into hell and didn't give it a thought. All he wanted to do was save his brother."

Anne bit her lip. "Go on."

Ryan let tears that had long been held back fall. "We dug a new path. Angus said he sensed danger if we dug in the old entrance and it was easier to just punch a new hole." He took a breath. "You read more than I do…so you've mostly read what a merge is in theory. Theory can not compare to the real thing happening before your eyes…." He sipped the wine again. "Giles and I went into the cavern, forcing Klaws to keep out. We wanted no Fae exposed to the iron that Quinn had sensed. I doubt even we could do that now…we've lived in the magic long enough for changes to have occurred. The cavern glow was dimming; we reached the heap that had been the brothers. We stared at each other, unable to speak at what we were witnessing. No mortal had ever witnessed a merging. The Merge had just completed. We saw Jareth's body being absorbed into Quinn and the moment they became on physical being. We saw the changes, the face became a mixture of both men. When it finished, it was more Jareth in form and feature. What was left there on that cavern floor was The Goblin King.

We reached down and pulled the King to his feet, in a raspy voice he whispered 'trap.' Giles and I carried him between us out of the deadly cavern and into the open.

Klaws looked at the three of us, then the opening; there was no need to question. Still his eyes registered the unspoken. Giles shook his head; Klaws went to his keens and cried out a lament a sound that carried though out the Kingdom. A sound I will never forget and never wish to hear again as long as I live." He poured the wine that now had soured in his mouth, out over a plant. "Quinn gave up his existence for Jareth. Nothing will ever convince me that he did anything to sabotage the merge. He went into hell, Anne knowing they could both die in there."

Anne began to cry.

Ryan looked at her; "I don't know what is causing this ire that burns so hot within you toward Quinn. Maybe it is part of the prophecy." He sighed. "Maybe you have no choice but to play the part Mother Universe has in mind."

"My words tore at the soul…and helped set in motion the Great Silence." Anne moaned.

Ryan touched her face. "Jareth and Quinn will both understand…"

"I hope so." She looked at the night sky. "I miss seeing his owl."

"So do I." Ryan sighed. "So do I…"