I have now realized that I have been spelling Banzai's name wrong and I already was over half down with the chapter before I realized this. And because I was to lazy to go back and change what has already been posted, Banzai's name spelling will change in this chapter but will remain the same spelling throughout the rest of the story. Sorry for not updating in almost three months but I was in my school's musical and that took up most of my time. When I was home, I was sleeping or eating, I did not have much time for anything else, much less typing up chapters. So, now that, that's done I will hopefully be updating more frequently. Thank you for being so patient with me! -BeautyandYue

The sun was just setting when the group emerged from the Howling Forest. Jared walked over to a large rock and sat down on it, staring out over the slowly darkening Sun Plains. Jareth and Sarah stopped a little ways behind the irate king. "Hoggle!" the king called out.

Hoggle scurried to Jared as fast as his little legs would carry him. "Yes, sire?" he asked plaintively.

"Take Sarah home. I've got to teach my son a lesson." Jared said, pretending not to hear the rustle of grass as Jareth tried to look small in the tall grass.

Hoggle walked back over to the group. "Come Sarah." He patted Jareth on the shoulder as he past. "Jareth, good luck."

Sarah followed meekly behind the departing dwarf; glancing behind her in sympathy at Jareth, knowing that the same thing was probably waiting for her at the castle.

"Jareth!" bellowed the king, not looking around for his son, expecting to be obeyed. Jareth got up slowly and walked as if to his death. He stumbled over a bump in the dirt. Jareth peered down in the deepening dusk and saw a boot print from his father's boot. Jareth looked from the print to his own small boot next to it. He continued until he came to a smaller rock next to his father. Jareth sat humbly down, not saying a word.

Jared sat silently, trying to figure out how to talk to Jareth. "Jareth, I'm very disappointed in you."

After a few moments of silence, Jareth whispered. "I know."

Jared sighed and placed a hand over his eyes, head bowed. "You could have been killed. You deliberately disobeyed me. And what's worse, you put Sarah in danger!" Jared at last looked at his miserable son, a frown on his face.

Jareth's voice rose in pitch until it squeaked as he tried not to cry. "I was trying to be brave like you." He squeaked out, and sucked in much needed air.

Jared's expression softened when he saw that Jareth was truly sorry for disobeying him. He turned toward Jareth. " I'm only brave when I have to be. Jareth... being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble."

Jareth looked at his dad, hopeful that Jared wasn't mad at him anymore. "But you're not scared of anything."

Jared looked out over the plain. The sun had set and the stars were just beginning to come out. "But I was today."

"You were?" Jareth was shocked.

"Mm-hmmm." Jared nodded. He leaned in until he touched foreheads with Jareth's own dirty one. "I thought I might lose you."

"Oh." Jareth was silent a few moments as he thought it out in his head. "I guess even kings can get scared, huh?" Jared nodded his head in agreement. Jareth smiled after a thought popped into his head. "But you know what?" he whispered to his father, leaning in a little.

"What?" Jared whispered back, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I think those hyenas were even scareder." Jareth said, smile growing on his face, relieved that Jared wasn't mad at him anymore.

Jared grinned too, sneaking an arm around Jareth's back. "Cause nobody messes with your dad. Come here you." Jared locked Jareth in a headlock and proceeded to give Jareth a noogie.

Jareth wiggled helplessly. "Oh no, no... Aaagh! Errrggh!" he cried breaking free. Jareth tackled his father and they tussled briefly. Jared got up and began to run away. "Oh, come here... Hah! Gotcha!" Jareth called triumphantly as he brought Jared down by latching onto his back legs. They landed on the still warm grass, and rolled until Jareth and Jared stopped, to tired to move, on their backs in the sweet smelling grass, staring at the starlit sky. "…Dad?" Jareth said.

"Hmm?" Jared intoned, pulled out of his own thoughts by Jareth's young voice.

"We're pals, right?" Jareth asked, pulling himself up on his elbows to look at his father.

Jared chuckled and said, "Right."

"And we'll always be together, right?" Jareth asked. Jared sobered and sat up in the grass.

"Jareth let me tell you something that my father told me." Jared replied as Jareth got up to quickly sit beside his father. Jared placed his arms around Jareth's shoulders, and pointed at the night sky. "Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars." Jared said sweeping his free arm across the sky.

Jareth looked awed. "Really?" he said impressed.

"Yes," Jared said looking up with Jareth. "So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you…and so will I." He finished softly. He began to sing gently in a handsome tenor voice.

Night

And the spirit of life calling

Mamela

And a voice

With the fear of a child asking

Mamela

Wait

There's no mountain too great

Hear these words and have faith

Have faith

Jared placed a gloved hand on his son's heart and then placed it over his own heart as he sang.

They live in you

They live in me

They're watching over

Everything we see

In every creature

In every star

In your reflection

They live in you

They live in you

They live in me

They're watching over

Everything we see

In every creature

In every star

In your reflection

They live in you

Jareth was silent as Jared finished singing and in a comfortable silence, they watched the starry sky together.

XxXxXxXxXxX

In a cave, hidden in the recessives of the Labyrinth gorge, a loud complaint could be heard within. "Man, that lousy Jared! I won't be able to sit for a week!" a man dressed in a black tunic with gray breeches, stringy dark hair, gray eyes, and no shoes on paced angrily as a slightly drooling hyena laughs at the man's misfortunes of a sore derriere. "It's not funny, Ed." The man said threateningly to the hyena. Ed tries to cover his mouth but burst out laughing anyway. "Hey, shut up!" the man whirled on the hyena. Ed could not stop laughing; in fact, he only laughed harder than before. The man snarled loudly and tackled the hyena, taking on a hyena form, it was Bonsai.

A bored female voice cut out above the snarls and yips. "Will you knock it off!" a woman with sun kissed skin, stringy blonde hair, brown eyes, dressed in a pale blue tunic and black breeches, made her way over to the still fighting pair from where she had spotted the two at the top of a ledge. She wore no shoes as well.

Bonsai sprang back but Ed continued to chew on his own leg, not realizing that the fight was over. "Well, he started it!"

"Look at you guys. No wonder we're dangling at the bottom of the food chain." The woman complained transforming into Shenzi the hyena.

Now there were several forms of Fae and there was a race of hyena Fae, where they could only transform into a hyena and nothing else, no magic, not a thing. Hyena Fae usually gave into their animal instincts, were known to be cruel, and if not watched, would strip the land of all it's resources before moving onto another land, another territory. Jared had to watch them carefully, and whenever they had a chance, they would hunt in and around the Labyrinth plains. Jared usually kept them in line and they stayed in their own land. A place where the sun did not shine and overall, a perfect place for the entire hyena rogue population, as they were apt to being called by the other Fae.

"Man, I hate dangling." Bonsai complained.

"Shyeah? You know, if it weren't for the royal family, we'd be running the joint." Shenzi said, sitting down next to a depressed Bonsai.

"Yeah. Man, I hate the royal family." Bonsai agreed.

"So pushy." Shenzi said sullenly.

"And grumpy."

"And stinky."

Banzai leaned toward Shenzi. "And man, are they…"

Shenzi leaned on Bosai as they said together, "Uuuugly!" They burst into laughter.

A cool and calculated voice floated down from above. "Oh, surely we royals are not all THAT bad."

The hyenas froze at the voice then physically relaxed. "Oh, James, it's just you." Banzai said waving a paw at the king's brother as he stepped regally to look down his nose at his followers below.

"We thought it was somebody important." Shenzi said looking up at her leader.

"Yeah, you know, like Jared." Banzai added.

"Yeah." Shenzi piped.

"I see." James replied sarcastically.

Banzai nudged Shenzi. "Now that's power."

Shenzi shivered in awe. "Tell me about it. I just hear that name and I shudder."

Banzai whispered "Jared."

Shenzi shivered. "Oooh…Do it again." She told Banzai poking at him with a paw.

"Jared."

"Ooooh."

"Jared. Jared! Jared!" Banzai said repeatedly.

Shenzi fell over in hysterical laughter. "Ooooh, it tingles me!" she exclaimed.

James rubbed his head tiredly. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He said to no one in particular.

Banzai quickly said, "Not you, James; I mean, you're one of us. I mean, you're our pal."

James bowed low mockingly. "Charmed." He replied sarcastically.

Shenzi said to the others, "Ohh, I like that. He's not king, but he's still so proper."

Banzai agreed but his mind was elsewhere. "Yeah. Hey, hey. Did ya bring us anything to eat, James, old buddy, old pal? Huh? Did-ya-did-ya-did-ya?"

James rolled his eyes and held out a hunch of unidentifiable meat. "I don't really think you deserve this." All three hyenas sat up and begged. "I practically gift-wrapped those cubs for you." He dropped the meat in front of the animals. They dove in, eating with gusto. "And you couldn't even dispose of them."

Shenzi pulled her head up, chewing with a mouthful food, she replied, "Well, ya know. It wasn't exactly like they was alone, James." Shenzi went back to her meal.

Banzai popped his head up next. "Yeah. What are we supposed to do," he swallowed what he had in his mouth. "Kill Jared?"

James grinned, eyes malicious. "Precisely." The three hyenas paused cleaning up the bone from their meal to look questioningly at James. They shrug and go back to eating. James looked down on the hyenas then at the crowd that was gathering around him on the ledges above. He said quietly to himself.

I never thought hyenas essential.

They're crude and unspeakably plain.

But maybe they've a glimmer of potential

If allied to my vision and brain.

James leaped over the ledge to land in front of the hyenas. Banzai and Shenzi scattered but Ed stayed, chewing on the bone. He walked through sheets of flame and gases to circle Ed slowly.

I know that your powers of retention

Are as wet as a warthog's backside

But thick as you are, pay attention!

James angrily swats the bone away; Ed snaps to attention.

My words are a matter of pride

It's clear from your vacant expressions

The lights are not all on upstairs

James waved his hand in front of Ed's blank eyes to make his point and Ed's tongue lolls out. Shenzi and Banzai chuckled behind James. He suddenly turned and leaped at them.

But we're talking kings and successions

Even you can't be caught unawares

He landed on the ledge that they were on. Startled, they fell backward into a pair of geysers. The geysers erupted throwing the pair into the air with a surprised yell. James strutted theatrically along the ledge, which ran back to the floor.

So prepare for a chance of a lifetime

Be prepared for sensational news

A shining new era

Is tiptoeing nearer

Shenzi hesitantly peeked out from behind a rocky wall. "So where do we feature?" she asked.

James grabbed her furry cheek, told her, "Just listen to teacher.", and let go. Shenzi rubbed her, now red, abused cheek. James spotted Ed back at his bone an placing his hand on the ledge, Ed and the other two hyenas were on, vaulted onto the ridge.

I know it sounds sordid

But you'll be rewarded

When at last I am given my dues

And injustice deliciously squared

James came up behind the unsuspecting hyenas and blasted them, with a sickly green magic flash, into a pile of bones at the bottom of the cave.

Be prepared!

The three hyenas submerged, each with a different animal skull on their head. "Yeah, Be prepared. Yeah-heh…we'll be prepared, heh…For what?" Banzai asked as they moved out of the pile to the cave floor, looking up at James as he stood above them on a high rocky pedestal.

James replied, "For the death of the king."

Banzai looked puzzled. "Why? Is he sick?"

James grabbed Banzai by the throat with his magic. "No, fool. We're going to kill him, Jareth too." He dropped Banzai back onto the floor; Banzai's animal skull shattered.

Shenzi was excited as she shook off her skull "hat" "Great idea! Who needs a king?" Banzai and Shenzi danced around Ed, who sat in the middle, "No king! No king! La-la-la-la-laa-laa!" they sang together.

James glared at them as he threw his head back. "Idiots! There will be a king!"

Banzai protested. "But you said…uh."

"I will be king! …Stick with me," James gave them a toothy grin, "and you'll never go hungry again!" James shouted, raising his arms and sent bolts of pale green magic shooting up into the open air to the cave roof, creating a large hole. In the magic's light, hordes of hyena rogues, in their human forms were revealed in the deep shadows from the ledges from which they sat and watched James.

Shenzi and Banzai shouted together, "Yaay! All right! Long live the king!"

The rest of the hyena rogues chimed in. "Long live the king! Long live the king!" James bowed to the populace. The hyena rogues marched across the cave floor, in nazi style quadrangle, changing into hyenas as they crossed in front of James as he stood on a rocky point.

It's great that we'll soon be connected.

With a king who'll be all-time adored.

James nodded regally at them.

Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected

To take certain duties on board

James slid his index finger across his neck.

The future is littered with prizes

And though I'm the main addressee

The point that I must emphasize is

James leaped at a hapless hyena, making the hyena slip and fall down a fiery crevice, which started to open.

You won't get a sniff without me!

James poured more magic out into the cave. The cave floor split open as rocky pillars thrust it's way up into the night sky. Many hyenas jumped on these points as they danced in wild abandon, drunk on James' power surge.

So prepare for the coup of the century

(Oooh!)

Be prepared for the murkiest scam

(Oooh... La! La! La!) rear ends punctuating

James leapt onto the rock pillar that was raising the fastest and would soon be higher than the rest of the rocky columns, shooting through the large hole in the cave.

Meticulous planning

(We'll have food!)

Tenacity spanning

(Lots of food)

Decades of denial

(We repeat)

Is simply why I'll

(Endless meat)

Be king undisputed

(Aaaaaaah...)

Respected, saluted

(...aaaaaaah...)

And seen for the wonder I am

(...aaaaaaah!)

James threw back his head to punctuate his kingliness.

Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared

(Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo)

Be prepared!

The rest of the group all sang together as James sent violent blasts of power into the sky.

Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared

Be prepared!

James and the hyenas laughed in evil delight at the wicked plan James had concocted; while said victims slept untroubled in their beds, in the castle, unaware of the anguish that was to befall them.

To Be Continued…