Here's another installment of the story! Here I am sitting at home nursing a cold and thought, hey why not type up another chapter? So here's another installment! Warning! Character Death! (Just thought I'd warn you)

The next day, James had taken Jareth along for a walk into the Winding Canyon. As they walked on the canyons hard packed, clay floor, James nonchalantly spoke to Jareth, "Jareth, your father has a marvelous surprise for you."

Jareth's eyes lit up. "Oooh, what is it?" he asked bounding in front of his shady uncle.

James shook his head. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

Jareth pleaded, "If you tell me, I'll still at surprised."

James laughed harshly. "Ho-ho-ho. You are such a naughty boy."

Jareth appealed to James, slightly miffed at the naughty boy reference, his conscience still smarting from the dangerous adventure from yesterday. "Come on Uncle James." He asked.

James shook his head emphatically. "No, no, no, no, no. This is just for you and your daddy…a sort of…father- son…thing." James said waving his hand vaguely. James face lightened. "Well! I'd better go get him!"

Jareth popped up from the rock he had been resting on, while he and James talked. "I'll go with you!" he exclaimed.

James stopped short and barked, "No!" he hastily regained his composure as Jareth stopped short at James shortness with him. "heh heh heh. No. Just stay on this rock. You wouldn't want to end up in another mess like you did with the hyenas…" he trailed off looking at his suddenly downcast nephew.

Jareth kept his eyes on the ground as he sat dejectedly on the protruding rock that James had pointed out to him. "You know about that?" Jareth didn't think that Jared would have let anyone know about the incident, knowing that it would upset Angela.

James tossed his head flippantly. "Jareth, everybody knows about that."

Jareth looked up, now extremely embarrassed. He wondered why his mother hadn't said anything to him this morning at breakfast. "Really?" he asked meekly.

James nodded gravely. "Oh, yes. Lucky Daddy was there to save you, hmm?" James was enjoying toying with Jareth's young mind immensely. He put a hand on Jareth's shoulder and leaned down conspirator-like. "Oh, and you might want to work on that little magic trick of yours, eh?"

Jareth ducked his head again, "oh…okay…" he replied as James roughly patted his head and moved away. "Hey Uncle James, will I like the surprise?" he called after his uncle's retreating back.

James called over his shoulder, "Jareth, it's to DIE for." He turned his face around, an evil smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

XxXxXxXxXxX

A little ways away in the plains next to the Winding Canyon, Jared and Hoggle walked on their regular morning route, checking up on a dispute reported among the tree fairies.

XxXxXxXxX

On a plain high above the Winding Canyon's edge, a huge herd of gentle wildehorses grazed on the green grass below their hooves. Off on the outskirts of the herd, three figures sat underneath a stone archway, hidden in shadow, waiting for something or someone. A growl issued from, a man with lanky black hair and gray eyes, his stomach. A woman with blonde stringy hair and brown eyes, growled, "Shut up."

"I can't help it. I'm so hungry…" the man whined then jumped up suddenly. "I gotta have a wildehorse!" Banzai exclaimed looking at the wildehorses, as they grazed placidly, not more than a few feet in front of the rocky arch.

Wildehorses in nature are not very wild animals and will not stampede but if threatened then look out. Or their powerful hooves might crush someone. They were as tall as a regular stallion horse, like the ones out west used to be, but they were all gray and striped like zebras; only they had two sharp horns on the top of their heads with which to protect themselves from enemies.

Shenzi pointed at the seat Banzai just vacated. "Stay put." She said, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

Banzai sat slowly back down. "Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?" he pleaded.

Shenzi shook her head. "No! We wait for a signal from James." The three hyena rogues spotted James making his way up a high outcropping, overlooking the herd. He gave them a grave look and turning around, he disappeared from their sight. "There he is…" Shenzi gave the others an evil, humorous look on her face. "Let's go."

XxXxXxXxX

Jareth laid back on the rock enjoying the sunshine. "Little magic trick, puh." He snorted as a little chameleon climbed down the scraggly tree that had been shading Jareth's rock, and walked slowly away from the young prince. Jareth pointed at the chameleon and sent a small ball of magic at the creature. It puffed on the ground a few inches away, and showered the chameleon in silver glitter, not even startling it from its intended course. Jareth jumped off the rock and landed a few inches from the animal. He tried again, with his magic ball landing on the ground before the chameleon's feet. It still wasn't fazed by the magic. Jareth glared and moved closer again, concentrating.

Boom!

The chameleon skittered away at the explosion at its feet, leaving behind a trail of glittering footprints in its wake. Jareth lifted his head and relished in the echo that the canyon had made of the sound of his magic ball exploding. Soon it was eclipsed by another sound. Jareth looked down at his feet and spies pebbles dancing at his feet. Jareth looks up to see the Wildehorse herd clambering over the lip of the canyon. Jareth gasped in terror and began to run away from the swiftly approaching herd.

XxXxXxXxX

Back on top of the canyon, three hyenas could be seen snapping and biting at the heels of the frightened horses to make them go over the edge and into Winding Canyon.

XxXxXxX

Jared and Hoggle had just pulled themselves onto a rocky ledge over looking the plain they had just crossed, and sat down for a rest. Hoggle noticed the trail of dust rising from the Winding Canyon floor. "Look sire, the herd is on the move." He said to Jared, pointing.

Jared shaded his eyes with a gloved hand and looked towards the place Hoggle had pointed. "Odd…" he muttered.

Suddenly a raven with green eyes and dull feathers flew in front of the ledge. A very harried and out of breath James appeared in place of the raven. "Jared. Quick. Stampede. In Winding Canyon. Jareth's down there!"

James cried up to Jared.

"Jareth?" Jared asked, stricken.

XxXxXxXxX

The Wildehorses were fast, and before Jareth knew it, they were upon him. In desperation, he climbed up a dead tree, worn smooth from wind and rain. He clambered, coughing, onto a branch hanging over the thunderously, stampeding herd.

Jared, James, and Hoggle slid down a little ways into the canyon, looking franticly. Well, two of them were looking frantically. Hoggle spotted Jareth first. 'There! There! On that tree!" he pointed.

Jared followed Hoggle's finger and his eyes fixed on the small, struggling, figure, and shouted, "Hold on Jareth!" even though Jareth could not hear him. He watched in horror as a wildehorse runs full force into the tree trunk, nearly breaking the branch and sending Jareth flying as it was Jareth, slipped to hang upside down on the branch, hands sliding. Jareth clutched the branch hard, and yelled out in fright. "Ahhhh!"

Jared was climbing down to the canyon floor in a flash. Jared dashed into the galloping herd, keeping his mismatched eyes trained worriedly on his son dangling a few feet from the canyon floor, in the dusty air. Hoggle paced back and forth nervously. "Oh Scar, this is awful. What will we do? What will we do? Hah ... I'll go back for help, that's what I'll do, I'll go back for he--oomph!" James rolled his eyes and viciously backhanded Hoggle into the wall, before the dwarf knew what had hit him, and was out cold.

With Hoggle out of the way, James follows Jared's progress from the ledge. His shadow mysteriously cast on the canyon's wall. Jared ran with the herd until he was slightly past the tree, whipping around some wildehorses to run at Jareth's tree, straight into the herd. A wildehorse rammed into Jared, knocking him to the ground with a grunt of pain. Grimacing, Jared rolled over, dodging hooves, and shaking blood from his eyes from a cut over his right eye. He struggled up as a particularly large wildehorse rammed the tree head on, and snapped it, sending Jareth flying toward the thundering masses below. "Ehhhh!" Jareth yelled, flailing his arms and legs.

Jared sprang up and caught Jareth in his powerful arms, midair. Jared then tried making his way to a ledge a little ways above the herd, but he was struck again, with a shout of agony; Jareth was knocked from his arms. Jareth dodges a few wildehorses and watches in fear as a wildehorse comes to fast at him to dodge this time. Out of nowhere, Jared scooped up Jareth as the wildehorse crashes right where Jareth had just previously been. Jared spies a ledge and jumps up to it to set Jareth safely down. Before he could lever himself up as well, a wildehorse struck him in the middle and carried Jared off, who yelled pain. "Dad!" Jareth shouted, eyes fearful as he searched the masses franticly for any sign of his father.

At the last second, Jared burst from the herd, managed to grab hold of the canyon's wall, and tortuously make his way back up the canyon's sheer rock wall. Jareth, glad to see his dad alive, turns and begins to make his way back to the canyon's top. Jared reached a point in his climb to realize that he could go no further, and to make matters worse, his feet were slipping on the almost vertical rock slope. On the ledge above him, James hovers almost anxiously. "James! Broth-" Jared nearly loses his grip but hangs on by his bloodied fingers. "Brother! Help me!" he called out.

James looked down his nose at Jared a few seconds longer, a when Jared' s foothold broke, a scrawny lion with a black mane caught Jared' s hands with his claws. Jared roared in pained surprise as his expression changed to horror as he realized what James really intended to do. James dug his claws deeper into Jared's torn and bloodied, gloved hands, dragged Jared up a few inches so that James could lean do to whisper in Jared's ear. James changed back to fae, keeping the claws, "Long live the king." he whispered slowly and evilly into Jared's ear. Jared's mismatched eyes widened.

James shook his claws free of Jared's and watched him fly backwards in a free fall. Jared plummeted to the ground below, flailing his arms and legs, having no magic left to transform, as he used it up to get to Jareth quickly in the first place.

"Ahhhhhhh!-Nooooooo!" Jared's terrified yell mingled with Jareth's as Jareth watched his father disappear beneath the swiftly moving animals.

Finally, the herd passes and it was safe to go into the canyon. Jareth scrambled down the rocky slope as dust clouds everything, even blocking out the sun, which was low in the sky. Jareth walked along the canyon floor, coughing he called out. "Dad?" the sound echoed in the canyon. A rustle was heard. Jareth whirled around. "Dad?" but all it was, was a lone wildehorse. Jareth watched it jump around a log further down the gully, bent and broken in an arch like way over a prone figure sprawled on its side in the dust. "Dad…" Jareth whispered brokenly making his way over to Jared who lay deathly still.

Jared had his eyes closed and his head was tilted toward the sky at an odd angle, while a cut bled sluggishly down the side of his pale face to mingle with the dirt below. His once spotless clothes were torn and bloodied, covered in dust and dirt. Jareth fell to his knees and picked up Jared's still gloved hand, there were rips and tares in the once black cloth, and the blood from his wounds on his hands starkly contrasted with the pallid white skin underneath the glove. Jared's face was calm and relaxed. Jareth pulled on his father's lifeless hand. "Dad?…Dad, come on." Jared's hand fell limply to the ground. "You gotta get up." Jareth patted his father's cheek, but there was no twitch of life, no heartbeat to indicate that the fae king had survived the fall. "Dad. We gotta go home." Jareth's voice wavered; he was beginning to get scared. Jareth looked to the sky. "Heeeeelllppp! Somebody! Anybody…" his voice echoed hollowly in the canyon. Tears began to make their way down Jareth's dirty cheeks as he scooted under Jared's outstretched arm. "Help…" he sobbed, huddling close to his father's body.

A figure approached in the settling dust. James walked up to the pair, noticing who was a live and who wasn't. "Jareth," James whispered in mock horror. "What have you done?"

Jareth jumped up, badly startled, and began to cry harder. "There were wildehorses and he tried to save me…it was an accident…I didn't mean for it to happen."

James held open his arms and Jareth rushed into the embrace. James replied but still was distant in his reactions to his nephew's grief. "Of course, of course you didn't. No one... ever means," James pulled Jareth closer. "For these things to happen. ...But the king IS dead." Jareth pressed his face into James spotless white tunic and cried. He looked at Jareth in mock scolding. "And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive." Jareth blanched, his young mind thought it was his fault. James gasped in fake horror as a "new" thought came to him. "What will your mother think?"

Jareth sniffled, trying not to cry. "What am I gonna do?" he asked, looking to his uncle for guidance.

James pulled away from Jareth. Jareth shivered, as it suddenly seemed that the air had gone ten degrees colder. "Run away, Jareth." James growled low. "Run…Run away, and never return."

Jareth glanced at his father one last time, as if ingraining his face into his memory. Then he ran off blindly down the canyon's winding way, obviously broken.

Three hyenas appeared behind James as he stared after his fleeing nephew.

"Kill him." Came James' brief but cold command.

To Be Continued…