A/N: How great is it that chapter 13 will be posted on Friday the 13th? Ugh, I'm such a dork. . . Carry on, then!

MAY EVE

And though you should live in a palace of gold, or sleep in a dried up ditch,
You could never be as poor as the fairies are, and never as rich.
~Rose Fyleman

Chapter 13: Choices

Sarah stared at Jareth as if he had grown a second head. The kiss still lingered on her lips and the woozy feeling of being kissed properly still kept her from perfect balance. "What you said to me then, fear you, love you, do as you say and you would be my slave. . . I never understood it. How could I, by all rights be your slave since I have to do everything you say and have you as mine? Why would anyone want to be someone's slave? I've grown, Jareth, but the notion still makes little sense to me."

Jareth smiled down at her. Though she had grown and was quite a bit more mature than she was all those years ago, she was still very naïve. He placed blame on Aboveground customs for her confusion and reluctance. "Sarah, I am a king. I would not be doing a very good job if my subjects did not have fear of me. And to ask you to love me shouldn't be that hard. . . Do you love me, Sarah?" His miss-matched eyes burned into her own, making her feel as if he could touch her soul.

"I. . .It's true that you have been much different since the first time we met, but I am still trying to get used to it all. I care for you, but I'm still so unsure of everything." Being one of the most honest comments she had made in her whole life she found herself blushing.

"You are from a different world, to do as I say would keep you safe. Do you trust me? Do you trust me not to order something of you that could harm you in any way?" He asked, pained that she couldn't admit that she loved him, but hopeful that she soon would.

"I trust you." She whispered.

"There, now you understand. I would hate for you to fear me in the way your mind has portrayed fear. Perhaps if I were to explain that better. Fear of me and fear for me are quite similar in the grand scheme of things. Would you be afraid if something happened to me?"

"Oh, I don't think I could handle it!" She exclaimed, blushing again.

"Fear my power, even I fear it at times, if there is no fear you risk everything. If there is no fear you do not care." Jareth breathed as he moved closer to Sarah again, pulling her into his arms.

There came a great racket from behind them and suddenly, when the dust cleared Toby was splayed out on his behind shaking his head. He grabbed his right wrist and winced. "You stupid idiot!" Toby shouted. "You tripped me!"

"I sorry! I sorry!" A small green goblin, with blue frizzy hair bopped around Toby attempting to see if any damage had been done. When his pudgy finger poked Toby's wrist Toby shouted. "I so sorry!"

"Bigby, what exactly have you done?" Jareth all but forgot Sarah as he turned on the little green creature. Sarah was at Toby's side instantly.

"Bigby is sorry. Bigby was only hepping Toby and Bigby tripped. Bigby sorry!" He wailed and fell to his knees and gripped the Goblin King's boot.

"Toby, your wrist looks bad!" Sarah exclaimed. "Come on, let's get you off of the floor." She helped him up and took him into the dining room and helped him sit. He had a bump on his head and his jeans were torn at the knee and there was a bit of blood.

"Oh my goodness!" The sound of a very large wasp zoomed in and around Sarah's head. She yelped and swatted it away. "Hey! It's me!"

"Sorry, Ari, you startled me." Sarah laughed breathlessly.

"Beg your pardon." Ari patted Sarah's eye and then zoomed to Toby's face. She placed her little hands on his nose and frowned. "You're hurt!"

"BIGBY NO WANT BOG! BIGBY. IS. SORRY!" Everyone turned their attention to Jareth who had Bigby hanging before him gripped with only his index finger and thumb, by the foot.

"Jareth, please!" Sarah shouted, worried he'd hurt the little thing.

"Toby, are you willing to let this ingrate serve you further or shall I replace him with a much smarter model?" Jareth asked, sounding quite bored. He had to teach this little thing a lesson if he was going to continue to serve the child. Bigby's father was too old to serve him any longer and Jareth only saw fit to allow the less that intelligent beast the position because he had been fond of Groff.

"No, it was an accident, don't. . . He just made me mad." Toby blushed.

"You've been spared. Go collect the heeler." He let Bigby down and with a half dozen bows he was scurrying away.

Jareth approached Sarah and Toby and took a closer look at the boy. He frowned when he saw the discoloration and swelling that quickly took over his wrist. "Does it hurt?"

"Of course it does!" Toby snapped. "Sorry."

"Can you move it?" Toby looked up at the Goblin King who was grinning down at him and he turned back to his injury. He attempted to move it, he told his brain to wiggle his fingers, but barely anything happened.

"Oh my god! My hand's dead!" Toby blanched.

"I highly doubt that, young man." Raeywen, the heeler who brought Sarah back from the brink seemed to glide into the room with a radiant smile on her face. Her green eyes twinkling and her red hair pulled back in a large knot. "Let me have a closer look, hm?"

"I is sorry." Bigby's meek voice came from the doorway. "So sorry." He cried.

Raeywen ignored all of the spectators and reached into her bag where she brought out a white roll of what looked like bandage. "I am going to wrap your hand and wrist with this. Do not remove it until it turns entirely black. There may be some red at first, don't worry about that, my child. It is simply removing the blood and healing the break. It will be cold, like ice, and just when you think you can't stand it anymore it will warm and begin to change color. Alright?"

"So, is it going to hurt?" Toby asked, scared.

"Only as I wrap it because it has to be a little tight and I must maneuver your wrist, other than that it should just ache while it heals. I will give you a special tea that will help with that." She smiled as she began to wrap his arm. "My, how you've grown since I last saw you! It seems like ages. You really are quite a handsome young man."

Toby blushed and Raeywen kissed the top of his head. "All done."

His eyes grew wide and he smiled, "Really? That didn't hurt at all!"

"Rae has a way with words, doesn't she?" Jareth chuckled as the healer packed up her things and turned to leave.

"I will leave the makings of the tea with you, Sire. I'm sure you can handle that."

"Of course, thank you."

"Wow, she even put a bandage on my knee and something sticky on my head. She's good!" Toby marveled.

"She has had a lot of practice with scared little boys. I was a particularly difficult patient when I was your age." Jareth whispered loud enough for Sarah to hear, but still conspiratorially enough to please Toby. His eyes grew wide and he giggled.

"Your Majesty!" Didymus burst into the room with a shout. "They are getting restless!"

"Damn." He, the King of the Goblins, had been so wrapped up in his time with Sarah, and now Toby that he had forgotten his duty. "Sarah, are you going to join me or stay with Toby?"

Sarah looked at Toby and he was drifting to sleep. "He looks exhausted." Jareth nodded and flicked his wrist sending both Bigby and Toby back to the boy's rooms.

Sarah followed him to the throne room where there was a smaller stone seat next to his throne, not nearly throne-like, but enough for comfort. She smiled, she could see herself here so why was she so afraid? "Didymus, you may go to the dining hall and enjoy lunch, it shall be served shortly. Thank you for your service."

Sir Didymus bowed low, again twitching about the face as if he could collapse into sobs at once. When he retired to the other room Jareth got the attention of the goblins who were grumbling and complaining around the throne room. "I will now hear your grievances. One at a time, and if any of you get out of line you will be bogged. Understand?" There was a collective murmur as they all fell silent.

One by one the goblins approached the throne. They all bowed or curtseyed and then gave the Goblin King their best praise. Once that little ritual was over they then spoke. Most of them were upset with their land and their neighbors. Jareth would have to decide who was right and then implement - with magic of course - a fence of some type to insure they each knew which side was their own.

Two hours passed and when all but one grievance was heard Sarah watched as a woman with ten goblins behind her began to shiver. Three of them were nearly the woman's size, three were, Sarah guessed, Toby's age. One was a toddler and three infants were swaddled and held by the oldest three.

The woman goblin - who seemed middle-aged as goblins go - came next. Sarah noticed how tired the little woman looked. "Sire, my husband has died and I cannot care for all of my younglings and the farm, I need your help." She was teary, but seemed to fight the urge to cry, standing tall.

"What do you propose I do. . . Your name?" Jareth drawled.

"Maggy." Sarah was surprised to hear such a human name for a goblin.

"What do you propose I do, Maggy?"

"Any help you could bestow would help, Your Highness." She begged.

"Give me the children that are too young to work in your fields." Jareth suggested. Maggy's eyes grew wide and she fell to her knees.

"Please Majesty, no! I could let the oldest ones teach the younger to tend the fields and the oldest can work for you to help with money. I just can't give you me babies!" She threw herself at his feet, groveling and crying. "They are so young, I barely know em meself!"

Sarah wanted to shout at Jareth, how dare he suggest this woman give up her children to survive. But then she realized he dealt with that all the time. People who didn't want or couldn't take care of their children wished them away all the time. Maybe he thought he could do more for them than she could, but he is going about it all wrong, she thought. "May I?" She whispered and he nodded at her.

"I like your idea, Maggy, have the older ones teach the middle ones, but are you sure you can still feed them all, especially the youngest?" Sarah asked, concern lacing her voice.

"They came on quick, M'Lady. Three at a time, this last. I was planning one, not three." She sobbed. Sarah tilted her head.

"If you can't feed them all, wouldn't it be best for some of them to live here where they could get the best care? You'd know they were safe and I will always tell them who their mother is." Sarah offered.

"Could you choose, M'Lady? Could you pick an choose between your lot?" Maggy cried.

"I would find it nearly impossible, but I'd find it absolutely impossible to watch them starve, Ma'am." Sarah had to fight her tears because she had to be strong for this woman, goblin or no goblin.

"Majesty?"

"I give you three month's time. Teach the middle children to work, send me your oldest, and if the three babies are still not being efficiently cared for you will have my word that we will keep them here and safe at the castle. They will know you and you shall visit." Jareth ordered and Maggy seemed to accept the situation.

"I thank you, Majesty and M'Lady for your precious time. I thank you for your help and I assure you mine will not let you down." She curtseyed once more and ushered her broad out of the castle. When the room was completely empty Sarah turned to Jareth who seemed to have been staring at her.

"That was so hard to do!"

"This is not the first, nor will it be the last time a crisis like this occurs. We may not be able to help them all, but it should be attempted. Shall we have lunch?" He smiled as he stood and offered Sarah his hand. She took it and let him help her up.

"You really are generous." She blushed.

"As are you. Remember, this is just as much yours by right as it is mine. Take all the time you need, but remember I will be waiting." He whispered as he brushed her hair away from the back of her neck with his spare hand and ghosted a kiss behind her ear.

Sarah shivered from the sensation and smiled. She had a big decision to make, but surprisingly she wasn't worried at all.

Goblin Queen, hm. . . That does have an interesting ring to it, she thought with a smile.

A/N: Not nearly as much grabby grabby as last chapter, but I wanted Sarah to see a bit more of what she would be doing as the Queen, if she so chooses that path. *smiles* I hope you liked this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. Please, let me know by reviewing. It means so much to me! *cries*