A/N: So, I know this story is a tad slow going, but I kind of dig it! ; ) Let there be conflict! There is talk about some mature content below. Not very graphic, but it is there nonetheless, fyi! Anyway, enjoy!

MAY EVE

I think that people who can't believe in fairies aren't worth knowing.

~Tori Amos

Chapter 14: Royal Pains

"Mother, I am tired of waiting. The Goblin King has yet to answer any of your impertinent questions in these correspondences. Either you are failing at your job, or you are purposefully keeping me from him. Which is it?" A short, wispy, black haired girl with olive skin and amber eyes shot daggers at the woman sitting on the throne before her. "Our union would be that of legend and you know it. The King of Wishes wed to the Crown Princess of Nightmares." She smiled.

"Keaira, you will not speak to me in that fashion, I am your mother and your queen, you will treat me as such." The regal looking Fae stood from her perch to hover over her only daughter, her only child. Like her daughter she had raven black hair, but hers had silver strands speckling her long locks. Her skin was slightly paler than her daughter's but their eyes were the same. "You would never speak to me in that manner if your father were still here."

"The great King of Nightmares, ha! He was nothing, an easy target for the High King's army to destroy. All because he flaunted our power instead of keeping it under control until the perfect time to strike. I may only be one thousand years old, but I know more about ruling a kingdom like this than either you or that pathetic man." Keaira's eyes gleamed and the wicked smile that crossed her lips would make a lesser Fae shudder. Her mother only scoffed.

"If you are so sure that you are better at ruling than I, get your king on your own. I will not stand for anymore of your insolence, child." Maeve, Queen of Nightmares, turned and left the throne room, tired of her over anxious daughter. These thoughts will be the death of you, child, she thought shaking her head.

~M*E~

"So, like, he's your boyfriend?" Toby's face was all twisted up in confusion and Sarah couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess so." She replied.

"He's a king! Can kings be boyfriends?" Toby asked, this time shoving a huge piece of steak in his mouth. Jareth had the cooks make the biggest filets Sarah had ever seen, at least twelve ounces. She knew she wouldn't be able to eat it all. There was this wonderful buttery sauce over everything, the steak, mashed potatoes and the carrots as well. She moaned several times throughout the meal thus far.

"I am sitting right here, Tobias." Jareth drawled and Sarah blushed as she took a bite of carrot. "And in the Underground I would be her suitor, because I am courting her."

"That's even cheesier!" Toby's eyes got wide and he started giggling. "Oh, man! I am never courting or suiting or whatever, that's just weird!"

Sarah and Jareth both laughed at that and once they settled down they got back to dinner.

"Sire, a visitor is here to see you." One of the guards walked in, dressed in his regular armor, and bowed.

"It is quite inappropriate for a visitor to be coming at this hour. It is an emergency?" Jareth asked. The guard just shrugged. "Go and ask what they want, explain that I am enjoying my meal."

"You do not have room for one more, Goblin King?" Sarah snapped her head in the direction of the voice so quickly she was worried she had hurt herself. The woman who walked into the dining hall was shorter than Sarah, but was quite beautiful. Sarah cringed.

"Princess Keaira, what a. . .surprise." Jareth ground out. "If this is not of the utmost importance I beg you to wait in my study."

"It has been quite the long travel, you couldn't spare me a small dish?" She pouted. Sarah was about to burst she was so frustrated. This little twit has some nerve, she thought.

"Of course, in the study. . ." Jareth glared and the woman bowed and walked out. "What could she possibly want now?" He asked, almost to himself.

"Who was that?" Sarah demanded and Jareth smiled at her tenacity.

"That, my dear Sarah, is the bane of my existence. Now, shall we get back to what we were doing before her interruption? I'd prefer to make her wait a spell." He replied. Sarah nodded, but felt quite uneasy about the whole thing.

Toby, after finishing his entire plate, excused himself to go play with Arianna. Sarah was about to excuse herself when Jareth stopped her. "I will be up to see you shortly, I promise not to keep you waiting long, Precious."

"I don't like her." Sarah shook her head.

"Hold onto that feeling, it will keep you safe." He said, quite seriously, and then captured her mouth in what Sarah was beginning to call his most knee shaking kisses. When he let her up for air her eyes glazed over. "Until later, my dear."

"Make sure she knows that you, Goblin King, are mine now!" Sarah smiled and tapped him on the nose. Jareth bowed to her and she turned to head to her rooms.

Jareth grinned wolfishly, seeing the subtle changes taking over his precious Sarah. Soon she would become Fae, and he could only hope Princess Keaira was done with her games by then. He certainly didn't want to have to mop up all of that blood.

Shifting himself to conceal the aftermath of what these delicious thoughts caused, he headed toward the study to get whatever this was done and over with.

"Now, what exactly can I do for you, Princess Keaira?" Jareth drawled as he stormed into the study and slammed the door. "It must be quite important considering you disregarded your manners so fully; barging into my meal like you did. And to speak before spoken to in my kingdom? Who died?"

Keaira stood and glared up at her future husband. "You toy with me," She giggled. "You were only entertaining some common humans! My mother explained that you have permanent guests, how quaint."

"They are not permanent guests, they are now citizens of my kingdom. I will not tolerate such disrespect again." He seethed.

"So, I know you probably wanted to discuss something this important with me in person, so I wanted to get here as soon as I could. About our union. . ." Keaira pushed on, changing the subject to that for which she was most interested.

"Our what?" Jareth reared back, as if he'd been struck. "I beg your pardon, but there is no such thing."

"You wound me! I know my mother has been corresponding with you, surely you jest." She scoffed.

"Surely, you're mad, woman! I would not marry you if you were the last living being in this realm. If this is all you play at, these games, you can leave." Jareth's fury was quite visible in the way he seemed to almost shimmer.

"I will not take 'no' for an answer, Jareth. There is no greater union than that of the Queen of Nightmares and the King of Wishes." She stood, filled with much of the same hatred he felt. Such a thin line between love and hate, she smiled. "If I must, I will call a meeting with the High King and Queen and see what they think. Surely you've been pressured to marry and I do not see anyone lining up for the joys of becoming Goblin Queen."

"Call on them, make a fool of yourself and save me the trouble. I will take a queen when I am ready and not a moment before. There is no way in all of the kingdoms that I would lower myself to the likes of marrying you." Jareth was inches from Keaira instantly, grinning down at her, his sharp teeth glinting in the firelight radiating from the fireplace nearby. "I wouldn't even let you swallow my seed."

Keaira reared back. To do such a thing would be a punishable offense by Royal standards. It just was not done. If you engaged in acts of intercourse it was to procreate, to bring an heir into the Underground. A king's seed was not to be wasted on such a disgraceful act. And to imply that something that she wasn't even worth something as pathetic as that gave her slight pause. Just enough for Jareth to notice and he pressed on.

"I hope this clears up any misconceptions you may have had, Princess. I'm sure you can find your way out." Turning to leave without another word was even more disrespectful. Turning his back on her was just that, dismissing her existence. Keaira would not have that.

So be it, Goblin King. You want to play this the hard way? Let me just see exactly who these. . .guests are to you. She smiled evilly and rushed out of the study to catch his retreating form. "Oh, Your Highness!" She called after him, an embarrassed look on her face, she was quite proud of the acting she was about to perform.

She watched his shoulders rise and fall slowly as he took a deep breath and turned to her. "What?"

"I can't believe I'm asking this. . .not after. . .I am sorry, alright? I've upset Mother and she has banished me from her home for the next week. I'd return, but she may ban me for good. I know I don't deserve it, but if you could find it in you. . . A small room is all I ask, at least for the night until I can find other arrangements." Her tears, as fake as they were, rolled down her cheeks.

Jareth, for his part, was quite sure the woman was lying through her teeth, but was in no mood to call her bluff this evening. He needed to get to Sarah and let her in on this new development. If there was one thing he had learned it was to tell Sarah the truth. Always. "You may stay through the night, then at breakfast we will discuss your transfer home."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you." She curtseyed low and had the decency to look embarrassed. He ordered a goblin to take her to a lower suite and made his way to Sarah's chambers.

~M*E~

Sarah was lounging on her balcony watching the sunset when she heard her door open with a purpose. She turned and saw Jareth stalking up to her. With a gasp she quickly stood and let him envelop her in a near bone crushing embrace. "What is it?" She asked, frantically. "Is everything alright?"

"I have some bad news." Jareth whispered into her hair, breathing in her scent and basking in it.

"What is it? You're driving me nuts not saying anything!" She exclaimed and he silenced her with a kiss; one full of passion and desperation. Finally, he pulled away and led them back to the balcony.

"Princess Keaira seems to believe that I owe her something. She seems to believe we're to be married, which is not the case at all mind you, and she's proving to be hard to get rid of." He frowned as he clutched Sarah's small hands in his.

"Is she still here?" Sarah asked.

Jareth nodded, "She claims she's in a spot of trouble at home. I've allowed her to stay as it is growing dark and it wouldn't be safe, nor respectable, for her to be out alone. I plan on sending her elsewhere in the morning."

Sarah just blinked at the stressed looking man before her. She wasn't sure, but she didn't think she'd ever really seen him like this before except perhaps when she was sick. "She won't be anywhere near Toby will she?"

"Of course not, except perhaps breakfast because she is permitted to eat in the morning, unfortunately." He scowled and Sarah giggled. "I've told her you two are residents, I did not go into detail for fear of giving her an avenue to harm me."

"So. . .this means you're going to want me not to be all girlfriend-y to you tomorrow while she's here?" She raised an eyebrow and he matched her.

"Girlfriend-y, is that a word, Precious?" He chuckled.

"If I want it to be!" She smiled, raising her nose in the air. He couldn't help himself, she was just too adorable when she acted this way, he scooped her up again in a kiss full of all the love and adoration he held for her, making her breathless.

"Sarah, I care for you so deeply that it would quite literally kill me if something were to happen to you. For a few hours we shall put this on hold, that shouldn't be too hard. After all, we have forever." He smiled. Sarah nodded in agreement.

"Fine, but you have to go explain all of this drama to my brother. I'm in no mood, and I think I want a bubble bath."

"Temptress." Jareth purred, nipping her earlobe.

"I am no such thing!" Sarah giggled and before she knew it he had gone. "I'm the temptress. . ." She shook her head.

A/N: Alrighty! This was fun, no? Keaira is a bit nuts don't you agree? I'll never know if you don't click on that review button below, now will I? Don't make me lonely. . . *sniffle*