All nine members of the council, including the king and queen, were seated in the ancient high-backed chairs around the massive stone table. The room was brightly lit with the natural light of the Fae Kingdom streaming through the windows that reached from ceiling to floor. The brightness of the room was in sharp contrast to the angry, somber mood emanating from the council members.

Once, many years ago, Tiernus had attempted to disband the council, saying it infringed on his authority as king, but his subjects threatened an uprising if he removed the only real check on his power. While the king was feared and respected, he was not well loved. This didn't mean much, not many kings have ever been loved in the Fae Kingdom. However, the magic must be concentrated somewhere, and there has always been a king. Now, Tiernus grew angrier every second he sat waiting for the judgment on his traitorous son to be determined. Niamh was silent, staring at each person as he or she spoke, digesting each word and trying desperately to decipher her son's fate. She had bruises and cuts littering her beautiful face, but most of them were almost healed. The fact that they were still visible said volumes about the extent to which her husband had tortured her. The other council members were heatedly discussing Jareth's transgression and pondering which course of action was appropriate for the crime.

"Was there even a crime?" Lennad said, his white beard quivering. "If Jareth marries the girl, the law favors him."

Tiernus slammed his open palm down on the table. "The law does not favor him! I should know what the law favors and he has deliberately broken it. That traitor stole into the human world and infected himself with filth. He bred a monstrous… thing. It must be destroyed, along with any criminals who harbored it."

Maireen, the only fae Niamh had ever seen with a plain face, sat forward in her chair, her face set to meet the king's challenge. "Your Majesty, the only laws Jareth has broken are the ones you put into existence. I think what Master Lennad is trying to say is that our ancient orders, the ones we are charged with upholding, are intact. We will not kill a member of the royal family and that child is the only heir to the Goblin Throne. Besides, if what the Goblin King says is true, she has run the Labyrinth and is therefore eligible to be queen."

Kennan, the man sitting to the left of Tiernus said, "But what of the Goblin King himself? There's no denying that he's taken a human Underground, breaking his father's law. The penalty for this is death… do we ignore this because of his royal blood?"

Tiernus clapped a hand on his shoulder. "That's right! I will agree that I can't touch the girl so long as she carries that… child," he spit the word between his teeth, "but my son forfeited his life when he brought her down here."

"Her presence here is only illegal because you say it is. She's run the Labyrinth," said a quiet voice from Tiernus's right. Niamh finally straightened her spine, making her sit a few inches higher than her husband. The table was quiet as they considered her. "Jareth can't be killed because he sits the Goblin Throne. We cannot kill a member of the royal family, there's no telling if another could inherit the magic."

"Damn the magic!" Tiernus growled at her. "The Goblin Kingdom no longer needs magic, anyway. Humans are forbidden to cross worlds. Besides, there is no proof that the girl has run the Labyrinth other than the word of the damn Goblin King!"

Lennad sighed. "Your Majesty, we cannot forfeit the magic of an entire kingdom. Agreed?" He looked around the table and every head nodded except for Kennan and Tiernus. After all eyes turned to them, Kennan reluctantly nodded along after a glance at the king.

Tiernus suddenly stood in anger, his chair screeching back against the stone floor. "I won't let this stand! He cannot go unpunished!"

Kennan cleared his throat. "I believe I have a solution, my lord." Tiernus slowly sat back down and turned his torso to face Kennan completely. Kennan continued, "Jareth did bring a human Underground and even if she has run the Labyrinth, it was done without witness and so we have to assume it never happened. He not only broke the old laws, but the new as well." Niamh clenched her jaw but remained silent. "Since the woman is here illegally and now knows of our world, she can't be allowed to live."

Maireen interrupted, "We've already established that she's carrying an heir-"

Kennan said patiently, "Yes, and she can't be harmed until the babe is born. However, once it is, it's well within the king's rights to put her to death." He turned to address Tiernus. "If Jareth cares enough about this woman to bring her here without putting her through the trial of the Labyrinth, then surely her death will be punishment enough for him."

Tiernus chuckled and again clapped Kennan on the shoulder. "Oh yes, I think that'll do. Once the babe is born, the human will be put to death and that'll be the end of it. Agreed?" He looked around the table and all the council members nodded. Once his gaze fell on Niamh, she turned her head away, but nodded, her hair falling forward to hide her face.

""""

Jareth made his way slowly upstairs, letting his mind drift from thoughts of Sarah to the decisions that were being made in the Fae Kingdom. Tiernus would do his best to secure an execution for Sarah, but Jareth was confident that the council would never allow it now that they thought she was carrying an heir. An heir… Jareth's smiled as he finally decided what the next step in his plans were. After their episode in the throne room, he had no doubt that he could seduce her without issue. It would also be easy to slip her the elixir to make sure they conceived. Sarah, carrying his child. A warmth stole through him and he smiled… he'd never lose her again. She'd be sorry for all the time she wasted after she refused him once she realized how deeply she cared for him. Yes, things were fitting together nicely now.

His smile faded once he opened the doors to his chambers and her angry voice rang out. "I'm not one of your goblins that you can order about! How dare you lock me in here without even telling me what's going on?" Sarah marched toward him, her hands on her hips. He was reminded forcibly of her frustrated outbursts when she ran the Labyrinth and snorted.

"You are in my kingdom, Sarah, and you'll find that I do have a certain amount of authority over my guests, no matter their species." He drawled, moving past her and toward a decanter on the dark wooden desk next to his balcony. He heard her follow him and said, "By the way, it seems you've forgotten to whom you're speaking. I don't tolerate such outbursts from many. It's not putting me in a cooperative mood."

Sarah was silent for a moment before letting out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry." The words sounded like they were being ripped out of her and the corner of his mouth lifted in amusement as he poured two glasses of dark red wine, his back to her. "You're right, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Please, can you tell me what happened?" she asked slowly, biting off the ends of the words with forced calm.

He turned, a glass of wine in each hand and leaned back to rest against the desk, his legs crossed at the ankles. He held a glass out to Sarah and said, "Nothing that we need to worry about anymore."

Her eyes shifted from his face to the glass that he patiently held out towards her. She took a couple steps closer and held out her hand before snatching it back. She licked her lips before saying hesitantly, "I'm not old enough."

His lips stretched in a lazy smile. "Those rules don't apply here," he said softly. He pushed off the desk to stand before her, so close that he could feel her heat. He cocked his head and waited for her to decide.

Another shaky breath and her fingers closed around the glass, careful not to touch his. Her green eyes seemed even brighter as he took a sip from his own glass, tasting the sweet tang of the elixir. They were standing so close that he had to turn his head to avoid touching her face with the stem of the glass. He looked down at her face with challenging smirk. Never one to back down from a challenge, Sarah held his stare and raised the glass to her lips. The wine was sweeter than she was expecting and she licked her lips to get more of the taste. Jareth's eyes broke from her gaze to watch her tongue dart out to catch a few drops and he was mesmerized. He leaned in close, his eyes fixed on her wet lips.

Sarah's mind was in a whirlpool. Don't trust him, don't trust him, Sarah chanted to herself, trying desperately to regain some logic as Jareth moved resolutely closer. You're here to see your friends! Guilt tore through her, but lust was quickly drowning it out, which she knew would only make her feel guiltier later. Suddenly, the thought of guilt brought another face to her mind. She jerked back with a gasp and breathed, "I can't."

Jareth's heavy-lidded eyes snapped open with surprise, but he didn't move away from her. "Why can't you?" he asked, trying and failing to regain his sultry tones through his frustration.

"I just… I'm involved with someone."

He cocked his head again and narrowed his eyes. "Are you?"

Sarah blinked and huffed a sigh, looking down at her feet. Was she? Kyle said he didn't want to see her anymore, but her separation from him was so new. Jareth's words sent a stab of pain to her heart and she knew it was foolish to stay loyal to a boy who didn't want her… but Kyle was all she had for so long, and Jareth was partly to blame for that. "I don't know," she said, meeting his eyes, "but it doesn't feel right to do this to him."

Jareth sighed and finally leaned back, taking a large swig of wine. "Perhaps this has nothing to do with him, Sarah, have you considered that? It's time you thought of yourself." He studied her uncertain expression for a moment before taking another step towards her, erasing the distance between them again. She hurriedly turned her head, raising the glass to her mouth again and took a sip, hoping to calm her nerves and steady her resolve. Jareth smirked down at her, but his expression turned serious as he said, "I told you once before, Sarah. I can give you your dreams."

Sarah stood her ground and gave him a hard laugh, never mind that it was a bit breathy. "And what's the price this time? You can't have my brother, so what do you want?"

He pursed his lips and seemed to think for a moment, his eyes rolling up in exaggerated thought and glittering with amusement. Then his expression changed and he gazed down at her with the same look he'd worn in the throne room, the one that made her stomach flutter and her knees weak. Time slowed to a crawl as Sarah stared up at him, unable to think or even breathe. His gaze wandered down the length of her body, making her feel completely exposed and she shivered under his scorching stare. When his eyes finally met her again, he whispered, "Nothing you wouldn't enjoy giving me."

This time, she didn't even think to stop him as he closed the distance between their faces. His lips met hers softly at first, but then with an urgency that she couldn't help but respond to. His hands slid around her hips to press against her back, forcing her soft body flush against his lean one. She whimpered as she let herself go completely and her hands tangled in the hair at the back of his head, bringing him even closer.

Jareth was lost. He tried to keep his thoughts coherent, but his every sense was muddled by her. Sarah's sweet scent in his nose, her soft curves under his hands, her whimpers in his ear, her wine tinted taste on his tongue, it all brought him to the edge of insanity. His tongue searched her mouth for more of the wine and he wondered somewhere in the back of his mind what she would taste like without it. He resolved to find out. As she twirled her tongue skillfully with his, jealousy flared in him as he realized that he wasn't the first to kiss her like this. He let loose a possessive growl as he swore to himself that he'd be the last.

His fingers were just sneaking under the hem of her shirt when they were startled apart by the sound of his chamber doors banging open. Jareth whipped around to see that damned dwarf rushing into the room, two goblin guards on his tail. He was so stunned by the scene in front of him that his mind failed to register what this would mean for Sarah.

"Sarah!" the dwarf shouted, running toward her, joy on his face.

"Hoggle!" Sarah darted around Jareth and met the dwarf halfway across the room, her arms outstretched.

Jareth recovered enough to shout, "Sarah, don't!" But it was too late. Her arms were around the dwarf before his words could reach her, but she released the little creature just as quickly. She stood, her sleeve held up to her nose. The stench was now permeating the room and Jareth's nose wrinkled.

The goblins pointed their spears at Hoggle and one of them said, "Halt! You are not to enter the king's rooms!"

Jareth growled, "He's already in here, you idiots! Get out of my sight before I ram those spears up your arses and plant you outside the gates!"

The two goblins glanced at each other before scurrying out of the room, their armor clanging down the hallway. Jareth turned his gaze back to Sarah, who was looking back at him with loathing. "What have you done to him?" she said, her voice low and menacing.

I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to get out! I had a bit of writer's block. Thanks for sticking with me and continuing to read!

Also I'm thinking about changing the tone of this story a bit. It's feeling a little Game of Thronesey to me, and I'm not sure I want that. But I may not, we'll see how it goes. I'm telling you this because I want feedback! Please review.