A/N: Sooo I'm slightly put off, after having read the book Inheritance by Christopher Paolini. Not because the book was bad, but because he used an idea that I had planned on using for this story! So here's a brief disclaimer. I am in no way taking from Christopher Paolini's work in this story. All plot lines are of my own design and any similarities are unintentional.

Please don't think I'm copying off of him, or anyone else! If something inspires me, I give it full credit! :)

xXx

"Absolutely not."

"But you know you'd be the best! Your leadership qualities! Your resourcefulness! Your ability to keep a level head!"

"My answer is still no."

"But-"

"No."

Odysseus and Jareth had been arguing for a long time, over who was to lead the "Elite" through the catacombs and into the Elven city. Odysseus had volunteered Jareth for the task, but the Goblin King had adamantly refused the job. If Jareth was completely honest, it was because he felt unqualified for the job. Surely there was someone else with more experience who could lead the men better than he possibly could. Of course, he would never admit this to anyone. It wouldn't do to have the High Heir demonstrate weakness or insecurity in any way shape, or form.

With a sigh, the Goblin King gracefully sank down on the red sand and cast his gaze out to the horizon. The sun would be rising behind him soon, and after several years of seeing the sun rise, Jareth knew the ocean would gleam blood red for a few moments as the light bounced from the sand to the water. Odysseus plopped down next to his cousin, letting out an "oomph!" as he hit the ground a little too hard.

"I know why you don't want to do it." Odysseus finally spoke up, "And you're wrong."

Jareth 'harumphed' and shrugged. "Oh, I am?" he asked sarcastically, "I told you before. I will not be leading anyone. It is flattering that you think so highly of me as to request me to lead. However, I will be doing no such thing. Stop bringing it up."

Jareth thought that Odysseus would let the matter drop, but he was surprised when his cousin shook his head emphatically. "I am not going to stop," Odysseus replied firmly, "Not until you agree to do this. I have never been more sincere than now, cousin. You are the one the men need to lead them. You inspire them with your willingness to suffer as they do. They would throw down their lives for you, because they know you would do the same. You aren't here for power, glory, money, or women, Jareth. You are here because you have a sense of honor and duty. This is why you must lead. You are the only one whose intentions are pure."

It took a moment for Odysseus's words to process in Jareth's mind. His cousin was rarely this serious, and Jareth knew that he meant everything he had said.

"You believe I can do this?" he asked quietly, voicing his insecurity for the first time. He already knew the answer, but hearing it out loud would make it even more real.

"I do."

Jareth took a deep breath. "Very well then."

Both Fae stood up, brushing the sand from their pants, just as the sun slipped above the horizon behind them, throwing the ocean into such a frenzy of light and color it was almost blinding. To one who had never seen such a sunrise before, it would have been a magnificent sight, worth painting mural after mural and writing epic after epic for. However, to the Fae in the Elven kingdom, it was a common sight, and Jareth and Odysseus left the beach without so much as a second glance.

"A ship is making port this morning," Odysseus commented conversationally, "Supposedly bringing supplies."

Jareth raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Is that really the best you can do for conversation? I have been aware of this ship's arrival for two months now. I know exactly who and what is on that ship and how much cargo it is carrying as well."

Odysseus laughed, and the pair fell into a companionable silence. As they neared the camp, Odysseus stopped and grasped Jareth's shoulder. "What do you say to a little more espionage today?" he asked, with a glint of mischief in his face. Jareth rolled his eyes. His cousin's time for seriousness had run out, and he was back to acting like a child. He sighed in resignation.

"What did you have in mind?"

xXx

Meanwhile, in the Elven castle, Sarah was still asleep as the sun rose, filling her room with an orange-golden hue. Her remains of dinner sat stacked haphazardly on her nightstand, and her robe was carelessly discarded on the floor near her bed. A light breeze flowed in through her open window, ruffling the papers still scattered all upon her desk, but the noise did nothing to wake the sleeping princess.

It was only when someone knocked on her door that Sarah's eyes cracked open. "Come in," she called groggily, sitting up and pulling the bedspread up to cover her legs. Somehow, she had kicked her covers almost completely off in her sleep and her nightdress had ridden up her legs. It would be mortifying for anyone other than a chambermaid to see her in such a state. While it was most likely a servant at the door, Sarah didn't want to take any chances.

The door opened, and in walked Karen, looking very much awake and primped. This was odd. Karen rarely woke up with the sun if she could help it.

"Karen?" Sarah asked, voice gravelly with sleep, "What are you doing awake?"

Karen flash Sarah a smile so bright it was almost blinding. "Wake up, sleepy head," she chirped. Yes, she chirped, and the sound went straight into Sarah's skull, making her wince. Karen took no notice of this and continued, "We have a brand new day ahead of us! I thought we could spend it together. We could play a game of backgammon or quoits. Or we could go riding. We haven't ridden in so long! Or we could walk through the city. Perhaps take a peek in the market and-"

"Karen!" Sarah cut her off, "Slow down, please. You're making my head spin."

"Well wake up then," Karen replied brightly, "I'll meet you at the breakfast table in twenty minutes." And with that being said, she twirled on her heel and flitted from the room.

Sarah gaped at the door Karen had just exited through. Her sister wanted to spend the day with her? Wanted to play children's games with her? What on earth had she eaten? Sarah was almost afraid to know what was going on with Karen. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't normal. In fact, it was almost scary.

Shaking her head in confusion, Sarah flung her legs over the side of her bed and slid out of its warmth. She scurried over to snatch up a durable shirt and skirt. Quickly, she yanked off her nightdress and pulled the clothes on, fastening them up rapidly. As an afterthought, Sarah tugged on a pair of leggings, just in case Karen demanded riding to be on the day's agenda. They peeked out from below her skirt, but her shoes would cover them completely.

After running a brush through her hair and tying it back in a braid, Sarah sat down on her bed to pull her boots up to her knees. She stood up and wiggled her feet to get a better fit in them, and as she did so, spared a glance outside.

Normally she didn't see anything exciting out her window, even though it looked over the sea. However, this morning, a ship was approaching. That wouldn't be anything to look twice at, but the flag caught Sarah's eye. It looked evocatively familiar, like something she hadn't seen in a long time. With a gasp, she realized that it was her father's crest!

It took a moment for that fact to register in her head, leaving her frozen in shock. Not once in all of the ten years of the war had anyone come bearing King Robert's colors. Sarah had just assumed her father had disowned Karen, rendering her dead to him. But here was his ship, pulling into the Fae camp. Suddenly, Sarah was struck by a wave of homesickness. Who was on that ship? Surely she would know someone on it.

It didn't take long for Sarah to race down to meet Karen for breakfast. In fact, she was running so fast it almost scared her. Skidding to a stop in front of the doors, she didn't even pause to catch her breath before entering. As she swung the doors open, Karen stood up from her seat to greet her, but stopped mid sentence when she realized Sarah was panting.

"What is it?" she asked with a dramatic gasp, "Sarah, what has you in this state? Has something happened?"

Gripping the back of a chair, Sarah shook her head and then nodded, trying to catch her breath. "There's a ship in the Fae harbor," she finally said, once her heart rate was back under control, "And it's Father's."

Karen stiffened, and her eyes narrowed for half a second. "I don't understand how that bears any significance," she answered in a clipped tone, all traces of her cheery attitude gone, "It's just another ship."

"But it's Father's!" Sarah protested, unsurprised by her sister's rapid change in demeanor, "Doesn't that make you just a little excited?"

"He just wants to take us away," Karen retorted, "He's mostly likely not even on the ship. Besides, we have a life here now. We left the Underground; let it stay gone."

Sarah was about to argue further, but she realized it would be no use. Her sister may not have been incredibly bright, but she was stubborn, and Sarah knew arguing would get them nowhere.

"What brought about your desire to spend the day with me?" Sarah asked instead of pressing the previous matter. Karen's wide smile immediately reappeared, and Sarah nearly drew back a step from its abruptness.

"We don't have nearly enough time together, sister," Karen answered brightly, all traces of her irritation gone, "I decided that we needed to remedy that fact."

All Sarah could do was nod at this revelation. This was not right. Her sister was up to something. Maybe it has something to do with what she and Arden were arguing about last night, she thought, But does she hate me so much as to not want to spend even a day with me?

Deciding to play along for the present, Sarah mirrored Karen's smile. "I agree," she replied, "We should do something today, just like we used to."

"Oh! I'm so glad you agree," Karen exclaimed, clapping her hands melodramatically, "What do you say to a game of chess? I'm sure I'll beat you!"

Karen's over-the-top enthusiasm only served to further support Sarah's theory that she was faking. But instead of pointing it out, Sarah smiled sweetly. After thinking for a moment, she grinned again, this time her smile much larger and slightly unnerving. "I'd rather take a stroll through the city," she answered, "The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, and I haven't been out of the castle in so long."

This would serve two purposes. Karen would get off her case about spending time together, and while in the city, Sarah could listen and try to pick up some gossip about her father's ship. Perhaps she would find out who exactly was on it!

For a split second, Karen's smile froze, but she quickly recovered with a giggle. "Do you really want to do that?" she asked lightly, "We could have so much more fun here in the castle."

If that didn't look suspicious, Sarah would have called herself an idiot. Now she was even more determined to get out of the castle for the day. "I do really want to," she declared, her tone leaving little room for argument despite sounding cheerful, "I haven't been in so long. Getting out would be good for us, Karen."

Picking up her fork, Karen sat down and prepared to eat her breakfast. "I suppose we can go," she conceded, "But I do not want to walk. We can take the carriage."

"Horses." Sarah countered, "We can ride. It's so hard to see the city from a carriage window."

An hour and a half later, Sarah found herself seated in her sister's carriage. Karen had put her foot down about riding in it, but Sarah made sure her own horse Tustain was brought along with them. She planned on riding on the way back, and nothing Karen could say would cause her to change her mind.

Karen was leaning out the window, over-enthusiastically cooing and squealing at things she saw. Sarah rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. Could she be any more obvious? Karen never acted this way. How could she think Sarah would fall for her ridiculous behavior?

"Stop the carriage!" Karen called to the driver, "We want to get out here."

Raising a questioning eyebrow, Sarah opened the door without waiting for the footman to assit. "Why are we stopping here?" she asked, hopping out with little grace. Karen's exit was much more refined, and she turned to face Sarah.

"I thought we could visit the market," she answered, "Maybe buy something." She grabbed Sarah's hand and was about to drag her through an alleyway when Sarah pulled back.

"I'm bringing Tustain," she said firmly, walking over to take hold of her horse's bridle, "Just in case we need him." Karen shrugged and continued walking, leading them until they came upon the brightly colored Elvish market. "Hurry up then!" she called, her interest nabbed by a booth selling scarves.

As Karen flitted from stall to stall, Sarah kept her ears alert, listening for any mention of her father's ship that had arrived. Glancing around, she scanned for anyone who looked like they could be seafaring folk. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be talking, and the crowd was the usual elvish throng.

"Sarah!" called Karen from across the cobblestone street, "What do you think of this?" She held up a necklace made from miniature conch shells and smiled brightly.

Turning to face her sister, Sarah gave a weak smile and distractedly nodded. She allowed her gaze to wander around where her sister was standing, but again she found no one who looked as though they could be of any assistance. Tustain nickered and Sarah ran a hand soothingly over his gleaming grey coat.

With a sigh, she turned her attention back in her sister's direction, but something above Karen caught her eye. Perched on the spire of a bakery sat a white owl. A white owl that Sarah was very familiar with.

In shock, Sarah averted her eyes, hoping the Goblin King didn't notice her noticing him. His attention appeared to be elsewhere, but she couldn't be certain. What is he doing here? she thought frantically, Is he spying on me?

Curiosity forced her to look back at him again, and this time she wished she hadn't. As soon as her eyes lighted on him, he turned his head, and their gazes locked.