A/N: Sooooo I meant to put this up on Tuesday. Ha! Didn't happen, obviously. Puuuuh-leaaase forgive me and still enjoy this chapter!
Thanks to everyone who read, subscribed, favorited and especially reviewed this story. You all are amazing!
xXx
Just as Jareth severed the connection and vanished the crystal with a poof of glitter-dust, his tent flap was pulled aside, and in walked a tall young man. His eyes were blue, and his hair was a dirty blonde (almost brown) that fell in ringlets almost to his shoulders. His cheeks were rosy, and he was breathing heavily, as though he had been running and had hastily tried to compose himself.
"Your Highness," he panted, trying to sound composed and failing miserably, "Greetings."
Jareth nodded his head and reached for a clean shirt in his trunk. "Hello General," he replied, tugging the shirt on with distaste. He hadn't washed much since he had gotten back; he was too concerned that Sarah hadn't contacted him and had only wiped himself off with a damp cloth. Therefore, putting on clean clothes over his not so clean skin was not the most comfortable sensation.
"What brings you here?" Jareth asked, not bothering to lace up the collar of his shirt. It was coming back off anyway once he was through speaking with the lad.
Taking a deep breath, the young man pushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. "I've been trying to seek an audience with King Menelaus since I first landed here," he answered, looking frustrated, "But he has been avoiding me like the plague. The information I need to share with him is important."
"You've only just arrived," Jareth replied, walking over and clapping a hand on the lad's shoulder, "I'm certain you will be swamped with papers and plans and all manner of wartime preparations in due time."
The boy shook his head. "I need to speak to him now," he emphasized, "It is imperative that I speak to him immediately. I have a message from my father that is of the utmost importance. And the king has been purposefully avoiding me. I don't understand it."
Jareth cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you coming to me with this?" he asked slowly.
"I cornered King Menelaus and he waved me off," the general supplied, looking frustrated, "He told me to come to you."
That rat. This was Menelaus's way of trying to prove he was ultimately the one with the power. By ignoring the general and sending him to Jareth, he was sending a message that he was too important for 'menial tasks'.
Jareth sighed. "Meet me in the battle tent in a half an hour," he said at length, "Despite what Menelaus may tell you, I am the highest authority here. Anything you have to say to him you can tell me." He snatched up a new set of clothes as he walked out of his tent, and the general followed him out.
"Many thanks, your majesty!" the lad exclaimed gratefully, "I will see you in a half an hour."
Without turning around, Jareth raised a hand in reply and shook his head in amusement. Not even there for an entire day, and Toby was already doing his best to go above and beyond expectations. Of course, the lad seemed nervous; he probably was unused to the position of general.
Scrapping his plan to devote the rest of afternoon to resting, Jareth quickly hurried to the ocean to rid himself of the remaining mess on his person. Had anyone else come to him, Jareth might have brushed them off. However, the young prince-turned-general seemed genuinely concerned, and Jareth didn't think the lad deserved to stress about it any longer. Besides, it wouldn't do to express any displeasure to Menelaus. That would just serve to please the Sprite king.
It didn't take long for Jareth to finish bathing. In no time at all, he was striding through the camp towards the battle tent, his wild hair even wilder having been hastily towel-dried. He pulled the flap back and found General Toby leaning against the table holding the map of the Elven kingdom.
"Thank you for coming, your majesty," he greeted, standing up and brushing invisible dust off his arms, "I promise this is not a light matter."
Jareth made a noncommittal noise in response and walked inside the tent, allowing the tent flap to fall back into place. "What is the message King Robert needs relayed?" he asked, walking around the table to stand across from Toby.
The lad absently pushed his hair away from his face and took a deep breath. "As you know, my father keeps a priestess among his court," Toby began, "Although he never consults her for guidance." Jareth nodded. He was familiar with Cassandra. She often spoke of strange visions and apocalyptic disasters, and her word was rarely taken seriously. Why Robert kept her in his court was beyond Jareth.
"I know of Cassandra," Jareth replied cautiously, "Is this about her?" Toby sighed.
"To an extent," he answered, tilting his hand back and forth, "The night before I departed, she came to my father with a vision. She began speaking to the king about powers untold, death, fire, tragedies, and all manner of chaos stemming from one figure. She claimed that there would be a figure who would possess the power to defeat even death itself."
Jareth cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. "I doubt this is something to be concerned about," he spoke up with a smirk, "When isn't Cassandra ranting on about mass chaos and death?"
Toby allowed himself a small chuckle at the Goblin King's quip. "Indeed," he continued, "Which is why it was so strange that she wasn't ranting this time. She was completely calm as she described vivid scenes she had dreamed of. My father said it was as though she were in a trance."
"So King Robert is taking her words seriously?" Jareth asked slowly. This was a new turn of events. The king never listened to Cassandra, which was why it was so odd that he kept her in court.
"He is," Toby said seriously, "But not because of that." He paused, closing his eyes, and Jareth could see a flash of the fifteen year old boy the general was so desperately trying to hide beneath his professionalism. "The king is taking this prophecy seriously because Cassandra insisted that the potential for chaos and power would come from one of his children."
Breathing in sharply, Jareth uncrossed his arms. "Come again?"
"The prophetess claims that one of my father's children will possess untold power," Toby repeated quietly, "And my father is taking this news very heavily."
Still in shock and confusion, Jareth leaned forward and placed both hands on the table in front of him. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked hoarsely, his mind racing, "What does the king expect me or anyone else to do with this information?"
"We need to find my sisters," Toby declared fiercely, "My father is very concerned not only for their well-being, but also for the safety of all the soldiers here. If the one the prophecy speaks of is one of my sisters, they would easily be exploited by the elves and used to annihilate us."
Jareth closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart beat. His blood was was like ice running through his veins, and he furrowed his brow in attempt to keep composure.
"Tell no one of this," he ordered quietly, opening his eyes and looking up from the table, "Not a soul."
"But your highness-" Toby began, but Jareth cut him off.
"Tell no one," he repeated fiercely, dropping his gaze back to the table, "That is an order, General. This information is potentially lethal in the wrong hands. It was pure luck you told me first. This stays between you and I until I have had time to process this information and most likely relay it to my father."
"I understand, King Jareth," Toby replied, "I trust that you will not abuse such information."
"Indeed."
Toby gave a small sigh. "Well, I am very much relieved that I was finally able to complete at least one thing my father asked of me," he declared, absently studying the top of the tent before looking back at the Goblin King. Jareth glanced up and gave him a small grin.
"You will do well," he said, voicing the young man's insecurity, "I have much confidence in you." Toby laughed and shook his head.
"That makes one of us," Toby snorted, "But I appreciate your faith in me."
Standing up, Jareth walked around and took hold of Toby's shoulder. "You should go and seek out King Odysseus," he informed the General, "He will be more than happy assist you in locating your battalion. Just tell him that I sent you."
Toby nodded, and with a small bow, he left the tent. Jareth smirked. Revenge was sweet. His cousin, who had gotten him into far too much trouble over the past two days, would not enjoy showing the young general around, as he would no doubt be wanting to speak to Jareth about what had happened earlier that day.
Turning his thoughts back to what Toby had relayed to him, Jareth couldn't help but think of all that had transpired with Sarah in the catacombs. Surely Cassandra couldn't have seen or meant the strange occurrence between him and Sarah. Cassandra was not a person to be taken seriously.
Jareth shook his head. He couldn't just disregard what happened with the princess, and pass it off as a coincidence next to Cassandra's vision. Oh, how he wanted to. Everything would be so much simpler if he could. But it was impossible. Too much had gone too far for him to even dream of labeling everything a coincidence.
He needed to contact the High King with this information. This situation was beyond Jareth's experience. He knew he could trust his father to keep everything confidential; that was the benefit of being High Heir. Rolling his wrist, Jareth produced a crystal. He needed to speak with Lysander now.
xXx
Back in the Elven castle, Karen slowly made her way to her sister's bedroom. She wanted to get to Sarah before the healer began to run his diagnostic spells. Her sister shouldn't have to endure that alone. Not after being forced into gods knew what and then forgetting everything afterwards. All sorts of possible scenarios flitted through Karen's mind as she thought about what could have happened to Sarah. None of them were pleasant to say the least.
There was no way Karen could believe Arden's wild accusations that her sister was lying. Karen never prided herself on her ability to read people, but she was certain Sarah was telling the truth. If she was lying, she would have had some sort of story; amnesia was not something easily faked. At least, that's what Karen assumed. She knew she could never fake anything like that; how could Sarah do it if she couldn't?
No. It wasn't possible. Arden was simply delusional. Karen shook her head, her loose curls bouncing around her face. Arden was most likely upset that his plan hadn't worked, and he was now grasping at straws. How mature, Karen thought sarcastically, How very very mature of him.
All the time Karen had spent worrying about her sister had caused her to rethink her relationship with Sarah. She had never acted like an older sister to Sarah. How could she continue to be so understanding, even when Karen continued to be self-absorbed?
I owe her an apology, she though miserably as she walked down the hall to Sarah's rooms, Perhaps after that, I can begin to salvage our relationship.
She knocked softly on her sister's door, and it was opened by a now fresh-faced Sarah, her wet hair now braided back. She looked relieved.
"Karen," she greeted, her voice slightly higher than ususal, "You're here."
Karen's heart melted. Sarah must have been put on edge after what happened! With a sound that was almost like a coo, Karen pushed her way into the room and wrapped her younger sister in a warm embrace.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, pulling away after a moment, "Can you remember anything now?" She slid her hands up to Sarah's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"No," Sarah replied, looking down at the floor, "Not yet." She looked as though she felt bad, and Karen gently took hold of her chin.
"Maybe it's for the best," she replied gently, "I know you're a good person, Sarah. Bad things wouldn't just happen to you." She smiled, and Sarah looked up, her eyes swimming with an unknown emotion.
"Thank you, Karen," she said, allowing herself a small smile. Karen released Sarah's shoulders and clasped her hands together.
Hesitantly, Karen sat down on the edge of Sarah's bed. Sarah eyed her with curiosity.
"What is it?" Sarah asked, sitting down next to her sister. Karen looked over into her sister's green eyes and sighed.
"Sarah," she began slowly, "I owe you an apology." Sarah gave her a strange look but said nothing, so Karen continued. "I haven't... I haven't been treating you like family..."
xXx
Arden paced the length of his personal study frantically. The princess was in possession of Fae crystal. How was that even possible? Had she been abducted by the Fae, and then brought back? Why would a Fae do that? What was the point? Had the girl gone willingly with the Fae? Was she a spy?
For half a second, Arden considered going to his father, but he quickly quashed the idea. There was no way the king would listen to anything he had to say. Not after all his failed attempts at battle plans previously. Besides, what evidence did Arden even have? None. He had nothing.
But he was now even more certain that Sarah was lying. Her voice was far from steady when the maid had brought out the orb; she most certainly knew where it came from. The true question was this: what was the princess hiding?
Arden knew he would have to go around Karen with any plans he might make in the future. Her sudden change of heart towards her sister was not something Arden could really celebrate. Now he would need to be more subtle with plans using his lover's sister. There was absolutely no chance he was going to honor her request to keep the princess out of everything; the girl had thrown herself into the midst of the war, and there was nothing Arden could do about it except exploit her. This was war.
With a swirl of his long overcoat, he turned and left the study, slamming the door shut behind him. It was nearing supper time, and he didn't desire to miss another chance to catch Sarah in the act of lying, whether about her amnesia, or the crystal.
He needed that crystal, and he was going to get it, one way or another. If he was in possession of the crystal, he could possibly uncover where the it had come from with the help of some magicians, of course.
He could find some sort of tear in the Fae security through this crystal, he was certain. With information like that, it would be simple for the Elves to find a way to defeat the Fae once and for all. Who would mock him then? He would finally earn respect from his father, his brother, and the entire kingdom. He would finally surpass Agemos; the elves would love him most for saving them.
Perhaps he was getting too far ahead of himself, but then again, it didn't hurt to dream big. As he strode down the hallways, he imagined a future full of his glory. He would wear a crown of honor and presitge, ruling with the most beautiful woman in the entire universe at his side...
His fantasies were interrupted as he nearly ran into a passing servant. "Watch yourself!" he hissed. The elderly man drew back in surprise and muttered an apology before hurrying away. Rolling his eyes, Arden continued into the dining hall, where his brother and father were already seated.
"Karen and Sarah will not be joining us for the evening meal," Nissa informed him once Arden sat down, "As her highness isn't feeling quite up to making her way down here. The poor dear." She tsked and turned her attention back to her meal. Arden held back a snort of distaste and instead sat down silently. Agemos eyed him suspiciously, but said nothing, and the meal continued in silence.
xXx
As the sun set, and the crescent moon rose above the ocean, Jareth threw the crystal he was holding on the ground. He was frustrated, which was a rare occurrence when it came to his father. Usually, he never disagreed with Lysander, but now they were at odds.
After explaining the situation in its entirety to the High King, Jareth had asked for his father's advice on what to do. His father was quick to demand that the mortal princess be taken and brought back to the Underground.
"Jareth, she needs to be observed. I also don't want her near you. If she is displaying the power you claim, she is a disaster waiting to happen."
Jareth shook his head. "She isn't a danger," he protested, "And the powers only manifest when I am in her presence. Besides, you know what would happen if we tried to take the girl. We cannot afford to open ourselves to an attack."
Lysander's brown eyes narrowed in the crystal. "I understand that, Jareth," he retorted, "But you and I both know that if Priam or even Menelaus got a hold of such power, the results would be catastrophic."
"I don't like this, Father," Jareth pressed, "No one knows about this except for you, King Robert, General Toby, myself, and the princess to an extent. I think we should keep it that way and not raise a large fuss. Drawing attention to ourselves is the last thing we need."
"I know you are trying to do what is best for everyone, son," Lysander replied softly, "But we need to take the occasional risk in order to get ahead. Wars aren't won by playing it safe."
"She's just a girl!"
"She's a danger!"
Jareth shook his head. He and the High King rarely disagreed, but this argument became very heated very quickly. Finally, after the discussion had gone in circles for some time, they reached an agreement. Neither him nor Lysander was wholly satisfied, but there at least had been some progress made.
They had agreed to not take any action regarding the princess until after the 'Elite' had made it into the city through the catacombs (of which Jareth was well familiar with now). Then, during the inevitable chaos that would ensue, the girl would be located and brought back first to the camps and then to the Underground.
Jareth didn't the idea of forcing the princess to return to the Underground, and Lysander didn't like having to wait. However, it was the only idea both father and son could agree upon to an acceptable extent. As long as the secret was kept, there were little risks in this plan.
Now there was nothing to do but wait.
xXx
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