His school grades were slipping, due to a lack of concentration and increase of sleep deprivation. He hadn't slept in days, purposefully forcing himself to stay awake through whatever means necessary, and it showed in the dark circles under his eyes and the gaunt look to his face. His school friends were growing concerned, pulling him out of the house more and more often, yet he didn't have the energy to enjoy his time with them. He was almost feverish, trying to finish that little damned book of Sarah's. He was a slow reader, so it was taking him a while. But he was determined he'd finish it before he went back to sleep. Whenever that would be.

Robert had been called into the school due to the concern of his teachers and through this Karen had taken Toby to the doctor to find out if he were ill. Diagnosed with a temperature, fatigue, and nausea, she was advised to keep the boy off of school.

So there he sat, in his bedroom. Merlin lying across his feet and crushing the life out of them, while he stared balefully at the red leather book sitting on his nightstand. He refused to sit on his bed, terrified that the warm duvet would pull him in and coax him into the sleep he so desperately needed. All he had to do, was pick up the book. Then his subconscious could stop being so creepy and weird and he could stop going to that… awful dream place.

The one he was now ninety percent sure wasn't a dream anymore.

Mostly because he'd woken up with a purple bruise on his shin where he'd knocked past Lachlan's chair the last time he saw him, before he was forced back into his seat by one of the guard's when Baran and Arlyn re-entered the room.

He huffed in annoyance, puffing out a breath which stirred his fringe. Why now? Why was this happening to him all of a sudden when he hadn't even done anything?

Also, why was there glitter in his room?! It was everywhere! It was in his hair, on his clothes, on the carpet and on his football. And last night he was pretty sure he heard something sneeze in here too but hadn't been able to find out where. Maybe he was hallucinating? Did hallucinations excuse themselves when they sneezed? He didn't know. He was hopelessly confused, and he didn't appreciate his imagination right now, which was painting pictures of hidden demons and foul beasts.

Eventually, the boy pushed himself forward and swiped up the novel with bad grace. Better now than never. He didn't have that far to go, really. The girl had just vanquished the guards in the goblin city, she was running to the castle, the end was in her sights… she was about to save her baby brother…

Toby opened up his eyes again as if he'd only blinked a second longer than usual, and found himself face to face with an almost familiar blond. It wasn't the terrifying one he knew as Jareth… but he definitely looked like a relative. The fae recoiled slightly from where he'd been leaning his hands on either side of Toby's chair, giving him breathing room, but Toby didn't even flinch. He was so used to this now it didn't faze him.

At least this one didn't look like he wanted him dead.

"A-Ha! He awakes! It's about time you showed up, I was beginning to believe the old dogs were pulling me ear about your grand entrances here," Jaque cried cheerfully, pulling him forwards out of his seat to clap him on the shoulder and press his forehead to his own.

Then he unceremoniously dropped him back into it and walked back over to a table to the youth's right hand side, where Toby swallowed thickly as a few of the instruments gleamed and flashed in the swinging light over their heads as his eyes cast over them.

This was it. They were finally going to start torturing him. He had been scared they'd remember to get around to this.

Jaque glanced over his shoulder at him and let out a loud laugh, grabbing a few things from the table. "Don't look so afraid, Tobster, I'm not here to carve you up for the high council. Relax a little, before you wet yourself."

"I am not going to wet myself- "he paused, his petulant tone silenced as he narrowed his eyes at the new guy.

The blond merely grinned at him and shot him a wink. "Of course not, you're almost a grown man now, huh?" He pulled a smaller table over to sit beside them both, Jaque taking a seat so close in front of Toby that he had to hold his knees together so Jaque's legs had space. "'M'name's J-"

The fae halted in his tracks for a hairsbreadth of a second, then resumed his sentence. "-Jamie. I'm somewhat of a cosmetician in these parts."

Seeing Toby's blank expression, he rolled his eyes and lifted a shoulder, leaning in conspiratorially, "That means I do the makeup and glamour's," he whispered.

"-Anyway, we're going to have a nice little adventure today, Toby. I'm going to do my utter best to try and make you presentable, and in return, you're going to do as your told when we need to go for a little walk. Sound fair?"

Toby looked at the implements on the table in a new horrified light. "B-But I don't want to wear any makeup. I'm not a girl!"

Jaque made a flippant gesture with his hand, "Psssh, human's and their laughable societal constraints. I'm wearing makeup, are you saying I'm a girl?"

Even if his eyes hadn't flashed warningly at him before he answered, the boy supposed he couldn't really argue with him. "No."

"Well then! Besides, the makeup is mostly just our way of marking our status in our courts- only those who have too low a ranking to even acquire makeup go without, and even then, they aren't judged. We aren't like what you expect us to be. We just like to know who is who."

"But I look nothing like you guys, with your… your weird pointy ears and… and tight leggings!"

Jaque tipped his head back in another throaty laugh, whipping a bandana from the table and tying it round Toby's head to pull back his hair before he could fight him. "Careful now, that was nearly borderline racist. It's a good thing I'm not easily offended."

A leaf appeared in the fae's hand, which was quickly sliced so its contents could be wiped along a stretch of clean linen. Within seconds, any remaining dirt or sweat from the adolescent's face was removed, and Jaque looked at it aghast before revealing it to him. "Do you ever wash you face? Eurgh, no, don't answer that, I'd rather not know. Jeez, I've half a mind to turn up at your house with a bushel of these leaves just so I know you have the means of doing it properly. None of this harsh chemical business which makes your lot age before their time."

A few moments more passed in complete silence as Jaque began to open more pots, polish certain tools, then sat back to stare at him in intense contemplation. Toby blushed under his scrutiny and looked away towards the door, hoping Lachlan was somewhere on the other side if he needed him.

"Has anyone ever done a medical procedure on you, involving your ears, dear Toby?"

Toby balked, hands flying to his ears, and it was then that he realised he hadn't been restrained again. "Wha- No! No of course not- What's wrong with my ears?"

"Oh, nothing. They just couldn't be anymore blunt at the tips than they are right now. Peculiar, really, since your sister has the opposite. Aren't the pair of you siblings?"

Sarah had points to her ears? Toby couldn't remember ever noticing that about her. Besides, how did this Jamie know his sister or what her ears looked like? "We have the same dad, but my mum isn't her's. It's never really come up before."

"Oh? Half siblings then. What of Sarah's mother, do you know her lineage?"

"Not even Sarah remembers her mum, and Dad never speaks about her. She just… left, I think. When Sarah was really little."

"Curious."

Jaque shrugged it off, nibbling at his bottom lip for a moment before picking up a tub of mouldable clay, working it between his fingers then separating them into two perfectly identical pieces.

"The two of you must be close, hm?"

Toby looked at him sharply, but the fae was too busy carving away at his clay stuff to catch the look, and the boy slumped further in his seat. Crossing his arms defensively across his chest.

"We're best friends, we do everything together. She… she promised to protect me from everything bad out there. Like you guys."

Jaque stopped again, allowing himself a quick glance in his direction, then he continued carving away at what was quickly becoming ear-like points. "You must be wishing she were here with you now then, hm?" He sighed, expression turning sad as he turned Toby's face to the side and started fitting the first point around his ear with careful, cool fingers.

"We're really not that bad you know," he said slowly, voice quiet as he worked, "Baran tries his best to look every bit the foreboding guard, but he's got a heart of quartz beneath it all. Goddess take us all if anyone you've met so far isn't just trying their best to figure out what's going on. Neither one of us wish you any harm, Tobias."

"Then why do they keep threatening me, chaining me up, and keeping me down here? I don't even know where this place is, or what Terawmoonis or whatever it's called is. I don't know why I'm here, it just happens whenever I fall asleep."

Jaque finished up with the second ear and picked up a pot of what Toby imagined was the fae equivalent of foundation, only it was paler and creamier looking. "Honestly? Because we're as spooked as you are. This is our most sacred place and suddenly a human – with no magic, might I add Mr Williams, which again makes no sense – is turning up just about every single night, trying our wards, and disturbing the natural order. We have to fix it, and fast."

"But I-

"-We've come to understand you don't intentionally do this, don't worry. But you are still doing it nonetheless. You're becoming somewhat of a celebrity to those in the know with your tricks, which is where I come in," Jaque pulled at the skin under his eyes with a frown, "I get the job of disguising you so you can get out of this room, stretch your legs, and go to a new one."

He pulled harder at the black bags adorning his face and sighed. "What on Albion- has someone punched you in both eye sockets? Are you sick? What…- "

Toby pushed at his hand to get away from his face, suddenly self-conscious as he looked down at the floor. "I haven't been sleeping, is all. Trying to stop turning up here, so I stayed up for maybe four days."

"You didn't sleep for four days? How are you even functioning? I should be settling you into bed right now, not gussying you up for a traipse through Aurea's halls. Honestly."

A brush appeared in his hand from seemingly nowhere, and he swiped it across the top of the pot before moving to slide it across the dark skin under his eyes. "Just as well you're in the hands of a professional, otherwise you would have no hope of this working."

Toby wrinkled his nose as the cold cream smeared across his face, biting at the skin before settling on it. Yet it wasn't as heavy as he had expected it to be. Sarah had always been moaning about how heavy makeup was when she was at home.

Wait… traipse? Aurea? What-

"What do you mean I'm going for a... a traipse. I'm not going anywhere. It's bad enough I'm forced here and not… not in that weird maze place. I'm not going with you, and I am not leaving this room looking like a girl."

"That's twice, now, that you've insulted me, dear Toby," Jaque drawled distractedly, shooting him a pointed look as he switched hands, "The only way you'll leave here looking female is if I decide to make you look like a female. And you'll be a damned fetching one at that."

Toby looked aghast, "You're not actually gonna… are you?"

"Depends on what else comes out of your mouth in the next few minutes, to be fair."

"Oh."

They sat in silence.

"I didn't mean to insult you."

"Mhm."

More silence.

"You don't look like a girl, so that's okay."

"Is it, now?"

"Well yeah, you look like a… guy…"

"Thank you."

Toby looked around the room – using only his eyes, as Jaque's gloves fingers grew quite tight around his chin when he tried to move his head – then down at his knees, almost cross eyed.

"Sorry."

"Forgiven and forgotten with the wind, Tobias."

He tilted his head at him the moment his hand left his face, lips pursed thoughtfully.

"How old are you?"

"In relation to what, precisely?" Jaque asked, though this time he looked amused as he gazed back at the adolescent. "To nature? To all fae? To you?"

He picked up a weird looking y-shaped twig with a sharp looking piece of string running along it. "I'm afraid I will have to do something with these brows of yours, they really are beginning to bug me- but please, do carry on. Don't mind me."

Hesitantly, and with great reluctance as he pressed himself back against his seat to try and get away from Jaque's looming hand as subtly as possible, Toby shrugged. "All? Whatever, I guess."

Jaque's brows furrowed, his body starting to leave his seat as he was forced to lean over Toby to get to the offending brows. "Well, to nature, I am as insignificant as a breadcrumb. Or the little things on a breadcrumb. Does that help?"

Toby shook his head, then flinched when he received a hiss of warning to stop.

"Very well. To my kind, I am what you would call…. A teenager? Young adult? Somewhere around the point where adults expect you to get your affairs in order by yourself, but you still have to answer to a higher power."

"So you're younger than my sister?"

"… That is a… grey area… to say the least. I am younger, the same age, and older, all at once."

"How is that possible? - Ow, what was that for?!

"You moved."

He grumbled. "Well? How is it possible to be all of those things?"

Jaque grinned, sharp teeth flashing in the light at him again, as he put down his tools and picked up a quaint little box with strange looking, waxy stuff in it. Coloured waxy stuff. "Magic."

"You are so annoying!"

"You are so annoying – Ahh, my dear boy, petulance is not your friend."

"How old are you to humans, then?" Toby finally huffed.

This time, Jaque took his time before answering him. His hand had paused poised over the pigment in his hand, the hand holding the box held quite strangely as if it hurt him. Before Toby could derail the conversation again and ask about it, though, the paler blond answered him.

"Well I suppose I'm around twenty… two? Twenty-four? If you guys were to categorise me. However, numerically, I am twelve thousand years old, give or take a century."

"Twelve thou- "

"Don't quote me on that as verbatim, my arithmancy when converting our years into your years is shockingly bad. I think- No, I'm very confident I am very wrong. You should ask Choilleach or Arlyn that one. They're masters at it."

"I'm not that bad at maths. Is it like… one year to every five years of your time? So, one year to us is five to you?"

"I think it's more… ten years of Earth time is one thousand years in Albion. Which is still on the same planet. Technically."

"That makes you around two thousand years old, not twelve."
"If we aged like you mortals do, then yes. But we don't. We age much, much slower."

"Why?"

"Just lucky, I guess. Now stop asking me such boring questions."

Toby slyly looked up at him, then away towards the table full of what he assumed to be more cosmetics and creams and serums, then back to him once more.

"How old is Jareth?"

Jaque's hand didn't even falter as he cut a perfect crease across his eyes, forcing them shut by pulling the lids down with his fingers of his free hand. "Old compared to you, young compared to Baran and Arlyn, older in a thrilling way to your sister."

"Leave her out of this! What would you know, anyway?"

"More than I care to admit- crack a smile for me, would ya? I need to make sure I've given you believable cheekbones."

"You act a lot older than you are."

"Comes with the territory I guess- you, to me, are still a babe. When with the other lot, I get to be a lot less serious than this- Goddess be praised, Toby, you sculpt up a lot better than I imagined. Ever thought of being Fae, part time?"

"You're not serious?"

But Jaque wasn't listening, already painting something strange on his mouth – Toby was willing everything to believe that it wasn't lipstick, willing it with every fibre of his being – and humming to himself. A tune that Toby thought he ought to recognise but didn't fully.

"Right then," the bandana was whipped off his head in a crisp flick of a wrist, and in its place the fae pulled a wig over his tresses, "Without further ado, I hereby proclaim you… err… Tobias of Aurea. All we have to do is get you dressed – that ought to be a good laugh – then we can leave. Any thoughts on a colour scheme, perchance?"

Toby had the courtesy to look hopelessly lost, mouth opening and closing like a guppy for a few seconds before he shook his head. "Um… no…"

"Not to worry! Do we have a favourite colour?"

Now, this should have been a very simple question. It was a very simple question. In fact, the moment he was asked it, the word "red" jumped cleanly to the tip of Toby's tongue. But then the memory of the striped babygrow that Jareth had sealed a piece of within that glass ball sprang to mind, and he recoiled, shaking his head again. He didn't want to wear red. Or white.

"Perfect, that means I get free reign. We'll just have to make sure that we don't clash too badly, as I don't want you ruining the reputation I'm building for myself."

In all honesty, Jaque was glad for the excuse to stand up and move away from the boy, to put some breathing space between them while he made a show of looking out clothes for him to change into. After that afternoon he had spent with Sarah and the mother of all information overloads had dwarfed him, he had flown straight back to Terauramulis with every intention of telling Arlyn and Baran before anything else had transpired.

Yet upon his arrival, he had no sooner voiced a greeting before he was whisked off by Ardál, who he hadn't even known was back from his last expedition. Any attempts at making conversation were brutally shot down by the older fae, and Jaque had felt a knot of concern coil in his gut from watching him. He was a loaded crossbow on the precipice of either firing or snapping its cords. So he had left it, biding his time until they ran into Baran.

Baran had filled him in on his "next mission before returning to school" while walking him to the room at a punishing pace , not leaving any room for Jaque to broach the subject eating away at him or even to just blurt it out and hope for the best.

And now he was here. Tasked with disguising and accompanying a prisoner through their sacred halls as an old friend. A prisoner who was none other than the second half of the Williams brood.

Eventually, Toby stood before the door he'd only ever seen bolted against him, dressed in a basic navy poet's shirt, a pair of charcoal breeches, and a small pair of boots. Jaque was grinning beside him, gloved hand on the iron ring handle of the door, daring in his eyes as he stared at Toby to pull it open instead.

And he did.

The other side of the banded door gave way to the brightest lit hallway the boy had ever encountered, a wall of glass his only barrier remaining between him and the sprawling city before him. His mouth dropped open in response, eyes widening as a group of fae soldiers marched past them on their rounds, and Jaque reached around his head to smartly push it shut as he used his elbow against his back to usher him forwards.

"Well Tobias, may be it that I am the first to have the honour," he drawled lazily, turning them with an arm now draped across the mortal's shoulders to saunter down down the hall, "Welcome to the Halls of Aurea, and consequently our sacred city... Terauramulis."

Much to his superiors annoyance, Jaque elected to take the scenic route as he accompanied Toby towards the sealed wing.

There was an easy smile playing about his fiendish features as they walked. The boy had since relaxed from leaving his prison, his step matching his own, hands also unconsciously now tucked behind his back. Rather than steering them away from any of the other residents he chose to challenge him by going looking for them under the guise of getting lost to see if his reactions would be as seamless too. He was rewarded with seeing the boy smiling and nodding shyly to those who stopped in their tracks to address Jaque and bow their head in greeting of the stranger beside him, curiosity winning out over their duties.

He walked with pride. For sure, he had outdone himself where it had come to Toby's little disguise; from the longer dirty blonde tresses to the points he'd attached to his teeth for when he deigned to smile he looked every bit a fae as the rest of them. Almost enough to be relative of his, which was exactly who he introduced him as to those who asked. Just a distant cousin, visiting the crystal city for the first time and getting the grand tour. A believable enough story since the boy's eyes hadn't decreased in size from dinner plates throughout.

It was easy. This was fun. He almost felt a deep pang of guilt knowing that he was leading him to what could very well be his demise if he forgot himself or turned out to be part of a larger folly within which he would be punished to the highest severity of Terauramulin law.

Almost. Except he had his own curiosity to contend with for the moment, and it won out over any potential fear he had for him. He was sure he would be fine. He'd met his sister, after all, and if there was one thing he'd learned... it was that the Williams' were delightfully resilient.

"Where are we going, Jaque?"

The fae stopped in his tracks from humming cheerfully and pairing an apple with a dagger he'd snagged from a passing 'friend' to look at him with interest, then down the corridor they had turned onto. Further and further away they walked from the crystal wall that had instilled within the adolescent such wonder. He frowned.

"You asked to see the fae behind the curtain, and now you shall."

Toby balked, "Eanraig?! The King? As in, The King of Teraurawhatsit?!"

Jaque's eye twitched in response to the desecration of the city's name but nodded all the same. "The very same, my dear friend. The fae, the myth, the legend." He wiggled his brows at him and grinned. "He's not as scary as he sounds, or would like to believe."

He slid the slice of apple into his mouth after a moment of consideration, chewing thoughtfully. "Unless you've done something wrong, that is. Which you haven't."

Toby looked at him in typical adolescent fashion, brows raised. "Um... Jaque? You remember they had me chained to a chair, right? With guards?"

Jaque halted with another apple slice poised against his lip.

Then he looked at Toby.

Then a rather creative phrase left him, so unlike anything Toby had heard before, yet he still blushed in response and looked away in shock.

After a pregnant pause, Jaque spoke again. "Allow me to rephrase; If you've done something wrong they can prove. Just don't do anything bull-headed, do what you're told, and all will be well."

"Why are they moving me, though? Why didn't Ea- the King just come see me at the other room?"

"Why do adults send you out of the room when they're talking? Because what they say goes. They make the decisions, it's our job to follow them without argument."

"But aren't you an adult?"

Jaque chuckled, tipping his head back and folding his hands behind it, "In a manner of speaking. Enough that I'm trusted to take you to where you need to go without getting lost or trying to break you out, but not enough to stay with you once you get there while they conduct their business."

"I wish you could."

His voice was quiet, small, and Jaque looked at him sharply in surprise. Where before Toby had been laughing gaily and keeping pace with him, he now stared at the floor and dragged his boots. Trepidation had wound up his shoulders till he was hunched again, his teeth clenched in defiance against the fear that would see them chatter. Jaque's heart panged, and he too hung his head.

"…Come, Toby. I would show you something before we make our rendezvous."

Slinging his arm back around his shoulders, he patted his chest and pulled him through a door that up until then Toby could have sworn hadn't been there. It seemed to suddenly appear in the wall, as if it both was the wall and the wall was the door, then it shut behind them with a faint click and he was forced to look at where he had been taken.

A library.

A scowl appeared on his face.

He looked at Jaque with a squint as if trying to discern if he were playing with him, but the youth had already abandoned his side to wander down an aisle away from him, hands again clasped behind his head.

"Um, thanks?" he tried, but even to his own ears he sounded every bit the ungrateful brat. Jaque merely whistled at him in response and he found himself obeying, looking skyward in bad grace as he finally followed.

The shelves changed from gleaming, polished wood to dusty and dirty, the books brightly embossed spines becoming harder to read as Jaque led the way.

"You're quite welcome. Now, pick up your feet before you scratch the floor. If we're found in here, they'll have our heads."

Toby stared at the back of his head in panic. "What?!"

"Oh yes, this is a restricted area. Only fae are allowed in here, and even then, only the approved. This is the Hall of Records, dear Tobias. Each shelf is dedicated to a soul, either in Albion or in your world, and each book is a different fate. As you can see, some are larger, some are smaller. The ones which are finished or abandoned, or cut prematurely short, or moved to the archives."

Toby looked around him with new vigour and interest, his expression a picture of cautious excitement.

"So I'm in here?!"

"We're all in here. Pretty amazing, wouldn't you say?"

"Uh huh!"

"Thought you'd like it."

He led him back out, back through each of the shelves, then finally back to the door. "I'll broker a deal with you, dear Toby, one that I think you'd be interested in," he called conspiratorially, turning to walk backwards so he could see him.

"Sarah says you should never make a deal with the fae, because you guys always have an ulterior motive and twist things."

"Your sister is a wise woman, yet a little cynical, I fear. While we have a… well, penchant, for playing with you mortals – don't look at me like that, you're all terribly entertaining – I swear on my life's blood that the deal I offer is as it appears and no more."

"What kind of deal are you offering…" Toby asked warily, slowing to a near halt.

Jaque propped the door open with his boot and ushered him out with a roll of his eyes and a tempting smile. "If you behave yourself, and things start to make more sense to the point where you aren't being treated like a prisoner anymore, I will give you a book out of the hall of records that I believe you have a right to read, and will find very… informative."

"Is it me?"

Jaque pulled a face, "No, you simpleton, it is not you. Why would I give you a book on you when you already know everything you've ever done or tho- No! No." He pinched the bridge of his nose and continued to wave the boy out of the room, shaking his head in disdain. "Wow, mortals are so vain. No, Toby, I will give you a book about someone else that will answer quite a few of the questions buzzing about your mind."

"Can you not just give it to me now?"

"No!"

"Well why not?"

"Because I haven't read it yet!"

"Are you allowed to read it?"

"…No, but neither are you."

"Then why do you want to read it?"

"Because I have questions of my own."

"Why do you get to read it first?"

"Because I'm older than you, and because I said no. Now, no more questions about it, or else I'll decide that you're not behaving and our deal is over. Okay?"

Toby huffed and stalked out of the room finally with his nose in the air, striding down the hall away from Jaque, "That's not fair!"

"Wow, you Williams kids really do say that a lot, don't you?!" Jaque exclaimed as he turned to follow him, pulling his foot from the door.

"What?"

Jaque grinned, running to catch up to him. "Nothing, nothing. Take your next left, through those humongous doors, and stop talking. This is strictly between us, got it?"

"I still don't get how you haven't read it already, is all."

The fae dragged a hand down his features then turned to face him, hands on either shoulder to force the boy to look at him.

"Look," he murmured, voice lowered to the point that Toby really had to concentrate to hear, "It's magically sealed, okay? No one has managed to read it yet because its protected by a binding spell, which our dear friends are working to remove. And by that, I mean, that the spell means we cannot find it. Can't find the book, the person's shelf, nothing. Soooo… when we do, and I get the book, I will read it then pass it to you, got it?"

"Won't they want to read it first?"

Jaque winked at him, then pulled open the door beside them with a great amount of effort and a heavy grunt.

He surveyed the darkened corridor at large, a wicked expression that reached his eyes etched into his face.

"Naturally… but we'll just see to it that we get there first, now won't we?"