Garthan watched as Sarah and Lily waited all of five seconds after Karina's departure to follow her. Like smoke, Jacen drifted out of the room right behind them.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I sure as hell need a drink," said Garthan as he moved to pour out some brandy. No one spoke as he handed out the glasses. Randel finished his in one gulp. Jareth sipped from his glass, eyes on Randel in a speculative manner.

This was a complication he'd never seen coming. Karina was always a little wild. In truth, out of Jareth's three children, she was the one most like him in personality, for all that she resembled her mother in looks. While it didn't surprise him that she'd get embroiled in some sort of romantic mischief, he was surprised that it was with Randel of all people.

Thank the Fates that Aurelet was never that complicated. I'd never have survived it.

His own daughter had formed an attachment to the Queen's brother long before she'd reached her majority. It was mutual… to the point that it was doubtful that he'd ever taken a tumble with any other woman before she'd gotten his courting token around her neck. The morning she'd come of age, she'd kissed her parents, packed up her things, and moved them into Tobias' rooms. They life-bonded that very day. Tobias Williams was a good man, and despite his initial misgivings, Garthan couldn't have picked a better one for his daughter if he'd had the choice of it. But he couldn't imagine how he himself would have reacted if Aurelet had chosen to dally with someone like Randel.

Now, that's not fair… you've always thought he'd just never met the right girl. What if Karina is the right girl?

Jareth's face was a mix of resignation and disappointment. He eyed his Lord Martial with some sympathy, "Randel…"

"Jareth, I swear to you… I didn't intend any of this. I don't even know how the hell I got into this situation in the first place." Randel looked agitated, running his hand through his hair and pacing. He came upon the coin lying on the floor, stared at it for a long time and then picked it up. He looked at it for a few moments, a mixture of emotions flashing across his face, then slipped it into his pocket.

Jareth's eyes flickered as he watched this. Pouring another measure of brandy into Randel's glass, he handed it to him. "It's my fault, really. I failed in one of the most basic tasks a parent has." He sat down and sighed, "I never told her no. I never taught her that wanting isn't always getting and that sometimes… we don't get what we want."

Garthan had to object at this, "Jareth, come on. You can't blame yourself."

Jareth looked back at him sadly, "Oh yes, I can. She's just like me. You know she is. Jacen is pragmatic, he knows when to retreat and when to press for an advantage and he's not ashamed to admit when he fails. He understands that failure sometimes happens. He gets that from his mother. Helena is the same. She'll never lose her head in a storm of emotions. She'll plot out her life like moves on a chessboard and will calmly rethink her strategy if she isn't winning. That's from Sarah, too."

He took another drink of his brandy. "Karina on the other hand thinks with her heart first, not her head. That's all me. And just like me, she thought that all she had to do was express the desire for something and it automatically would become hers. She didn't stop to think about what the other person was thinking or feeling." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "It was the same mistake I made with Sarah, way back when. I learned from it, but I failed to teach that lesson to my daughter."

"Well, now what do we do?" asked Garthan.

Jareth looked over at Randel, "I think it would be best if you left Caladh for a bit. Karina needs time to… adjust her expectations and perhaps learn from this experience. I'd been considering another diplomatic mission to the Strigoi… this might be the right time for it."

Randel nodded gratefully, "I agree. I will make preparations immediately." He turned to walk out of the room, pausing at the door. "Jareth… I'm sorry."

Jareth simply nodded. Randel shot a despairing glance at Garthan and left the room.

A few minutes went by as he and Jareth sipped their brandies and refilled their glasses. Garthan finally could take no more, "I can't believe you're not more… angry at this. I can tell you… as much as I love Randel like a brother, if it were my Aurelet, I think I'd be plotting his assassination."

Jareth snorted, "You know Karina. Do you really think Randel had a choice in any of this?"

Put that way… no, I don't.

"Besides, you didn't notice what I noticed."

Garthan was now intrigued, "What did you notice?"

"The pain on his face when he held that coin in his hand. The love in his eyes when he looked at her before he shoved it back down. He's heart-bonded to her, no mistake."

"Then why send him away?"

"Because he needs time. Just like Sarah did. He needs time to come to grips with what he's feeling and decide what he really wants in this life. I'm hoping that cooling his heels in Corzina will bring him around." His eyes narrowed, "And it wouldn't hurt my daughter to face some adversity for once in her life. She really needs to start thinking about how others feel before she charges ahead. Maybe this will teach her."


"For God's sake, Karina… where was your mind?"

Karina looked over at her mother, inwardly a little alarmed at the green fire spitting from her eyes. She glanced at Lily, who kept a neutral expression on her face, but her eyes held sympathy. Both women had followed Karina into her chamber after she'd thrown the coin at Randel and stomped off. Karina had flung herself into a chair and counted to about three before her mother had burst in on her. Now, shereallyhad to face the music.

"Of all the men to take a tumble with… you had to choose a man-whore like Randel? What were you thinking?"

Karina felt herself getting a little angry. "Man-whore? I suppose. But that's what he was… not what he's going to be. Not what he is now." She smiled wickedly, "Besides… I rather appreciated that he's had experience. It made things very pleasant; I assure you."

Lily choked, while Sarah's expression darkened, "What he is now is a libertine. A fuckboy, as they say Above. If you were in such a hurry to have a man in your bed, why the hell wouldn't you choose one that could actually make a commitment to you?"

"Again, you're focusing on how he used to be. I'm telling you… he isn't like that anymore." Karina leaned back in her chair, looking up at her mother from under her eyebrows. "Are you going to try to tell me that Dad didn't take what was offered back in the day? Because I won't believe you. He's told me so himself."

"Your father might have dallied here and there, but he was never debauched like Randel," said Sarah, her voice practically vibrating with anger.

Karina's eyes drew a bead on her mother, "He roofied you, Mom. You didn't talk to him for FIVE YEARS because of it. And yet here you are… married to him and the mother of his children." Her eyes narrowed further, "And let's not mention that he formed a heart-bond with an underaged girl and invoked courting words to her. Who the hell does that? Am I the only one who thinks that's a little creepy?"

Sarah's face hardened, "That's enough, Karina."

"No," Karina replied, her face just as hard as her mother's. "The point is, he made a lot of mistakes. A LOT. And yet you were able to see past them. Randel made mistakes too. So did I. So did you. Randel's past isn't what counts, it's the present… his future, that does. You gave Dad the benefit of the doubt, but Danu forbid that I do the same for Randel."

Sarah's expression softened a bit, "You have a point, I admit it. But Karina, he refused you. If he wanted to marry you, he had the opportunity to do so. Instead, he denied your heart-bond."

Karina laughed bitterly, "Did he? Funny, I don't remember him actually saying that. In fact, he had the opportunity to say exactly that. But he didn't. He stayed silent."

Lily looked at Sarah, "She's right. He never actually denied that they were heart-bonded. He just looked out the window and said nothing when she challenged him."

Karina looked at both women solemnly, "Look, I knew that this wasn't going to be easy. He's had almost a thousand years to convince himself that he doesn't want to be bonded. So far, he's done a pretty good job at it. But if he wasn't heart-bonded to me, then why do I pick up his emotional scent? Why am I able to see his aura?"

Both women looked back at her doubtfully. Karina shook her head and laughed softly, "Has he bedded anyone since his return from the Tour? Besides me, that is?"

Lily's eyes took on a knowing gleam, "No… no he hasn't."

"And you agree that this is highly unusual for him?"

"Yes…" said Sarah, her eyes wide.

Karina gave them a wicked smile that looked just like her father's when he was at his most devious, "I've shown him what he can have if he just reaches out. He's probably asking Dad to send him to another court right now. That's fine. He needs to stew for a while and learn what it's like to miss me. And he will miss me, I promise you that."


Author's Notes:

Oh yes, Jareth is well aware that there's a heart-bond going on between Randel and his daughter.

I also like how Karina calls Jareth out on his behavior with Sarah when she was a teenager. Not gonna lie, when I was 16 that scene was romantic. Now that I'm in my 50's… holy crap that was creepy. Someone had to mention it, and in the context of it being a mistake he'd made that Sarah was willing to overlook… I thought it fit here.