Pre-Chapter Notes:

This story takes place right before (and during) the same time period as 'The Magic of You'. It's a lighthearted little romance story (and some yummy exposition on the bonding process). I would characterize it as a light, silly rom-com.

Caisleán Caladh, Three Hundred and Thirty-Six Years After Sarah's Run…

Jacen laughed as he watched the whirlwind that was his little sister Helena exit the solar, Tremane hot on her heels. "Those two…" he turned to his mother. "Do they ever spend a moment apart?"

"No… that is, except for bedtime, no. But then, they were born only a couple of hours apart. I guess it's to be expected."

Jacen shook his head, "There's a life-bond in the making there, just watch." Across the table, he saw Karina nod in agreement.

Sarah shrugged, "That wouldn't be such a bad thing. They're a lot alike. I don't think I've ever seen them argue about anything."

Jareth snorted, "Of course they have. He just learned the lesson early." At his wife's raised brow, he continued with a smirk. "He learned to let her have her way."

Jacen laughed as he watched his mother smack his father's arm. "That's not how it works, and you know it." She then turned to face Jacen. "Speaking of which, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, Jace."

Uh oh. He tried to school his features into pleasant inquiry. "About what?"

Sarah sighed, "You've been a grown man for over a century, and I still haven't seen you even mildly interested in courting anyone. Is something going on?" He could see Karina ignore her lunch to focus on him with interest.

Jacen tried a self-deprecating laugh, "Oh, I have lady friends."

His mother's green eyes narrowed at him, "I'm aware. I'm also aware that they are not… the type to be heart-bonded. I've seen you avoid the more eligible ladies. Almost like you're purposefully seeking women that you know you won't bond to. What gives?"

"I'm just… not ready." At her look of concern, he put his hand over hers, "Mom, don't worry. I know that I have to marry eventually. I just don't want to do it right away. I've just started working with Dad in earnest, I have a lot to learn. I don't want to add a new marriage to the list of things I'm juggling right now."

Jareth leaned over and kissed his wife's cheek. "Remember love… I was almost a thousand years old before I met you. I for one am rather glad that I didn't pursue a life-mate earlier." Sarah seemed mollified. Jareth traded a significant look with Jacen.

After a bit more chatter, Sarah excused herself for her meeting with the Moon Elves, Karina following her. Jacen sat in his chair, idly picking at the food on his plate. Jareth apparently noticed his pensive demeanor.

"Jacen, something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Nothing, really," he said, shrugging. "Same thing that's always bothered me, I guess." He sighed and met his father's eyes. "This whole bonding thing. Look, don't get me wrong… I don't want to be like Uncle Randel. I do want a wife and family at some point. I just want to be sure that I'm the one choosing her and not… something else."

He got up from the table and moved to the window to look down at the garden below. "I don't pursue the girls that come here because I can't be sure that they really want me. I don't mean as the Goblin Prince… I mean as just Jacen Danaaru. And even if they did… is it because they want me in truth or because they're compelled to?"

Jareth nodded sadly, "I understand. I really do. And I wish I had an answer for you."

Jacen turned to face his father. "Dad… did it ever occur to you what Mom had to sacrifice to come here? To be your wife?" He frowned. "Sure… she got a massively extended lifespan. So did her brother Toby. She's a Queen. She has magic. But she had to give up everything she knew. Everything she'd grown up to want. For what? Because she fell in love with you? I'd accept that. But that's not how it happened. You took one look at each other and WHAM! That's it. You both had no choice." He turned back to the window.

"I wish I could argue with you, but I can't," said Jareth. "That is very like how it happened. And since your mother isn't in the room, I can tell you truthfully… no, I would not have chosen her. Not at that time, when she was too young. Had I met her as an adult, yes. I would have fallen in love with her anyway. But as she was then… no."

"How do you know you would have loved her anyway?"

Jareth smiled, "We didn't have the usual courting period, as you know. I had over a year to… date her, as they say Above, before I gave her my token. In that time, I came to know her quite well before we took the next step towards commitment. Had her Run never happened, and I met her as an adult, her intelligence, her spirit, would have attracted me like a moth to a flame. The fact that I find her to be ravishingly beautiful would have been icing on the cake. Had there been no such thing as heart-bonds, I still would have fallen head over heels in love with her. Of that, I have no doubt."

"When did you know? I mean… when did you know you loved her regardless of the heart-bond?"

Jareth chuckled, "Remember how I told you we had exchanged correspondence for months before we met again in person? By that time, I had a lot of insight into her character. I had completely fallen in love with her through our letters, but when I knew for certain that I loved her even without the bond?" Jacen nodded. "It was after I told her how the Goblin Kingdom came to be aware of her. It was quite an emotional moment. She was very distraught. She had every right to be upset with me, given what I had told her, but instead… she made a joke. A joke specifically intended to put me at ease, not herself. That's when I knew that regardless of heart-bonds and our history… I loved her. With all of my heart."

He rose and came to stand beside Jacen at the window. "And in answer to your other question… yes. I am well aware of what your mother had to sacrifice in order to come here. What she struggles with, being the only fully human person in the Goblin Kingdom. Her own brother became Othánas. Her children are Othánas. But she is not and can never be. She'd always felt like an outsider during her life Above, and sometimes I know she feels it even more keenly here."

Jacen looked at him, shocked. "I didn't know you knew that…"

Jareth gave a bitter laugh, "Oh, I've always known. She never says so, but I can see it in her aura. It's a terrible feeling to know that your woman is hurting and there's not a thing you can do to ease that pain." He leaned against the windowsill. "But she's not the only one that made sacrifices. I realized from the start that she would never accept being merely my consort, that any relationship between us would require us to be on the same footing. That was a sacrifice in itself."

Jacen turned to face him as he continued. "I've ruled the Goblins since before I was an adult. I fought in wars as a child. Founded a Kingdom. Made all the decisions for almost a thousand years. But to have a life with your mother, I had to give that up. More to the point, I had to share it. My royal power as well as my magical power." His expression turned sober and serious as he met Jacen's gaze. "Think about what that was like from my point of view. I had to sit and watch as she brought her human ways down Below… and dreaded the time when what she did would be something I didn't like. Here I was, the mythical Goblin King, kowtowing to a human barely out of adolescence." He shook his head. "To say there was an adjustment period would be an understatement."

Jacen looked at him, wide-eyed. "I never thought of that. I'm not sure I could do the same."

Jareth chuckled, "Neither was I, to be honest. I had to make the conscious decision for her to rule with me. And to give her credit, she would always discuss the things she wanted to do and took my opinion to heart." Jareth looked back out the window before continuing, "Thankfully, we never had a serious dispute about the changes she made, mostly because they were improvements and not… upheavals. She was always considerate of the fact that she was the outsider here, and that it was not her purview to 'reform' our ways to suit her human sensibilities."

Jacen shook his head ruefully, "I didn't realize just how… difficult it was for you. Bonding with a human, I mean. An Othánas woman wouldn't have given you this much trouble."

At this, Jareth laughed. "Ah, but who knows what other problems I would have had instead. And make no mistake, I do not regret this arrangement in the slightest. She is my full partner, capable of shouldering my burden with me, which she did wholeheartedly. More than that, because she is on equal footing with me, she is also capable of reining in my more… ruthless tendencies." He put his hand on Jacen's arm. "But as far as the bonding process… I know your doubts. In fact, I share some of them. And even with the bonds, the scents and the auras, marriage is still probably the most hazardous occupation I have ever undertaken. But the rewards…" His expression grew soft, "The rewards are incomparable. There was sacrifice and compromise, yes. But I have a life-mate that I can trust implicitly. I can count on her when I need solace… and when I need a swift kick in the posterior. Not to mention how much better sex is when love is involved."

At this, Jacen shuddered. "Too much information, Dad."

Jareth laughed. "Oh, you'll see. The dalliances you're having now will not hold a candle to what you're in store for when you take your heart-mate for the first time. And love… well, love has a way of smacking you upside the head when you least expect it. I promise you… however it happens, whatever the cause, be it divine providence or magic… when you find the one your heart wants, you'll breathe a prayer of gratitude. I know I did."

Jacen nodded. Jareth patted his arm and left the solar. As he turned back to look out the window, he felt his doubts still churning.

I wish I could be as sure as you are, Dad.

Author's Notes:

Although this is Jacen's story, a lot of things he's seen in the relationship between Jareth and Sarah influenced how he views things. One might say that it was being raised by a human that contributed to his questioning of 'how things are'.

Jareth's reflections on the mutual sacrifices he and Sarah had to make are something I never really see in fanfiction (or romance novels and regular fairy tales, for that matter). While I didn't get into detail about this in their own story, Jareth and Sarah still had to do hard work on their marriage, just like any other couple would. Maybe even more so since there is no way out of a life-bond.

Yes, Sarah made sacrifices for Jareth, but very few stories show what he had to give up for her sake. She's a human, a woman of the 21st century who was raised to be a full partner to her mate. He had to be willing to share his authority because she would accept nothing less. How hard would that be for someone who had ruled alone for almost a thousand years?

They needed to learn to compromise, for sure. And no… he wasn't speaking from bitterness when he recalled 'kowtowing' to her… he was trying to demonstrate to Jacen the shift in attitude he had to make in order for his marriage to thrive. He couldn't just put a crown on her head and call her 'queen'… he had to accept that no matter how much younger she was than him, no matter that her life experiences were very different, her viewpoints were just as valid as his own (and sometimes even better). This took work on his part, work that he was willing to put in.

And… did anyone else notice that Sarah was acting a bit like Karen in this chapter? We try so hard not to repeat the things our parents do, but we end up doing some of them anyway.

Songs for this couple:

I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden

Lovesong – Adele

And, because I didn't put them into the stories these couples first appeared in:

Toby and Aurelet:

Perfect – Ed Sheeran

I Love You Always Forever – Donna Lewis

Anduin and Erynne:

Please Forgive Me – David Gray

Make You Feel My Love - Adele