Toby's eyes were burning with fatigue. He'd been at it for almost twenty-four hours without rest, kitting out these surveillance orbs to help in the search for Helena. Aurelet was seated at the workbench behind him, assembling the physical orbs with that deft touch of hers, passing them to him for magical augmentation.

Thankfully, Karina had taken Kris to stay with her while Randel was out with the Army. He and Aurelet could put in these kind of hours without worrying about caring for their son. And Kris loved hanging out with Zander and Leianna, looking at this as a vacation of sorts. Jacen's son Mikael would likely be joining the other children with Karina on the morrow, as Madeline took on more of the civic duties that Jareth and Sarah usually performed. Jacen and Anduin were busy with coordinating their defenses, while the King and Queen were focused on finding his niece. And if he'd been up for almost twenty-four hours, Jareth and Sarah had been going on longer.

He felt his wife's hands on his shoulders, gently kneading his muscles. He sighed, tipping his head back to look at her. He was about to thank her when a green glow from the upper shelf caught his attention.

It was a communication array. An old antique, one that Jareth said had come from their exodus from the lands around Ardalon. Toby had tinkered with it a bit, intending to modify it in such a way that the messages they transmitted couldn't be picked up by the general public. It was something of a puzzle at first, until he'd figured out how to break through the keying spell that tied it to its former owner. He still played around with it now and then, and was making some progress on it, but as it wasn't really a priority, he only worked on it when he needed a break from his other projects.

And now it was glowing.

From what Jareth had told him, the green glow meant a public message of some sort, that whoever was sending it meant it to be broadcast to all and sundry. Taking the array down from its spot on the wall, he placed his palm on the green crystal. At the same time, he also placed his other hand on the blue crystal beside it, which would store the message to be replayed until he erased it.

When the message was complete, he turned a pale face to Aurelet, whose color had drained just as surely as his. He stared at her, open mouthed.

"We've got to get this to Jareth," she said. "Right now."

They ran down the hall towards Jareth's study, practically colliding with Tremane, who was on his way there as well.

He looked like hell. His eyes were just as bleary as Toby's, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he hadn't slept at all since he'd found out about Helena's disappearance. Toby didn't stop his trajectory, but Aurelet reached out and grabbed her brother's arm, dragging him along.

They burst into Jareth's study, and just as he thought, Jacen and Anduin were reviewing troop movements while Jareth and Sarah were standing at the tactical table with Garthan. They all looked up when Toby ran in.

"You need to see this," he said, as he put the array on top of the tactical table. He put his hand on a yellow crystal, which would replay the message he'd just received.

There was dead silence after the message was through. For a moment anyway. Then, he heard his sister give a soft sob. Jareth ran a shaking hand through his unkempt hair and took a breath.

"We don't know how true any of this is. She could have sent this under duress," he said, agony in his voice.

"No, Sire."

All eyes turned toward Tremane. He looked at his King gravely. "I know her tells. We joke all the time about how she can lie to everyone but me. When she's not telling the truth, she… her eyes… they skitter to the right and down. She wasn't doing that this time."

Sarah turned to face Tremane more fully. "But… if they were forcing her…"

Tremane met her gaze steadily, "Then she would have exaggerated her tells, not hidden them. I never told her what gave her away when she'd lie to me. She has no idea that she even does it. So… why hide it?"

Sarah nodded, "She wouldn't."

"Exactly. She had to know this message would find its way to you, somehow. She'd try to transmit some clue that she was lying. She looks scared, yes… but she's also… resigned. And her eyes don't waver. She's telling the truth. I know it."

"You think… she's telling the truth about Iftanzel?" asked Jareth, his face grim.

"Yes… at least as far as she knows. And it makes sense, doesn't it?" He turned to his father, "You've been saying for the last week that something was going on up in Surinar Vale. Some kind of covert operation. This was it. They meant to pick up the Fae princess, not ours. But… the plan changed when she brought too many guards and Helena showed up without any."

Garthan nodded, "It explains why there's been no whisper of such a plot in the Royal Chambers of Haorsham. Neither the King nor his Councilor were in on it. It also explains why the Ughlánas could find no trace of her in Fellmark, despite the rumors placing Helena there. It's a ruse. Meant to get us to attack them. And that servant… the one whose master is a minor Iftanzel soldier? That soldier's name is Perian."

At that moment, Zee popped into the room. "Kingy… we just confirmed… Hellie's not in Fellmark. The Fae… they don't know anything about her being gone. They're scared… they heard Randy's headed there to attack them and they don't know why."

Jareth bowed his head for a moment, then looked over at Jacen and Anduin. "Get word to Randel. Halt the march to Fellmark. Tell him she's not there."

"I'll go, Kingy," said Zee. He walked over to Jacen and Anduin to pick up whatever communiques they needed sent to Randel's unit before popping out.

"So… a manor somewhere to the West of Fellmark. Possibly." Jareth groaned. "That's not much help. She could be anywhere…"

Sarah came behind him and put her arms around his waist. "We'll find her. At least now we know for a fact that she's alive. And she's not in Haorsham somewhere. That means we'll have a better chance of getting her out of wherever she is." She turned the King to face her, searching his face with her eyes. "You need to rest. We both do. We won't be of any use to her if we collapse from exhaustion." She looked over to Jacen, who nodded in understanding.

"Dad, we can handle things for the next few hours. Get some rest. You need to be sharp and ready to act tomorrow," he said quietly. It was probably a sign of just how exhausted Jareth was that he numbly allowed his wife to pull him from the room.

Tremane looked over at Garthan, "You too, Dad. Get some sleep. I'll stay here and if there's anything that you need to handle, I'll come get you."

Garthan didn't even fight it, merely nodded and left the room. After he'd left, Tremane touched the yellow crystal, replaying the message once again. His eyes reflected a myriad of emotions… rage, fear, love.

"Tremane… I lov-"

His face crumpled for a moment; agony written on every feature. Toby heard him whisper softly.

"I know, Hellcat. I love you, too… and I'm coming for you. One way or another… I'm coming for you."

Jareth felt Sarah's hand pulling him into their chamber. They walked in, the door closing softly behind them. Without a word, she began undressing him, peeling off his tunic, loosening the collar of his shirt and pulling it over his head. He stood almost stupefied as he watched her. She pressed her hand onto his chest, pushing him gently to sit down on the bed, where she bent and removed his boots. He looked at her almost curiously, part of his mind not really understanding what she was doing.

She made quick work of her own clothing, stripping down to her shift. She then climbed into the bed, pulling him to lay beside her. He complied, his back to her… his gaze on the wall.

Memories assaulted him. Holding Helena right after she was born. Her happy grin when she showed him that she could write her own name. The sarcastic brow she'd lift when she disagreed with him about something. Her laugh.

He didn't even realize that tears were running down his cheeks until Sarah's arms came about him. "I'm going to lose her…" he choked. "My baby…"

"No."

The strength in that voice halted any further words. The arms about him squeezed tightly. "We haven't lost her. We aren't going to. They need her as a… hostage. Leverage. They won't kill her. That gives us time. The Ughlánas are working themselves into a puddle of goo, popping all over the place to look for her. They'll find her. You know they will. And when they do, they'll protect her. They won't let anything happen to her. You know that. I know that. And so does she."

Sarah moved over him so that she was facing him, her arms still around him. "She knows they're looking for her. She knows we're coming for her. Believe it." She kissed his forehead. "The worst thing we can do now is have doubt. So, don't. Don't doubt. I won't let you." She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "We'll find her, Jareth. I know we will."

Some of her strength and confidence leeched its way into his body. He felt his heart grow a fraction lighter. She was right. He had to keep up hope. Doubt and despair were their worst enemies at this point. He had to be strong… strong like his Queen, if he was going to be effective.

She pulled his head down to her chest, stroking his temples. With every touch, she soothed him. He felt his muscles unknot, his eyes grow heavy.

Somehow, sheltered in his Queen's arms, he slept.

The Royal Palace of Haorsham, Iftanzel

Caelan couldn't remember the last time his blood felt like ice water. It was practically frozen now.

He turned from the communication array, stunned to his soul by what he'd just seen. Dreanar, his High Councilor, was watching him with an equally stunned expression.

"Could this be some kind of Goblin trick?" he asked.

Dreanar shook his head. "It's possible, but… it doesn't make much sense. In all these centuries, Jareth has never started a war with anyone. Not without extreme provocation, anyway. We know the Goblin Army is marching toward Fellmark. We didn't know why. Now we do."

"Where is Illiana?" he asked as they faced each other with slow horror. "She was in Surinar Vale… where is she now?"

"I'm here, Father."

Caelan turned to see his daughter walking into the room, followed by her Chief Guard. The agonizing tightness in Caelan's chest eased slightly at the sight of her. She crossed the room and embraced him.

"I'm sorry we were late… the transport pad here in Haorsham wasn't working and we had to use the one in Travarda…"

"Yes, the Visitor Center is being renovated… that's my fault," said Caelan. "I didn't expect you to need it to return so quickly. Come, my little love. I need to show you something. You too, Paolan."

He pressed the yellow crystal to replay the message for them. Despite himself, he found his heartstrings plucked by the fear this poor girl was displaying. And her bravery.

Illiana exchanged a horrified look with Paolan. "That's Hellie!" Then, she looked at Caelan. "Oh my… she was a Princess? The Goblin Princess?"

Caelan looked at her, puzzled. "Wait… did you actually speak with her in Surinar Vale?"

Illiana nodded. "I did. She was… ever so nice. A very humorous lady… I… liked her. We'd planned to have breakfast together and go to the crafting pavilion." She indicated her Chief Guard, standing to her left, "Paolan and I went to her room… that's when we saw that there were signs of a struggle. I didn't see much more than that, since Paolan insisted I return here immediately."

"Struggle… yes. She managed to kill two of her attackers," said Paolan, grimly. "There was a lot of blood spattered in the room. Fae blood, from the traces of magic. There were also faint traces of Goblin magic too... levin bolts, most likely. Whoever took her left the bodies of the assailants. They wanted it known…" Paolan bowed his head in apology, "I should have stayed longer to investigate, but I felt it prudent to get Her Highness back here right away. Then to my chagrin, we had to make our way overland from Travarda."

"No… your first duty was to see to Illiana's safety. You did exactly what you should have done," Caelan said. He frowned in thought, pacing a bit in front of the window. The Goblin girl hadn't mentioned to Illiana that she was a Princess. She could be an imposter, but if so… she certainly resembled the Goblin King to a remarkable degree. Too remarkable. So… maybe she was there incognito? An unplanned trip, perhaps? He couldn't imagine the Goblin King allowing her to get anywhere near the Fae without at least a contingent of guards at her back. Yet she had none…

Xensor had no idea she'd even be there. He did, however, know that Illiana would be. Someone in his Council was the source of Xensor's information… it had to be. He would have taken Illiana, likely killed her and left her in such a way that it looked like Goblins did it… and Caelan, half-mad with grief, would have unleashed his troops on the Goblin Kingdom… slaughtering everyone in their path… provoking the Goblins to unleash horrors upon his own population…

But Caelan had given in to that inexplicable urge he'd felt when Illiana was leaving and doubled her protection detail, literally at the last moment. When Xensor had seen that Illiana was too well guarded, and realized who else was at that festival, he changed his plans to include the Goblin Princess instead. He kept her alive, knowing that Jareth would do anything to get her back… maybe make enough mistakes in his desperation for Xensor to take advantage of the situation. That and… Jareth was likely to absolutely slaughter the entire Iftanzel population if he'd found her dead. While Xensor clearly didn't care much about what a war would do to the civilians, even he felt some residual fear at how far the Goblins would go in such a scenario. But to keep her alive… that would put some restraint on the Goblins, certainly. She was worth more to Xensor alive than dead, but not by much, and not for long. Especially if he realized that she'd blown his plans wide open.

But would the Goblin King believe the message? If not for Illiana having actually met the girl at Surinar, he might not have believed it himself. Oh, Danu… if Jareth thought I had anything to do with this…

Goblins. Strigoi. Dwarves. Elves. All lined up against him. Hell… even some of the Fae would probably back Jareth in this, if they believed he'd kidnapped the Goblin girl. He'd only been King for the last decade… not enough time for anyone to come to know him, to know he'd never do such a thing. His kingdom would be wiped off the map. He himself would die, likely by Jareth's own hand. His daughter… would she be killed too?

As he stared at Illiana, a plan coalesced in his mind. He'd go to Jareth personally. Alone. Offer himself as a hostage. His life was worth nothing at this point anyway… Xensor made damn sure of that. But Illiana… she might live. His kingdom, his people… might live.

"I'm going to them," he said grimly. "Alone. I will present myself to the Goblin King as his hostage, to prove we had no part in this. Maybe… maybe we can even be of assistance in getting the girl back." He put his hand on Illiana's shoulder, "You are Regent. If all goes well… I will be in contact."

Dreanar was almost apoplectic, "Sire… he'll kill you! You know this! And even if he doesn't, what's to stop him from sending communications in your name? That bastard of a Spymaster can probably replicate your very handwriting…"

"Any communication from me will reference something from your childhood, Illiana. Things only we would know. The pet name I had for your mother. The name of your first cat. That sort of thing." He could see the fear on her face. Fear for him. "Be at ease, daughter. Jareth wants his girl back. He won't kill me out of hand, not while there is hope of her safe return. But I have to do something, otherwise… I fear a war the likes of which hasn't been seen Underground in a thousand years. A war we will lose."

Author's Notes:

While it might not be quite clear, the Fae as a whole are terrified of the Goblins. Remember… they killed their masters on the way out of Ardalon (a calculated move to cause chaos and prevent a response). Since the founding of the Kingdom, Jareth has made it a point to repel any incursions by the Fae with deliberate brutality (Helena musing about the Fae being tossed across the border with or without their heads was not a joke). While Jareth never starts shit, he absolutely finishes it. The Fae all know this. Some of them would even side with Jareth, if only so he doesn't turn his attention to them.

This is why Xensor's original plan was to kidnap and kill Caelan's daughter. It would have had the effect of turning a lot of Jareth's allies against him (assuming they believed he was capable of such a thing). At the very least, the other Fae would have united with Iftanzel. Now, Xensor has to be a bit more cautious since the political ramifications of his act changed with the identity of the Princess he stole, thus why he kept her alive. He might still have pulled it off if not for Helena's message.

At any rate, you should view Caelan being willing to offer himself up as a hostage to the Othánas as a supremely brave action. It took a hell of a lot of courage to do this, knowing that he likely wouldn't survive it.

Also, Caelan is NOT a former wished-away. Thus, he has none of the magical compulsion that Jareth once installed in children that were adopted by the Fae. I wanted to demonstrate that while many of the natural born Fae might be debauched and devious, there were some that were good and honorable. Caelan is one of them, as are Illiana and Paolan.