Ludo scratched absently at his right arm where a thick layer of mud and drying blood had caked. Reaching down he grabbed a hold of another decaying body setting it on the ever growing pile. All around him soldiers of the Goblin and Sol army worked to gather the dead in the center of the city.
There would be a mass funeral pyre later once enough bodies were collected. One that would most likely burn for days on end. Jareth had already decreed that while the fires burned the kingdom would remain in mourning for those who had lost their lives in loyalty to their king.
Ludo sat down heavily on the ground, his body spent after hours of labor. Many believed the great beast to be stupid with little to no feelings. But the gentle creature understood more than he let on and the sight of the dead was beginning to take its toll on him.
One of the larger elves wiped his bloodied hands down his tunic so he could pat the creature on the shoulder without furthering the mess of his fur. Ludo looked to the elf and nodded at the small smile he had received. Without so much as a groan of weariness Ludo rose and began collecting the Goblin Kingdom's martyrs.
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Soft feather like hair dusted over the thin fingers that wrapped around a drawn face. Jareth leaned almost out of his throne trying to quail the tears that threatened to spill. So many of his people were dead, so many died rather than follow a madman. He swallowed the thick bile that had settled in his throat as he remembered the sight and stench of the city outside.
The fires would burn this evening, all those who gave their life laid to rest together. All but three. Duke Conall, Duchess Blejan, and young Lady Jean. These three would be honored as fitted their station.
The Duke and his wife's body had yet to be found, their remains most likely beneath the corpses of all of Canter. Once recovered Jareth had ordered them to be placed in the hospital chambers and prepared for burial in the royal cemetery.
Jean's body had to be forcefully removed from his head knight's hold. After doing so he refused to leave her and followed as they moved to prepare her.
Jareth clutched his eyes as shut as he could. She was not but a mortal child, she wasn't even meant to return with him and Sarah. And now she had lost her life in order to save Toby.
"Jareth you need to sit up." Removing his hands from his face he turned to peak from the curtain of hair to gaze upon his young wife. Sarah stood beside him her body covered in drying blood, her clothes torn from where the swords had just missed her. And in her arms curled a sleeping child, his daughter
"Why?" His voice was bitter, not even when she had refused him all those years ago had he sounded so unpleasant.
"I know this isn't easy Jareth, if I could I would lock myself up in my room and cry until I could no longer. But this isn't the end and you know it. This was only the first strike. You must sit up and push back that grief and anger, at least in front of your men.
"How do you expect them to cope when their king acts like all he wants to do is die right where he stands? There will be time for tears and grief when it is done, for now we must sit on our emotions lest they weaken us into inaction." He lifted his head to take a better look at his wife. Though her words were spoken coldly she looked as though she had spent the past two hours crying. Perhaps she did, she had been away tending to his young daughter making arrangements for someone to watch the child. Perhaps while she was all alone she had allowed her tears to overtake her, like he should once the doors were closed.
"I am not sure even combined you and I would be able to harbor enough grief to mourn after this war is won." Sarah shifted the child in her arms and reached out a hand to run through her husband's hair.
"I don't know about fae but the human heart has no boundaries. For my part I will mourn every fallen soul that happens to die in this war even if it was to rage on for centuries." He leaned into her touch allowing her warmth to fill him. Sitting up after only a moment she forced a small smile, though the sadness in it was apparent.
"How does Bricriu fare?" The sigh that Sarah let out was almost enough of an answer, the elven knight had never had much in his life. And now that he found something it had been ripped from his hands.
"Not very well I'm afraid. I went to speak with him but he refused to even acknowledge I was there. He just sits by Jean's side holding her hand. I couldn't fully understand what he was saying but he was whispering to Jean.
"It might take him awhile to deal with this. It is strange how a man who could kill with a single hand with little effort could be felled by one woman's death." Jareth stood then to take her face in both of his hands.
"No, not strange at all Love. Had I lost you I can not say I would be in any better shape. When a man finds his heart it comes in the form of a woman. Should she die he sees no reason to go on, even if he does he will always be broken." He leaned down capturing her lips making it clear he never meant to let her go.
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The shy flickered with orange hue muted only by the thick smoke that curled like dancing snakes slithering this way and that across the star studded expanse. The day had trudged on slowly for those in the Labyrinth.
Fae, Elf and human alike worked tirelessly to gather the dead and now from the steps of the castle they watched as their bodies were burned returning their ashes to the land. Men still could be seen adding another lost soul for it would take days to claim them all.
All watched save the King, his Queen and the most loyal of their knights. They watched the smoke rising from deep within the solid walls of the castle, within the very center where a grove opened up into the royal cemetery.
Three figures laid resting atop stone slabs, their bodies wrapped tightly in sapphire silk. Only one had the fabric removed from their face.
Jean's body was still and cold as ice, the flesh of her cheeks tinged with soft blue. Her eyes shut in the semblance of peaceful slumber. Bric ran his finger over her long eyelashes and down to trace her lips. Sarah turned her head slightly unable to watch as he lowered his own to her's.
The cemetery was quiet but for the sound of clapping boots. Bric's warm covered her side as he stood his place beside her and watched as Jareth hovered three crystals above the forms. No words were spoken, then again none needed to be. All who watched as the clear orbs descended forever preserving their loved ones in stone knew and understood each other's grief.
Slowly the space cleared, only one stayed behind as he knelt beside the stone woman. His fingers traced her lips absently as he spoke to her of promises broken and un-given.
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"How long do you think the fires will burn, Your Majesty?" James leaned over the table uncaring that the splintered edge was cutting into his stomach. The pain was nothing compared to the injuries he sustained during the battle or the grief at losing Jean.
His face had been slashed more than once and he knew in just a few short months it would heal leaving behind thick white scars. Though only in his twenties his appearance had aged years in just one afternoon.
"I have been informed that not even half of those dead have been recovered yet. It may be some time before the fires die down." Weary and finally behind closed doors with those whom he could just let go Jareth allowed himself to slouch back in his chair. All pain and worry etched clearly on his face as though it had been craved there with a knife.
"At least it will give us time to gather ourselves and form a plan of attack. Gethin was foolish but I have a feeling the rest of the Sisters will not be as easy to fell." James grimaced as pain shot through the tears in his cheeks. He had hastily patched the skin until he was no longer needed for the clean up.
"Too many more will die in this war I assure you. Gethin was a coward who had not a head for ruling or war. The others have been in power for far longer than he with many more supporters. Not as easy is quite an understatement." Jareth watched as a drop of blood slipped its way down over the red slashes across the knight's face, even the survivors of the day's battle were not left unscarred. With that thought he slowly ran a finger over his own bloodied line across his chest.
"Go see Eamon, James. Before those cuts on your face get any worse." James nodded and headed for the door, before he could leave Jareth's voice could be heard behind him.
"One thing first. Under Underground law you are still bound to Sarah for a year, what do you plan on doing after you are free?" James took a step forward, he had been thinking on that very thing for some time now. Before the battle he had planned to return Above and continue his studies, but now
"I'm not sure, but I can't go back now. I've seen too much, I can't leave knowing what I know." Jareth said nothing but let him leave, he had figured as much.
"And what about you? You have been silent through this so far." He turned his head to the small boy wrapped up in a blanket in a large chair in the corner. The boy stared blankly into the fire in the hearth as he spoke.
"You already know the answer to that. I have to return, at least for awhile." Toby absently traced patterns on the palm of his left hand.
"Of course, you deserve to be a child for now." With that Toby shot from the chair throwing the blanket on the floor.
"Child?! You have got to be kidding me Your Majesty! I stopped being a child the moment you brought Sarah back Underground. Thatshethe Labyrinth used me and now I have her in my head.
"I killed, not just one man but those guards too! No, I'm no longer a child! I have blood on my hands and the memories of an age long before your race was even born in my head. Look at what abomination I have become!" The boy trembled before the king's eyes, though with rage or fear neither knew.
"Not an abomination Toby, she gave you a gift. Do you think so many would have lived today if you had not helped? And believe me you are not the only one with blood on their hands." He stood taking Toby into his arms holding him tightly until the boy stilled.
"How long will you be gone?" Breaking away Toby set against the side of the table.
"Until my parents die, then I will be back. I can't allow them to believe they lost both their children." Jareth nodded and produced a crystal sending it out through the window.
"As you wish. Everything is in order for your return." A chill filled the air as both of the realized that this was goodbye.
"What has been done?" Jareth conjured another crystal which formed into a large white paper with black print which he handed to Toby.
"It was reported that the plane which carried your sister and her friends on vacation crashed. Their bodies were never found but that no one could have survived. When you return their funerals will already have taken place.
"Your parents will believe they had sent you to stay with a family friend in order to spare you the anxiety of the accident." Looking down at the paper Toby quickly read it over.
"Thank you. When will you be able to send me back?" Though he was loathed to leave his sister he needed time to think and he knew he wouldn't be able to clearly within the Labyrinth.
"Whenever." Toby nodded standing straight in front of him.
"I'm ready. Tell Sarah that I am sorry and that" He trailed off, it would take some time before his sister was able to forgive him this.
"I will, don't worry it will take some time but she will understand why. Come we best hurry before she seeks us out." Closing his eyes he waited for Jareth to lift the veil between their worlds.
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The door opened just as the veil dropped back once again closing the door to the Above.
"Jarethwhere is Toby?" Sarah slowly walked into the room the child still wrapped in her arms. She knew Jareth had asked her to find a caretaker for her, but she couldn't find the strength give her up. Holding her tightly to her chest was somehow calming, she was life where she was surrounded by death.
"He wanted to return, he said he was sorry but he couldn't remain any longer. He will be back once there is nothing left for him there." Sarah held Sabia tighter allowing a few tears to fall, she couldn't say she was at all surprised. After what had happened even she felt like retreating. If only she had the same option as her brother. She nodded and sat down speaking nothing more on the subject.
"I wish you wouldn't bring her around me. It is hard enough knowing I must give her up, but to have to see her" Sarah rocked back and forth humming lowly.
"Why must you give her up? She is your daughter." She traced the soft line of pink lip allowing the child to snuggle closer.
"The Council won't." Sarah shot up from her chair, her eyes ablaze.
"The Council can go hang for all I care! You are King and this is your kingdom, let them have no say on what you do with your child." She walked right up to him and forced him to take her in his arms. Jareth looked down to the small babe giving a slight smile at the tuft of white hair covering her brow.
"She won't be allowed to be my heir, Sarah. Our child gets the right, what will we do with her?" Sabia giggled as her father's hair tickled across her cheeks.
"When the war is over and Uland is rebuilt give her a throne of one of the provinces. Let her rule there. Our first born will have the Goblin Throne, but let all our others have the rest." Jareth rocked the babe slowly. 'Our,' She had said claimed the child as hers. So be it. He moved to sit where Sarah had only moments before been.
"So what shall we name her?" Jareth furrowed his brows remembering the name the woman had called her.
"Gethin named her Sabia." Sarah shook her head and went to sit on the arm beside her husband and child.
"No, what do you want to name her?" She reached out to tuck a few strands of hair behind Jareth's ear.
"Caron, for she is already loved." Sarah set her lips softly atop her husband's head. At that moment it didn't matter that shortly they would be engaged in a full blown war. In that one moment only love reigned. And no matter what death would come they would always remember that feeling of love and warmth. For at that moment they were free, truly free and at peace.
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When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions. Hamlet; Shakespeare
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Author's Note: Ok well just the epilogue left, which should hopefully not take too long. Now a few things first, for those who are wondering why I ended it here not taking into account the epilogue this story was not about a war but all that leads up to one. I don't plan on writing a sequel dealing with the war, instead everything will be wrapped up in the epilogue.
Next just a note about Sabia's name chage, Caron; according to is from the Welsh word caru meaning "to love" Just thought I would put that down for anyone confused by what Jareth said.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it.
