From: "Alorin Danya" <alorindanya@h...>
Date: Mon Oct 28, 2002 9:28 am
Subject: "The Thief, the King, and the Son" Ch. 10/?


AN: I really want to apologize for it being so long between
chapters, but I think my Muse has returned. This chapter sort of
developed on its own…originally this scene was only one page and
somehow it has developed into six, so hopefully it's better than it
started out. But, because this scene ended up being so long, I had
to move everything intended one chapter back; I'm sure you will
forgive me. My most sincere gratitude must go out to Cormak, Hooded
Crow, Lady Jamie, and Scattered Logic: You ladies are truly the
greatest companions/encouragers a girl could have.


"The Thief, The King, and The Son " by Alorin Danya
Chapter 10: Accusation

Irene's heart couldn't have been further up her throat than what it
felt like as she rushed downstairs to the kitchen. She had left
Brendon with Jareth and she wanted to see them, just to put her mind
at ease. Brendon had made a wish; Breni, whose pale features and
light hair were so unlike his mother's that no one doubted he must
look like his father. Brendon had made the wish, just the other
day. The Goblin King, whose prophesied queen had made the
Underground shake and was also the mother of this child, showed up,
just the other day. Irene wanted the thought that plagued her mind
to be wrong, but as she neared the kitchen and caught sight of the
two within, she knew there was no doubt. Her blood pounded in her
ears as her mind tried to deny what she should have seen all along.

Irene stopped just within the doorframe, holding on to it for support
as she watched Jareth chop up celery, then hand it to Brendon to
place into a Tupperware bowl. Irene couldn't believe how big Breni
smiled at doing such a simple task, but then again, he wasn't allowed
to do much by his mother. Irene had been surprised when Sarah let
him do the eggs. Even simple things like preparing a meal Sarah felt
too risky to let her son participate in. And it wasn't unjustified
for Sarah to be so protective; five times in his short life Brendon
had been hospitalized from his heart condition and no one could tell
what had brought the attacks on. Irene herself should have stepped
in and told Brendon to go do something else, but she couldn't bring
herself to ruin his joy…or spoil the time he was experiencing with
his father. Irene gasped and brought her hand to her mouth in the
realization that she had finally let herself think it fully. Jareth
was Brendon's father. No wonder Sarah reacted the way she had.

Jareth was startled at hearing Irene behind him and as he turned, he
sliced right into his finger. He cursed something foreign to Irene's
ears and refused to let her touch him as she rushed forward to help.

"Don't be a big baby." Irene said in annoyance, reaching for his hand.

Jareth caught her wrist with his uninjured hand, "Irene, stop. I'm
bleeding."

"Yeah, that's what I want to fix. What, are you afraid still? It
doesn't hurt that much…"

"I wasn't bleeding when you dressed my wounds before. I am still
Fae, regardless of my absent magic."

"What, is it poison or something?" Irene asked with wide eyes as she
wrenched her hand away from him.

"I don't know, though I have heard stories…and knowing my kind they
be just that. But if you want to risk your life, then feel free."
He said the last bit with a glint of mischief to his eyes, testing
her integrity.

Irene took a step back, "I'll go find some Band-Aids…"

"I got `em right here." Breni said, holding up a box of child's Band-
Aids with He-Man characters.

Neither adult had heard the child scoot the chair he had been
standing on over to the sink, above which was a cabinet Sarah kept
all the household medicines and the like in, which included
bandages. And now Breni stood holding them out expectantly, proud to
be able to help so quickly. Irene couldn't help but smile at him.

"Thank You Breni." Iri said, taking the box from the boy. She pulled
a bandage out and removed it's package as she turned to Jareth, "Now,
I can put this on you w/o getting blood on me, but just in case, wash
your finger off."

The king did as he was told and watched as Irene shakily placed the
sticky Band-Aid over the cut. As she was doing this, Irene glanced
over and noticed a pair of mismatched eyes was watching attentively
beside them. She said with a little annoyance, "Breni, why don't you
go up and play with the boys?"

The boy looked saddened, "They didn't want me to play."

"There is no reason for the boy to leave." Jareth said as he examined
the cartoon characters now covering his wound. He then looked to the
child, "There's still carrots to finish. Why don't you take the ones
already cut to the table?"

The boy smiled and after reaching on his tippy toes for the bowl, he
hurried off with it to the next room.

"Breni, don't run." Irene said on reflex.

With him gone, Jareth turned to Irene, "Why did you want him to
leave? Did you need to speak with me about something?"

Irene didn't know what she should actually say, if she should confess
her knowledge. She was hesitant because for all she knew, Jareth had
no idea. "I did…I do, but…"

"Okay, I put it on the table." Breni marched back into the kitchen,
straight up to Jareth, "Now you're hurt, can I cut the carrots?"

Jareth placed his hand on the boy's head, scuffing up his blonde hair
a bit, "No, I will do it. But, I still need you to put them in the
bowl."

The child nodded and moved to push the chair back to where he could
help. Irene watched again in awe at how these two interacted without
having met before. It was as if Jareth could sense what the boy
needed to hear so as not to be distressed.

Jareth still wanted to know what Irene wanted to talk about, so he
turned again to Irene. "I take it we'll speak after dinner?"

"Right." Irene nodded absently, "It really isn't something that can
wait very long." `if we're going to keep some peace around here.'

"Butter's here." Roy's voice came from the living room, then he
stepped into the kitchen, "We got some wine too…"

But before he could even finish his sentence or set the items down,
Irene was pushing him out the door.

"We need to talk." Irene paused only long enough for her to reach for
her coat that she had lain on the back of a kitchen chair, but that
was just enough time for Roy to set the groceries on the counter
before she was pushing him out of the kitchen again.

"Hey, don't you have to get the potatoes…" Roy started to protest.

"Now, Roy--outside."

Roy knew there was no arguing with her and so headed to the front
door. Robert was putting his coat in the hall closet and he asked
where they were going. Irene quickly said, "Just right outside."

"You know there's a storm out there." Her brother stated.

"Not like the store there's gonna be in here," Irene grumbled under
her breath as she shut the front door behind her.

Roy rubbed his hands together as his wife exited behind him, "So what
did I do now?"

"I figured out why Sarah hates the Goblin King." Irene stated plainly
enough.

"And?"

"Brendon."

"Brendon?" Roy looked at her as though it meant nothing, until it
began to sink in, "Bren…Brendon? Holy Shit!!!" He kicked some of
snow off the porch, "But how…J don't know. It doesn't make sense,
Jareth doesn't even remember Sarah since she was three."

"Well, apparently it happened, Roy." Irene said, pulling her
cigarettes out of her pocket, "You cannot tell me Brendon doesn't
look a thing like him."

"But Sarah, she ain't said nothing, and she would."

"She's said enough, but she thinks he's somebody else." Irene
breathed in exasperation, "God, I don't know what to do. Should we
tell them we know?"

"Tell Sarah--HELL NO. This storm's gonna keep us here until tomorrow
and I'd like to keep the peace as long as possible." Roy said.

"Well, we have to tell Jareth--we have to. He's his son." Irene
sternly stated at her husband's protest. "He's in there with him now,
getting to know him possibly for the first time. Might as well let
him know."

"Wait a second--" Roy's eyes lit up in furry, "He's lied to us the
whole time. That f^*king…" Roy started marching toward the front
door.

"Roy, wait a minute." Irene pulled her husband back, "Jareth hasn't
given us any reason to think he has any idea, and neither has Sarah.
What if we ARE wrong? We don't just want to go and accuse him of
something he hasn't done."

"Fine." Roy turned to her, "But we are going to talk to him, and it
will be now. I'm not going to let some creep hang around if he is the
one that cost Sarah her dreams."

Roy didn't care that the door slammed hard behind him as he entered
the house, didn't notice his brother-in-law sit up with a start from
laying on the couch in the living room. His mind was too focused on
confronting a certain Goblin King to care who he disturbed. Roy had
no uncertainties that Brendon was Jareth's. Just like his wife, he
was astonished he hadn't seen it before. But unlike Irene, Roy was
pissed beyond words. Roy's mind fumed: the Goblin King had
conveniently worked his way back to Sarah by using her relatives as a
means. How dare Jareth come into his home, accept his generosity
while Sarah endured such hardship. Well, that would end there and
now.

Roy marched straight into the kitchen, only to find the Goblin King
and his nephew missing. His heart raced a moment with fear. They
should have never left the boy alone; Jareth probably had come for
Brendon and the moment he knew no one was looking, he'd taken the
child Underground.

"Jareth!!"

The Goblin King poked his head in from the side door connected to the
dining room, "Yes, Roy."

Roy blinked, not expecting Jareth to have still been there, then with
a stern face he asked, "Where's Breni?"

The boy came into the kitchen, sprinting from behind Jareth, "I's
right here, Uncle Roy. Are you gonna start the potatoes? Can I help?"

Jareth smiled at the boy. "Irene's recipe must be good. It's all
Brendon has spoke of since your return." Jareth looked around for any
sign of Irene, then met eyes with Roy, "Will she return shortly? Is
there something I can do until she does? We're done with the
vegetables."

Roy cringed at how sincerely the king looked at him; it was hard to
stay mad at a person who appeared to have no knowledge of what they
were about to get yelled at for. But he didn't know if Jareth really
didn't know or if he wasn't just a really good actor. Either way, he
wasn't going to let himself be fooled.

Roy shook his head sharply, "No, there's nothing else."

At hearing there was nothing else to do to get dinner ready, Breni
turned to Jareth, "Wanna go play…"

"Breni, go on up with the boys." Both Jareth and Brendon looked
startled at Roy's abrupt interjection, but the man iterated
again, "Go on Breni. Jareth, follow me."

"Can I go?" Breni asked.

Roy had no patience to be distracted. "NO, now GET."

The child's eyes went wide with worry, not used to his uncle yelling
at him, but he wasn't going to give in so easily. He turned to
Jareth, taking his hand. "I wanna go with you."

Jareth looked to Roy, about to ask why the boy couldn't go, but he
stopped short at the look in Roy's eyes. Roy had never looked at him
with more hate. He didn't take his eyes off Roy as he
answered, "Perhaps you should go up with your cousin."

Breni's shoulders slumped, his hopes crushed as he slipped his hand
away from Jareth's and moved out of the kitchen.

Roy indicated with his head for Jareth to follow him.

Jareth went under protest, "Why were you harsh with the boy? What are
we doing that he cannot come?"

Roy headed to the hall closet and opened it harshly. He was to
frustrated to think of something other than profanities at the
moment. Instead, he grabbed Jareth's coat and flung it at him.

Jareth caught it ungracefully, and confusion shown in his eyes as he
asked harshly at Roy's behavior, "Are we going somewhere?"

"That depends. YOU might be leavin' for good," Roy said as he flung
the front door open. "OUT."

Jareth was too curious to protest, so he stepped out into the storm.
Irene was waiting on the porch, nervously smoking a cigarette, which
she tossed into the snow when the men came out. Roy stood angrily
with his arms crossed, eyes glaring at Jareth just as they had when
he attacked the king in the park.

"What do you want of me?" Jareth asked as he finished placing the
coat on.

Irene was the first to speak. "I found out something and I want the
truth from you." From her tone and the way she refused to look
Jareth in the eyes, he could tell she was trying to remain calm. "Is
Brendon your son?"

Jareth blinked hard then stared at her, unsure he had heard her
correctly, "What?"

"Oh, come on, J. Stop actin' dumb." Roy shouted, "Why else would
Sarah hate you? You knock her up, then leave---real royal of you."

"Roy, let him talk!" Irene interjected to calm her husband, then she
met the king's eyes, "Jareth, what do you have to say. Why did you
lie to us?"

"Lie to you? About what?"

"Knowing Sarah." Roy spat, "Brendon…"

"Is not my son." Jareth stated lowly.

"Jareth, have you looked at the kid? He is your spitting image."
Irene declared.

"What do you say to that?" Roy asked.

Jareth glared at him, "I haven't had relations with a woman for any
child to have been created, let alone a young girl of 16. What made
you think I was his father in the first place?"

"Brendon made a wish he could know his father, the day Roy found
you." Irene said.

"Coincidence." Jareth shrugged.

"Really?" Roy said, taking a few steps closer to the king, "It's a
coincidence that you happen to find the family of the girl YOU say is
to be your queen, a girl who HAPPENS to have a child that has the
same funky eyes as you, and you just HAPPEN to be taken straight to
her? You planned this entire set-up." Roy yelled.

Jareth had to admit, things did look that way…and he would have
agreed had he not been the one being accused of things he couldn't
possibly have done. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Jareth, we have only known you three days, I know," Irene
started, "and you just don't seem like the kind of guy to have just
abandoned your own child. You must have had a reason to have left
Sarah, just tell us. Help us understand."

Jareth couldn't believe it; it just wasn't possible. If it was, how
could he not know? How could he have left Sarah pregnant so young to
raise their child in this backwards world alone if he had never known
at all? Jareth shook his head, staring at nothing as he tried to
find memories to prove this couldn't be true.

"What, won't fess up?" Roy asked.

"I would never have---I don't remember." Jareth felt like leaning
against something, to steady himself as he tried to think. There was
so much he couldn't remember.

"Must be convenient," Irene chided, "You don't remember, so it never
happened."

"I didn't say that. I only…it can't be true." He looked at her
desperately.

"Why can't it be true?" Irene asked.

"Because she was only 16!!" Jareth shouted.

"It wouldn't be like you are the first king to get your kicks then
dump the sl…"

"Roy, don't." Irene stopped him before he could say anything bad
about Sarah.

The three of them stood in silence, none of them knowing what to
think. All Jareth knew at the moment was that the Carlsons were
completely convinced of what they were accusing him of, and there was
no way he could disprove what they claimed. "I cannot prove to you
that I am innocent."

"And we can't prove that you are guilty beyond looking at Brendon."
Irene confessed after a moment, then added, "And Sarah knows you,
even though she's not said it straight out. I can just tell, when
she looks at you…." Irene didn't finish what she was going to say.
She was going to mention how Sarah didn't look as though she hated
the memory of the Goblin King, that she actually missed him.

Jareth looked to both of them, "What do you want me to do? Are you
going to throw me out?"

"I don't know." Roy confessed, a little more relaxed.

"Then let me say this," Jareth started, before he really knew what he
could say to salvage the trust that had been shattered between
them, "If it is true, that Brendon is my son, I will not abandon
them. Let me stay; let me find out the truth. If you won't, just
let me stay long enough to see Sarah's book and then I'll be back in
my world and you'll never hear of me again."

Irene was the first to agree, "That is reasonable."

"But if it is true," Roy interjected, "I hope we can find some curse
to put on you so you'll fell how much you've made Sarah suffer."

"Let's go inside. I'm freezing," Irene said. Both she and her husband
went for the door, but when Jareth didn't follow, she turned to
him, "Are you coming?"

Jareth shook his head, "In a moment."

Jareth didn't feel the cold; his whole being was numb, mind and
body. He sat down on the snow covered porch steps, not caring if he
got himself wet or frost bitten. He placed his head in his hands as
they rested on his knees. What if they were right? He wished he had
the certainty that they weren't, that he could account for every day
of his life for the past twenty years, but he couldn't. For the life
of him, he could not remember meeting Sarah before that very morning,
and only yesterday did he remember he had met her as a child through
her mother's wish.

By the prophecy, Sarah was to be his queen. Could he have possibly
been with her at some time? Wouldn't he have remembered such a life-
changing event? The only thing to decipher was why he had left, how
he could have forgotten. God, if he had forgotten Sarah did have
every right to hate him raising their son on her own, going through
her step-mother's death, her father's depression all by herself.
That was no life for a queen.