Jurdan in the Mortal World

Burdens and Bargains

(A/N: hi. i really didn't think anyone on wp would see this story, it was just for me to rant about jurdan in a non-ranty way and maybe get some of my friends to read it, so...thank you! also: this fan fic will proobbbabbllyyyy be finishing up in...5-7 chapters? Don't trust me on that, though. It could be shorter or longer, depending on how many details i have and how "complete" i want my ending to be.

but yk, now that i've started writing, i can't stop. (god that sounded stupid and cringey.) so i'm prbly going to be writing an elriel (?? elainxazriel?? elzriel? ahh idgaf) fanfic and a solangelo fanfic. maybe some six of crows ships too?

mayybbeeee a rowaelin fanfic. but pls don't get your hopes up. i might get traumatized by some future hate and never be seen again or something.

but i do love writing and the comments the few of you give me put a stupidly huge smile on my face, so thank you! i am writing a book (realllyyy long, been doing it since 4th grade) outside of wp, if i haven't mentioned yet.

well...that got longer than i wanted it to. one last thing. guys, please stay home. do some yoga in your living room or read or repaint your kitchen (my parents) or really anything. and I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD IT A THOUSAND TIMES. I HAVE TOO. but it's important.

by now, i'm just stalling, so please comment and vote and be happy people or whatever. thank you! also, i apologize for the cliffhanger. but i updated real soon, so...heh.)

Madoc. Really here. In front of me. I am virtually unguarded. Bryern. Probably here to do his dirty work. I wrench my wrist away from his nimble-fingered hands. 

"What do you want." My voice is hard and flat, a guise I've gotten better at.

Madoc smiles again, more like a baring of his teeth. "Oh, Jude. Is that how you're going to talk to your father?"

Before I could retort that he was also my parents' murderer, he says, "Well. Adoptive father, anyway."

Then his voice turns serious. "Oriana wants Taryn back." How he knows that is beyond me. Messengers, spies, Bryern, etc. So many influences he still has. 

"She isn't here."

"Find her, then. I'm sure you know where she is."

"Oriana can get to Taryn herself."

"You know Taryn, and you know Oriana."

I hesitate. This could be a ruse, something to make me believe he cares about this Oriana-wants-Taryn situation when really, he's shooting for something else. If Oriana wanting Taryn wasn't important to him, then...he must know that I would never give Taryn up to Oriana, and whatever he's going to ask in price for Taryn is going to be...

Long story short, I'm going to be caught between a rock and a hard place. 

But I did know where Taryn was. Back at either the palace or Madoc's estate. She doesn't have an estate yet. Or maybe she bought herself one, considering the wealth she got from me and Locke. Not to mention her already full bank account. But...yes. I do know.

And more importantly, I can get into Elfhame. 

"Why don't you just get him over there to fetch her for you?" A taunt, but also a question. 

He looks at Bryern, and hesitates. A look fleets over his face, and then it's gone. "Because it's so much better for me to make you feel worse than you would when you discover what I'm going to be asking in price of you not giving Taryn over to me, and what you will be able to keep if you hand over the sniveling, wretched girl."