The prophesy
A/N: Ok everyone, here is the first chapter of the sequel to 'Bringing together what should have always been'. I hope you enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoy writing it :D. So without further ado, here is the chapter XD and Thanks so much to my Beta; LittleFairyMaiden, woman you are a godsend XD!
Rated M
Chapter 1
'In the Library of the High King, there lay an old prophesy long forgotten. It spoke of a mortal woman who would challenge a powerful Fae King and in the process, win his heart. This woman would become his Queen and her beauty would be renowned and her kindness would be overflowing. Her soul would be one of a noble knight, defending her home, family and land till her dying breathe if need be. But what the Queen didn't know was that there was a great evil that would come after her and bestow on her a pain no woman should ever go through and a hidden secret would be reveled that could tear her happiness and family apart. It is said that the woman would be left heartbroken and the only way to heal her would be the love of her one true love.'
It had been Five years since the war with the Troll Kingdom. Jareth was still the Goblin King, and Sarah still his Queen. They had five beautiful children. Prince Toby who was 7 years old acted just like his father, the King. Princess Carolyn was 13 years old and was a carbon copy of her mother the Queen. Her long black hair had a bluish tint and she was known as the prettiest princess in the Underground. Princess Mary was 10 years old and had a pale complexion like her father and strawberry-blonde hair. It was said her hair was the perfect mixture between her father, the King, and her grandmother the High Queen. She was just starting to learn her powers and was as innocent as her mother had been before her trip through the labyrinth. Then there was Princess Faith; she was the youngest daughter of the Goblin King; she had long, curly red hair like her Aunt Christina and her grandmother, High Queen Gwenivere. Her eyes were mismatched much like her fathers, except one eye was sky blue while the other one was a brilliant emerald green. Last but not least was Prince Gareth. He was the youngest son of the Goblin King and Queen at 2 years old. He looked exactly like his father, with golden and platinum hair and his father's mismatched eyes; one blue and one brown. But he acted like his mother, he was loving and kind. He was always smiling and talking, and made his father laugh each time he tried to climb up his legs for attention.
It was a beautiful winter night in the labyrinth. Snow was softly falling outside and inside the Goblin Castle, there was a birthday party coming to a close. Princess Faith was 5 years old this evening and every kingdom in the Underground had been invited to celebrate with the young princess. There was a lot of commotion, but that was to be expected; there was a runner in the labyrinth. Inside at the party, a small little boy was sticking to the Goblin Queen in fear.
This little boy had been accidentally wished away by his teenage father while fighting with his mother. The man had wanted nothing to do with his child and had said he was a mistake, but the mother loved her son and said she would run the labyrinth. Since the father had wished the boy away, this was not usually done, but the Goblin King agreed to the trade.
Sarah was not so pleased, and had railed her husband for even taking the child. She made him some chocolate chip cookies, but the boy was still scared. She couldn't blame the small boy. He was only three after all, and she felt bad for him. She made Jareth promise to return the child to his mother even if she didn't win. Before Sarah knew it, she had a brand new shadow, as the boy was afraid of Jareth. She couldn't blame him really; Jareth could look pretty scary when he wanted to.
Then it came time for the cake and presents, the little boy was still clinging to Sarah. Her mother-in-law, Queen Gwenivere, was teasing Sarah about not knowing about having another grandson. The boy hid his face into Sarah's neck frightened. Both women knew there had to be more to the picture and Sarah was bound and determined to find out what.
It had shocked Sarah when she learned the mother was only 16. She had wanted to confront the mother about this, but couldn't leave the castle grounds with the boy. He had been there for 9 hours already and the mother wasn't even half way through the labyrinth. Sarah knew she wouldn't make it through, but the fact the mother still tried showed Sarah how much she loved her son. She wasn't going to give in without a fight.
Sarah watched as the boy slowly fell asleep in her arms and when Faith opened her last present, Sarah was relieved. It had been a long day and she was ready to put the kids down for bed. She knew though with a sugar high, that wouldn't be an easy task. She was grateful when Carolyn started helping the goblins pick up the torn up wrapping paper.
Not to be out done by his big sister, Toby started to clear away unwanted dishes from tables as the guests were paying attention to his little sister. A goblin showed up with a dish cart, and Toby filled the cart. It was funny to watch Mary behind Toby picking up plates and glasses and soon the two were competing on who could clear a table faster. Being so close in age, Mary and Toby were always competing against each other in one way or another.
Jareth walked over to Sarah holding their son Gareth. It was amazing that the boys were so close in size. Gareth and Joey, the wished away, were about the same size. Joey was only a bit bigger and had an appetite like he was starved. Jareth told Sarah that the small apartment the family had wasn't very clean and only had one bedroom. He had also seen a small bed in the living room with the boy's clothes upon it. It didn't take long for Sarah to put a lot of the pieces together.
"They made this child sleep in the Living Room!"
She didn't like Jareth's response. "I think he and his mother both slept in the living room."
Sarah took a deep breath before she exploded. Jareth had told her the parents were fighting. They were both young, the mother was 16, the father about 18, young Joey was 3. The mother had been 12 or 13 when she had him. That would have made the father 15 when he was born. She didn't like where her train of thought was taking her.
"You think the father hits them don't you?"
"I'm sure of it. He acted like he had a large pole shoved up his backside and he is the angry sort. Joey is scared of every man he is near and he clings to you, since you are a mother. Are you sure you want me to return him?"
"Yes," said Sarah truthfully. "That doesn't mean I can't help her though. She is young and scared however, I need to talk to her first, and I need to know the truth about her situation so I can find a way to help them."
"Understandable," said Jareth. "But when will you have the chance too Precious? The boy has a death grip on you."
"I will put him in Gareth's bed and they can sleep together. I will confront her then. Remind me to make a picnic basket. The woman is probably hungry and scared and needs a woman to talk to."
Jareth agreed and as soon as the guest left or had gone to their quarters, Sarah went down to the kitchen and made up a basket filled with food left over from the party. She packed two plates, silverware, two cups and a bottle of peach wine. She summoned a crystal and saw the mother reaching the doors guarded by the two knockers. With a flash of her wrist, she was gone.
Abby was upset. Which door should she chose? She didn't have much time left and she needed to reach her little boy before her time was up. The cheap dollar watch on her wrist said she only had four hours left. She couldn't lose her little boy, she just couldn't. Not after all she had been put through to have him. It didn't matter if Joseph never wanted to see her or Joey again, she would find a way to take care of them. She just wished she had been allowed to finish school. But that was life and she couldn't change her past. She was just about to reach for a door handle when she felt the air shift around her. She turned just in time to see a dark haired woman standing behind her with a picnic basket. Who would want to picnic here?
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sarah, Queen of the Goblin Kingdom. I thought you might like to eat with me. Your son is resting with my youngest son at the moment and I know it's been a hard time for you, but I think we need to talk."
Abby was skeptical but accepted when Sarah flicked her wrist and a small table appeared and she set the basket upon it. She started pulling out the food and Abby found she was very hungry. But she needed to save her son.
"I can't eat with you, I'm sorry but I need to get to Joey."
"And you will have Joey, but I need to talk to you first. Please, sit and eat."
Abby took a seat and begun to eat. Sarah wasn't too surprised to find the girl so hungry, she daintily ate a sandwich while the girl had her fill. After she finished, Sarah started.
"I understand Joey's father is abusive. Can you tell me how you got pregnant?"
Abby knew the question was coming and she didn't want to answer it, but one look into Sarah's eyes and she broke down. "Joe was a friend of my cousin. One night I spent the night there with my aunt and my older cousin threw a party downstairs. He came to my room drunk and forced himself on me. I screamed for help, but no one came. My father believed I did something to cause the rape and beat me. When I became pregnant, my father threw a fit. Joe's father forced us to get married and Joe hated me for it. He tried to deny little Joey was his. When he was born, a DNA test confirmed he was Joe's son. It just got worse from there."
Sarah sat back and listened to the girl's story. She didn't like what her intuition was telling her, but one thing she had learned from her husband was to follow your gut, even if it leads you to something bad.
"What about your family Abby?"
"What family? My father kicked me out and forced me to marry Joseph. His parents said I was getting what I deserved for getting pregnant on purpose and they hoped Joey grew up to hate me. My mother died when I was born and my brother, Jason, is the only one who sometimes cares, but he is in the military and is stationed overseas. Without Joseph's permission, he can't help me."
It broke Sarah's heart to learn Abby's story, but she had to know so she could help her. Now she had a foundation to help the girl and child. "I made my husband promise to return Joey to you. His father is a real piece of work. After you both left, we watched him bring another girl into your home. I don't have to tell you what he was doing with her. The problem is we can't take you back there. What we can do though is help you, on one condition."
"Anything! You name it and it is yours, as long as it's not Joey."
"You can have no more contact with his father, Abby. Cut all ties with him and I will give you the help you both need."
Abby quickly agreed and Sarah had Abby state she forfeited the Labyrinth. Soon after, Jareth showed up and found an upset Sarah. She told him what had happened to Abby and Jareth immediately went back for Joey. When they returned, Abby cried tears of joy at the sight of her son. He was her everything.
"Now, we are going to take you back to the castle so I can arrange some things for you and your son. I have Aboveground contacts," Sarah said.
Abby was shocked at the pristine Library of the Goblin Castle. She held her son Joey in her lap while a Sarah's female goblin, Ferocity, came in with some ice cream and a blanket for Abby. Abby was surprised at the bowl of her favorite ice cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, but didn't complain as she slowly ate. She watched as Sarah and Jareth looked over a Laptop run on magic and Sarah accessed her bank information.
After an hour, Abby dosed off with her son in her arms and the Goblin King and Queen smiled. Jareth transported them to a large bed in a private room and when he returned to the Library, he found Sarah with her blackboards set up with lists and things. In an hour's time, Sarah had purchased a small house in a different state via foreclosure, had ordered furniture for the house and had utilities turned on in Abby's name. She paid the taxes for two years and was now buying furniture and toys for the mother and child. Jareth had to laugh. Sarah couldn't resist the Wal-Mart website.
"Sure you can afford all this?"
"Daddy's investments have more than tripled and with us not spending it, it has also gained interest. Plus, this is for a good cause. I want to help this family."
"I know," whispered Jareth as he kissed his wife's head. Sarah had a heart bigger than the underground at times, and this was one of those times. So he was surprised when she finished on the website and get on another one. She quickly got Software sent to the new house and smiled. Jareth knew that smile.
"What did you do?"
"Emailing Dad's old partner Mr. Walkins. Told him the situation and since he is in need of another secretary, I just rewarded him for 'Hiring' Abby. He is also is going to help her get a license and her GED. I even set her up a college fund so she can go to school while Joey is at Daycare. The money is coming out of the account. I set up a car to be delivered to her next week and when I'm done here, I'll transport myself into their room and use my magic to drill the information Abby needs to pass her exams into her head while she is asleep. She won't feel a thing and it will help her take care of Joey without having to rely on the boy's father."
Again Jareth was impressed. Sarah was striving to improve and help this family more than he imagined. But then again, it was why he loved her; she had a tremendous heart and a will to make things go from bad to good. It was just in her nature to fight evil. His wife was one hell of a woman.
"How will you know her deepest dream for a career though Precious?"
"I plan to talk to her over breakfast and lunch tomorrow so the kids can play. I will go from there."
"Very well, just don't over do yourself, you do a lot already and I don't want you exhausting yourself."
Sarah gave Jareth a quick kiss and then returned to her research as Jareth went to check over the Labyrinth and the castle cleanup. There was much to be done.
The next morning, Abby was surprised to find a beautiful dress and a cute outfit waiting for Joey. After dressing, they were escorted to the Dining Room where Jareth, Sarah and their children where eating. Abby saw their five children and smiled while little Gareth got excited when he saw Joey. Sarah came and placed Joey and Gareth next to each other while Jareth held out a chair for Abby to sit across from Sarah. After getting their plates from the Fae server, Sarah started her inquest.
"So Abby, I said I would help you and so far I have done a lot. I have found you a small house and furniture. I talked to a friend in the aboveground and got you a job as a secretary in a law office, so you will have a paycheck to pay the bills. There is but one thing I need to know and that is, is there something you always wished you could be? Any job of your childhood dreams, or something you might be interested in as a long career?"
"Well," replied Abby "I love earth science. I was on a debate team before I was forced to leave school. I know a lot about Volcanoes and Fault lines."
Sarah smiled. Her career interest was a good one and well paying as well; and since she lived in Illinois, she would have to move across country for the job in Portland, a college was near by that taught that sort of thing. Jareth noticed Sarah's smile but it was Toby that voiced his thoughts.
"When Mom has an idea, and her mind gets working, watch out, she is good at what she does."
"What do you mean?"
"When we came here, there was a terrible war about to break out. In 24 hours, my mom came up with plans and used her magic to make them happen to save a lot of lives. She has helped a lot of countries stop war since then. Once she puts her mind to it, Mom can make the impossible turn into possible."
Abby was shocked at what the young prince had said. His mom had done all that! She turned to the young Queen to see her and her husband smile at the boy. She could see pride shine through their eyes and knew she was with the right people to help her and her son.
"But I'm not very smart, I didn't even finish school. How am I going to make myself a career woman?"
"Leave that to me," said Sarah "I have my own way of doing things."
About an hour later, Sarah and Abby were sitting in the garden watching the children playing in the snow and on the playground equipment. Sarah had filled Abby in on the spell she was going to cast on her and Abby was stunned. Sarah was not only helping her and her son, she was making sure they thrived. After lunch was served, everyone ate quietly. Afterwards, a Nanny took the children off to their naps while, Sarah placed the spell on Abby.
The woman lay unconscious while Sarah put the information into her. It took several hours, but the time she was done, she felt good. She had helped this girl and she was proud. When Abby awoke, she admitted she felt so much smarter, which made Sarah smile. They all had dinner together, and then Jareth and Sarah transported Abby and Joey to their new home. After making sure everything was in order and that they had enough food for a month, the Goblin King and Queen left a happy Abby and Joey behind.
"You did a good thing Precious."
"Thank you, I just wish I could have done more for them."
"You have done more than enough."
After checking on their children, Jareth and Sarah retired to their room. Exhausted, they quickly feel asleep in their bed, never noticing the shadow of a man in the nursery alcove.
"Soon, my little mortal, I will execute my plan and you will learn your true place and your world will fall apart. You both will pay by my hands."
The man transformed into a sparrow and flew out of the room, leaving a peaceful Jareth and Sarah behind him. Soon his hard work would pay off and the Goblin Queen would pay for her misdeeds.
