Title: Coming of Age
Summary: Sarah discovers her family's secrets, and must now deal with the aftermath of the Labyrinth, and her family's desire to marry her off now that she's come of age.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth. All characters associated with the movie belong to Jim Henson and whoever else has rights to them, and I make no money off of this.

Prologue

"You have been defeated; you have no right to make demands of me." The human woman regarded the arrogant fae, her moss green eyes lit with challenge.

It was simple truth that he had no power over her. What the woman failed to realize was that he knew what her weakness was and he determined that this mortal would learn her place.

"It's not a demand I make but a choice I offer. Marry me. Marry me, or the wrath of mine will fall heavily upon your bloodline," the fae threatened; for he was sorely tested by the shame inflicted upon him and her presumptuous manner struck heavily at his already wounded pride. And the human woman grew troubled for she loved her family even more deeply than she hated the fae that now haunted her. Cold and impassive, like a beautiful and glittering statue, he waited for the woman's decision.

"Would I be allowed to visit my family if I were to return to the Underground with you?" she bit her bottom lip, disturbed that she was even contemplating giving into his outrageous demand.

"No. You will never see them again. I would imagine that their continued existence would please you enough. They would have a chance to live, to die in peace."

"If I agree to marriage I have your word that no one of my blood will ever come to harm through your actions?"

"You have my word."

She regarded the beautiful, inhuman creature before her who seemed so determined to have her hand. He couldn't possibly want her for any reason other than revenge for it was well know that the fae were tricksy things with no sense of compassion or ability to love. Still she couldn't stand the thought of such malign magicks being turned against her beloved family. So with a heavy heart the young woman bowed her head.

"Very well. I will come with you." The fae gave a razor smile, and swept her away to his home and made her his bride.

The human woman performed her duty, maintaining his house and accepting her husband's attentions. In return she wanted for nothing and was provided with gowns and jewels, and all of the pretty little baubles her heart could desire. She grew resigned to her lot in life, but never happy. And so it was after over a century of living within the walls of her lord husband that she found herself with child. As she grew round it was as though a fog began to lift from her countenance and she began to once again see the world around her as she had regarded it when she first arrived within the realm. As the birth of her child drew near she began to grow a quietly frantic fear of what would befall her child in such a frozen world.

Upon the birth of her baby, a little girl, her mind grew sick with grief at the thought of what would happen to her child upon coming of age. Already her lord husband was speaking of marriage contracts that could be arranged for their child. In a fit of madness the still young woman took as many jewels and keepsakes as she could carry in her pockets, and gathering the babe she fled. Using the magic that had flowed into her body after so many years of living Underground she managed to tear open a hole in a weak spot of the fabric between the realms and fled back to her own world Aboveground.

Overwhelming was the discovery that the world she once knew was so changed. For in the time she had lived in the Underground, centuries had passed in her home realm. Her husband had spoken nothing less than the truth when he informed her she would never see her loved ones again.

The not quite human woman knew it would not be safe to stay in the land where her husband held power, and so she fled across the waters to another country, a new country. It was a struggle for the woman to regain her place in the world she no longer recognized, but she was nothing if not headstrong and she soon found herself adapting to her life in this modern mortal realm. She changed her name and that of her child, and eventually fell in love with a man who asked for her hand in marriage. He was a good man who treated her daughter as his own, not caring that she didn't belong to him.

The young woman eventually began to age once more, and settled quite happily into the life she had chosen for herself and her child. It was a good life. For all that her child would not have money and jewels and fancy things her life would be rich with love and joy. It was a good life, a better life than she could have hoped for among the fey. The woman grew old quickly, much more quickly than she could have imagined since she no longer had access to the life magic of the Underworld to protect her. She grew old, but with a peaceful heart she passed away, knowing that it was a good life for her child.

It should have been a good life and would have, but for the fact that her daughter somehow inherited the haughty demeanor of her fickle birth father. She had the instinct for mischief and a callous disregard for anyone who wasn't advancing her own position in life. The girl was not one for simple pleasures, always she looked for pretty clothes, and shiny jewels, and status within the world. Her own impetuous nature became her downfall, and she found herself married and with a child before she had ever fulfilled her dreams of fame. And she was happy for a time until her fey nature overwhelmed her, and she left to pursue her forgotten dreams.

And so it was that her daughter, driven by instincts she could not understand and lost in a world where nothing would ever quite feel right was drawn into games of fantasy and dress up. Hidden behind eyes as green as those of her grandmother was a fierce will that wrapped around a lonely heart begging for a place to belong, and she found solace in her stories where she searched for the words that would one day show her how to ask for what she needed. It was this that led to the girl discovering the book that would lead her to her Labyrinth of dreams and the adventures she had been seeking all of her life.

But the price of her dreams was her baby brother, a price she was unwilling to pay to keep them. And so the girl and her brother were returned to their home after she had fulfilled the terms to save her brother. So it was that the girl herself once more in the human world. Unbeknownst to her the time in the Labyrinth has awakened some hidden part of her soul, a part that called out to the magic of the faery world. And it came. In a rushing wave of joy it answered the song of her heart and the champion of the Labyrinth was flooded with powers she did not understand but knew she needed as she needed air to live.

And following the magic did Caellum Mac Aillen of Sidhe Finnachaidh finally unearth the daughter of his daughter. Upon finding her, rage gripped his cold heart and if his faithless wife had been alive surely he would have punished her for the time he had lost with his descendents, but the rage cooled beneath the weight of his fear as he studied the girl who was his flesh and blood. She was ailing. The magick was too strong and she was now in a world that could not sustain her. She could be happy in the Underground. He could offer her all the whimsies her heart desired, and he could shape her magick, guide her into her birthright as he should have been allowed. Looking at the woman child who so resembled his heart, for such did Cainche remain despite her treachery, he came to realize that it was time to bring his child home, his Sarah.