Lengthy summary:
"Don't make me out to be my father, precious."
Sarah's life is forever changed after a one night stand on her graduation night. Though thankful that Jareth saved her from teenage stupidity that came with underage drinking, she ends up with an unexpected outcome. Now a year later Jareth has wormed around Sarah's magic guards to plead with the mother of his son to let him be a part of the boy's life.
If only Sarah knew that giving Jareth permission to bond with his son would end up opening up a whole new world to her. That her son's birth is the cause for an old grudge between the boy's father and grandfather to be set aside. If only she knew that she was the cause behind giving Jareth the family he always wanted. The family he dreamed of having when she ran his labyrinth.
Ní Teaghlaigh an rud is tábhachtaí. Tá sé gach rud.
.
"Family is not an important thing. It's everything."
Michael J. Fox
Sarah sighed as she dragged herself into her apartment. She dropped her keys and purse on the hallway table before kicking off her high heels and trench coat. After a long day working at the bookstore and on stage she looked forward to her one and only joy in life.
"Thank you, Kate." Sarah smiled at the babysitter and paid her before going over to the playpen. The six month old baby looked up at her with stormy eyes. She smiled and bent down to pick the baby boy up on her way to her bedroom. The boy squealed in delight and tucked his head against his mother's neck. When his soft blond hair tickled her skin, her heart ached as she remembered that its softness was just like his father's unruly locks. Tears misted her eyes as she remembered the hell she had gone through in the past year and a half: graduation, a party that ended with the Goblin King saving her drunken self from danger, entering college and then dropping out. She rubbed her son's back as she remembered the hell her pregnancy became and how things didn't become better once her son was born. Arthur was born too early, so early that the doctor told her to prepare for the worst. Yet, he made it and the little treasure in her arms made all of the hardships worth it.
"Good boy, Arthur," she patted his back before setting him in his crib while she changed into sweats and a tank top. When she turned she frowned when she saw two gifts, one on her bed and the other in Arthur's hands. Instantly she took both and threw them in the trash. Her green eyes searched the room, she didn't see him but she knew he was there. "Jareth!"
The mirror swirled briefly before the serious face of the Goblin King appeared. He sighed when Sarah blocked his view of Arthur, "Sarah, please."
"No," she crossed her arms.
Jareth frowned and his expression turned desperate. "He is just as much my son as he is yours."
When Arthur sniffled, Sarah shot Jareth a glare that could kill before turning her back to the mirror and picked Arthur up. She cradled him close and kept his small form hidden from the fae. Arthur sensed his father was there, he had enough magic in him to sense who was there and for that Sarah swore.
"Just because you gave the seed doesn't give you the right." She retorted.
"Do not make me out to be my father, precious." Jareth warned darkly.
Sarah shuddered at the fury in his voice, "My answer is still no."
"Then at least let me see him. Please, Sarah, I want to see my son even if it's only once." Jareth begged.
Sarah looked over her shoulder at the mirror. The fae she saw was not the person she had defeated all those years ago, nor was he the one she awoke to holding her close the year before. Jareth looked more unkempt than she had ever seen him during the three and a half years she knew him. His hair was longer by many inches, his eyes were dull from loss of sleep and his skin looked pale from illness instead of enchantment. He looked like a man broken, of someone who struggled to find a reason to rise every morning.
In the end she sighed, "One look won't hurt." She reasoned then faced the mirror. Just as she turned Jareth stood in her bedroom, he smiled at her softly in thanks.
"Thank you, precious," He thanked and held out his arms. It was then that Sarah saw that his clothes were looser than she remembered them being.
She eyed him warily and held Arthur tight. The infant fussed but her hold didn't ease.
"I won't do a thing." Jareth assured her. "I won't defy the mother of my son."
Sarah kissed Arthur's forehead before letting Jareth hold him. She glared at him in warning, "I do have iron."
Jareth smirked, holding the babe gently, "I repeat myself, I won't defy you." He looked down at his son. "It was your word that kept me away. His name?"
"Arthur," Sarah watched him closely, "Arthur Aleyn Gruffydd Williams."
Jareth looked up at her in brief shock then back at his son. He shifted the infant so a hand was free so he touch brush the babe's cheek, "Such a sweet lad." His finger then touched Arthur's blond hair. It was just as bright as his father's but he had darker blond underneath. Magic floated around Arthur and Jareth smiled before meeting his son's bubbling magic with his own. Arthur's stormy eyes met with his and Jareth saw how perfect both he and Sarah were blended in their son's eyes. Arthur was blessed with his stormy blue eyes and Sarah's vivid green. Jareth was joyed to see the perfect blend of blue flecked with green. Once he was seated, Jareth offered a finger to the babe to latch onto.
'My son, this is my son…'
Sarah sighed and sat next to the king. She knew that Jareth wasn't a threat but she wasn't about to welcome him with open arms. The memory of their night together was spotty at best. While she was thankful he rescued her from Tommy Johnson, she was upset that Jareth didn't continue to act noble toward her after their kiss. 'Dreamed of that moment for years and I can't remember a single second…' She sighed once more with a shake of the head. Seeing Jareth holding Arthur so gently reminded her of how gentle he was with her when she woke that morning, even with her throwing every nearby object at him when she realized that she was naked. In that moment he was more worried about her physical safety than his own. The whole morning and the assumption of it, of Jareth serving as her pillow while she slept, could have been passed off as a joke- that is until she was sitting in a college bathroom two months later waiting for the highly depended on drug store pregnancy test result.
'I'm not in the place to forgive or trust him.' Sarah watched as father and son looked at each other. Jareth memorizing every detail of his son's face and Arthur evaluating his father's magic. Both had a smile that seemed to be contagious because in moments she too was smiling.
'But maybe I could be…'
"Will you let me be a part of his life?" Jareth asked her after an hour passed. His gaze never left his son. The fae hadn't moved either, he was scared that if he moved he would wake up and find out that this was all a dream.
"I don't know, Jareth," Sarah watched as Arthur yawned and snuggle against Jareth's silk poet shirt. "I have yet to find out if I can trust you."
Jareth blinked at her, "Precious, my behavior over these last few months should have proven that I can be trusted." Sarah opened her mouth to speak and he interjected, "He is my son. I've declared him as such before my uncle's court." He looked down at Arthur's sleeping face. "I did all that I could to ensure his and your safety- which included banishing my father from your home whenever I sensed he was near. I obeyed your every command and did what I could to protect you from afar. What else must I do to prove myself, precious?"
Sarah sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. As much as she didn't trust him, she couldn't deny that she still felt something toward him that wasn't hate. They spent two years as friends and she wanted that back. Their magic lessons, group walks with the goblins in the Labyrinth, and even the seasonal balls. She missed it all and she hated to admit it, but she missed him too.
The pair sat in silence while watching their son. They only snapped out of the endless stare when the halfling babe fussed for food. Jareth's hand lingered on Arthur for several minutes after the babe was in Sarah's arms. Once Arthur was in his mother's arms, Sarah grabbed the bottle of formula that Kate had made but didn't use.
"I want to be in his life." Jareth whispered as his head rested on her shoulder as they watched the hungry infant nurse. "Don't deny us that. Don't make me be like my father. Please precious."
"What did your father do that makes you so desperate to be in Arthur's life?" Sarah wondered.
She felt him flinch and heard him breathe in deeply.
"Loki…he isn't really known for being honorable." The fae confessed as he recalled his childhood. He could still taste Oberon's rage that had haunted his childhood…
Jareth felt the memory of his upbringing haunt him, causing him to cling to Sarah by wrapping an arm around her. He was no different than his son: a Halfling. Though it was of a different level, they were still both beings that were easily swayed by the environment around them. They were delicate beings, a blend of two worlds and never fully a part of both. And sometimes hated by both. The Labyrinth itself petitioned the high court for a king and forced Oberon's hand to give up his orphaned nephew for his own safety. The demand proved to be both life saving for the king and for changelings, for they were not that different and the goblins didn't care for a person's linage as long as it wasn't troll…
"Jareth," Sarah tried to look at him.
Jareth sighed and shook his head, "I want to protect both of you, to be there for all the events in his life. I want to be his father."
"Then prove you can be." Sarah stated, giving him the answer to his endless hours of begging through the mirror.
He looked at her face in hope, kneeling before her on the floor in a heartbeat to search her eyes for deceit. When he saw none his heart swelled with hope and it took all of his self-control to keep from getting ahead of himself.
'I can't believe I'm about to do this…' Sarah thought while she burped Arthur. Her heart melted at seeing Jareth so vulnerable at her feet, his pose pleading with her to give her permission. She half wanted to pull him back up to let him keep some of his pride.
"Trust is earned. You can earn your place in our life." Sarah sighed. "Arthur deserves to be raised by both of his parents and not babysitters."
Jareth looked at his son with a nod. He knew how hard Sarah was working to make a stable future for herself and her son. It pained him to see her spread so thin and not be able to spend these precious months with their son.
"I'm not expecting for you to provide for us, but you can at least watch him while I'm at work." Sarah continued.
Jareth's brow rose, "You'd allow it?"
"I know where to find you." Sarah pointed out dryly and stood slowly "I think you're a better choice when compared to a sixteen year old whose baby sat for less than a year and an elderly woman who is close to getting dementia. You've been the Goblin King for what, five hundred-six hundred years?"
"Thousand," Jareth corrected with a wince.
"More than enough experience to know how to take care of an infant and child." Sarah pointed out. Arthur protested lightly when she laid him down but after handing him his teddy bear he quieted.
Jareth sighed at hearing the indirect compliment. He stood slowly and watched as Arthur drifted back to sleep. When Sarah motioned for them to let him sleep, he followed her into the living room. Sarah went through the motions of heating up two tv dinners and offered one to him. Though it didn't really look like food, Jareth accepted and sat across from her on the island.
"I'm going to need your help raising him. Hoggle and Sir Didymus noticed that his magic is starting to show the last time they visited." Sarah said and looked down the hall to her bedroom.
"Halflings don't show magic until they're five, Sarah. He'll be safe." Jareth said to soother her worries.
Sarah looked back at him, "But his grandfather is some form of god. Wouldn't that give him more magic and faster?" At seeing Jareth's wince Sarah made note to speak very rarely of his father.
"I do not think it would make much of any difference. He'd sense people's presences but wouldn't be able to practice magic." Jareth stated. With a twirl of his fork in the spaghetti, he changed the subject. "Have your parents come to visit?"
It was now Sarah's turn to wince. Mentally she tried not to remember the mortifying Thanksgiving that she had with her father, brother, and step-mother. When Robert heard she had dropped out of college, he was angry- when he saw the reason, he was livid. The holiday ended with Sarah slamming the door in her father's face. It was a week later that she was rushed to the ER and a week after that Arthur was born.
Her maternal grandparents were with her at the hospital as Arthur's new life was dependent on machines but her father and Karen weren't. The only thing she got was a thick letter that she never finished reading from her father.
Karen sent her care packages in secret once she heard that Arthur was released from the hospital, inside were mostly hand me downs of Toby's but they were welcomed. Karen told her she couldn't find an easy way to excuse a visit to New York City without Robert catching on, but she helped Sarah out in every way possible. Karen saw Arthur as her first grandchild and gushed over every picture that Sarah sent. She even got some women in the community to knit a baby quilt.
"No," Sarah answered when she had a good hold on her emotions. "Dad's…disappointed."
Jareth's eyes were understanding, he nodded in understanding and in a sign that she didn't have to continue since it was painful. After a few minutes a smirk flashed on his lips and he raised his water glass in a toast. Confused, Sarah copied him.
"To the two children who ended up estranged from their fathers' expectations." Jareth said and clinked his glass against hers'.
She smiled and couldn't help but laugh as she lowered her glass.
Sarah looked at her twin blonds as she went over the rules checklist with Jareth. As the fae looked the list over she recounted it line by line.
"You can only take Arthur to the Underground if it is an emergency." Sarah emphasized for the second time.
"Very well, precious, if a runner comes I'll summon a nanny for Arthur until the run is over." Jareth replied as he shifted Arthur so he could tuck the hand written list in his pocket.
Sarah nodded, "Good. My shift is over at six and I won't be back until around seven so feel free to start dinner if you get hungry." She pulled a prepaid cell phone from her pocket and handed it to Jareth. "My cell phone number is on autodial, to reach me you just have to press one."
"I can manage, Sarah." Jareth chided her and gave her a one armed hug.
Sarah sighed and returned the embrace with a squeeze before taking a step back to give Arthur a kiss, "See you at seven." She said then grabbed her purse and walked out.
Jareth sighed and he fingered the cell phone that Sarah gave him before pocketing it. For the day, he was in normal modern clothing: jeans and a muscle shirt. Hardly the most comfortable thing in the world but it was better to wear the outfit than to glamor one if someone came to the door. 'And now the test begins.' Jareth sighed as he gave the front door a glance. With a wave of the hand he locked it. Much to his displeasure, Sarah lived in a neighborhood that had the occasional problems with gang violence. Though a human pointing a gun at him wouldn't do much damage, he didn't dare tempt fate. Arthur was too young to be protected by his own magic in the event of an injury larger than a fall.
When a tiny hand tugged at his shirt, Jareth looked down at his son and found wide eyes looking up at him. He bounced the infant, "What shall we do today?" When Arthur curled his fist around the cloth of his father's shirt, Jareth smiled as he got a small answer. Wordlessly, he sat down on the couch and positioned himself so he was laying on it, knees bent, and rested Arthur on his chest. Content at being close to his father, Arthur's grip on the cloth loosened and he yawned.
Jareth offered a single finger to his son and when a tiny hand grasped his, he let his magic seep into Arthur to protect him from anything that could do harm. Even from feeling the brunt of his first fall when it came time for him to start walking in a few months.
'I can't bring you to the Underground, but I can bring her magic to you.' Jareth's free hand stroked Arthur's small wispy hair. The babe fussed groggily and he smiled. He summoned a teddy bear from the castle's nursery and tucked it next to Arthur. The infant took a minute to realize the toy was there but once he did, he latched onto it for dear life.
Jareth would never confess it to Sarah, but this whole time he was able to see her in his crystals. The words she screamed at him when she woke up the morning after she summoned him drunk, and after he let her do whatever she desired with him, only forced him to not be in her immediate presence. He could watch her, follow her from a safe distance and enter her dreams.
In spirit he was with her in that bathroom when she waited for the pregnancy test. He actually saw it before she did and was both over joyed and guilt ridden. Sarah had a promising future in the arts and history, but she gave it all up the moment she saw that test result. For that, he would always feel guilty.
He instantly started to make things up to her. He refused to be like his father and run away from responsibility. Through her friends, he snuck protective wards into her home. He spent weeks trying to convince the trio to bring fae fruit to Sarah so the babe would grow healthy. They gave into the will of their king when Sarah had been rushed to the hospital and nearly lost the babe because she didn't have magic to feed him. He watched her without end after that scare. Every time the doctor came in he listened with a bated breath. Sometimes the news was good, other times it was bad. After being released, she asked Hoggle if he could get a midwife from the Underground to visit her. Jareth had the best midwife in the kingdom ready to go at any hour of the day or night. The elderly elf took care of Sarah well but the news she had broken both his and Sarah's hearts: she couldn't promise that the child would survive his birth. She couldn't even tell if the babe was still alive in his mother's womb.
The night the midwife said this was the first night he damned his pride and went into the depths of the Labyrinth to beg the ancient entity to help him. It was a conversation that he would never forget:
One normally saw the chamber deep under the castle and Labyrinth as ominous: a place to not linger in if entered. Ancient stone always held up but the millenniums showed on what was once smooth granite. The final gateway before reaching the entity's dwelling place was laced with dried flowers that the ancestors gave as tokens to their lady. The metal scroll gate was woven with endless flowers and messages- the people's prayers to the entity.
Jareth didn't heed the foreboding feeling in the air as he moved from the people's receiving chamber to the royal receiving chamber. He didn't even stay in the chamber either, he continued to walk toward the very heart of the Labyrinth- to a chamber that had been forbidden for his kind to enter ever since the dawn of mankind.
The heart of the Labyrinth was a large room that rivaled the size of his throne room and the ballroom combined. In the center of the domed room was the blessed pool that fed all life in the Labyrinth, around it was a garden that had become so large that it consumed the stone behind it: vines scaled the walls to the point that it looked like the walls, moss blanketed the floor so thickly it welcomed one to walk barefoot, and a single oak tree grew in a corner. The oak tree looked both as a living object and a throne. Seated on the throne made of the mighty oak's trunk and branches was the soul of the Labyrinth.
Her hair rivaled with the color of the night sky, the calf length locks floated about their owner like an onyx waterfall: shimmering in the magic light in the same matter as the pool- shining pure onyx one moment and grey the next. The Labyrinth's soul had skin that had been kissed both by moonlight and the snow, the skin was pale on a heavenly scale. When he took a step further into the room, the eyes that had previously been closed opened. The onyx pools were flecked with every color and shade in the Labyrinth: the brownness of the stone, the yellow of the sand, the green of the forest, blue of the river, pink and white of the orchards at full bloom, violet of the blooming vines, and the rich grey of the fountain's and the castle's stone.
Her pale pink lips curled into a soft smile and she stood, the faint blue of her wispy gown flowed as if there was a steady breeze as she walked closer. The multi shade eyes studied his face in the same manner it did when he was a lad no higher than the manifestation's knee, "You're troubled." She stated and reached up to rest a hand that gave peace on his shoulder. "What troubles you?"
"Duana," Jareth rolled his shoulder to keep her peaceful influence from him. He wasn't a child who suffered from nightmares who needed a mother's comfort to dry his tears and calm a fearful heart. "I need help."
The manifestation nodded knowingly, "The unborn prince. I feel the strength of his mother fading." Her delicate hand hovered over where her heart was. "I feel Lady Sarah's grief and worry."
"Save him," Jareth demanded.
Her expression was apologetic, "I don't have the strength to do that, my son. The people of these lands worship me as if I am a god but I am not, I am merely an old soul that was born of magic and wishes."
"Then serve as a channel to the babe- take my own magic and give it to him. You did it once before with his mother." Jareth pressed desperately.
"Sarah was a child of seven when she was given magic, I was the one who served as its keeper until she was old enough to understand what was given to her and when she was old enough to control that gift. To do the same with an unborn child is dangerous." She explained.
"Then what must I do?" Jareth asked.
She studied his face for a moment then a delicate hand rested on his heart, "Set aside the pains of the past," she advised then met his eyes with a gaze that suddenly looked bluer "and ask a boon of your father."
"Kingy!"
Jareth jumped at hearing the goblin and his sudden moment mixed with the voice shouting excitedly woke Arthur. The infant wailed and the goblin froze stiff. Jareth sent a glare at the creature then turned his attentions to his son. When the wails became mere hiccups, he looked back at the goblin as he stood.
"What is it? I instructed that all problems were to be reported to Ayden or Duana." Jareth stated while bouncing Arthur to calm him. He faced the goblin. "Well?"
When the goblin opened his mouth to speak he ended up yelping instead when a pile of wrapped presents landed on top of him. From beneath the huge pile there was an answer but Jareth didn't hear it. He approached the pile of presents that went from floor to ceiling. Jareth balanced Arthur on his hip to allow him to pick one up with a free hand. After he read the label on a smaller box, Arthur fussed to be put down. In response, Jareth handed the small box to Arthur and set the babe down on the floor before sitting behind him.
Right after Arthur demolished the wrapping paper (with his father's help), the goblin popped out from the pile with a grin.
"Happy bifday, Princy" he declared.
Sarah sighed in relief when she was given early leave from her boss. She had found it nearly impossible to get any work done with her mind straying to Jareth and Arthur. On her way back she picked up the last bit of work from the theater to do from home. Everyone was understanding and the director that hired her for costumes and script research told her to take her time if she needed to. Thankfully what had to be done was small and would be finished on her next day off from the bookstore.
When Sarah got to her apartment's floor she was tired and ready to get out of her work clothes. From the front door she smelled an intoxicating aroma and when the door was opened she became very aware of how hungry she was as a mouth-watering aroma filled her nose. The meal that awaited her was forgotten when she saw the huge stack of presents in her living room and the sight of Arthur in his playpen with ten new toys: two new bears, a wooden rattle, teething ring, a pillow in the shape of a cluster of oak leaves, and several handmade plush toys that resembled the creatures of the Labyrinth in one way or another.
At seeing his mother, Arthur smiled and lifted his arm to show her the toy he was cuddling with. The stuffed animal looked a lot like the goblin who was watching him from the couch. Sarah toed off her shoes and went over to Arthur to cuddle him.
"Ar mhullach an tit à siodha geala…"
Sarah looked toward the kitchen and smiled when she saw Jareth, tending to something on the stovetop and singing softly as he worked. The melody had Arthur smiling and Sarah moved closer to the island.
"I can see you and I are going to be rivals again." Sarah greeted teasingly as she bounced Arthur. "I hope you're planning on storing most of those at the castle."
Jareth chuckled and looked away from the lemon chicken he was preparing, "Don't worry, precious, half to a quarter of those presents aren't appropriate for Arthur or are for in the future."
"Where did they come from?" Sarah asked as she grabbed a few leaves from the salad bowl to nibble on.
"My mother's kinsmen and the citizens of the Labyrinth," Jareth replied then turned the chicken breast. "Arthur's opened twenty-five presents and I've removed the fifty I knew were not appropriate, the ones that are meant for when he is older have yet to be moved to the castle for safe keeping."
Sarah's brow rose and she looked at the stack, "Not appropriate…"
"Chickens, half eaten fruit, ale- the list of what goblins think is appropriate for an infant is a long one, I had to get sneaky in removing them after Jessie found the fifteenth one." Jareth explained then dug around in a drawer to find a timer.
Sarah nodded in agreement and moved closer to the mass to look at the presents. When Arthur fussed softly and reached for something, she looked in the direction he was grabbing at and found a cloth and leather tie package. When she picked it up, she found that what looked like cloth was actually an animal's hide- a reindeer hide. There was no card or message attached to the present and Sarah shifted Arthur so she could undo the leather tie on the package. As the fur was brushed with the removal of the tie, the heavy scent of winter flooded the room.
At smelling the wintery scent, Jareth froze. When his screaming mind regained muscle movement, he turned to look at Sarah in time to see the leather tie fall. His body jumped alive and he rushed forward, "Stop!"
Sarah jumped at the sudden outcry and dropped the package. When it hit the floor, it unrolled.
Jareth prepared for the worst but he was struck stupid at seeing the baby blanket and at the sound of Sarah's awed reaction.
The blanket was made of several reindeer pelts, the edges had soft leather wrapped around it and embroidery held it to the pelt. The embroidery was small and displayed a scene of deer running, each corner had a Nordic symbol and below the running deer was a near endless design of Viking runes. Every so often a weapon was seen in the design of the trees the deer ran behind: bow on one and a sword on another. In one corner of the blanket Jareth saw the runes that spelled out Arthur's name.
Cautiously, Jareth inspected the blanket to ensure it was safe for his son. When he hesitated to hand it over after finding it safe, Arthur fussed and reached for the gift impatiently. Jareth handed it over to Sarah and she breathed in awe as Jessie grasped at the soft fur.
"It's beautiful," Sarah stroked the soft fur and leather. "I wonder who sent it. Whoever it was spent a lot of time making this or spent a lot of money commissioning it."
"It's from Loki." Jareth said before he drew a shuddered breath.
Sarah looked at Jareth in disbelief and when she saw his eyes misted with tears, she felt guilty for gushing over the gift. The fae's forlorn expression tugged at her heart and Arthur was soon forgotten in her arms as she followed Jareth's internal argument with himself. When the buzzer went off, Jareth went back to the kitchen and Sarah stood in the middle of the living room watching his back.
'What happened for you to both despise him and miss him?' Sarah looked down at Arthur then back to his father. 'What did he do to make you promise to do better?'
After dinner, Sarah tucked Arthur in then rejoined Jareth in the living room to help him sort through the pile of gifts. So far there were three piles that Jareth had made: to the bog, future, and nursery.
"Your kinsmen sent a lot of presents." Sarah commented when she saw the pile of gifts that was in the future pile. If the present had come with a note, Jareth kept it attached. A great majority of the presents were from the fae court.
Jareth looked up from the unsorted pile, "It isn't very often that a child is born. When one is born it is cause for great celebration." He explained.
"But we didn't have a party yet, why didn't they wait until then?" Sarah wondered aloud, unaware that her wording caused Jareth's mouth to go slack briefly.
"Most of these presents from my kinsmen are protection wards and spells to ensure Jessie grows up with good health and has a long life. It's tradition for fae to bestow protection spells and good health spells on a kinsmen's child." Jareth said with a gentle voice. His heart swelled with hope that she may consent to allowing a party to be thrown for Arthur.
She blinked, "Why?"
Jareth motioned for her to join him on the couch once she was seated he explained, "Fae…we have a hard time conceiving- even when it is with a partner that is not fae. Most in the fae creatures in the Underground are Halflings or changelings as a result. When a child is born, their life is very fragile so tradition is to sacrifice some of your magic to ensure the child grows to the age when he or she is protected by their own magic. Some see it as a duty, others as an honor." He smiled impishly. "It actually sets some up for many a favor. I've seen many get alliances with a new king merely out of feeling honor bound to give something back to the one who ensured you grew to full age- The same with marriages too."
Sarah looked down the hall and fear gripped her. Somehow Jareth felt it and embraced her.
"He'll live a long life." He promised her and kissed her head. "The gift I gave him out does all of the wards from my kinsmen."
Sarah shifted to look up at Jareth, "What did you do?"
Jareth looked down the hall to the bedroom, "I petitioned a boon to all in Asgard. They all agreed that no god will meddle in his life. Thor gave a silver of his strength to Arthur while he was still in your womb. I think in spirit Odin did as well." He noticed Sarah's awestruck look and he chuckled softly. "I'd give my own life for his safety, precious. Making a journey to my father's kinsmen upon hearing his life may end when it had yet to begin is something I would do a thousand times for him and you."
"You knew?" Sarah breathed. Fear filled memories of nearly miscarrying filled her mind. Yet, as she thought back to the event, she did feel something inhuman filling her. 'Was that the will of the Asgardian gods?'
"I did," Jareth confirmed and squeezed her once. "I've lived through many things throughout the centuries but that was truly the first time I really knew what fear felt like."
She nodded and grasped his hand, "Thank you."
He nodded in understanding. When his embrace grew more possessive she opened her mouth to protest but he placed a finger on her lips, "I just wish to hold you, Sarah, to be your strength for a moment. Allow me to have that one selfish wish, precious. Please let me have that one wish."
"Stop calling me precious and I'll think about it." Sarah teased him half-heartedly.
Jareth grinned, "The lady doth protest."
In response she smacked his chest in a friendly manner. With a sigh she surrendered and let him hold her. It was only fair for him to have a turn in being the one with strength; she couldn't stand alone in everything forever.
At hearing Arthur's cry echoing shortly after a clatter that could only be the rod in the closet falling, they both sighed. Jareth untangled himself from her and kissed her hand, "I'll handle it." He promised then walked to the bedroom.
"We're sorry, Kingy!" a squeaky little voice wailed before three others echoed it. Sarah could have sworn she heard a chicken before the auditable pop of the forced transportation of the goblins into the ether. She blinked and when she heard Jareth's footsteps, she leaned to look into the hall. At the sight of father and son covered in chicken feathers, Jareth looking livid and Arthur looking bewildered with a strainer on his head, she burst into laughter. Jareth huffed when he saw a feather stuck to his bangs and the action made Sarah laugh harder.
"I'm glad one of us can laugh." Jareth grumbled and waited for Sarah to sober up some before passing Jessie to her.
"What were they doing?" she wheezed.
"A coronation," Jareth grumbled on his way to the lint roller that Sarah kept on the kitchen counter.
Sarah blinked and when she looked at the nearest shadow she saw five goblins holding up a robe made of what looked like banana peels sown together she giggled.
A.N.
Well here's the beginning of my new dabble in fantasy. To the person who wanted to see Loki (the mythological god) as Jareth's father, I hope this story ends up meeting your expectations. I apologize if there's goofs, at last minute I changed Arthur's name (it was originally Jessie but I changed it after reading a lesson a professor handed out on character naming.) By the way, applause goes to whoever guesses the meaning of Arthur's name before it's mentioned in chapter three.
If you want to keep tabs on me and my writing, you'll find me on Tumblr (whitexblackrose). For right now updates are biweekly but if a chapter gets done early I'll post it.