The Half Breed & The Goblin King

By ScarletVixen12

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any characters except the ones I make up that are unrelated to the Labyrinth universe.

Chapter One

"You better make sure those books are probably put away in the right spot, girl!" the old librarian nagged as he sat high upon his chair. He was a sour, old goblin with drooping ears and his eyes were far too old so the rusted gold spectacles sitting upon the tip of his nose did him no good.

"Yes, sir." The girl answered as she carried a stack of heavy books up two flights of stairs. Her back was sore from working all day, but she couldn't imagine working anywhere else except in a library such as this. Placing the books down upon a nearby table, she turned each book on its side to look at the author before placing it in the proper slot. Her fingers caressed the spine lovingly, her eyes longing to take them home and absorb the wonderful knowledge that lay sleeping inside.

It was the loud clanging of the bell from the clock tower in the middle of the Goblin City that broke her out of her daydream as she finished stacking the pile of books. She wiped her grimy hands on the soiled apron and slowly made her way down the two flights of spiral stairs before she hastily made her way towards the librarian.

He sneered as he brought out his rusted pocket watch and looked at the time. "Very well. It is three o'clock. You may leave for today, girl." He frowned at the small delight in her eyes as she bowed her head and made her way to the storeroom where all the workers kept their belongings. "Don't be late again tomorrow like you were today!" He squawked at her, shaking his ancient fist.

She barely heard his last order before grabbing her worn leather satchel and gray knitted sweater. Keeping a brisk pace through the streets, she passed many goblins and other residents of the Goblin City such as elves, fae, and a multitude of other creatures. Her hair had been put up into a tight bun at the beginning of her work day to keep it out of her face, yet now as she made her way through the other residents, her hair quickly began to come undone.

The clock tower struck four and the small building nearby burst open as young children of many ages and many races dashed out, meeting family members nearby that had been waiting for them. A young child about the age of nine or ten walked out with two boys that were taller than him. The boy gazed out upon the crowd and grinned as he noticed someone in the crowd. He turned back to his friends to bid them a good-bye and made his way towards her. He threw himself into her arms as he wrapped his around her waist, hugging her with love and affection.

She chuckled and ruffled his hair. "How was your day today, Toby?"

"It was great! Master Vladius taught us about the Labyrinth today. He talked about how it used to be untamed and refused to obey any king until ours. Isn't that interesting, Sarah? He managed to tame it all by himself even when no one else could!" He rambled on, excited by this knowledge.

Sarah gave him a small smile and ruffled his blonde hair once more. "It's very interesting. Master Vladius is a good teacher. Your parents will be happy to hear you are doing well." She fixed her satchel upon her shoulder and knelt down to wipe some dirt from his cheek.

"Excuse me, Miss Williams?"

Her sharp, green eyes looked up as she slowly stood back up to look at an older elf with graying hair. He wore a black robe and a cap, half-moon glasses resting upon the bridge of his nose and showing off his hazel eyes. "Master Vladius, good day to you."

"To you as well, Miss Williams. I was hoping to catch you so you may pass this to your parents. As much as I trust young Tobias, I felt it was necessary to give this to someone much older and a bit more responsible." He said with a small chuckle. He reached into his robe and pulled out an envelope, handing it to her. He turned to his young pupil and smiled. "Have a good evening, Tobias. I shall see you bright and early come Monday morning, yes?"

Toby smiled and bowed in respect to Master Vladius. "Absolutely, sir."

"Wonderful. Do be safe on your journey home. I wish you both a good evening."

"You too, Master Vladius." The siblings replied in unison and watched as the elf made his way back into the schoolhouse. They watched as he closed the doors before looking at the envelope in Sarah's hand.

Toby grabbed onto her hand and tried to pull it down for him to see. "Come on, Sarah, show me. Show me! What did he give you?"

Her other hand quickly grabbed it out of the other and she gave him a small smirk. "None of that, Toby. It's addressed to your parents, not to you and not to me. We'll have to find out through them." Placing it safely inside her bag, she adjusted her knitted sweater as a cool breeze drifted by. Winter was quickly approaching and she knew she'd have to dress even warmer since the library had no heat. "Ready to go home, squirt?"

"You bet!" He grinned and held onto their hand as they made their way to the other side of the Goblin City where many residents lived.

Those who had respectable jobs lived as far as they could from the heart of the Goblin City, to avoid any damages that runners could cause, and made sure to stay away from the Labyrinth as best they could. Fae, elves, and humans lived amongst each other depending on their status. Most humans that were wished away and too old were often servants of Fae or elves or even worked in the castle as servants. The Goblins chose to live in the heart of the Goblin City, enjoying to cause trouble for the few runners that were unfortunate to walk through their city to get to the castle.

Toby dashed through the door of their home and saw his father, Robert, sitting in the parlor and smoking his pipe.

Robert Williams worked for the courthouse in the Goblin City and was a respectable judge. Cases that were unable to come to a resolution often made their way to the King's court to be heard, but Judge Williams made it his mission to take care of most of the problems. The King had bigger problems to worry about than a dispute about who took the last barrel of ale from the Junkyard Tavern. Robert was also a hardworking Fae. When he was young, he wanted to experience life above and that is when he met a young woman who aspired to be an actress. He got caught up in excitement that poured out of her when she spoke about acting and the magic she felt. In the heat of the moment, they married and soon, Linda had a baby. She soon grew to resent having a child, which didn't allow her to travel and become a great actress. Robert noticed this and knew it was better to return Underground since his daughter was still half Fae and would grow ill if exposed to the Aboveground for a long time. He acquired a forgetful potion and gave it to Linda before she went to bed. As she drank it, she forgot everything. No more Robert, marriage, and no more Sarah. She continued her life and soon became the actress she had desired to be for so long.

Sarah had been only fifteen years old when she was brought back to the Underground. It took time for her to adjust and to get used to the fact that her father remarried so quickly after wiping away her mother's memories. She grew to resent the Fae woman, secretly jealous because she was completely Fae. Sarah grew concerned when she learned Karen was pregnant. She knew having children was hard for Fae women, but fate must have been kind to her father for the birth was a simple one with no complications. The couple treated their newborn son as a miracle child and Sarah faded into the background.

However, she could not bring herself to hate the child. She was envious of his pure blood line of having two Fae parents although she would always be known as a Half-Breed, as she was often called by other Fae and elven girls. As her parents would leave for the evening to attend social parties and gatherings, Sarah would stay home and tend to Toby, who quickly captured her heart with his love and adoration for her. She wouldn't allow anything to happen to him.

Walking into the house and closing the door behind her, she quickly undid her scarf and placed it upon the coat rack near the door. She smiled as she listened to her brother regale her father with his teachings for the day and made her way into the parlor.

"Ah, Sarah! How was your day at the library today?" her father asked as he stood to kiss her upon the cheek.

"It was well, Papa. Here." She pulled out the envelope from her satchel and handed it to him. "Master Vladius asked that I give it to you."

Karen had made her way into the parlor and stood beside Robert as he turned it over. Her blue eyes grew wide as she looked at the seal and exchanged looks with her husband. "Better open it, dear."

"What's going on?" Sarah asked, her brows furrowed in concern as she took in their expressions.

Robert remained silent as he opened the envelope and pulled out the small card inside. He read it very slowly to himself and twice more. He remained quiet despite Karen making a gasp and covering her mouth.

"What is it?" Toby asked, nervous about how his parents were acting.

Robert handed the card to Sarah, who took it very carefully. She exchanged a confused look before reading it. Her green eyes were captivated by the elegant flourish that was written on very expensive paper.

Dear Mr & Mrs. Williams,

Master Vladius has brought it to my attention about your young son, Tobias Williams, and his extraordinary talent with learning. I have visited his teaching sessions on several occasions to deem for myself whether or not your child did possess such talent. I have come to agree with Master Vladius that Tobias is extremely gifted and therefore, I write this letter to inform you that young Tobias shall now be taking up classes in the Castle beyond the Goblin City with me as his teacher. I shall come to discuss this with you more thoroughly in a fortnight at your residence.

Jareth, King of the Goblins

Ruler of the Goblin City

High Prince of the Underground

Sarah's eyes widened as she read the letter again and again. She turned to look at her parents in disbelief. "The King is coming here." Her eyes focused on her brother, who looked confused even more. "To take him away."

That is the end of Chapter One. I hope y'all enjoy. Please feel free to review and let me know what you thought about it J

All the best!

Scarletvixen12