"Push, Your Highness," the midwife practically snarled. "Push, now!"
The exhausted woman on the bed almost snarled in return, however, was soon swept away by a wave of agony. "I am," she wailed, "I am!"
The midwife's lip curled derisively. "If you do not push, I will make you."
The woman sponging off the forehead of the laboring woman muttered prayers under her breath. It was going to be a difficult birth, then. The woman was quite thin, tiny even! Her hips before pregnancy had been miniscule at best. The Queen had been petite at her heaviest moments; her distended belly had quite looked out of place on her small frame in pregnancy! Marina muttered soothing words to the Queen, mopping her brow and stroking her hair.
Cursing, the midwife spread the woman's legs further apart. The delivering mother protested, before screaming in pain. Clearly, the baby was coming whether she pushed or not.
"I'll not ask you again, Sarah," the midwife said harshly. As the pain left her body, the expectant mother nodded. "On the next contraction, you must push. Do you understand?"
Tiredly, the dark-haired woman nodded once more. When she felt the pangs come again, she twisted her hands in the sheets and groaned.
"Push now!"
Gritting her teeth, suppressing a scream, Sarah obeyed. Sweat dripped down her back, pain flooded her senses, and a low keen reverberated throughout the room.
"Breathe, girl. Two more, I think."
"Two," Sarah moaned. As the pain returned once more, she moaned in discomfort. Her head roaring, she barely heard the midwife's instructions to push.
And push, she did. For a moment, the pain ceased and she felt something emerge from between her legs. The midwife stepped away for a moment. And that was when she heard it, the wail of a nany. Her face softened and all thoughts of contractions and pain and killing her good-for-nothing husband left her mind.
"Let me see," she cried, "let me see my baby!"
"One moment," the midwife said firmly, "I must clean the babe to present him to the father."
"Rubbish," Sarah cried, "it's my baby too; give the child to me," she commanded the woman imperially, "now."
After sponging the wailing infant clean, the midwife showed the eager mother her daughter. The midwife hesitated for a moment, glancing at the door. The father should be the one to see the babe first, she thought guiltily, but the Queen's word is law.
"Your daughter," she presented, "congratulations are in order, Madam."
The graying woman handed over the infant to her mother, delicately placing the girl in the mother's arms. Exiting the room, she did not spare a glance to the Queen and Princess, currently bonding for the first time. It was time to alert the King; Marina would deal with Queen Sarah and her child.
---
"Hello," Sarah whispered, feeling elated and stupid at the same time, "I'm your mommy."
She had not expected the rush of love and joy, that had overcome her then. For nine months she held this little girl under her heart, praying time would hasten the arrival, longing to hold her child in her arms. And here she was, perfect, healthy, beautiful! She sniffled and tears threatened to fall. For moments, she could only stare at her daughter in disbelief. Finally, her little girl was here!
Marina smiled down at the Queen, looking at the new Princess. "You did wonderfully, Highness."
"Thank you," Sarah replied, too engrossed in her daughter's sweet face to even look up, "you were a great help, Marina."
Marina could see that Sarah was distracted by her daughter and said nothing more. Bowing out of the room, she went to tell the servants of the new princess. She closed the door softly, looking back at Queen Sarah and her new daughter fondly.
---
"I'm your mommy," she whispered again, hesitantly trying out the phrase. "And you're my baby girl, and we are going to—"
But she was cut off. The door burst open and a frazzled man came through.
"Sarah," he cried passionately, "are you alright? How is the child? Is everything alright?" Jareth's normal composed face was white with anxiety, his calm eyes darting to her exhausted form on the large bed.
"Yes," she smiled tearfully, "I'm alright. Come here, Jareth. Come and see our daughter."
The King made his way to the bedside, leaning over his beaming wife. In her arms, a tiny bundle, swaddled in pink, lay contently.
"My daughter," Jareth said with wonder. For nine months, he had known of course, that Sarah was expecting a child, but it had never been so vividly real. He had not expected the tiny little girl that slept quietly, her little fists clenching and unclenching in her slumber. "We have a daughter," he whispered, overcome with emotion.
Sarah looked worried, her green eyes swam with tears, "Are you disappointed," she asked him, "that she is not a son?"
Jareth looked down at his child, nay, his daughter and smiled at his wife. "Of course not," was his vehement reply, "she's perfect."
"Oh," Sarah started with a smile, "I was hoping you'd say that. Tamsin told me you'd want a boy."
"The midwife doesn't know what she's talking about," he dismissed.
"Do you want to hold her?" Sarah looked up at her husband, who suddenly looked a trifle panicked.
"She is so tiny," he looked doubtful, "I would break her." Sarah just laughed. Jareth looked affronted at her giggling.
He fixed a jokingly stern stare on her. "I'll have you know, queen of my heart, that I am quite strong."
"Nonsense," she cried, "I trust you." Sarah carefully placed her daughter in Jareth's arms, adjusting his arms to support their daughter's head. Carefully, he stared at the infant in his arms. "Oh Sarah," he sighed, "thank you."
"What should we name her?" Sarah asked, settling herself into the pillows behind her, closing her eyes for a moment of well-deserved rest. Her muscles protested all movements and she winced at the soreness between her thighs. Her husband was the Goblin King, he could turn himself into an owl, yet no magic was allowed on a delivering mother. It could alter the child! What utter nonsense, not for the first time, she regretted the loss of medical wonders of Aboveground, like epidurals and Advil.
"We always assumed she would be a boy." All the superstitions and myths pointed out that their firstborn would be a male. 'Sarah had carried her like a boy,' 'the Seer had predicted a male,', 'her morning sickness indicated a boy,' 'her radiance suggests a son'. Well, Sarah would delight in presenting everyone her baby girl.
"Do you like the name Tatiana?" He questioned his wife, his eyes never leaving his daughter's tiny face. Sarah wrinkled her nose, looking down at her daughter and back up at her husband.
"Jareth, we are not naming our daughter after your mother."
He smiled at her, "Sarah, you labored for seventeen long hours, I believe you deserve the honors of naming our daughter. In fact, you may name all of our daughters." Jareth finished magnanimously, smiling down at his tired wife. "I shall name our sons."
For a moment, Sarah thought about that. She held out her arms, receiving the small girl happily. Crossly, she looked up at her smiling husband. "You're assuming that I'm willing to do that all over again."
He teased her in return, keeping a blank face. "But of course! Until the Kingdom has a male heir, you'll continue to bear my children!"
Scowling, she resolutely thought only about her daughter's name. Another baby? She really had no desire to think of that at the moment. Finally, she sighed and smiled. "Catharina," Sarah smiled, thinking about how perfect her daughter was.
"That is a beautiful name," Jareth said quietly, "for a beautiful little girl."
The happy couple looked down at their new daughter, Catharina, and smiled beautifully. Jareth eased into the bed beside his wife, careful not to displace his weight and cause her discomfort. He took Sarah into his arms, letting her lean against his chest, stroking her hair.
"I love you," he whispered into her cheek, "I love you so much. I love our daughter. Thank you."
Sarah smiled tiredly, "I love you too." She kissed her daughter's forehead, cradling the child to her chest. "And I love you, Cate."
Content, the King and Queen of the Goblins lay with their daughter, happily basking in the joy of parenthood. Just as Jareth began to nod off, Sarah poked him.
"We're going to wait at least two years before trying for our little Prince," she said seriously, looking him in the eyes. Jareth only laughed, bringing her closer to him, kissing her brow. "I mean it, Jareth," she said indignantly.
"Of course you do," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "And you may tell my mother that when she visits tomorrow."
---
Just a little happy ending that I had to write for my favorite Goblin King and his Sarah.
I don't own the Labyrinth, I only elaborate upon it.
Please drop a review!
