CHAPTER ONE – A PRINCESS

It was nearly out of the collective memory of the royal family – and for Fae, that was certainly saying something – for anyone in their line to give birth to anything other than a healthy male Fae. It had always been young princes who ascended the throne overlooking a vast goblin kingdom, protected by a powerful labyrinth. Their blood served to provide mighty kings, slave to none and ruler to many. That was what fate had dictated for the Fae of the royal family.

But King Jareth never did enjoy playing by the rules.

Just before 3 o' clock in the morning, only eleven hours after informing her husband that it was finally time, Sarah gave birth to a flush, crying little girl. A blonde, lanky Fae with shining gray eyes, that had helped Sarah through the entire ordeal wiped the child clean and placed her gently into his king's waiting arms.

Jareth had attempted valiantly to hide his worry, his fear that something terrible would befall his precious Sarah. She had yet to complete her transformation to a full Fae, and it rankled something deep inside him to think that giving him a child would be what took her from him permanently. Mostly, he was successful in his endeavor. He masked his anxiety well, peppering Sarah's sweat-soaked face with kisses, holding her hand as she fought through the pain, and pacing their overlarge bedroom with graceful strides while gazing purposefully into luminescent crystals. And when the stress got too great, the king would wander into the hall and kick innocent goblins against the castle walls until he could calm himself properly.

But now, staring at the porcelain face of a now warm and sleeping child, his able hands shook visibly. Noticing his panic, Sarah gingerly wrapped her fingers around the Goblin King's forearm, smiling at him with all the strength she could muster.

"It's alright now, darling," she assured him in a broken, tired voice. "She's fine."

"No," Jareth whispered, "she's perfect."

He slumped into a chair that had been moved next to the bed so he could remain close to Sarah, and offered the child to her like they both were made of glass. The king could not recall a time when he was so careful with something, not even little Toby. This tiny little thing that curled quietly in a pale yellow blanket would burst like the bubbles he often transformed his crystals into if he did not handle her with the most delicate of touches, he was sure.

"So beautiful," Sarah cooed, running her fingers through the shock of black hair atop the baby's head.

"Just like her mother," Jareth agreed with a toothy grin. "You did so well, Precious." He pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth and realized that his lovely wife was quickly losing her battle with consciousness. A low chuckle deep in his chest was enough to keep her awake for a moment longer.

The blonde Healer – who Jareth thanked profusely – returned and suggested that Sarah feed the babe, and then get some much needed rest. The new queen did just that; both of them watched silently while their girl ate greedily, and quickly fell asleep in her mother's arms. After tucking his wife into bed comfortably, Jareth cradled the newborn in his arms – no longer shaking – and carried her to the throne room.

The king stepped over a horde of sleeping goblins as if dancing in a ballet, holding the girl close to his body, enjoying her warmth. He lifted himself easily onto a windowsill overlooking the majority of his kingdom, including the labyrinth where everything began not so long ago. The child slept peacefully, her tiny fingers clutching the blanket ever closer. Jareth could not help the smile that spread across his face without permission as she stared at her. She truly was a treasure.

"One day," he told her in a quiet hum, "this will all be yours, Precious."

/ / / / / /

Princess Adelaide, or Addie, as her mother so often liked to call her, was a tiny little thing that was every bit of her father, the great Goblin King. Right down to the mismatched button eyes, and the lone locks of white blond hair that tufted just in front of the rest of her raven colored mane, she could not deny Jareth was her father. Her markings, though faint, also resembled those of her father. Both shared the same silver and purple hues, but while the king's markings winged out toward his ever expressive eyebrows, Adelaide found hers liked to wrap downward around the bottom of her blue eyes.

Regardless, she was beautiful. That was undeniable. Even two years ago, at the tender age of three, when she maintained that she no longer wanted hair like 'the other girls' and single-handedly chopped most of it off, she still remained gorgeous, especially to the king, who was entirely wrapped around her tiny fingers. Thankfully, one of the Fae women who worked in the castle's private gardens was also very handy with hair, and cleaned up the havoc Addie had managed to create with her beautiful tresses.

Today, only hours before the autumn ball her father was putting on, it was cropped neatly in a boyish fashion, wisps curling about her ears from lack of brushing. Usually it laid fairly flat, except for the small patch of nearly white amongst the black. It was the color of Jareth's hair exactly, and, much like the king's, this rebellious bit refused to be tamed. No matter what Sarah did to it, no matter how she brushed or what creams she applied, the hair stood at attention, pushed upward at the front of Addie's head constantly. Secretly, it reminded Sarah of the Goblin King she loved so deeply, and it made her smile to see it in her daughter.

In an effort to keep the princess entertained before the ball, Sarah managed to talk her father and stepmother into letting her take Toby for an afternoon. Nearly thirteen now, Toby was familiar with the Underground and all the fascinating magic it contained. He knew better than to speak of it to his parents, or anyone Above, for that matter, but it mattered little to him. Sarah made sure to visit so frequently that he never felt as though it were some big secret he would struggle to keep. In fact, he felt privileged that the Goblin King would allow him to be a part of this world as much as he wanted, and it never crossed his mind to divulge any of Jareth's secrets to anyone. They had become friends, and now that he had a niece, he had even more reason to spend time with this part of his family.

He and Addie traipsed through town, visiting the sweet shop, the bakery, and pressed their noses to the glass of the tailor's window to get a good look at the new dresses and coats Ms. Gerdy and been working on. The king had worked very hard to fix up his kingdom in recent years. He would tell no one, but learning he was to be a father lit a fire under him like nothing else had since Sarah had run his labyrinth. It was thanks to him that Toby and Addie felt lush green grass under their socked feet as they tossed a peach back and forth between them under the shade of a tree near the center of the city.

Toby would be going home soon, and though Addie typically enjoyed her parent's company much more than most five-year-olds, she had been to a fair share of balls held by all manner of royals in her short life. They did not hold much interest for her. She had to wear frilly dresses that sparkled even when she was standing still, the adults talked too loud at length, and her father wore a half scowl at everyone for the entirety of the night. She could name five things fast that would be more fun than a ball.

Playing with Toby was certainly at the top of her list.

"You should stay, Toby," she told him with a smile.

"Why would I do that?" He teased, tossing the peach gently into her waiting hands.

"Because it will be boring."

Toby laughed aloud at that. Addie's sentences were usually short and sweet due to her youth, but her words never left him confused. She was incredibly smart for someone her age, and often spoke in the same elegant way Jareth did. It certainly made things easier for Toby, who typically had no patience for the babblings of small children. Addie had always been small in stature, but Toby had never really considered her a child. She seemed so grown up. Kind of like him.

"Why would I want to go to a boring party?" He pondered aloud, catching the peach again.

"We could play. It won't be boring if we play."

Toby considered her offer for a fraction of a second. He would have loved to go to the ball and protect his niece from boredom for the night. It would have been nice to spend some more time with Sarah, too. But he knew why he couldn't stay that night. Jareth had warned him delicately on multiple occasions that Fae did not think highly of humans, and he did not want the boy hurt. The Fae of his kingdom were the only ones that were safe. They seemed to be different from the royals that visited when the king held parties of any sort. Toby wondered to himself how a half-human such as his niece fared in their presence. He said nothing, however, reminded that she was, in fact, just a little kid, and surely it did not matter so much when her father was the all-powerful Goblin King.

"I'm sorry, Addie. I can't stay tonight. I have a big school project that really needs worked on. Maybe I can stay next weekend?" She smiled wide, clearly appeased.

"I will ask Daddy."

As if hearing the words, (which he probably had), Jareth himself appeared between them. Swooping in as a white barn owl with tawny feathers around the edge of his face, he snatched the peach they were tossing in the air with his talons, and landed gracefully on a large rock some feet away. In between blinks from the children, he switched forms. When they next saw him, he sat as a Fae, smiling at the pair of them.

He looked much the same as when Sarah first met him. Fae did not age as humans did, and it showed on Jareth's ever youthful face. The only noticeable difference in him anymore was his hair. In her first year, Addie had taken to tugging on it at every opportunity with much gusto. It did not take long for him to get rid of the excess length. Anymore, it was cut close to his head on the sides and back, and the top was left rather long, often flopping over his face like a graceful blonde mop. Addie thought it suited him. Her mother had taken a long time to admit such.

"What exactly are we asking Daddy, Precious?" Jareth asked coolly, taking a large bite out of the peach.

"Can Uncle Toby stay over next weekend?"

"If his mother and father agree, I have no problem with that. We'll have your room ready, Tobias," Jareth told the boy with an easy smirk.

"Thank you, Daddy!"

"You are most welcome, sweet girl. I'm afraid playtime will have to be over, though. Our guests are arriving and you, my little princess, need to get ready for the ball."

Much to her dismay, Addie agreed. Jareth Moved them back to the castle with his magic, and immediately set off for the throne room to make sure the goblins were not tearing it apart. Toby said goodbye with a sad smile, and Addie slowly ascended the staircase to her room to get ready. On her way, she found herself so lost in thought that she accidentally ran headlong into a Fae woman that she did not recognize. The princess quickly figured the woman to be royalty from another land, as her clothes did not reflect anything less. She made sure to bow her head as she spoke to the stranger.

"I am very sorry," Addie said solemnly. After a tense moment of silence in which Addie thought the woman would say something, she looked up. The woman simply sneered, her deep pink lips turned down at the sides. She moved past Addie with more force than necessary mumbling what sounded strangely like:

"Filthy half breed."

That was the first time Addie had ever heard those words, but it would not be the last.