Bedtime Story
A/N: I don't own anything, except for Kalen and Arabella.
"Mommy read me a story!" A fair skinned, blond hair, blue eyed girl requested.
The little girl wiggled upon her bed as she held tightly to her brown teddy bear named Toby. She just loved fairy stories! She loved the princesses, princes and sometimes even the villains! However, sometimes the hag in Snow White scared her to the point where she could barely sleep. The girl often found herself sleeping in her parent's bed after every telling. But this however, did not stop her from asking her mother to tell her the tale.
"Please!" the girl's voice rang out for a second time. Surly her mother heard her a second time. With her free hand, the girl pushed her blond hair from her face. She simply couldn't wait any longer. She had to have a story!
Jumping from the bed, the little girl dashed from her room and crept down the hall towards her brother, Prince Kalen's nursery. "Mommy," the little girl whispered as she stopped in front of a large door.
Sarah turned from the nursery door to look upon her daughter. The little girl was a spitting image of her father. From the moment she was born, she resembled her father, in every single way. "Arabella, I asked you to wait for me. I was putting your brother to sleep."
I'm sorry, but I want a bedtime story." The four year old acknowledged.
"Arabella, you have to share your father and I with your brother."
Arabella didn't like sharing her parents with her little brother. At the tender age of four, Arabella was not too happy to become a big sister. She wanted her parents all to herself. Taking her mother's hand, they headed back to her room.
The little girl's room looked as though it was in a five star hotel, set in New York City. A white four poster bed lay pressed up against the rose pink walls. A dash of gold was wrapped around each nob of the bed and at the base of the headboard. A sheer two tone, pastel pink fabric made up the canopy. The bedding was that of a quilted material. Pink and Red Roses with Green Leaves on White, as a light bubble gum pink backing tied it all together. In the corner of the room set a sea of toys some big and some small. A giant Barbie castle sat in the opposite corner waiting until morning to be played with. One of the windows of the room held a window seat as a stuffed bunny lay upon a fluffy pink pillow. A large gold closet that held all of Arabella's lovely clothes was pressed up against the west wall. The room was fit for a princess…literally.
"What story do you want to hear tonight?" Sarah asked as she scooped her princess onto her lap.
"Labyrinth!" the little girl exclaimed. This story was one of her favorites.
"You have heard that story a hundred times! Don't you want a story about a prince and princess?"
Arabella shook her head. "No," a smile came to the surface of her lips. "Labyrinth has a king and a normal human. It's like a prince and princess."
Sarah smiled slightly. "Alright, Labyrinth it is then." Grabbing the little warn, red book from the nightstand, Sarah began reading. "Once there was a girl who lived with her wicked stepmother. Her stepmother always made her take care of the baby."
As the story progressed Arabella's anticipation grew. Her small hands clenched together, all the while, her breath refused to leave her lungs, as her mother neared the best part! However, a shrill cry pierced the open room as Sarah began to get deeper and deeper into the story.
"Kalen always ruins the story!" Arabella huffed as she crossed her arms and her forehead began to wrinkle with frustration.
"Arabella, Kalen is just a baby he depends on others to take care of his needs." Lifting her little girl off her lap, Sarah went to comfort her son. Moments later she came back with Kalen in her arms.
"No, mommy, Kalen will just ruin the whole story."
"Arabella that is enough. I will finish the story and then it is bedtime."
Grumbling, Arabella snuggled next to her mother and continued listening to the story.
"One night the girl grew tired of all of the house work and so she called upon the Goblin King."
"Say it mommy, say it!" Arabella encouraged.
I wish the goblins would take you away…"
"That's not it mommy." Arabella said with a giggle.
"I wish the goblins would come and take-" Sarah was interrupted by her son's deep cries. Tears had ran down the little baby's face and onto his blue onesie. Cheeks red from crying, Kalen tried to keep awake for the remainder of the story. The little baby rubbed his dark green eyes with his small fists and tried to fight sleep.
"UH! KALEN!" Arabella screamed. Her mother or father for that matter, could never get through a story without her little brother interrupting.
Getting off the bed, Sarah hummed to her son and walked around the room. Poor little thing, he had been fighting a cold over the past few days and was finding it harder and harder to get to sleep. With a stuffy nose, fever and not to mention some of his teeth were starting to develop and push their way through his gums. Holding him close, Sarah snuggled her little boy and tried to comfort him the best way she could.
"Shh, shh, it's okay mommy is right here." A hand ran through his short coffee colored hair.
"I wish the goblins would come and take Kalen away right now." Arabella huffed as she rolled her eyes.
A gush of wind rushed into the room and the windows and doors flew open. Little goblins began to fill the room with laughter as a chill settled into the room.
"Arabella!" Sarah scolded as she turned to face her daughter.
Arabella grinned wickedly. At least this gave her some attention.
Seconds later, Jareth came into the room in all of his glory. He looked just like he had when Sarah called upon him all those years ago. His attire was that of a black leather jacket, white Elizabethan shirt, tight black pants and black boots that came to his knee. His hair had not changed in all those years. Still beach blonde colored and wild in every direction and his eyes were still the deepest of blue that Sarah had ever seen.
"You're him aren't you? You're the Goblin King." Arabella giggled slightly. However, Jareth did not find it amusing. He had been called from his study to a girl who had wished her brother away. Aboveground perhaps? No, to his own land none the less.
"I am here to take your baby brother away." Jareth glanced down at the little girl who was a spitting image of himself.
"But daddy, I didn't mean it." Arabella said as she looked down at her feet. She could see his shadow towering over her as she dared not to look at him.
"Oh you didn't." Jareth replied as he looked down at his little princess. His head was cocked to one side as a smile crept to the corners of his lips.
Arabella shook her head and by now was looking up at her father. "Please daddy, I take it back. I want my brother back."
"What is said is said."
Sarah giggled at the sight before her. Arabella just loved calling upon her father in this manner.
Walking over to Sarah, Jareth picked up his screaming son and tried to calm him the best that he could.
"Daddy!" Arabella screamed as she ran over to her father. "You can't have Kalen."
Walking back into Kalen's room, Jareth began to get his son to sleep. Wrapped within his warm blue and green train baby blanket, Kalen soon drifted off into dream land. Holding his son within his arms, Jareth could see Sarah within him. Every ounce of her he saw in Kalen. His deep green eyes, dark russet hair, cute button nose. At just six months old, Jareth knew he would grow up to be a great leader.
Eight years prier, Sarah had wished her own baby brother away to the depths of the Labyrinth. Eight years ago, Jareth had set his eyes upon the girl who would become his wife and bear his children and rule by his side as queen of the Underworld.
Ten minutes later, Jareth walked back into his daughter's room. "What do I owe this visit so late at night?"
"I want you to finish the story." Arabella patted the seat next to her, as she sat upon her bed.
Taking the seat, Jareth began the rest of the tale. "Your mother was very persistent and thickheaded when it came to getting her brother back."
"Uncle Toby." Arabella corrected.
Jareth nodded his head. "As I was saying, your mother never gave up and if I might add bossy-"
"I was not. I was-defiant I had a baby brother to save." Sarah cut in as she sat at the edge of the bed glancing at her husband the Goblin King. "If I might add, you were cruel and heartless-you took two hours off the remaining time."
Jareth moved his eyes from Sarah to Arabella, giving Sarah the impression to stop. "Your mother never gave up. She worked feverishly with her friends to get to her brother before time ran out. If time did run out, her baby brother would become a goblin forever!"
This made Arabella jump at the tone of her father's voice. The best part was coming! "Then what happened daddy!?" Arabella exclaimed.
After hours upon hours of traveling the great maze, she made her way into the castle to win her brother back. But alas, she had to go through the Goblin King in order to be set free and to go home. However, the Goblin King didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay by his side for eternity. He wanted to take her in his arms and-"
"GROSS! DON'T MAKE IT ALL NASTY!" Arabella yelled with disgust.
Quieting down their daughter, Jareth ventured on with the story. "Your mother left me with a broken heart and a broken kingdom. It would take her another four years before she was able to find her way to me once more. This time however, being older and understanding her dreams, your mother decided to stay and we lived happily ever after." Glancing up from the little red book, Jareth and Sarah discovered that after that little outburst, Arabella had fallen fast asleep.
"She never makes it to the end." Sarah whispered as she tucked her little girl in and kissed her goodnight.
"The overall excitement wore her out." Giving his little girl a kiss goodnight, Jareth and Sarah departed from the room hand in hand.
"I'm glad you toned down the ending for her sake." Sarah replied with a smile as they descended to their room down the hall.
"I wouldn't dream of telling her how the ending really happened."
"Telling her how I ended up in a psychiatric hospital in the hillside far away from civilization for four years is not child friendly."
"My precious, I did not lie about the overall ending though. We have lived happily for the past eight years."
"That we have." Giving him a kiss they went to bed blissfully happy.