CHAPTER 10

Haloran said, "I have run every test I can think of and did it twice to be sure. She is a Lugh fae. She possesses an enormous amount of magic. It shows that the Labyrinth and his majesty, King Jareth, are both connected into her magic, as well as her own reserve which is wild magic. She is a hybrid, her human genes are gone, but she has iron in her blood and she is immune to it. She also has a high rate of fertility from the human leftovers. Child, I have never seen the likes of you, but you are everything we wish we were in immunity. Only your beautiful face surpasses my fascination with who and what you are. You are a unique individual and I am humbled to have met you. You are of a lost line of fae we thought went extinct eons ago. It is amazing how your line adapted to survive the lack of magic and iron exposure. The body is amazing to be able to adapt to that."

Oberon said, "We tell no one about her iron immunity or fertility. It may save her life one day and will be a gift to have it introduced to our grandchildren."

Tatiana nodded in agreement. She said, "Perhaps, our line will have many babies. I'm so excited to see how this will happen. It's a blessing from Danu."

Sarah said, "I did give Danu a blood sacrifice to enter the portal."

Oberon laughs hysterically. He caught his breath and said, "I forgot and should have known better than to jump to conclusions and scare you, my dear. I am so sorry. You could not have used the portal if you were human. Danu wouldn't allow it and your blood would have to be fae to do it no matter how diluted it is or it was. Portals are very sensitive and magical things. I don't think whoever put that book there knows that. The book would have been useless to anyone, except for someone exactly like you. Perhaps it is Danu, Dagda, Lugh or Nuada who had fate intervene to save our people from iron and infertility issues. Oh blessed be." He hung his head in reverence.

Tatiana said, "We have to introduce you at court. Haloran can back up any and all details, except the fertility and iron differences. It matters not, but is your own business. I can come to the castle and discuss this with you later. Let me get the betrothal contracts ready and you can sign and then you can go home and relax."

Tatiana was so happy and excited like her husband Oberon. They knew introducing her blood into their gene pool would introduce corrections in their people depending on how many children Jareth and Sarah had together. Those children will marry and so on. It will create a legacy and save their people from extinction in decades and centuries to come.

Jareth and Sarah signed the contracts and they were officially betrothed and Jareth, Oberon and Tatiana would back up everything with their healer at court. The date was set in three days at 11am to introduce her to the whole court.

Jareth and Sarah were leaving the High Palace, when King Darius and his daughter were going in.

Darius said, "Good day, Goblin King." Jareth nodded at him and his daughter.

Emiline rushed over and latched on to Jareth's other arm and simpered and said, "Oh Jareth, when can we meet again. You need to be with someone royal like me."

Jareth looked at Darius and Darius shrugged. Darius said, "She didn't believe me."

Sarah takes hold of Emiline's hand and removes it from Jareth's arm and steps between the two of them blocking her from touching him. Sarah clearly says, "He is my betrothed and I will not tolerate you throwing yourself at my man, who is taken. It is tacky and unbecoming a Princess to do so. I know you should know this. I am Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth and of the tribe of Lugh. Now, compose yourself and act like a lady with some decorum." Jareth was proud and flattered because no woman had ever stood up for him like this, but his future queen just did. Danu, he loved this woman.

Emiline snottily said, "There is no line of Lugh. They are extinct. You are a human and a liar."

Sarah said, "Do your eyes deceive you or am I not fae?" With everything inside her she focused on her hand to form a crystal like Jareth and said in her mind, 'Please help me do this correctly and not look like a fool.' She did the wrist movement and a beautiful sea green crystal formed in her hand. Darius and Emiline gasped. Sarah focused intently to pop the crystal and it popped.

Jareth had never been prouder of anyone in his life. His precious one, was a natural at magic and hadn't even practiced once. It took him months to form his first crystal when he was a child.

Emiline said with a pout, "So what. You're still a big nobody. The High King and Queen will think so too."

Jareth said, "Grow up Emiline. My mother and father witnessed the betrothal and even prepared the contracts. Leave me alone and find someone else to elevate you to a queen. I'm taken."

Darius nodded and said, "Goodbye, King Jareth." He gripped his daughter's arm and was dragging her away.

Emiline was desperately saying, "But…but… he was supposed to be mine." Her father said to her that she was disillusioned.

Jareth and Sarah went to the gate and mounted Treun. Jareth lifted her up gracefully with a boost from the guard by her foot, to sit in front of him. He turns Treun to the portal to transport back to The Castle Beyond The Goblin City. When they arrive through the portal. A call from the Labyrinth, itself, is made at that moment. The Labyrinth wants to speak with Jareth. He guides his horse to a different place from the castle.

Jareth said, "I have to do something before we go into the castle. Can you wait for me?" She said yes. He dismounts and tethers Treun to a tree and there is a bench under the tree. He reaches up and pulls Sarah down into his arms.

He kissed her and said, "Sit here, precious. I won't be long." Sarah sat down and scratched Treun's nose.

Jareth walked down the dark dank passage of gray reflective stone to a fork with a glowing crystal in his hand for light. He went left, then right and left to a narrow passageway that opened up into an all stone room with a glowing dark green ember. It was a silver green mist that was swirling in an eerie green light in the center of the room from a hole in the floor.

The mist formed into a woman, she glided over to him and said, "You have my Champion with you? Can you bring her to meet me?"

Jareth said, "Gaia, why did you not just ask me too do that directly? She is at the entrance waiting for me to take her to the castle" He huffed exasperated. "I'll be back." Gaia went back in her mist.

When Jareth returned, Gaia materialized again and said, "Child, you are more beautiful than when you were younger. I am Gaia, I am the Labyrinth, I am Magic in its raw form. You are Sarah, You are my Champion, You are of the lost tribe of Lugh. I will protect you as will King Jareth. You are my child and his love. We are all one. Do you understand?"

Sarah was contemplating her words, "You are saying that you are many things at the same time. I am many things at the same time, also. Both of you will help me. Jareth, you and I are all connected as one through magic, right?"

Gaia sounded excited, "Yes my child. King Jareth we have picked a smart and beautiful champion. She will bring forth life. She carries your son as we speak." Sarah and Jareth gasped.

Jareth said, "So soon?"

Gaia said, "Yes, the Fates have woven it into the tapestry of life. Your son will lead the people in time to a new era of peace. It is destiny, it is so written in time. The strong blood of Sarah will save her life and her son's until it saves all of the fae people, many times over. So it is said, so it is written in time. Beware my children of the dark doings of those with jealous minds, jealous hearts and evil intent. Learn magic well, Sarah, my child, my champion. Peace be with you my children." Gaia dissolved into a mist. Jareth led Sarah out of the passageways into the courtyard. They were both quietly thinking over everything Gaia said.

Jareth said, "I got you pregnant the first time we made love last night. I just never thought it could be so quickly." Sarah was stunned over that too.

Sarah asked, "What do we do now that we know? I think we keep it under our hats and only tell your parents. I think it's best if I go see my friends now."

Jareth said, "You just sit here and have some lunch with me first. I'll summon them for you like I said I would and go do some work in my study. You visit and get everything smoothed over about the mirror. You know Sarah, I never shut that mirror connection off? I wonder who did? Someone did because I connected it. The only person would have been me, mother, father or Malachi." His eyes bugged out. "It had to be Malachi, but why? I was very upset, but why would he shut off communication between you to us or us to you for that matter. Maybe he was mad at you for making me upset?" They ate and talked. Sarah went into a sitting room to wait for her friends and Jareth went to his study.

When her friends all arrived together. She jumped up and ran to them.

Sarah cried out, "Hoggle! Sir Didymus! Ludo! I've missed you all." She got on her knees and hugged them all. Hoggle was a little bit iceier than the other two.

Sarah explained, "After I contacted you one time the mirror stopped working I tried and tried but it wouldn't work so I gave up after a while."

Hoggle said, "I bet it were that rat. He was so angry and let everyone knows it and feels it too. We all tried calling out to ya but it didn't work. We didn't know what to think."

Sarah said, "His majesty, never shut it off. He thinks it was Malachi for some reason." Hoggle looked puzzled.

Sir Didymus said, "Thy king's advisor is very protective of the king. He wouldest have the power to close the portal."

Hoggle said, "Sarah, why does ya look like a fae? Did the king transform ya like tha little ones?"

Sarah said, "No, I guess I always was a fae. It's complicated. I am from the tribe of Lugh. I guess my genes were dormant until my body absorbed enough magic here. I suddenly transformed to my fae form. I have been here for two weeks. In the Aboveground I had been studying for years on the interactions of the fae with the humans 5,000 years ago until the fae were forced to leave and, tonight I found out that the tribe of Lugh decided to stay and blend in. I found out today that they adapted to human form and survived in my family line somewhere. I believe on my mother's side she was 100% from Ireland and grew up in my country. Countries are like kingdoms in the Aboveground." Hoggle and Didymus both nodded.

Ludo asked,"Sarah, stay?"

Sarah said, "Yes, Ludo. I'll be staying forever. I grew apart from my family when I moved away to get an education. I inherited money from my grandmother to pay for it all and I moved to Ireland to study in schools of higher learning. I found a way back through an ancient portal, so I prepared ahead of time to be sure I would survive, no matter what would happen. I found a full pot of gold just outside of the portal. I took it all and it has funded me through my journey."

Didymus said, "Thee is lucky thou found the gold to give thee comfort in hard times."

Hoggle asked, "Where'd ya go when ya got here?"

Sarah said, "I ended up in Bhaile then I went to Àiteigin. I was on my way to Loch Gorm when his majesty found me as I had made camp and was cooking a rabbit. I had my bow ready to shoot anyone until I found out it was him. He talked me out of going to Loch Gorm. He said it was a rough town and I would be at risk if I went there. He said I was lucky that I found the other towns first. He was worried that if I had almost fifty pounds of gold on me and that I was female I might be kidnapped or worse sold to a fae in a kingdom that doesn't care about human women and morals." Hoggle and Didymus both nodded.

Didymus said, "Thy virtue would be stolen and thee twould be a slave to a fae household. Tis fortunate the king found thee in time and brought thee here."

Hoggle said, "It's lucky ya didn't go there. "

Sarah said, "That's not all. I am betrothed to the king. He just took me to his parents and we signed the contracts and I was examined by the High King's healer to find out how this transformation occurred. The magic caused the human to leave my system and the fae took over. I saw subtle changes after my run three days later. My ears tapered, my hair and eyes were shinier and my mind changed. I could perfectly remember everything I write or read. I had none of that before. The healer said it was because of the exposure of magic that my body was changing."

Hoggle sputtered, "Yer going to marry that rat? Sarah, why? Is he forcing ya?"

Sarah said, "No Hoggle. I love him. I love all of you too, my friends. I am happy to be here with you now. I was so alone in the Aboveground. I lived in my books trying to understand what fragments I found of how when the fae came to my world they changed it, even if it is just fairytales now it was real and I knew it from being here with you. I had faith that there were good people here too because of you. Though even if it was all trickery, obstacles and dangers, I learned that everything has consequences and I was the one to be responsible for my own actions. You all and the king taught me that."

Didymus said, "That twas thy lesson, fair maiden, but thee was the kindest of friends. We tried hard to call to thee."

Hoggle said, "Sos, ya want to be tha Goblin Queen, Sarah?"

She smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess so, but I'll need some help from time to time. I hope I can count on you all?" They all nodded that they would. They visited for a while longer and Sarah was getting tired and wanted a nap before dinner time. When they left promising to return, she went to her room and laid down, but was getting restless, so she went to find Jareth and wherever his study is.