Disclaimer: I don't own Jareth, Sarah, Sarah's mother, or anything else having to do with Labyrinth, just the character of Sarna, even though I do wish I owned J. Of course, if I could have everything I wished for, I'd be a grand master at chess, too. Hehe…
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Robert Williams was on a business trip. His wife, Linda, was home with their year-old daughter, Sarah. Linda had tried everything she knew to get Sarah to quiet down and sleep, but nothing was working. Finally, in desperation, she made a single wish that would affect young Sarah forever. "I wish," recited Linda with a dramatic flourish,, "that the goblins would come and take you away right now." She then set the child into her crib and left the room, not knowing her wish would come true.
"Jareth, come with me, son," said Sarna, Queen of the Goblins. "I'm going to take you with me to take your first child." Jareth smiled. "It's about time, Mother. After all, I'm over 200 years old already." Sarna just shook her head. Her son had never been patient, though he would have to learn that if he were to take over as Goblin King after her death.
As they entered the small nursery, Jareth was awe struck by the beautiful child he saw staring up at him from the crib. He picked her up, gently, as Linda returned to the room, knowing something was wrong when Sarah stopped crying. The woman stopped short when she saw the two strangers in her house.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "What are you doing with my daughter? Leave her alone! Set her back down and leave my house this instant!" Sarna just laughed softly. "Oh, we'll be leaving, but we'll be taking your daughter with us. She'll make a beautiful little goblin." Linda was outraged. "You can't do that! Put her down right now!" Sarna laughed again. "But of course we can. You did wish for the child to be taken, so we're taking her." "But I didn't mean it."
A smile curved the Goblin Queen's lips. "Oh, you didn't? I've brought you a gift," she replied, holding out a perfectly round crystal. Linda's eyes moved to the crystal, transfixed. "What is it?" she asked. Sarna shook her head. "It's a crystal, nothing more. But if you turn it this way, and look into it, it will show you your dreams. Do you want it? Then forget about the baby."
The entire time, young Jareth was paying attention to his mother's speech, knowing he would someday he'd be repeating it to anyone else who wished to save their child or sibling from the labyrinth leading to the goblin city. Linda looked at Sarna, desperation in her eyes. "I can't. Don't you see that I can't? It isn't that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I didn't mean that wish." Sarna shook her head again. "Such a pity," she replied, pointing to the castle beyond the goblin city. "Don't defy me. You're no match for me." In response, Linda only became more determined. "I'll play whatever game you have for me, Goblin Queen. Besides, it doesn't look that far."
Sarna laughed. "It's further than you think. Such a pity." Linda glared at her. "I'll defeat you, don't you worry. And then you'd better give me my daughter back." Sarna smiled at Jareth, who took it from there. "You have 13 hours to solve the labyrinth before your daughter becomes one of us forever. Such a pity," he said as he and his mother faded out of sight, Sarah still in his arms.
12 hours, 58 minutes later….
As Linda reached the castle, she stood in the throne-room, ready for the confrontation with Sarna, Queen of the goblins. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered," the woman said, carefully, a highly determined look in her eyes, each step forward deliberate. "I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child that you have stolen."
Sarna only stood there, Jareth watching, young Sarah at his feet. The Queen knew she had been defeated. It only took certain words from this woman to seal her fate. She winced only slightly as Linda continued. "For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great. You have no power over me." With those final words, the 13th hour struck, and Jareth watched in horror as his mother became no more.
Over the next 13 years, Jareth watched Sarah as she started to grow into a beautiful young woman. He knew it was wrong, for she had been the cause of his mother's death. But still, he was falling in love with her. He decided that it became time for her to know of the labyrinth, and so, when her father and step-mother, Karen, brought home young Toby for the hospital for the first time, he wrote down the story of Linda's story through the labyrinth. He only changed Linda's name to Sarah, and the child to a boy, naming him Toby. Sarah would find it weird that the heroin and her brother had the same name as herself and her new brother, but she would never realize it was a true story.
Jareth then caused the book to be bound in red leather, with gold lettering, and placed it on the shelf of the bookstore in the hospital. Then, using his magic, he persuaded Robert Williams to purchase the book for Sarah. Jareth never wanted the young woman he was falling in love with to forget about his land, his labyrinth, except, of course, for six words. He never wanted Sarah to remember those words, for her to say he had no power over her. He had no wish to meet his death in disgrace and defeat, as his mother had. He wished only for Sarah Williams to know about him and the labyrinth so that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't make the mistake her mother had.