Disclaimer: The Labyrinth, its characters, songs, and phrases are
unfortunately not mine. They belong to Jim Henson Productions. However,
Ione, Apollo, and Isis are my original characters as well as the story.
Please do not use my characters without my permission.
Chapter 3: Apollo
Ione spent a month in solitude to right herself again then went about her normal routine. She went on so uninterrupted for several months without sighting the King so she assumed everything was back to normal. However, she was wrong. It was nearly six months after the storm when Ione began to feel odd. It almost seemed as though a butterfly were trapped in her stomach. Ione dropped the carrot she'd been snacking on and held onto the countertop for support. It couldn't be! She turned slightly and massaged her sides gently. Again. Nearly fainting, she gripped harder on the counter. She was going to have a baby. The realization hit her like a pile of bricks and she immediately found a place to sit down. There was only one possible explanation, but she didn't believe it! She ran her hands through her hair. There was no way to rationalize this. Ione shook her head in attempt to clear it. She liked her world to be rational, but if she wanted rational, she probably needed to find a new place to live. Finally, she sighed. She would just have to accept this turn of events because there simply was nothing she could do about it.
"I'm pregnant."
The words seemed to finally sink in.
"I'm going to have the King's child."
No, those words would take longer to stick.
But, reality soon proved itself. Seven months saw Ione gaining weight. The child developed in her horse body, but she would still reach around to caress her sides and talk to the child growing within her. The time for her child's arrival came only a few days after her ninth month, yet she'd heard no word from Jareth. However, his silence spoke louder than words. The message was clear. No one would know about her child's paternal heritage. That day, Ione had been feeling rhythmic pains, but they did not cause her concern until mid-day. When the sun had reached its zenith, Ione brought a beautiful centaur boy into the world of the Labyrinth. After carefully cleaning the newborn, Ione looked up toward the sun.
"Apollo."
She smiled and kissed her tiny child.
"Your name shall be Apollo since you were born during the sun's glory. Your second name shall be Chiron, a sage amongst our people."
The young centaur smiled and attempted to stand. Like foals they learned to walk quickly. His first attempts failed miserably, but he seemed to be a quick learner as well as determined and was soon standing shakily beside his mother. Like all newborns, young Apollo was hungry. Ione knew it and was prepared. Once full, Apollo wasted no time in falling asleep. Ione smiled and put the baby centaur to bed. Once the little one was safely tucked in, Ione spent several hours simply staring at the peacefully sleeping child. He was perfect! She was sure he was the most precious baby ever. His human half was a perfect cherub, and his equine half was creamy and soft. She loved his delicate hooves and adored his tiny bottle brush tail. The thought slowly flitted across her mind that Jareth had already missed many joys of his son's existence, but it was his choice. She left the room then and went about her day's work although she'd purposely left that work light. As a centauress, she was not extremely affected by childbirth. This was due to the fact that it was her equine half that gave birth. Horses in the wild had to bounce right back from foaling or they were vulnerable to predators. This was also why the centaurs learned to walk within hours of their birth. She checked on her son often while he slept, and for the first months of Apollo's life, he did a lot of sleeping and eating. Gradually as he grew, Apollo grew more rambunctious. Horse-like, he loved to run and play. Ione often had to take him to the wide-open space outside the Labyrinth walls where there was room for the boy to run. By his one-year birthday, Apollo had learned to move with confidence through the Labyrinth. His young mind was already very developed, which was another affect of being half horse. Yearling horses are almost fully-grown in size and maturity, but with centaurs, the growing is slowed somewhat from that of equines. As a yearling, Apollo looked between five and seven, and his equine form was about the size of a grown Shetland pony. However, the boy's mind was nearly as developed as a teenage human but with a childlike clarity.
Chapter 3: Apollo
Ione spent a month in solitude to right herself again then went about her normal routine. She went on so uninterrupted for several months without sighting the King so she assumed everything was back to normal. However, she was wrong. It was nearly six months after the storm when Ione began to feel odd. It almost seemed as though a butterfly were trapped in her stomach. Ione dropped the carrot she'd been snacking on and held onto the countertop for support. It couldn't be! She turned slightly and massaged her sides gently. Again. Nearly fainting, she gripped harder on the counter. She was going to have a baby. The realization hit her like a pile of bricks and she immediately found a place to sit down. There was only one possible explanation, but she didn't believe it! She ran her hands through her hair. There was no way to rationalize this. Ione shook her head in attempt to clear it. She liked her world to be rational, but if she wanted rational, she probably needed to find a new place to live. Finally, she sighed. She would just have to accept this turn of events because there simply was nothing she could do about it.
"I'm pregnant."
The words seemed to finally sink in.
"I'm going to have the King's child."
No, those words would take longer to stick.
But, reality soon proved itself. Seven months saw Ione gaining weight. The child developed in her horse body, but she would still reach around to caress her sides and talk to the child growing within her. The time for her child's arrival came only a few days after her ninth month, yet she'd heard no word from Jareth. However, his silence spoke louder than words. The message was clear. No one would know about her child's paternal heritage. That day, Ione had been feeling rhythmic pains, but they did not cause her concern until mid-day. When the sun had reached its zenith, Ione brought a beautiful centaur boy into the world of the Labyrinth. After carefully cleaning the newborn, Ione looked up toward the sun.
"Apollo."
She smiled and kissed her tiny child.
"Your name shall be Apollo since you were born during the sun's glory. Your second name shall be Chiron, a sage amongst our people."
The young centaur smiled and attempted to stand. Like foals they learned to walk quickly. His first attempts failed miserably, but he seemed to be a quick learner as well as determined and was soon standing shakily beside his mother. Like all newborns, young Apollo was hungry. Ione knew it and was prepared. Once full, Apollo wasted no time in falling asleep. Ione smiled and put the baby centaur to bed. Once the little one was safely tucked in, Ione spent several hours simply staring at the peacefully sleeping child. He was perfect! She was sure he was the most precious baby ever. His human half was a perfect cherub, and his equine half was creamy and soft. She loved his delicate hooves and adored his tiny bottle brush tail. The thought slowly flitted across her mind that Jareth had already missed many joys of his son's existence, but it was his choice. She left the room then and went about her day's work although she'd purposely left that work light. As a centauress, she was not extremely affected by childbirth. This was due to the fact that it was her equine half that gave birth. Horses in the wild had to bounce right back from foaling or they were vulnerable to predators. This was also why the centaurs learned to walk within hours of their birth. She checked on her son often while he slept, and for the first months of Apollo's life, he did a lot of sleeping and eating. Gradually as he grew, Apollo grew more rambunctious. Horse-like, he loved to run and play. Ione often had to take him to the wide-open space outside the Labyrinth walls where there was room for the boy to run. By his one-year birthday, Apollo had learned to move with confidence through the Labyrinth. His young mind was already very developed, which was another affect of being half horse. Yearling horses are almost fully-grown in size and maturity, but with centaurs, the growing is slowed somewhat from that of equines. As a yearling, Apollo looked between five and seven, and his equine form was about the size of a grown Shetland pony. However, the boy's mind was nearly as developed as a teenage human but with a childlike clarity.