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 7: And Again
Morning dawned cheerfully, but Ione felt bruised emotionally. She rose quietly just as she had on a previous bright morning. As she walked outside, tears stung behind her eyes, and by the time she returned home, she was crying freely. He must know that she loved him. She'd told him. Why did he have to abuse her love? The thoughts chased each other through her mind. She entered the house thankful that Apollo was not yet up and walked slowly into her room. Her eyes rested a moment on a framed photo on her bedside table. It was a picture of Jareth in all his dark glory set in a circular frame and fused inside a crystal. This reminder shattered her still thin resolve and the tears began to run down her cheeks again.
"Mother?"
Ione took in a ragged breath and attempted to steady her surging emotions. She felt Apollo's gentle hand stroke one of her equine shoulders almost as if he were comforting a pet dog. Ione quickly wiped away the tears and sighed.
"Is it him again?"
Apollo had noticed his mother's gaze towards his father's picture.
"Yes," Ione replied.
Apollo quietly put his arms as far around her as they would go and rested his golden head on her equine chest.
"I love you, Mother."
Ione smiled and placed a loving hand on her son's shoulder.
"I love you too, Apollo. Thank you."
She never said it, but Apollo understood. If he had dared, he could read her mind, but his mother had carefully instilled principles and morals in him that prevented him from prying into this part of his mother. Still, he knew that when his mother was emotional like this, he had to keep her from thinking about his father. Something had happened between them he knew, but he would never ask.
"Are you joining today?"
"No, Apollo. I'm afraid I will have to wait again."
Ione began to spend much more time on Apollo's attack training in the following months. She taught the boy to make his hands as lethal as his hooves. Since a centaur would never dream of using his teeth to bite unless absolutely necessary, they had to find other weapons to make up for that. When his physical training was complete, Ione switched to mental training. She knew she'd bequeathed to her son a powerful defense. To demonstrate, she had Apollo hurl a javelin at her. It took some convincing before he finally hurled the weapon at his own mother. Ione let it come within inches before she held up her hand and stopped it so it suspended in midair. Apollo mastered the art of stopping things in weeks, and Ione continued on to moving objects. Soon he could hurl a javelin without even touching it. Ione was very pleased with her son's adaptation to his talents and finally turned to helping him control with magic. He chose the crystal as his tool of choice so as to identify with his sire as he put it. Ione knew this phase of the boy's training would take longer. Weeks and then months slipped by her.
One day Ione and Apollo stood side by side in the kitchen preparing dinner when Ione suddenly dropped the knife she'd been using and gripped the counter. Apollo stopped and put a hand on his mother's arm.
"Not again." Ione whispered softly while turning white as a ghost.
Apollo felt his mother tremble beneath his hand.
"Mother, what is it?"
"I think I'm pregnant again."
Her trembling grew worse and Apollo directed her to a chair.
"I will finish dinner, Mother."
Ione merely nodded without focusing. Apollo returned to the kitchen and vented his wrath on the vegetables. He couldn't understand how his father could do this. He knew his mother was crying. She never made a sound, but he knew. When he brought her dinner, she wasn't very hungry, but he'd planned on that.
Apollo practiced daily, but he made sure not to practice around his mother. He was practicing magic like his father's, and he knew it would bother his mother. It was in Ione's seventh month that a problem was noticed. The baby was developing in Ione's human abdomen. While Apollo thought she looked lovely, the baby would have to travel a long way to be born. The danger was that the child would suffocate before it could break free. Ione was growing to appreciate her son in a whole new way. Apollo was attentive and often stopped her from overwhelming herself. But when it was time for the baby to be born, their fears became reality. The child was stillborn. It would've been a beautiful baby girl human in appearance. Apollo had the job of delivering his tiny sister, and he was struck by how much she looked like his mother. He declared her to be a miniature Ione. Ione was able to look at her child only for moments before she was overcome by grief. Apollo silently took his little sister for burial. Apollo knew his mother was emotionally attached to the baby from months of carrying the child despite their worries. It didn't matter that Ione had never seen the baby but for moments after her birth. Apollo carefully laid the child to rest then returned to comfort his mother. It struck him that his father should be doing that. But Jareth didn't express the slightest concern over his daughter's near entrance into the world. Ione had expected such considering the King's lack of interest in his son. But Ione would heal. Apollo was now nearly two years of age and completing his training. Most centaurs didn't complete training until three, but Apollo was brighter than most. It was fast becoming apparent that Apollo was going to become a picture of his father in his human half, a fact he wasn't necessarily proud of. He decided that, since he was going to look like his father, he might as well dress like him too. Naturally he would forgo the skintight tights. His mother even helped him fashion his hair like the Goblin King's controversial style. It was somewhat hard for Ione to watch her son's transformation into his father, but she was satisfied as long as his heart remained golden. Apollo preferred his father's casual look since the shirt was loose and comfortable. Apollo made one change to his father's style. He pierced his left ear, and dangled a sacred symbol of the centaur race from it. The small metallic glint added fierceness to his inherited hawk like gaze.
Chapter 7: And Again
Morning dawned cheerfully, but Ione felt bruised emotionally. She rose quietly just as she had on a previous bright morning. As she walked outside, tears stung behind her eyes, and by the time she returned home, she was crying freely. He must know that she loved him. She'd told him. Why did he have to abuse her love? The thoughts chased each other through her mind. She entered the house thankful that Apollo was not yet up and walked slowly into her room. Her eyes rested a moment on a framed photo on her bedside table. It was a picture of Jareth in all his dark glory set in a circular frame and fused inside a crystal. This reminder shattered her still thin resolve and the tears began to run down her cheeks again.
"Mother?"
Ione took in a ragged breath and attempted to steady her surging emotions. She felt Apollo's gentle hand stroke one of her equine shoulders almost as if he were comforting a pet dog. Ione quickly wiped away the tears and sighed.
"Is it him again?"
Apollo had noticed his mother's gaze towards his father's picture.
"Yes," Ione replied.
Apollo quietly put his arms as far around her as they would go and rested his golden head on her equine chest.
"I love you, Mother."
Ione smiled and placed a loving hand on her son's shoulder.
"I love you too, Apollo. Thank you."
She never said it, but Apollo understood. If he had dared, he could read her mind, but his mother had carefully instilled principles and morals in him that prevented him from prying into this part of his mother. Still, he knew that when his mother was emotional like this, he had to keep her from thinking about his father. Something had happened between them he knew, but he would never ask.
"Are you joining today?"
"No, Apollo. I'm afraid I will have to wait again."
Ione began to spend much more time on Apollo's attack training in the following months. She taught the boy to make his hands as lethal as his hooves. Since a centaur would never dream of using his teeth to bite unless absolutely necessary, they had to find other weapons to make up for that. When his physical training was complete, Ione switched to mental training. She knew she'd bequeathed to her son a powerful defense. To demonstrate, she had Apollo hurl a javelin at her. It took some convincing before he finally hurled the weapon at his own mother. Ione let it come within inches before she held up her hand and stopped it so it suspended in midair. Apollo mastered the art of stopping things in weeks, and Ione continued on to moving objects. Soon he could hurl a javelin without even touching it. Ione was very pleased with her son's adaptation to his talents and finally turned to helping him control with magic. He chose the crystal as his tool of choice so as to identify with his sire as he put it. Ione knew this phase of the boy's training would take longer. Weeks and then months slipped by her.
One day Ione and Apollo stood side by side in the kitchen preparing dinner when Ione suddenly dropped the knife she'd been using and gripped the counter. Apollo stopped and put a hand on his mother's arm.
"Not again." Ione whispered softly while turning white as a ghost.
Apollo felt his mother tremble beneath his hand.
"Mother, what is it?"
"I think I'm pregnant again."
Her trembling grew worse and Apollo directed her to a chair.
"I will finish dinner, Mother."
Ione merely nodded without focusing. Apollo returned to the kitchen and vented his wrath on the vegetables. He couldn't understand how his father could do this. He knew his mother was crying. She never made a sound, but he knew. When he brought her dinner, she wasn't very hungry, but he'd planned on that.
Apollo practiced daily, but he made sure not to practice around his mother. He was practicing magic like his father's, and he knew it would bother his mother. It was in Ione's seventh month that a problem was noticed. The baby was developing in Ione's human abdomen. While Apollo thought she looked lovely, the baby would have to travel a long way to be born. The danger was that the child would suffocate before it could break free. Ione was growing to appreciate her son in a whole new way. Apollo was attentive and often stopped her from overwhelming herself. But when it was time for the baby to be born, their fears became reality. The child was stillborn. It would've been a beautiful baby girl human in appearance. Apollo had the job of delivering his tiny sister, and he was struck by how much she looked like his mother. He declared her to be a miniature Ione. Ione was able to look at her child only for moments before she was overcome by grief. Apollo silently took his little sister for burial. Apollo knew his mother was emotionally attached to the baby from months of carrying the child despite their worries. It didn't matter that Ione had never seen the baby but for moments after her birth. Apollo carefully laid the child to rest then returned to comfort his mother. It struck him that his father should be doing that. But Jareth didn't express the slightest concern over his daughter's near entrance into the world. Ione had expected such considering the King's lack of interest in his son. But Ione would heal. Apollo was now nearly two years of age and completing his training. Most centaurs didn't complete training until three, but Apollo was brighter than most. It was fast becoming apparent that Apollo was going to become a picture of his father in his human half, a fact he wasn't necessarily proud of. He decided that, since he was going to look like his father, he might as well dress like him too. Naturally he would forgo the skintight tights. His mother even helped him fashion his hair like the Goblin King's controversial style. It was somewhat hard for Ione to watch her son's transformation into his father, but she was satisfied as long as his heart remained golden. Apollo preferred his father's casual look since the shirt was loose and comfortable. Apollo made one change to his father's style. He pierced his left ear, and dangled a sacred symbol of the centaur race from it. The small metallic glint added fierceness to his inherited hawk like gaze.