A New Beginning for a Princess
Melissa awoke the next morning to a warm, morning sun greeting her through the glass doors which lead to her balcony. She rubbed her eyes and peered around at her surroundings, forgetting for a moment of the events which occurred the night before. She began to sit up in the gigantic bed and as she did so, heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she called instinctively. Upon her saying so, Kaylee entered the room holding a bundle of colored clothe in one hand and a pair of silver slippers in the other.
Kaylee rushed over to Melissa and nodded her head briefly in respect before heading towards a closet that was along the same wall as her vanity. Surprisingly there were also two identical mirrors with intricate gold framework that stood on either side of the newfound closet. Hanging the clothe – which Melissa now knew to be dresses – neatly in the closet, Kaylee looked back at the sleepy eyed girl and asked, "Did you sleep alright Lady Mel?"
Melissa sighed. It was going to be a job in itself trying to get people to act casually around her. But then again, she was a princess now, so maybe they weren't supposed to act normal around her. "Yes, I did. And yourself?" She asked, thinking that making a little conversation would be harmless.
The serving girl had turned back to her work at putting the gowns away, apparently arranging them by elegance. The extremely elegant ones were off to one side, organized by color; the same could be said for the less intricate ones. Kaylee gave Melissa a strange look after the question. "Yes, m'lady," she said cautiously before turning to place the slippers at the base of the closet.
Melissa stretched her arms and yawned deeply, noticing the hesitance Kaylee held when speaking with her. She didn't want to be feared in this place. She wanted friends. She'd had plenty of them back home, but she was going to have to start again here. She wouldn't be just Melissa Williams here. No. Now she was Lady Melissa, Princess of the Labyrinth. But that didn't mean that she couldn't have friends like she did back home – well, her old home at least. This was her home now. And she wouldn't be able to stay here without friends. "Kaylee, can I ask you something?" Melissa asked quietly, but not so quiet that the other girl couldn't hear.
Kaylee answered without looking behind her at Melissa, who still sat up in her bed. "Yes, of course m'lady," she replied simply, thinking the young princess would only be asking about the dresses or for something to eat.
Melissa toyed with the notion of asking something pathetic instead of her original question, but this one was important to her. "Do you think we could…um...be friends?" Her voice was just as hesitant as Kaylee's had been only moments earlier.
Kaylee had finished putting the clothes away and was just closing the doors to the wide closet as Melissa asked her question, catching her completely off guard. "I beg your pardon, m'lady," she said politely, walking a bit closer to the girl still sitting in bed.
The princess fingered the sheets that lay across her lap as she repeated herself. "Um...I asked if we could be...friends." She was afraid that Kaylee hadn't heard her. For some reason she was embarrassed by the question. She usually didn't go around just asking people to be friends, but she didn't know how to go about earning a person's friendship here – or at least a servant's friendship.
Kaylee smiled a warm, kind smile and said in response, "You said you want to be friends miss?" Melissa just nodded and the serving girl's smile grew. "Oh! Yes we can be friends!" She rushed up and sat down on the large bed beside Melissa. She sighed before speaking again. "I knew you'd be like her," she said joyously.
"Like who?" Melissa asked, curious as to who she reminded her newfound friend of.
Kaylee looked at the girl with genuine bewilderment plastered to her face. It was then that Melissa noticed that this girl was actually very pretty. She had deep black hair that was pinned up in a neat bun. Her eyes were a deep gray – blue color, and her cheeks were naturally tinted slightly pink. She had high cheekbones that suited her face well. She was about as tall as Melissa. The serving girl was also more petite than the princess, who was by no means fat, she just wasn't twiggy. Melissa thought about how much nicer she could look if only she would wear something a bit nicer and she would get her hair and makeup done, when she realized that Kaylee was speaking. "Why, your mother, Queen Sarah, of course," she stated as if it were blatantly obvious.
Melissa was a bit baffled herself now. "My mother? What do you mean?" Her question was simple enough, but Kaylee still held the same look of puzzlement.
Kaylee shook her head before speaking again. "I mean, you're just like your mother. She was kind, like you. She was a friend to all of the servants. My mother is still terribly upset about her death. She had always thought of Queen Sarah as her best friend," she told her sadly. Kaylee looked back up to Melissa's face. "I can't imagine how you must be handling all of this."
Melissa looked down at her hands in her lap. This conversation was turning very gloomy very quickly. She took a deep breath and tried to change the topic as she climbed out of bed. "Well, enough of this depressing talk. What about you?" She asked as she walked over the vanity where a brush was waiting for her.
Kaylee looked perplexed by this question, as she too scrambled off the bed. "What about me?" She asked as she began to make the bed to look just as pleasant as it had the night before.
Melissa sat down on the stool awaiting her at the vanity and began brushing her relatively long hair. "I mean, tell me about yourself," she said simply as she started to untangle a particularly nasty snarl from her tresses.
To her surprise, Kaylee just laughed. "Oh, m'lady. You don't have time to hear me talk about myself right now. Breakfast will be served soon and His Majesty wished for you to join him this morning. You should be getting ready," she told her once she was satisfied with the way the bed looked.
Melissa just sighed and put down the brush. She had to put an end to this 'm'lady' business now. "Okay, Kaylee. You don't have to call me lady. Call me Mel. Just Mel. If were going to be friends I can't have your referring to me as Lady Mel or m'lady all the time," she told her playfully, but at the same time she was serious. She stood up from her stool and started walking in the direction of the bathroom. As she passed Kaylee she pointed a finger at her in mock severity and said, "Now don't you go thinking that I'm just going to drop the topic of you, 'cause I won't."
Kaylee giggled at how ridiculous she looked in her green pajama shirt and shorts with a fake serious look. The serving girl went back to the closet to gather a few gowns for Mel to chose from when she was finished with her shower, which she knew had already been started from the sound of the faucet and a bit of singing on the princess' part. She found three gowns that would suit the day well. She could already see much of Queen Sarah in her daughter, and if she was as much like her mother as Kaylee suspected, then today would be a day filled with exploring the castle and possibly even the Goblin City.
Melissa came out of the shower with a red bathrobe wrapped around her to find Kaylee waiting for her on a chair that had been placed next to her bed. She smiled at Melissa as she stepped out of the bathroom and came near the bed. "I hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty to pick out a few gowns that you might like to wear today," Kaylee told her as the princess looked upon the gowns with wide eyes.
All Melissa could do was to say, "That's fine," as she looked upon the beautiful dresses in awe. They were exquisite. Each one appeared to be just the right size for her slender waist and modest curves. One of them was a purple, v-neck gown with lace trimmings along every edge. The sleeves were three quarter lengths and the dress itself would have fallen to her ankles. Another one held different shades of lovely greens and had outlines of leaves stitched into it, making it look very much like a forest. The last one was the one that Melissa chose to wear. It was a peach color mixed with shades of pale pink to make the dress look very feminine. The sleeves were long and wide at her wrist, giving them plenty of room within the sleeves. The dress was a v-neck that hid her chest quite well and fell to her ankles. Her outfit was complete with a pair of peach shoes that had a small heel, giving her just another inch or two of height.
She stepped in front of the mirror when she was finished. The girl staring back at her was beautiful. The princess stood at about five feet eight inches – with the added inch from the shoes heel. Her face had a bit of mascara and lip gloss on and was framed nicely with her sun-tinted brunette hair which fell scarcely beyond shoulder length. She noticed now that she did have her mother's face, all except for her eyes, which were identical to her fathers. Melissa smiled at her reflection and turned to Kaylee, who grinned at her as well. "Well," Melissa started. "I guess it's time for breakfast then." Kaylee nodded her agreement and began to lead her to the dining room, where the king awaited them.
As they walked down the many halls to the dining room, Melissa gazed at the many painting along the walls. Many were of Jareth and her mother. Some were of her and Sarah. There were even a few of Jareth and Melissa. She saw many of her mother while she had been running the Labyrinth. One of the paintings that Melissa particularly liked was one that depicted Sarah introducing a young Melissa to Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus. The princess also noticed that there were very few windows along the hall. The only lighting was from candles that lined the walls or even a few lights that held the same magical glow as the chandelier in Melissa's room. Those lights, Melissa noticed, were very common in the hallways that were decorated with portraits and paintings.
It wasn't long before they had reached the dining hall. Kaylee told Melissa to wait outside a moment for her introduction. The princess wondered why she would need an introduction to sit down at breakfast with her father, but maybe that was just the way things worked. Not twenty seconds after Kaylee had passed through the doors to give the princess' introduction had she returned to give Melissa permission to go on in, which she promptly did after a brief thank you to her friend.
Upon entering the dining room Melissa's jaw just about dropped – something that seemed to be happening an awful lot in this place – and her eye's widened. The room was huge and it held a wooden rectangular table that looked as though it could seat at least fifty guests with room to spare. The room itself was adorned with unnumbered windows and several paintings of the Labyrinth and three portraits of the noble's. One was of Jareth and it resided on the wall directly behind him at the far end of the table. Another one was of Sarah, and this one rested directly across from the king's. The third portrait was of Melissa as she was now: eighteen years old, in a peach gown, her hair in slight waves, and smiling politely. The only difference was that each of these royals had on a crown or tiara, and Princess Melissa was no exception. "You really do seem to have a fascination with these pictures, am I right?"
Melissa was snapped back to reality upon hearing her father speak. She looked over to where he was sitting and nodded once. He gestured to a seat directly below the portrait of her, which was precisely centered on one of the longer sides of the table. Jareth turned and peered curiously towards her. "So, Melissa, any questions?" he asked simply.
Melissa took her gaze from the room once more to look at him and give her response. "Yes, actually," she said. "Let's start with you and mom. I already know about the Labyrinth. But what happened afterwards?" Finally, a chance to get some answers around here.
Jareth nodded and looked pleased. "Well, you just get right to the point don't you? I suppose you're even more like your mother than I first thought." After saying this, he noticed her grin widen immensely, which made his smile grow as well. "After solving the Labyrinth, Sarah and Toby returned to their home aboveground. That first night back was the first time I ever allowed her mirror's magic to be used. I believe you know the one. It sits atop some form of a dresser I believe?"
Comprehension dawned on Melissa's face upon hearing this. "So I really did see Hoggle in the mirror! I'm not crazy!" Melissa shouted this last statement with evident enthusiasm. The intensity of her scream was followed by a shocked look on Jareth's part and a few clangs from the pots and pans in the kitchen not too far away apparently. It seemed that the princess' scream had sent quite a few of the cooks jumping.
"No, Melissa. You are not now, nor have you ever been crazy," Jareth began. "But I must say, the level's that your voice can reach are quite astonishing," he said bringing a hand to his ear in mock distress. Melissa's cheeks were colored pink after this statement. "But, we should return to the topic at hand. Your mother's mirror held some magic, just enough to allow her to communicate from one world to the other. I had placed that magic within there after seeing her in the park for the first time. She had been reading that book and I noticed right away how absorbed in it she was. After seeing her there the first time, I came back everyday to see if she would return."
Melissa decided – much to Jareth's chagrin – to interject. "Don't tell me the almighty Goblin King was a stalker!"
Jareth eyes narrowed a bit before continuing. "No, Melissa. I was not stalking. I was merely waiting for her. She had an obvious love for the Labyrinth. That she made no secret of. She came back soon, and I was there waiting for her. After a while, I followed her home and saw how she loved that mirror. That is precisely what enticed me to place a small amount of magic in it."
He paused a moment to give Melissa a chance to respond. She did not disappoint. "Okay. So, you follow her home, put magic in her mirror – very snow white, by the way – and she wishes for you to take Toby away, she wins him back, the magic in the mirror comes out, then what?"
He smiled mysteriously upon hearing this. "So curious Melissa. But, yes, you have everything correct. Now, that night, her friends, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hogbrain-"
"Hoggle," Melissa said instinctively.
Jareth's smirk grew. She really was exactly like her mother. "They all saw her that night. But once they left, she had felt alone. The next morning when she woke up, she was anxious to get back to school to see her aboveground friends. But what she found was vanity, carelessness, and pettiness. She had risen above what they thought, said, and did. The next few weeks went by with the same loneliness and depression. She went to her school during the day, went to the park to complete that homework that was given out, and at night, she would speak with her friends in the mirror. Almost exactly two months after she beat the Labyrinth, I appeared in her mirror instead of Higgle and the others." He waited expectantly once this was said.
"It's Hoggle," Melissa said tiredly. She could tell he was just trying to annoy her, but she still had to correct him.
Suddenly, Jareth threw back his head and laughed, which quite surprised Melissa. She hadn't been expecting this sort of reaction from him at all. When he was done, about a minute later, he said, "You really are just like your mother. Never could call Hoggle by the wrong name and get away with it. But, anyway, I came to see her instead of those three. I offered her a chance to come back to the Labyrinth if she wished to, which she did. I told her that I would allow her to finish her high school education before coming to live here permanently if that was her wish. Until that time, she would be free to come and go between the worlds as she pleased. I told her that if she wanted that, all she needed to do was wish for it, and she did. The next three years passed with her coming to the Labyrinth every weekend and her friends and I coming to see her every other night. Soon, Sarah's distrust of me disappeared. Over time, she grew fonder of me, as I did for her. Eventually, that fondness grew to care, and care grew to love. Within the first year of your mother's life here, we married. The next year was when she informed me that she was with child. Not long after her twentieth birthday, you were born."
Something seemed wrong with this to Melissa. "Well, if you two both lived here, why couldn't I just grow up here? Why did mom go back?" she asked, genuinely confused. She was sure that growing up in this magical land would have been much more fun than growing up aboveground.
Jareth had been expecting this question. "The day you were born, your mother and I were informed that because you were half mortal, you would have to wait to live underground you had reached the same point in your life that Sarah had. She brought you here to visit when you were young enough to still believe in this place. As soon as your belief faded, however, your visits here had to stop. Your mother wanted you to have as normal a life as possible, so naturally, she couldn't have you telling your friends that your mother had taken you to a place with magical creatures and castles, and so she made sure that you believed that all of those little trips here were merely dreams. She would still speak with her friends whenever she had the chance, but she stopped after you walked in on her having a conversation with Hedgwart."
Melissa glared at him. "His name is Hoggle!" she declared loudly.
Waving her interruption aside, he continued. "Yes, yes. Hoggle then. After that, she told him that she wouldn't be able to speak with him until you had graduated. Occasionally, I would visit, but that had to stop as well, as my magic was beginning to rub off on you. After your graduation, you were supposed to go to your grandparents' house and she would have used the mirror to introduce you to her friends. Then, you would have been brought here, to begin your life as an underground princess."
Melissa cut him off once more. "Okay, so, you're saying that I couldn't come her until I had graduated, because that is when mom came to live here?" Seeing his nod, she continued. "Alright. Now, what about your magic rubbing off on me? Why didn't it rub off on mom?"
Jareth sighed and looked out one of the windows closest to him. Melissa followed his gaze to see an incredibly blue sky stretching across miles of Labyrinth and, closer to the castle, the Goblin City. Jareth's words brought her out of her viewing. "You have magic in your blood. Sarah did not. Because the magic was already within you, the surrounding magic was also drawn to you. Usually it takes much, and believe me when I say much longer for magic to be rubbed off on someone. Within a few hundred years of marriage a couple's may be able to access the other's magic if they have a strong enough bond. My magic rubbed off on you so early because one, I am your father, and two, the Labyrinth's magic respects Sarah, therefore it eventually allowed her access to it, but since you are her daughter – not to mention mine – it was also drawn to you. These two factors made you more susceptible to my magic. Do you understand?"
Melissa simply nodded, trying to digest all of this new information. Jareth looked as though he was going to say something else, but two goblins were now walking from the kitchen door towards them, each carrying a tray with a silver cover. They walked towards the royals placed the trays in front of them before lifting off the covers, bowing deeply, and exiting the room. Melissa looked down at her plate. Before her was a steaming, ham and cheese omelet and a few slices of bacon: her favorite. Two more goblins promptly entered and each placed a glass in front of the two. Melissa's held orange juice. She looked over to Jareth and saw that his meal was the exact same as hers, with one exception: he had sausage instead of bacon. "I thought you might like a breakfast like this before sampling underground delicacies," he told her plainly.
She nodded and picked up a fork. "Thanks," she told him while cutting off a slice of omelet. After tasting it, she realized how much better it was than anything she had ever tasted. It was steamy, but not hot, the ham wasn't burnt, and the cheese was melted to perfection. There was some sort of extra spice, an herb, maybe, but whatever it was, it completed the taste.
Jareth however, had not taken a bite of his breakfast. He merely stared at his daughter in awe. "Your welcome, but you needn't thank me for feeding you. Did you think I wouldn't allow my own daughter food?" He was quite stunned at the fact that she had thanked him for presenting her with food. After all, she couldn't have thought he would have done otherwise.
Melissa swallowed and looked over at Jareth. "No, it's not that, it's just, I don't know. This place is so formal looking. Whenever mom and I went to a place like this I just automatically thanked the person who was buying and the people who were serving. It's just a habit, I guess."
Jareth nodded, but said nothing else on the matter and began to eat himself. The room was silenced as the two ate and drank. This caught Melissa's attention, and after swallowing the bit of bacon she had in her mouth, she began to laugh. Jareth looked up in confusion and asked, "What's so funny?"
She managed to still the laughter within a few more giggles. "Mom always said you could tell when people were hungry because as soon as they sit down to eat, it gets very quiet," she told him with a fond memory of her mother and her sitting at the small dining room table laughing over this when they had become too full to eat another bite.
Jareth chuckled a bit before taking a sip of his orange juice. "You are quite like her you know," he said, mentally comparing her to her mother.
Melissa, too, took a drink of her juice. "So I've been told."
The king's face became more serious after a moment of thought. "Melissa," he started off. From his tone, Melissa could tell he wasn't fond of the subject he was bringing up. "I hope you don't mind, but tonight there is a rather pressing appointment that you must accompany me to."
Melissa looked skeptical. "What kind of pressing appointment?" she asked suspiciously. There was no way she was going to any kind of Goblin meeting. No way. No how. Sitting in a room filled with goblins was not her idea of a good time.
Jareth sighed before continuing just as sullenly as before. "The Elvin Prince, Leonardo, is celebrating his twentieth birthday tonight. We, as the Rulers of the Labyrinth, are expected to attend. Seeing as how you have just arrived, however, you may be excused from going," he told her giving her one of those jealous, oh-how-I-wish-I-were-in-your-shoes looks. She could tell he and the elf prince were not exactly buddy-buddy.
Melissa visibly relaxed upon hearing this. "Oh. So, is it like a party or something?" She was now actually curious about it.
Her father shrugged. "I guess you could call it that. We refer to it as a ball. A masked ball, to be precise. His mother decided to be old-fashioned while planning it"
She thought it was odd that his mother would be panning his party, but then again, she found a lot of things odd in this place. "Sure. I'll go. Sounds like fun." She managed to make her voice much calmer than she actually was. Then, she put a hand up to her chest in mock alarm and said in a very girly voice, "But whatever shall I wear!" A goblin who had apparently been watching them from the kitchen doors laughed, but scurried behind the doors after earning a fierce look from Jareth.
He turned his attention back to his daughter. "Oh, believe me. It's not as fun as it sounds. The Elvin Queen is not exactly pleased with us," he told her, ignoring the fact that she had just made a performing joke.
This puzzled Melissa to no end. "Why is she mad at us?" She asked with genuine bewilderment.
Jareth looked out the window once more before looking back to her. "Well, it's not really us. It's more me who she's mad at. She seemed to have it in her head that we should have married to join our kingdoms instead of me marrying Sarah and her marrying Trident as she did. I can't imagine she'd welcome you with open arms, you being Sarah's and my daughter and all, but there's always a chance I guess."
Melissa nodded. "Oh. Well, I'd still like to go. I've never actually been to a masked ball before." Excitement had begun to well up inside her. She had always loved hearing about these fairy tale balls with beautiful gowns and glass slippers and handsome princes. Besides, she thought she should at least try to be friendly to some of the other nobles.
Jareth just shrugged once more and said, "Very well. It's at eight. You should be ready by seven – or possibly, since you're Sarah's daughter, you should try be ready by six," he told her with a smirk.
His daughter simply glared at him. "Oh, ha ha. You're a riot, Jareth." Then it hit her. "What do I call you now?"
He looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do I call you Jareth, or dad, or your Gobliness or...I don't know. What should I call you?" she pressed.
Jareth thought a moment. He hadn't thought of that. "Jareth. You can call me Jareth. Or dad, when you're ready to." He didn't want her to call him 'dad' if she wasn't comfortable with it.
Melissa nodded. "Alright. Jareth."
The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence. Jareth got up to attend to some of his duties not long after the conversation had ended, leaving Melissa to finish her meal in silence before deciding to wander about the castle. "Well, why not? It is my home too after all. I should at least know my way around," she told herself firmly. But little did she know, another presence keeping a close eye on the princess had other plans for her.