Danae put her hands over her ears trying to block out the screams that were coming from the room next door, they were getting louder now and more frequent. It was almost time. Sarah had now been in labor for seven hours, and the waiting was starting to grate on Danae's nerves. There was nothing she could do to help Sarah, no way of easing her pain, all she could do was stand and wait for news.
"These things take time" Camille had told her, and the nurse should know, she had four children of her own. "It could be hours longer, even days, you will just have to be patient." Being patient had never been one of the Goblin Queen's strong points. Unable to sit still any longer she got up and started pacing the corridor again.
"I wish you would stop that" the Goblin King told her, looking up from where he was seated "You're making me nervous". Ivenan had been by her side all day, a painful reminder of the Goblin King who should have been there. It had been eight difficult months since the battle, and Danae had only recently become accustomed to her role as Queen, though Jareth's absence was felt by her and Sarah everyday, especially today, as his child was being born.
Since the peace treaty had been signed things had improved in the Goblin Realm, the attacks had stopped and a peace had settled over the land. Sarah had become an ambassador for the Goblin Kingdom, and a representative for the Queen, and was thoroughly enjoying her new role. However she had been forced to give up the role for a short period when Sarah had begun to describe herself as being 'As big as a goddamn house, a house that waddles around' and she no longer had the energy to travel such long distances.
Sarah's pregnancy had been relatively smooth, she had suffered a little from morning sickness in the early months, but apart from that she had breezed through it. However it had been a difficult eight months for the everyone. Sarah missed her lover and the father of her child. Danae missed her brother intently, she had always relied strongly on his judgment and advice, and to step up and take his place had put a great strain on not only Danae but those supporting her.
Danae sat down agitatedly "How much longer do you think that it's going to be?" she sighed as another painful moan come drifting through the door.
"You heard Camille, it could be hours yet" Ivenan told her patiently, "Did Sarah decide on any names yet?"
"I think so…" Danae answered, distracted by the appearance of the midwife. She shot up out of her chair and strode towards the door, "Well?" she demanded.
The midwife smiled, "It's all over" and a feeling of relief flooded through Danae, "Both mother and baby are doing fine; you can go and see them if you like." Danae stepped through the open door and into Sarah's room, Ivenan followed but hung back from the two girls, feeling slightly out of place.
Sarah was lying on the bed, propped up on cushions, clutching a small bundle wrapped in a soft woolen blanket. Her eyes were closed and she looked exhausted, there were black circles under her eyes and droplets of sweat on her forehead. But despite the tiredness she looked happier and more content than she had been since before Jareth had left them.
"Hey" said Danae softly.
Sarah opened her eyes slowly and smiled at the Queen. "Hey"
Danae walked over to the bed and kissed Sarah gently on the forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Don't ever have children" she joked warmly. "I'm so glad it's all over"
"Can I see him?" asked Danae warily.
"You'll struggle" Sarah grinned "It's a girl" she held the bundle over to Danae, who picked her up and held her, looking at the tiny face in wonder. "Her name's Jelana."
"Jelana" Danae breathed, "Oh Sarah she's just the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on." The girl in her arms was unbelievably small. Danae looked closely, five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot. A shock of dark hair on her small head, and when the small infant opened her eyes, they were mis-matched, just like her own. Just like her father's.
"What does it mean?" Ivenan asked suddenly
"What does what mean?" Danae replied, sharing a confused look with Sarah.
"Jelana, what does the name mean?"
"Oh, I found it in one of Jareth's old books, it means shining light."
"It's pretty" Danae smiled, as she wandered over to Ivenan to show off her niece.
"She's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen" Sarah smiled, closing her eyes for a moment, she was more exhausted than she had ever felt in her life, however the small bundle that Danae was handing back to her more than made up for the pain of the last few hours. "I wish he was here" Sarah confided to Danae, nobody needed to ask who 'he' was, "Just so he could see her."
"She's such a precious thing" Ivenan commented suddenly, and Sarah's mind reeled as a memory of Jareth stabbed her like a knife How you turn my world you precious thing, you starve and near exhaust me, everything I've done I've done for you. I move the stars for no-one.
She whispered to her child softly, so the other two couldn't hear "Everything I do now, I do for you."
Eighteen months later Jelana had been pronounced "Possibly the most difficult child in the universe" by Danae, who was looking after her niece while Sarah went on a diplomatic trip. Sarah remembered the first time that mother and child had been separated for any period of time since. It had been hard for Sarah to leave her daughter, even in the capable hands of Danae, who couldn't have loved the child any more if she were her own daughter, but she realized that the pain was something that would lessen, and it had, part of her now loved to go off and be free, if only for a few days, she rarely worried about Jelana, when she was left with Danae.
Sarah remembered one time leaving Jelana with a quite unwilling Danae, the baby had been teething, and this had led to her being irritable and generally unpleasant. And Danae had done everything in her power to try and persuade Sarah to stay with her unruly child, but Sarah had just laughed, and threatened to wish her away.
"Damn fine Goblin she'd make too!" muttered Danae under her breath as she tried to settle the baby.
"I wish the Goblins would come and…"
"Oh do shut up"
Danae was standing outside the castle, Jelana in her arms; the pair of them had come outside to wave goodbye to Sarah and Ivenan. Sarah would be in Bridga for about a week, and Ivenan would be in Elgard, staying with his family for the remainder of the month.
"Bye Nae!" Sarah kissed the woman that she now thought of as a sister on the cheek. "Bye Jelana you be well behaved for your Aunt now!" she warned. Her daughter kissed her sloppily on the cheek and Sarah smiled.
"Bye!" she shouted back to her mother, waving her hand erratically, as they watched Sarah climb into the coach.
As they watched Sarah's coach pull away, Ivenan kissed his wife tenderly on the forehead. "I'll miss you" she smiled, running her hand through his dark hair.
"I should hope so" he replied with a roguish smile. Even after over two years of marriage there was still only friendship between them, however it was a close friendship, and Ivenan was very dear to her. She knew the real reason that he was returning to Elgard was because his mistress, Katia had recently given birth to their first child. Danae was pleased for them, Katia was a nice woman, and Ivenan loved her more than words, their relationship had begun well before her and Ivenan's marriage, and although should she have wished it Ivenan would have ended things with Katia, Danae would never ask it of him.
"Give my best to Katia" she smiled.
"You're not supposed to know about her" he informed her suspiciously.
Danae just rolled her eyes "Darling, you're about as discrete as a six foot tall sky blue mouse!"
"Bye Uncle 'Venan" Jelana, suddenly interrupted, not liking being left out.
"Bye cherub" he kissed his niece tenderly on the cheek. With Jareth's absence, he had been playing the role of substitute father, though Danae worried how the birth of his own child would affect his relationship with Jelana.
When her husband had finally departed Danae carried the tired infant back inside the castle, and handed her over to Camille to take her for her nap, while the Queen listened to grievances for the day. Much as Danae wanted to spend more time with her niece, the Kingdom could not govern itself, and much of being a ruler was sacrifice, sacrificing the things you wanted for the things best for the country, Danae realized this the day she accepted Ivenan's hand.
Later that afternoon, when the Queen had finished Danae took her niece out for a picnic. The girl was toddling nicely now, with a few tumbles now and again. The pair were having a wonderful time chasing each other around on the soft grass near the fountain, Camille watching from a blanket that they had all dined upon.
"My Goodness she's exhausting" Danae smiled planting herself down next to the nursemaid.
"It's doing you good though" The nurse touched Danae's cheek softly, which was pink from laughter and exercise. "You don't get out here enough."
Danae opened her mouth to agree, but didn't get chance as Jelana pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. The mixture of laughter from the Queen and Jelana bubbled up like a brook, causing everyone who heard it to stop and smile, including a figure in the shadows that none of the party had seen.
Three days had passed, all being similar to the one before it. Danae was reading to Jelana as she put her niece to bed, it was one thing Sarah insisted on, that a familiar face tucked her daughter up at night.
"And as the mermaid stared at the sleeping prince and his bride, knife in hand, she realized that she loved him to much to slay him as he slept. So she crept back out of his chamber and back onto the deck of the ship. She threw the accursed knife back into the sea, where it came from, and she stood on the bow and waited. And as the sun began to rise, and as the dawn's first light hit the mermaid, she started to melt away, to turn into sea foam. And she is in the sea still, on the crest of every wave, breaking against every beach, so in her way the little mermaid lives on, and always will. The end."
"Excuse me Your Highness" a maid appeared in the room, appearing rather flustered, "His highness, sorry, I mean the King has returned."
"Send him up here, I'm still putting the little one to sleep" Danae commanded, shaking her head as the maid exited, if Ivenan was back this early it didn't bode well.
She tucked the tiny girl into her bed and kissed her gently on the forehead, "Goodnight" she whispered softly, and with a wave of her hand she dimmed the Jelana's light. She wandered over to the window and stared out, it was a beautiful night, not a cloud in the sky, the moon was arched in a graceful crescent, and she could see every star. She was starting to deliberate moving a few of them around when a creak on the stairs behind her, and a familiar footstep jarred her thoughts, "I thought that you were staying for another week or so…"
She turned and her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't Ivenan standing before her. "Jareth?" she whispered clapping her hand to her mouth.
