a/n: I do not own labyrinth
Chapter 33 – Preparing For War
It had been three weeks since the nobles had left to prepare their kingdoms for war. The elves had needed to avoid traveling through the Tree kingdom as they customarily did, so they went north into the Merfolk kingdoms and sailed from there to their lands. They would march as soon as possible. They needed stealth to get through the mountains on the northern border of the dwarf kingdom. They would be going through enemy territory. Carys and Danol had tearfully left Cara at Goblin City in Sarah's care. They went with all possible speed to prepare Crimsonfire City. Carla had sent a message with all possible speed to her seneschal to send her troops as soon as they could prepare. The common folk had gone back immediately to start preparing for their march to Crimsonfire City. It had all started.
Another week and Jareth would be leaving her in charge of their kingdom. He expected her to keep it intact and keep herself and the children safe. In about three weeks she would be able to tell the gender of the children. And soon, their minds would be ready for her to start instructing. She would start talking to them, soothing them. She would tell them about their father, and about the Labyrinth. She would tell them about their relatives and about her. Where she came from, and why she was there.
Sarah had already decorated the nursery in her spare time. It was easy with magic. She made the walls a beautiful mural of nature, with all kinds of different creatures of the Labyrinth and beyond on the walls. They were so vibrant it looked as if they could come alive and leap off the walls. And Sarah had worked with Jareth on one project she knew would serve a purpose. The ceiling was a moving picture of the Labyrinth. When the Labyrinth moved or changed, so did the picture on the nursery ceiling. She had raced to do the same thing to Aaron and Toby's ceilings. She knew her children would need to know that Labyrinth like the backs of their tiny hands, and they could start by staring at it from their cribs. The royal nursery held three cribs identical to Aaron's. The blankets and crib sheets were vibrant shades of green and yellow. She did not care what gender the children were (of course she wanted at least one to be male), but she had always loved those colors.
Sarah had a lot of free time lately. Jareth was overseeing the supply wagons and the armory. Toby tagged along with him a lot, eager to learn what Jareth did while preparing for war. Sarah found herself taking her lunch with only Princess Cara and Aaron. Princess Cara was young, only about fourteen in mortal years, almost the same age Sarah was when she first ran the Labyrinth. Cara loved little Aaron, and giggled at his every new accomplishment. Queen Carla stayed indoors mostly, due to the dry air and shining sun that made up the sky above the Goblin City.
Aaron had adapted to his life in the Goblin Kingdom very well. He was walking now, toddling along and occasionally falling on his bottom. He would giggle and get back up. He had taken to calling Sarah 'mama', and didn't call Jareth anything but babbling noises. He could say some words, but he was very much a noises type of baby. He liked to makes mud pies in the garden, and was growing like a weed. And he loved his Uncle Toby, toddling as fast as he could when he saw the eleven year old. Toby played with him whenever he could. Aaron was one of those kids that loved everyone around him. Sarah hired a nanny to take care of him. Her name was Varda, and she got along well with Aaron.
And the garden was where Jareth and Toby found them one day. Sarah was sitting in a comfortable lawn chair, her belly rounded underneath a new maternity gown she had designed, made of silk in a dark shade of pink. She was staring out into nothing, as if contemplating her own existence. Aaron was sitting on a blanket, playing with a complex wooden stick. Princess Cara was sitting on the blanket with him, sketching on a drawing pad, her pencils beside her. Jareth walked over to Sarah and gave her a lingering kiss that made Cara giggle and Toby sigh with discontent.
"What are you guys doing here? Aren't you usually in the armory at this time of day?" Sarah asked him.
"Well, I miss having lunch with my wife," Jareth told her and he made his way over to Aaron and bent down to give the toddler a kiss on the forehead. Aaron lifted the stick as if to say 'how do you solve this?'. Jareth gave a hearty laugh and patted him on the head.
"Is it lunchtime already?" Sarah asked. As if by magic their lunch appeared, along with a picnic table. Sarah arched an eyebrow at Jareth, and he shrugged with feigned innocence. She accepted his offered hand and made her way to a bench at the table.
"Will you be ready in a week?" Sarah asked her husband after she took a drink of lemonade.
Jareth nodded and swallowed the wine he had been drinking.
"The armor is finally ready. I even had armor made for Toby here," Jareth smiled.
"I have my own sword, shield, and helmet", Toby said with a grin. Sarah rolled her eyes. Most human boys only dreamed of having armor, Toby actually had some. She had to imagine it was the male version of dressing up in ball gowns and dancing with a prince. Now that thought was funny, seeing as she was a Queen now and Toby actually was a prince.
"Jareth, we need to do something. I think it would be a good idea to build some kind of battlements on the roof. I think I will need to be able to see the whole Labyrinth once Xandra invades,", Sarah told her husband while nibbling on an apple slice.
"I couldn't agree more. We definitely will not be able to do that without magic though. Should we get started on that after lunch?" Jareth asked her.
"Varda can put Aaron down for his nap. Cara and Toby can go inside and occupy themselves," Sarah pointed out.
"Actually, Your Majesty, I would like to go explore the Labyrinth a bit if you wouldn't mind. I could take Toby with me," Cara pointed out.
"You call him Jareth but call me Your Majesty?", Sarah asked the girl.
"It seems wrong to call you Sarah," Cara shrugged.
"Try it. You can call me Auntie if you would like," Sarah told her.
Cara giggled. She nodded. Her and Toby raced off to explore the Labyrinth.
Sarah worried about Toby. Toby was not immortal as she was. One day he would need to go back Aboveground. He would want kids, and marriage. She did not know if he would find love down here. The Fae were immortal beings. She turned to Jareth and asked him when she would be forced to send Toby back Aboveground.
"Sarah, never. I am surprised it did not occur to you before to ask. I am surprised I did not bring it up either. Toby and Aaron will never return Aboveground," Jareth told her.
"But the instructors told me that the knowledge of how to turn someone Fae was lost to time!" Sarah exclaimed in shock.
"My dear, you just asked them the wrong question. That knowledge was how to make someone Fae, how to turn someone like the prophecy turned you. But that is not the case for a child. Toby and Aaron are still children. Their time here has already begun to change them. They are young, they are adapting. They will become Fae over time, but it will not take long. How long have you worried about this?" Jareth was puzzled.
"A while. I just did not want to bother anyone with it," Sarah said as she lifted Aaron off the bench where he sat munching an apple slice. He liked apples as much as Sarah did. Jareth took Aaron from her and looked straight into the tot's eyes. A little light shone from behind Aaron's blue eyes. Jareth smiled.
"Aaron is already advancing quite well", Jareth told Sarah and gave the tot a big hug. Aaron babbled in his ear as they strolled back to the castle.
The royal couple stood at the top of the castle and examined the newly built battlements. They were slightly tired from erecting the new additions, but they were very satisfied. Sadly, it was just about the only alone time the couple had. Every minute was precious, with more things to attend to, and more details to be processed.
Sarah looked over the Labyrinth and the surrounding lands. She knew she would need these battlements. While Jareth was away she would be the only person capable of saving their kingdom. She once again found herself dreading what was to come. She looked around and then looked at her beloved.
"A week," Sarah commented with a sigh.
"Yes, a week," Jareth sighed, and left his Queen atop the battlements as he went to see to more of the details of a grim war against a mad dwarf named Nogrod.