A Daughter Instead of a Son

Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Labyrinth, but I don't, which is probably good for the world in general.

In a small cottage on an antiquated farm a young couple sat, mourning. Meaghan sat in the bed, weeping over the corpse of yet another miscarried child; Thomas sat beside her, comforting her. They'd lost so many and prayed so much, yet still Dannan denied them a healthy child. Maybe they did not pray enough, or they had somehow wronged her. It could not be coincidence that the midwife had been gone that night, if she had been here things would have gone better.

Thomas stumbled out of the bedroom and sat out by the hearth. Pity the alehouse wasn't open at this hour. Else-wise he'd be there dinking the place dry and drowning his sorrows in good old mead. Since the place was not open at this hour he simply put his head in his hands and wept for all that would not be.

A knock at the door interrupted Thomas's mourning. He carefully and solemnly stood, opened the door, and promptly froze. There, in the doorway stood the Erlking, looking rather uncomfortable. He glanced about the inside of the small cottage in a hesitant, yet clearly condescending fashion, while Thomas rocked in shock and horror. It wasn't time for the Black Elves' harvest, he had no children and Meaghan was a married woman, a sullied woman, they had no use for her…

Jareth watched the mortal man sway back and forth and waited for him to say something… anything… after all, it was the tradition that the Erlking never spoke first to a human. They had to initiate conversation. Jareth watched the man continue to sway and turn white and gasp like a fish out of water. Clearly, traditions and formalities would have to be put aside for now.

"Young… Thomas is it?" The imposing Goblin King began trying to make himself sound as casual as possible while trying to remember what to say in this particular situation.

"Yes…" The hapless and currently witless young man whimpered.

"We need to… discuss something… may I come in?" Under the imposing eyes of the king, Thomas could only nod and whimper a little more. He could hear Meaghan softly sobbing in the other room and he felt that he needed to explain somehow.

He opened his mouth to explain, but the king interrupted him. "I understand that just this night your wife miscarried a child." Thomas nodded stiffly he didn't like where this was going. Did this happen to everyone who had multiple miscarriages during their marriage? Was…

Then the king neatly pulled up a chair and took a seat. Thomas realized that he was still standing and therefore above the king, no one could be above the king, so he promptly sat on the ground, praying that he would not offend his royal guest.

Jareth leaned back in the chair and made himself comfortable before continuing. "Due to the fact that there has been… a… rather unfortunate incident within my Labyrinth I…" He trailed off as he stared at the mortal who was staring up at him from the ground in petrified fear. Jareth let out a sigh.

"Mr. Thomas… please tell me, is there a mortal custom that states that you must sit on the ground and not in chairs?" Jareth asked the man slowly and patiently.

Thomas stared up at Jareth with trepidation. "N-N-N-N…no?"

"Good, now please sit down. I refuse to look down on anyone who is at least my size." The Goblin King added testily.

"Y-yes sir!" Thomas moved cautiously over to the chairs, face pale and sweaty. He looked at the chair hesitantly, then looked back at Jareth, who was watching him with intense annoyance.

"Do chairs here eat people Mr. Thomas?" Thomas shook his head and quivered under the intense look that the Erlking was giving him. "Really? Then for Dannan's sake sit!" Thomas dropped into the quickly and stared at Jareth like he was looking into the eyes of death. "Foolish mortal." Jareth muttered, massaging his forehead gently with his gloved fingers. Death had a far more genial personality than the Goblin King did, just so long as you liked cats.

Thomas shifted in his seat uncomfortably he could not believe that the Erlking was sitting in his house talking to him. The man, the fae, the thing that was the Erlking was talking to him… well actually getting annoyed with him, but nonetheless, it was still amazing and horribly terrifying, It took him a few minuets to work up enough courage to speak to the imposing man before him.

"Um, sir?" Thomas asked timidly, after all, he was speaking with the Erlking, THE Erlking. This was only the most powerful and supposedly malicious creature in the entire Underground.

"Yes?" Jareth answered calmly.

Thomas hesitated; dare he speak? "You were saying?" He dared. What would become of him for this?

Jareth nodded, ah, finally, the mortal was initiating conversation. "Ah, yes. You have troubles with having children, do you not?"

"Yes your Majesty." Thomas replied softly.

Jareth glanced at the man and noticed the pained look on his face, he'd definitely come to the right place. "Did you know that there's a rather… difficult… awkward… situation that has arisen within the walls of the Labyrinth?"

"No, your Majesty. That's terrible, your Majesty." Jareth raised a concerned eyebrow at the pallid, terrified young farmer and sat up a little straighter in his seat. After all, Thomas was a peasant.

An awkward silence pervaded the room for a long moment before Thomas took it upon himself to remind the preening Goblin King of the fact that he needed to do something.

"This difficult problem your Majesty, it uh… doesn't have anything to do with me, does it?" Thomas choked out hesitantly as he stared up at the imposing man in outright fear.

Thomas's words quickly reminded Jareth of his little issue. "Ah, yes my problem… well… ahem." Jareth hesitated as if trying to figure out how to word this. Thomas suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew what was going to happen, the Goblin King, like all good horrible, terrorizing Goblin Kings, was going to dump his problem on him; typical immortal.

As if to confirm this Jareth looked straight at Thomas and said with a smirk. "Good news, it's your problem now." Thomas could tell that the evil king was laughing at him silently in that moment, a sort of mocking laugh that taunted him. Then the smile left the King's face, "Come here." It was a command and Thomas dared not disobey. He really hoped that it wasn't some sort of quest, or magic item. Those were for heroes not farmers.

As soon as he was within reach Jareth handed Thomas the bundle of cloth. Thomas looked down at said bundle and found himself looking into a darling, perfect baby face. "A-a child?" Thomas asked in shock.

"Yes, a child." Jareth replied curtly.

Thomas was overjoyed, finally a child. "You're giving it to me? But why, I thought that you turned children into Goblins or took their souls or something?" Thomas asked confusion and happiness written across his face.

"Yes, well, I can't touch this one." Jareth told him testily.

"Why not?" Thomas asked, curiosity overcoming him.

"Its mother defeated the Labyrinth and promptly left it here. Therefore, I can't do anything with it and since I have no patience for children and may be facing a usurper sometime soon I can't really look after it." Jareth told him while examining his gloves.

Thomas's eyes moved over the beautiful sleeping child with absolute joy. "It's a girl. What's her name, does she have one?"

Jareth glanced at the man silently, he was unused to such joy. "Sarah."

"Sarah… Would you like us to raise her for you sire?" Thomas asked happily.

Jareth was beginning to see how subservient humans had become towards the immortal races. It was nice… in a disturbing sort of way… "Yes. I would like you to raise her for me, possibly for yourselves." He told Thomas.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked the great king.

Jareth shrugged. "I can't think of any use for a young girl in my Kingdom, I can't think of what the Labyrinth would need her for. Just make sure that if I do have to make use of her, she can be useful."

"Useful how?" Thomas asked hesitantly.

"Teach her to read or do things that would make her more useful than most mortal girls are." Jareth told him as if it were plain. Thomas bit his lip and wondered if the king knew what he asked.

"Yes sire." He said ponderously.

"Anyway, I leave her to you. And one more thing, keep her away from those blasted idiotic immortals who call themselves faeries." Jareth told him. Thomas watched Jareth stand there the king seemed to be waiting for something. "Well?" Jareth asked motioning towards the room that Meaghan, Thomas's wife was in.

Thomas realized that his wife had stopped crying. He walked in cautiously with the girl child in arms. He hoped that she'd accept Sarah. This had been the third loss in their little family, he wasn't sure how much she could take.

Thomas carefully sat down on the bed and touched his wife's shoulder. Meaghan stirred and woke. Jareth eyed the woman over. She was attractive; he'd give her that, maybe with a decent wash she'd actually prove to be beautiful. At the moment she was covered with sweat and blood. With her dark hair and pale skin she would pass as Sarah's mother.

Thomas gently handed the child to his wife and her eyes lit with joy. Jareth pulled back slightly, this was… new... he'd never seen humans behave or react in this manner before. He was an outsider here in this small, cramped room full of emotion. He needed to get out, leave. This was something beyond him.

Jareth cleared his throat to get the couple's attention. "As I said before, I leave her in your care. I'll come from time to time to make sure that everything is well. I bid you all fare well." With that he turned, his cape sweeping out behind him making him look every bit the king that he was.

"Wait!" Jareth glanced over his shoulder at the woman. Was there something that she wanted? The woman smiled at him, she was crying… why was she crying, wasn't she happy?

"Thank you."

Jareth stiffened at her words, no one had ever… no one dared… why had she…? He watched as she turned her attention back to the child that she held close to her breast, Mr. Thomas the farmer and husband cuddling her close. Jareth felt something strange rise up within him, something bitter for which he had no name. He turned away. He could sort out such things later; he had research to do.

The next morning Thomas sat down with his still bedridden wife and ate breakfast with her. They needed to discuss the Erlking's wishes for the child. They were, after all, only the foster parents.

"Thomas?" The young farmer jerked from his meditations.

"Yes, love?"

"Who was that man last night?" His wife was gently coddling the girl child who was gurgling happily.

Thomas swallowed. "Meaghan, that was the Erlking, the ruler of the Earthen Races."

Meaghan jerked her head up and looked her husband in the eye. "You jest!"

Thomas smiled weakly at his wife. "On my honor I do not." He hardly believed that the Erlking had visited them himself.

Meaghan was shocked. "He couldn't be! He looks nothing like they say!" She said in mild disbelief.

"Well, they were wrong…" Thomas told her, he paused as he thought about the Erlking's appearance and manner. "…about quite a lot of things." He said slowly.

"Why would he give us the child? Does he not eat them?" Meaghan asked quietly.

Thomas answered her rhetorical question. "No, he told me he doesn't… he turns them into goblins though."

"Then why would he…?" Meaghan trailed off and looked to the happy little girl in her arms.

Thomas furrowed his brow trying to make sense of everything that the Erlking had told him last night. "I think that it is because he has no claim on her."

"What do you mean?" Meaghan asked.

"I mean that her mother defeated the Labyrinth and then abandoned her." Thomas told his wife softly, finally understanding what the Erlking had said.

Meaghan stared at her husband in disbelief. "What a horrible woman. Why would she do such a thing to such a sweet and beautiful child."

"I don't know." Thomas shrugged. "I suppose that children are not valued as highly in the Above world." It was hard to imagine. In the Underground, though there was no sickness, there were plenty other ways to loose children, so it was good to have as many as possible.

Meaghan looked down on the small girl child again. "Did he say anything about her, did she have a name?"

Thomas turned his attention to the baby in his wife's arms. "Her name is Sarah."

Meaghan glanced up at her husband, a clever gleam in her eye. "Sarah? That's a very precocious name!" Everyone knew that faeries only had power over you if you gave them your true name. And nobody would name their child Sarah, so they'd change it, but Sarah would always be her true name.

Thomas caught onto her thoughts quickly. "Yes, I thought so too." They smiled down at Sarah, this was one girl that the fae would have to sling over their shoulders and carry off.

Thomas's smile faded quickly though, and Meaghan noticed. "We've been married for a long time Thomas, tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me." He lied. Meaghan gave him the look. She was his wife, she'd known him for years and he did not lie to her. Thomas gave in. "Alright, I suppose you must know. You see, His Majesty gave her to us because things aren't looking good in the Labyrinth, he said something about a usurper…"

Meaghan's surprise was apparent. "A usurper? Who would take the Labyrinth?"

"I haven't the slightest clue." Thomas told her.

Meaghan's expression became downcast. "So, he'll be wanting her back, then… when this rival is taken care of…"

Thomas thought on what the Goblin King had spoken the eve before. "No, I think that he doesn't really know what to do with her, so when she's old enough, fifteen or so I imagine, he'll take her back, if he's found something for her to do."

"If he's found something for her to do?" Meaghan asked slowly.

Thomas could tell she was getting her hopes up again. "Meaghan…"

She turned to him with hope shining in her eyes. "Dearest, there's the possibility that he won't! The king is a busy man, he might forget."

"I doubt he'd forget." Thomas said softy.

"Well, what use would he have for a farm girl?" Meaghan demanded.

Thomas sighed this is what they needed to talk about. "That's the thing, he wants her to be useful, able to read and such. Our job is to keep her safe, raise her well and make her extremely useful so that instead of marrying her off she'd go to the Labyrinth and spend her life within its walls."

"So we must teach her to be useful as what? What sort of usefulness did he specify?" Meaghan asked.

"He didn't specify, he just said, Make her useful." Thomas told her. He was worried though, what if they didn't make her useful enough, what if she was killed or carried off? What if she fell in love? She was a beautiful girl… then an idea came, a very strange, very improper idea… "You know, the old wise man says that the most useful person knows how to run a farm, a home and understands the basic things in life." Thomas told his wife.

"Yes, but love, only men run farms and homes in the way he talks." Meaghan wasn't sure that she liked where this was going.

"Well why not?" Thomas asked her.

"Why not what?" Meaghan returned apprehensively.

"Why not teach her all that?" Thomas asked Meghan.

"It isn't proper for girls to do that." Meaghan told her husband, she didn't approve of this.

"Funny thing, last I saw girls were being harvested for the elves, carried away by wild men and faeries and dowries are getting quite expensive. I think that maybe what's proper can be put aside in this case. After all, it isn't proper for the king to come down and speak man to man to a farmer." Thomas pointed out. Meaghan sighed she was going to loose this one.

"Yes, but I couldn't raise her in such confusion, could I?" Meaghan asked her husband softly.

Thomas looked down at the little one. "We'll take everything in stride; tell her what she needs to know when she needs to know it."

Meaghan looked down at the child and thought of the dangers of this world that she'd barely managed to survive. "I'll trust your judgment on this love; I only hope it is right."

Thomas smiled at his wife. "Well, times are hard. Desperate times-"

"Desperate measures." Meaghan finished the well known phrase with a smile.