"You remind me of the babe."
"What babe?"
"Babe with the power."
"What power?"
"Power of voodoo."
"Who do?"
"You do."
"Do what?"
"Remind me of the babe!"
The Goblin King and Queen celebrated their new son's birth with a fanfare, as it should. All the goblins were invited, and Jareth promised that no one would be threatened with the bog (although he didn't say anything about any other punishments). There was cake, sparkly crystals, and a show put on by the king himself. Jareth figured, what better way to celebrate the birth of his son than to put on a party with the same music that he used for his namesake?
Though Prince Toby was just a newborn, he cooed and gurgled at his father's dancing, just as his Uncle Toby had. A small goblin told Sarah excitedly that "Kingy sang this song for your brother." Though Toby was deceased, it made Sarah's heart warm and she touched the necklace with his lock of hair inside, cherishing the memories of her younger brother and was excited to develop new ones with Prince Tobias Jareth. He was wrapped up in a soft blue blanket, the same one that Cassandra had made for him. It was small now, but it would grow with him just as his sister had enchanted.
Watching her husband in high heeled boots dancing around Goblins was the most fun she had in a while. All were happy to see their king in a bright and happy mood, kicking Goblins everywhere. Every time a goblin got kicked, Toby would giggle. "See?" Jareth danced towards his wife and son. "He's going to LOVE kicking Goblins and I can't wait until I can teach him!"
At that, Sarah couldn't help but laugh. His ability to make her smile and truly be there for her when times were hard made her happy. While she still was not completely healed from birthing her son and the flesh eating bacteria, she still danced along with Jareth's ridiculous song.
"Dance, magic dance! Jump, magic jump! Put that baby spell on me!"
"Slap that baby, make him-"
BOOM! A loud bang rang through the throne room as a group of goblin guards marched in, obviously scared.
"KINGY WE TRAPPED SOMEONE!"
The music stopped. The celebration halted and Toby started to fuss from the darkened atmosphere. Sarah clutched her son closer to her, a protective instinct. Jareth walked towards the goblins, his heels clicking on the marble floor.
He got straight to the point. "General, who or what did you trap and where?" The little Goblin gave his king a clumsy bow. "He's in the oubliette. I don't know who or what he is. He seems powerful." The other goblins went "Oooo" at the sound of the word "powerful."
"Thank you, general. Be sure to pass my thanks to your soldiers. Good work and I'll reward you sometime later." The little Goblin bowed again, happy to be recognized by his king. "You say he's powerful. If that's the case, then I'll go check myself." Jareth rolled his billowing sleeves back, only to be stopped by Sarah. "Jareth, I can't let you go alone. Please." Her eyes were full of worry and love as she struggled to comfort Toby. "Let me come with you. If he is powerful, then you'll need help."
Jareth shook his head. "Sarah, I cannot let you go. Who will watch Toby?" He dipped his finger down, letting Toby clutch it. "Besides, I'm sure there's not that much of a problem." He put his finger on Sarah's mouth as she was about to argue. "No, you cannot go alone. I forbid you and the doctors forbid you. You are still weak."
Sarah exhaled loudly. "Fine. But will you at least let me watch you through a mirror? I'll send anything through a portal if needed." She kissed Jareth, and he nodded. "Deal. Now, my queen, I shall go." He turned to his sad Goblins. "I'm sorry. We will make sure that a celebration will be rescheduled for some other time. In the mean time, please take some cake back home." The Goblins cheered. Jareth more generous than he usually was and they weren't about to mess it up.
Jareth illuminated the dark cell with his crystal. Sitting a corner was a young man with his head between his knees, not even looking up to see what the glowing object was.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" The king commanded. The man slowly removed his head from the comfort of his knees and looked at the king of goblins.
The only indication of surprise Jareth gave was a raised eyebrow. For the first time, he was face to face with his son in law. Troy looked at the king with more exhaustion than fear.
"I was hoping to meet with you, your majesty." He said politely.
Jareth scoffed. "What do you want? You've already made my life, my wife's, and my daughter's life miserable. If you hadn't come meddling in, we wouldn't be in this situation, would we?"
Troy stood up to face the king. "Look sir, I haven't made the best decisions, but you can't tell me that this is all my fault! My mother would came to hurt Cassandra regardless of whether we met or not. The only difference is that we happened to fall in love! I would've taken her under my wing to my sanctuary and probably fall in love with her there anyways. Don't fault me for this!"
"Oi! You seriously think you're so innocent?" Jareth breathed down at his son-in-law. "You left YOUR WIFE the moment she found out about your past!"
Jareth used his scepter to jab at Troy's muscular chest. "There is something you should know about me, Troy. I am a family man. Anyone that inflicts pain upon my kingdom and my family, no matter who they are, will pay. I will lay down my life for them and for anyone who is weaker than I. I have stood up against jiangshi, murderers, other monarchs, even the High Monarch at times. From one husband to another, it's time for you to step up and stop hiding behind the shadows of your mother."
Troy looked down, clearly ashamed. And yet, he still talked back. "Your majesty, I am bound to help my mother by ancient magic. I cannot-" Jareth held a hand up. "Listen to me. When Queen Sarah was a human, her memories of me were gone. As a human, I myself was able to win her and save her without magic. I know you've been forced to be sheltered even though you're a king. It's a pity, but you MUST stop making excuses and rise up. That is what a husband and a king does. You are a monarch, for crying out loud!"
Troy's pride was deeply hurt by this. A god, being lectured by a fey. Who would've thought? But he knew that Jareth was right. Even though he had tried to protect Cassandra, he was still scared of what his mother would do to him. Many of his acts were selfish indeed.
Seeing that Troy was repentant, Jareth put a hand on his shoulder. "I want the best for my daughter. And as her husband and the father of her would be child, I had hoped that you would too."
Troy looked up in confusion. "Child?" What was Jareth talking about?
Jareth sighed. "I guess Cassie never told you. She was pregnant. And during her second task that your mother devised, she fell and lost her baby. I'm sorry."
Troy looked like he was going to vomit. He sat down again, not wanting to believe it. "Is she okay?" He asked quietly. "I didn't even know that she left the palace."
Jareth rolled his eyes and crouched down next to him. "She did. I'm sure you know that Cassandra would not stay in the palace alone for eternity, safe or not. I imagine that she panicked when she found out she was with child, and wanted a way to be with you." Jareth refused to look at Troy. This boy had a lot to learn before he should've married Cassie. Both were obviously too young to get married in his opinion.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have left her and thought of another way." Troy whispered, regret seeping into his voice.
"Bah!" Jareth exclaimed. "Why? Are you only concerned because the child would've been your heir?" Jareth flicked a small piece of gravel in anger. "If you were truly selfless, you would've stayed and not run. You need to grow up and face your fears! What kind of training did you achieve for your rule? And why is your mother still a regent?"
Troy sighed. "It's not like in the Underground. We do not have training as formal as yours. You're right, I didn't have the chance to truly grow up and I need to." He wiped off a few tears from his face. "I was sent here, under the guise to spy on you and your kingdom from my mother since your Labyrinth is where the Above and the Underground meet. I am personally here to see how we can help Cassandra. I want to save her, and I want to prove that I do love her and will do what I can do redeem myself."
Looking into Troy's eyes, Jareth could tell that the young man did indeed love his daughter. If he was honest with himself, it was what he wanted in a husband for his daughter, someone devoted and someone who loved her. Troy was the calming river to Cassandra's raging fire, but also the magnificent strong waves to her life giving fire. He just wished that Troy had more time to grow before he married his precious daughter. However, he wasn't going to let his guard down and wanted to still keep his cool facade before really warming up to him.
"Tell you what." Said Jareth. "I don't know what you can do to help. You'll have to discuss with Belle, someone who's been aiding us. I hope you can redeem yourself too." Troy gave Jareth a smile, one that he did not return in order to keep a straight face. "Get up. Let's go."
Jareth was thinking of how to introduce Troy to Sarah, but apparently, more pressing matters were at hand. He and Troy arrived at the throne room with no one to be seen. Shrugging, they made their way to Jareth's study.
"Give me the child." Sarah's voice was strained and haggard, worrying Jareth. "Stay here. I'll handle it." He muttered to Troy.
Jareth barged in to find Sarah restrained against a wall trying every which way to fight against the High King who had Baby Toby in one arm. Unfortunately, she was too weak from not really having time to actually rest from her injuries.
"ZAREK!" Jareth's voice boomed. The High King turned to Jareth, sneering. "Ahh, your majesty!" He bowed mockingly. "I have come for my bride. Since I can't seem to find her, I suppose taking her brother is the next best thing." He looked at the sleeping child. "Ooh, look at how handsome he is! Tobias Jareth? Hah! What a preposterous name! I think I'll call you 'Zarek.' Isn't that the words you used on your own brother-in-law?" He looked around Jareth's study and motioned to the Aladdin Sane poster of David Bowie. "Also, nice posters of David Bowie. Did anyone tell you that you're just an uglier and stupider version of the man?"
"STOP BAITING ME AND GET TO THE POINT!" Jareth stomped towards his godson, but was promptly frozen in place. Zarek walked closer, tracing a finger down Jareth's scowling face. He leaned close to the scowling Goblin King. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is Cassandra?"
"None of your business!" Sarah yelled. "Give me back my son!" Angry tears streamed down her face.
"You must forget that I am the High King, Sarah." Zarek said condescendingly. If Jareth wasn't bound, Zarek's proud nose would be broken in half. He wouldn't even use magic, but would use his bare fist for the feeling of satisfaction.
"I was your regent for nearly 2 decades! We took good care of you, and you turn around become like this? What's gotten into you? Why are you so power hungry?" Sarah's voice broke. It hurt her so much to see Zarek like this. She loved him as if he really was her family, and now he was here and hurting hers.
Jareth, on the other hand, was too blinded by rage to care. He had loved Zarek too, but this behavior was inexcusable. He was beyond feeling worried for the king. He went from being a sweet boy to unreasonable and now dangerous. "ZAREK! If you dare lay a finger on my family and my kingdom, I will see to it personally that you will suffer the consequences!"
"I told you, I want my future wife!" He glared at Jareth, struggling to hold Toby who just woke up.
"You still have a week and a half at least!" Sarah wailed.
Zarek stepped close to the Queen. "I'm an impatient man. I'm the king, and I will take what I please! I deserve to have the most beautiful, and potentially the most powerful wife in the Underground! GIVE ME CASSANDRA!" He got out a dagger and etched it on Sarah's cheek, making her scream.
Just as Jareth was trying to break free, Troy barged in and tackled the High King. The two young men fought physical for a moment before streams of water shot out of Troy's hands to hold Zarek in place. Another stream of water shot out, but gently lifted Toby out of Zarek's hands. With a snap of the God's fingers, Sarah and Jareth were released. He reunited Toby with his parents.
"Who are you? As High King of the Underground, demand to know!" Zarek seethed. Troy just stood there, calm and controlled. His folded his arms and stared at the king. "What kind of a king are you? Is this how you treat those who call you their sovereign and those you hope to call your parents in law one day?"
"Who are you to ask ME about being king?" Zarek growled, still struggling against the magic that held him in place. As High King, he should be the strongest and most powerful being in the Underground. Why is this guy able to bind him? "And I don't have business with you. I am here to claim the woman that is to be my wife!"
Troy kept calm, walking around Zarek. "A king is a man who protects those under him. You are a servant to the people, not the other way around. How do I know this?" He stopped pacing and stared straight into Zarek's eyes. "Because I am Troy, King of Anterian."
Zarek's eyes widened in fear. He was arrogant, but he was not stupid enough to try to anger a being that was undoubtedly much stronger than he. "No. You're a god. You can't be here. What do you want?" He struggled some more. Troy waved his hands, releasing him. Zarek scooted back against the wall as Troy just moved closer. "Wait." Zarek's eyes narrowed in recognition. "You're the man that interrupted my dance with Cassandra. She's my future wife!"
Troy mockingly bowed. "The one and only. As for your so called future wife, your beef is NOT with the Goblin King and Queen. It is with me. You are currently looking at her husband."
Zarek went mad. "No! You thief! I deserve to have a powerful woman!"
Troy put a hand up. "No. Cassandra deserved a man who would love her and treat her well. I am that man. I have much to learn before I can marry anyone, and you more so!" Zarek's growled again and lurched forward, but instead of aiming at Troy, he aimed at Sarah. Jareth blocked his wife and son with his own body, blowing smoke into Zarek's eyes. "YOU PATHETIC CHILD!" The King declared. "Have you learned nothing?" Jareth cast a crystal onto the High King, making him sleep.
Troy used his magic to strengthen Jareth's magic so Zarek would wake when they wanted him to. Sarah casted a portal, sending the High King somewhere safe so they can deal with him later.
The King and Queen walked towards his son-in-law. "Troy, thank you. And, welcome to the family." She kissed both his cheeks, making Troy smile sheepishly. He was not used to this kind of affection from anyone other than fake women and Cassandra.
"Oh come come come." Jareth waved impatiently. "Let's go meet Belle and see how you can help Cassie." The two feys and a god walked to Sarah's study. Jareth's cape billowed behind his back, making him look much more intimidating than he was. Sarah noticed that Troy was watching her husband. "Ah yes, your father in law has a bit of flare." She informed him. Troy gave her a small smile. Sarah's kind smile reminded him of Cassandra. He could see that Cassandra inherited her sweet and caring side from Sarah and her melodramatic personality from Jareth.
Belle was not what Troy had expected. From what Jareth and Sarah described her, he thought of an old woman who had a cloak on. It turned out that not only was she young and beautiful, she was a centaur. She knew who he was instantly. "I'm sorry for you." She said plainly. "You think your wife is over dramatic? Her parents have such short tempers and are quite stubborn."
Jareth snorted. "I'm not over dramatic." He said as he leaned against a wall, drumming it with his fingers and clicking his heels.
After discussing with Belle, it was concluded that the best way for Troy to help was to give Cassandra comfort by entering her dreams. "A spell that needs to be cast by both you and the Queen." She informed Jareth. Holding their hands together, Jareth and Sarah mumbled a few words. A peach floated in the air, ripe and ready to be eaten.
"What is it?" Troy asked. He looked at the peach, turning it around to inspect it. It was by far the most perfect peach he'd ever seen, no blemishes and it looked delicious.
"You know very well what it is." Said Jareth with the "obviously" tone. "Eat this, and you'll enter Cassandra's dreams." Troy still looked it, unsure. "Will it hurt me?"
Jareth eyes widened in feign concern. "Oh, why the concern? Aren't you a god?" Sarah slapped his arm. "Stop harassing him! He's going to have to meet Cassie." She did have a point. Troy was nervous enough about seeing Cassie. They had no idea how she'd react to seeing him. Plus there was that tricky part of waking himself up.
"For Cassie." Troy whispered. Sinking his teeth deep into the peach, he could feel himself losing consciousness. Jareth, Sarah, and Belle lifted him up onto a comfortable bed. Jareth put his arm around Sarah. "They'll be alright. Cassie's a fighter and he's getting braver by the minute." Sarah nodded. "I just, oh I hope she'll be home safely."
Cassandra had on a cream colored dress complete with a matching bow on the back of her head. Small slippers graced her feet and a small crown set on her blonde hair.
She looked around in confusion. What was she doing in a rose garden? She heard leaves ruffling, and turned to see, Troy?
It indeed was her husband walking towards her with a sheepish expression and open arms. Sobbing, she hiked up her skirt and ran into his arms. "Oh, Troy. It's been so hard. So hard." Troy just held his wife in his arms. He could feel that Cassandra had lost a significant amount of weight from all the trials she's been through even though they were visiting in dreams. "Love? I'm so sorry. It's my fault and I, I want to help you."
After apologizing to his wife (which included a lot of frowns and slow acceptance for her) and explaining to her that he had gone to her parents for help, Cassandra surprisingly didn't lose her temper at him as Jareth did. Maybe she was just too tired to do so.
"So, you can't tell me much. Again." She sighed. "Can you tell me who or what has been helping me?" Troy shook his head. "I cannot tell you. Not sure why, but I don't want to risk it. But please listen to that Voice! I also want to tell you that your parents love you and your father lectured me about being a king, husband, and father."
Cassandra laughed. "Oh no. You got a lecture from him? That's almost worse than him losing his temper!" Jareth had a way of really cutting someone to the core, and Cassandra didn't envy her husband.
Troy gave her a half smile. "For real though. It got me thinking. My mother isn't a bad regent, just selfish. What if she took over the kingdom longer and you and I can go Above or stay with your parents or something? Continue our studies, get more mature, and then we can rule together. How does that sound?"
Cassandra kissed him. "Oh, that sounds lovely! I love that idea!" She nuzzled against Troy's chest, enjoying the vibrations it caused when he talked.
"Okay, so to recap, Zarek wants to marry me which is crazy. He had a prostitute which is just stupid. I have a new brother, which is awesome. And now what? How do I complete my tasks?" She was exhausted and wanted to be done. Troy looked at her sympathetically. He wouldn't want to be at the mercy of his mother either.
"You will need to feed Cerberus some food to distract it and get some coins to give to Charon to pass, there AND back. You have killed Medusa, yes? So present her head to the Hades, Lord of the Underworld so he'll let you pass to speak with his wife. Don't eat anything from down there and be watchful of your surroundings. Know that you are NOT alone. I'm watching over you and so are your parents even if we can't do anything. You're a fighter, and you just have a few more things to do."
It was all overwhelming for Cassandra, but she put on a brave face. It was easier to know with her family watching over her. She gave Troy another kiss. A loud growl rang through the room. "No." Troy whispered, his hands still on Cassandra's hips. "Troy? What's wrong?" Another large growl pierced their ears. "You need to wake up! I think that's the Minotaur! You must wake and fight it!"
Damn leave it up to Jareth to serve some humble pie after freaking out at you! I think I would be scared to have him as my father in law too.
