PROLOGUE:

Jealous Oberon

"The king doth keep his revels here to-night:

Take heed the queen come not within his sight

For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,

For she as her attendant hath

A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king

She never had so sweet a changeling

And jealous Oberon would have the child

Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild

But she perforce withholds the loved boy,

Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy

And now they never meet in grove or green,

By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen,

But they do square, that all their elves for fear

Creep into acorn-cups and hide them there."

-Puck from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare

Never make a deal with a goblin. Bartering and bargaining are also frowned upon. Even more importantly, if you want you and your descendants to remain unscathed by the vagaries and cruelties of fate, never ever strike a deal with the goblin's king. This is well known. However, one must be ever more cautious of refusing a deal with the Goblin King, for he is neither goblin nor ghoul, but fae. Immortal, ethereal, amoral, proud and cruel, fae are beings whose sole delight is to meddle in the lives of humans and to create mischief. The fae care not for the concept of good or evil, only the twisted nature of the games that they play to sate their own boredom.

When a fae is refused or defied by it is plaything, their fury can be extraordinary. Those beings with all their power and temperament are as unused to refusal as a desert is to water, and will respond most cruelly to the one who rejects their game. If the human is lucky, death will be their easy escape from the fae's rage, but sometimes, the fae decides that death is far too mundane a route, and that a price must be paid for such insolence.

Oftentimes, a curse befalls that unlucky human who dared to cross proverbial swords with the fae, and depending upon the degree of the transgression, the curse may not only affect the transgressor, but his or her descendants as well.

This is how we shall begin our story—with a fae, a human, and a curse.

A long time ago in a land far, far away, a young girl and her parents lived near the edge of the dark wood. The young girl was an only child, and was beloved of both her parents. One day, the young girl's mother ventured needlessly into the dark wood, and was never seen again. As the years passed, the girl and her father fell into despair, deeply mourning their loss. When the girl reached the brink of womanhood, her father fell in love with another woman, and in a few short months, he married her, finally letting go of the insurmountable grief that he held in his heart for his first wife. His daughter was hurt and infuriated that her father dared to try to replace her mother, and therefore did not take kindly to her new stepmother. The stepmother disliked the young woman in return, and she treated her with equal disdain. Not too long after her father and stepmother were wed, the young woman found that she was no longer an only child, but the older sister to a gurgling baby boy. Both the young woman's stepmother and father fawned over her half-brother, often saving little or no attention for the young woman. The young woman grew to hate her half-brother, with the same fervor as she had for her stepmother. Her stepmother treated her horrifically, as though she was practically a slave-girl. The young woman had to watch over the baby day and night, and she also had to bear the brunt of the household chores. The child grew into a healthy baby, spoiled by the unending affections of his parents, while the young woman suffered in silence.

One night, when the young woman could bear it no longer, she spirited the babe away to the edge of the dark wood, the place where the magical creatures of the world claimed as their domain, and she called upon the goblins for aid.

One by one they appeared, skittering over rocks and the skeletons of leaves, or slithering noiselessly forward out of the gloom to hear her desperate plea. When a multitude of the rough, mischievous creatures had gathered, the young woman hesitantly repeated her desperate words, frightened by the host of dark creatures before her.

'Say your right words,' the goblins hissed, 'and we shall relieve you of your burden. Say your right words, and we shall take the babe with us to the Goblin City, and you shall be free forevermore.'

Their words buzzed and slithered around in the young woman's mind, sounding at once wonderful and terrible, but she knew not to trust such creatures, that they would take the child to their king, and in his castle, turn the babe into a goblin to be his minion. The young woman fled home with the child, her courage for action deserting her, suddenly painfully aware that her own mother had succumbed to death in the woods before her, most likely to creatures such as the goblins that she had sought out.

However, there were forces greater than the girl at play in this game, forces that were far older and far cleverer than she. That insurmountable force was none other than the king of the goblins.

What no one knew, not even the Goblin King himself, was that he had somehow fallen in love with the girl, watching her from afar in his glittering castle, and that he had bestowed upon her certain powers. Certain powers which most certainly came with a hefty price for both of them. The Goblin King was crestfallen that the young woman had fled, but he knew that he only had to wait. After all, fate was on the Goblin King's side. It was always on his side.

After her first encounter with the goblins, the young woman languished in silence, falling back into her old routine for many months until one night, when her stepmother had been exceedingly cruel to her, and her father had failed to care about her, she took the child to the edge of the forest once more, and cried out to the goblins for aid.

Once again they answered her, and once again they asked her to say the correct works. The young woman obliged.

'Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!'

The goblins hissed and thrashed around in the underbrush, for those were not the right words, they were never the right words. The young woman became frightened once more and nearly ran off as she had last time, except that inspiration struck her. She spoke again, this time hesitantly.

'I wish…'

The goblins cackled and howled with glee, urging the young woman to speak on.

'I wish…'

She spoke to her baby brother cradled gently in her arms, who looked up at her with wide eyes, unsure of what was happening.

'I wish that the goblins would come and take you away…'

She paused for a breath, noticing suddenly out the corner of her eye that a large white shape was gliding closer through the trees of the forest. The goblins growled ever more raucously at her words, and jumped around even more rowdily as each moment passed. She was standing on the precipice of something she did not quite understand, and she was going to take the plunge without quite knowing what lay at the bottom of the cliff.

"…right now."

The chanting and catcalling of the goblins rose from a steady cacophony to a deafening roar as several things happened in such a quick succession that the young woman could not keep up with them. She was not sure, but she was suddenly aware that her half-brother had been unceremoniously wrenched from her arms, and that the goblins were vanishing like ghosts into the black underbrush, their shrieks of delight still audible as they sank deeper into the dark forest. She watched in fearful fascination as a tall, ethereal man strode from the blackness of the forest, coming to stand before her. His dark armor made him almost blend into the shadows that surrounded him, and a bright circlet glinted on his brow, disappearing into pale, fair hair.

The young woman gasped and took a few steps back, for she knew without quite knowing how, who and what this being must be.

'You are him, are you not? The Goblin King?'

'Thou speakest a'right.'

As he spoke, the young woman became aware of a chill that ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the weather that dark night, but rather the extraordinary otherness that this creature seemed to emit. If she was afraid before, it was nothing compared to the terror that she was experiencing now.

'Wh-where is my brother? I-I do not see…'

She spun wildly in a circle as if half-expecting to see him sitting on the hard ground, blissfully playing with a clod of dirt or a bit of root.

'What's said is said.'

A small smile flickered across the Goblin King's face as he spoke.

"No…"

The young woman faltered as fear settled in to the pit of her stomach, as she comprehended what she had done, what she had said.

'I have brought you a gift.'

The fae passed a gloved hand through the night air and a shimmering orb materialized in his palm. He toyed with it for a moment, the moon glinting off of the round, smooth surface before he proffered it to the young woman.

'This is no commonplace gift for an ordinary young girl who attends to a squalling child. Take it. It is yours.'

The young woman stretched out a hand to take the orb before snatching her hand back to her breast, common sense returning to her at last.

'What is it?'

'A simple crystal, nothing more. But wait; if you twist it this way, it shall reveal to you your dreams. Just forget the child.'

'No.'

The young woman straightened up, utterly terrified of the fae before her, but completely unwilling to show it.

The Goblin King clenched his fist around the crystal and it cracked under the pressure, crushing it to glittering dust that escaped from between his fingers.

'Do not dare to think that you could possibly defy me.'

The air seemed to grow colder around them, matching the chill that frosted the Goblin King's words.

'Please! He must be so frightened!'

'I care not. 'Tis you who sent him to me.'

'Please! I would do anything to get him back.'

The Goblin King scrutinized her, as if seeing her properly for the first time.

'Are you aware of what commonly happens to those who make deals with the fair folk, child?'

The young woman remained mute, her late mother's stories streaming through her mind.

The Goblin King sighed and looked off into the distance, as though he was looking for something.

'I have been the lord of this wood since before your ancestors settled here, and Goblin King for far longer than that.'

He leveled his gaze on the young woman, and she looked away, uncomfortable at being analyzed so intently by the ancient being.

'If you are thinking of trying to trick me or trap me in some manner, know this: never shall it work. There are forces at work here that you could never comprehend.'

He reached out like he was going to touch her face. The young woman flinched.

'But perhaps…'

He turned his back on her and looked into the darkness of the forest.

'Do you not wonder why my goblins were so eager to heed your call?'

The young woman balked for a moment at the sudden change in the direction of the conversation.

'I do not understand…'

'I have watched you more closely and for far longer than you could have possibly imagined. I decided to bestow upon you certain powers that in turn would lead you invariably to me one day.'

The young woman was properly fearful now, this strange revelation filling her with an unease that she had never before known in her short life.

'Come with me,' the Goblin King declared passionately, extending a gloved hand in a motion that was at once pleading and threatening, 'be my queen, to stand with me at my side, and you shall live forevermore.'

The young woman spoke cautiously, feeling as though a metal cage was closing in around her. When words held power, each word must be carefully chosen, especially when in the presence of one of the fae elite.

'If I do, may I have my brother back?'

'No.'

The Goblin King's response was cold and curt.

'Then, I shall never go with you. Never!'

The young woman spoke with venom, her own haughty pride and distain for the Goblin King and his ilk seeping past her common sense, and blinding her with a quiet white rage.

The Goblin King seemed to be momentarily speechless. He took a few moments to collect himself, before speaking dispassionately.

'Is it possible that you are refusing me? Think carefully before answering.'

'Yes.'

The Goblin King inhaled slowly, speaking with a forced calm.

'You do not want to get your brother back.'

'Yes, but not by the terms you suggest.'

'Best not take them as a suggestion, for those are the only terms I set. Come live with me in my kingdom, where you are your brother shall be happy, or leave now without your brother, and live forevermore with the knowledge that your selfishness lost him. But know this: I have been exceedingly generous up until now, but I can be far more than cruel.'

'That is no choice!'

The young woman cried out, her hands clenched into fists as she and the Goblin King faced one another as adversaries.

'Then you should not have wished him away to me. I shall repeat my offer one last time; just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.'

It was her final chance. Unbeknownst to the young woman, not only her happiness, but also the Goblin King's as well depended upon the manner of her reply.

'I could never love you.'

The Goblin King gathered up his pride at her terse answer, and spoke quietly with a calm voice that was at once splendid and terrifying to behold.

'So be it.'

The air started to shimmer, and the smell of magic, metallic and hot, filled the night wind. The Goblin King seemed to grow even more formidable as the hot wind whipped his hair around his face and made his cape snap. The murmur of the night fell silent to heed his words, small creatures ceased to crash through the bushes in the wood, the creeks stopped gurgling, all fell silent to witness their lord's wrath.

'I curse you. Yea, not solely you, but your descendants as well. For spurning the affection of the Goblin King, Keeper of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Dark Wood,

the Protector of the Realm, and for rejecting his most generous offer, what fate has befallen you shall befall every one of your kin. Every first-born child shall yield their younger siblings to me, whether they wish it or not, they shall be compelled to do so. They shall earn their freedom just as you have this night.'

The young woman buried her face in her hands; frightened and ashamed of what her careless actions wrought, but unfortunately, the worst of the Goblin King's wroth had yet to be revealed.

'And yet, after your grandchildren are dead, and yea after their grandchildren are dead as well, I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter. I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer. For all eternity, your descendants will curse your name and detest you for what you have done. Your actions tonight have single-handedly destroyed the future of your dynasty.'

The young woman's eyes grew wide with horror as she stepped backwards, away from the Goblin King before her, turning wildly and dashing away into the night, as trying in vain to run away from the truth, the manic laughter of the Goblin King haunting her every step.

The young woman eventually married after spending years wracked with guilt and despair at the loss of her brother and the curse that she had earned for her family. It was not for love that this young woman married however, for who could ever look at a mere mortal man in the same way after having been loved by the king of the goblins? She bore one child, and took precautions to have no more, and yet, fate conspired against her. She bore a second child, and before her second child's first birthday, the babe disappeared, having been given to the Goblin King by its older sibling.

The Guillemin family line was hereafter marred with missing children. The Goblin King had not deigned to specify a set time frame for when he would have the child taken. Sometimes it was when the child was early in its infancy, when the older sibling was still too young to know what they were doing, or later on in life, when the older sibling would repeat their ancestor's mistake and wish away their sibling in a fit of anger. Some Guillemin parents tried and succeeded to have only one child, and were therefore spared of the Goblin King's curse, but not for long, as a grandchild or great-grandchild would be taken.

Those who were graced with first-born daughters were the most anxious of all. The forest was declared forbidden, as well as magical creatures of any sort. The day a younger sibling was taken was met with a horrific mix of both relief and despair for those parents.

And yet in spite of all this, the Guillemin family stayed in their home near the forest for many years, for it was the home of their forefathers, the home that they had struggled so hard to both build and defend. They also stayed because who knew what might once more awaken the wrath of the Goblin King?

AN: And so it begins, ladies and gents! I will try to keep to my posting schedule of every Friday, but please forgive me if I slip up every now and again! There are 18 chapters, along with the prologue and the epilogue. This was written for NaNoWriMo 2012, and I wanted to share it with the Labyrinth fans!

I love reviews (and I usually respond to all of them!) It really lets me know how I am doing as a writer and it helps me to interact with other people in the Labyrinth fandom! Reminder: please keep reviews constructive. I like to encourage a positive and welcoming environment, and I don't tolerate hate or grammar bullies. Any such reviewer acting in this manner will be dealt with swiftly.

Disclaimer: Labyrinth and its characters do not belong to me. Quotes from the movie belong to Henson, Froud, and Lucas. Quotes from the book belong to A.C.H. Smith.