A World Full of Shadows

15. Every Ending Is a New Beginning

Sarah stirred in her sleep as she dreamt of a wild-haired blond baby boy with green eyes. She awoke with a smile and snuggled closer to her peacefully slumbering husband. He looked almost angelic when he was at rest, and she gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from his face. Sarah never imagined such happiness and contentment was possible. This wasn't the life she'd envisaged for herself, but she wouldn't change it for the world. The memory of her mother was the only thing that caused her sadness. Linda Williams would never meet her grandchild, or find out that true love really did exist, even if she'd never been fortunate enough to experience it for herself. Sarah sighed and eased herself from the bed; she didn't want to think sad thoughts when life was so good. She went over to the window and looked out onto the labyrinth. Jareth had spent much of the morning repairing the fire damage and it was almost back to its former glory. They decided to take an afternoon nap together before preparing for Lady Malin's arrival. It was going to be strange making the transition from friend to daughter-in-law, although Sarah hoped they could maintain their former relationship.

"Are you well, my precious?" Jareth was suddenly behind her, kissing her neck and wrapping his arms around her.

"Yes, I'm fine, I was just thinking about everything and nothing," she turned to press her lips to his.

"You are going to be nice to your mother, aren't you?" Sarah questioned, with a warning look that said he'd better if he knew what was good for him.

Jareth pouted like a sulky child.

"I flicked through my second book this morning, the one Lin altered to tell her life story, and she explains why she left you behind. You read it last night, didn't you?" She asked.

He nodded.

"What a pity there was no Goblin King for her to wish me away to back then," he sounded bitter but his thoughts were more conciliatory.

Jareth regarded his position as the guardian of wished away children in a new light. It was as if it was his fate somehow, to make sure they found loving families. His mother had done him that courtesy at least, when she'd left him behind.

Sarah took his hand and led him back to the bed so they could sit together.

"Your mother knew if she took you to the human world with her, you would become mortal over time. She would have been forced to watch you age and die, as she watched the love of her life, your father, grow sick and frail before her eyes. She knew if you remained here you would become fully fae with all that entails, and you would be well cared for."

See looked at her husband to see he still appeared sullen.

"I know you were denied the chance to grow up with your parents, but if you had we wouldn't be here together now," she tenderly stroked his face and placed his hand on the curve of her belly.

"Our son will be surrounded by love, and I know we can be great parents for him. We just have to let go of all the hurt and every other bad thing that ours did to us," Sarah said.

Jareth looked thoughtful for a moment, and then something occurred to him.

"Our son?" He questioned.

"Oh, I had a dream, and I saw us with a baby boy. His hair was just like yours," she laughed as she ran her fingers through his wild mane.

The Goblin King jumped to his feet and helped pull his very pregnant wife to hers.

"Prince Jareth, our son," he beamed with pride and began to dance about.

"We are not calling him Jareth," Sarah protested, but when he pouted again she didn't have the heart to burst his bubble for a second time.

The goblins were making an effort to be on their best behaviour in anticipation of Lady Malin's arrival. Their queen requested for them to be respectful and they wanted to do their best to please her. Hoggle had been out in the labyrinth all day and returned to the throne room with good news.

"Your majesties, I've finally had word about our old friends Ludo and Sir Didymus," the little dwarf said.

"Are they okay?" Sarah asked, she had been worried about them.

"Ludo has been working in the diamond mines and Sir Didymus has been at the Seelie Court, guarding Lady Everyn's virtue," he explained.

Jareth raised an eyebrow at the latter.

"You shall write and tell them to return here at once," the king ordered.

"We have need of a rock summoner, and our little canine friend will find guarding the Bog of Eternal Stench a piece of cake after Lady Everyn and her virtue," he smirked.

Sarah suspected he knew more on that matter than he was letting on, but she didn't want the details. Her husband was faithful to her; she had no doubt regarding his fidelity or his love, and his past indiscretions were exactly that; in the past.

Their special guest arrived and they took their places at the dinner table. The atmosphere was strained at first, but Sarah instructed the goblins to keep the wine flowing. She valiantly kept the conversation from floundering and proposed a toast to the future.

"What a strange winding path it was that led us all to be sitting here together this evening. I know if someone had told me when I wished my brother away, that I'd end up happily married to the Goblin King, well, I just would've laughed them right out of town," Sarah began to Jareth's consternation.

She smiled sweetly at him and his frown disappeared.

"There's no place I'd rather be than right here, right now, with you," she said as she clasped her husband's hand in hers.

They exchanged a look of mutual adoration before Sarah turned her attention back to their guest.

"Lin, I hope you'll become part of our family too, and that we can all put the past behind us," she waited for Jareth or his mother to make the first move.

Lady Malin sipped from her wine goblet and readied herself, as if she had a speech prepared.

"I thank you both for your hospitality, it's more than I ever expected, and I also hope the future will bring us closer together. However, I have something to tell you and I fear you will not like it," she paused and looked over at her son and his wife.

They were waiting with baited breath.

"Yesterday evening, I returned to the Unseelie Court and took the Oath of the Black Heart. I am now Queen Malin," she declared.

Sarah's mouth fell open in shock and Jareth kept a tight hold on her hand.

"Why would you do such a thing?" He asked his mother.

She let out a heavy sigh.

"My son, I'm not a bad fae, but nor am I a good one. I couldn't abide by the rules of the Seelie, and they wouldn't let me have the man I loved. Your father died far too young, even for a human, and I couldn't do a thing to save him. I hated being powerless, and for a long time I despised my own kind. I didn't want to live among them, or be a part of this world. But you can't run away forever, or deny who and what you are. The Unseelie Court has traditionally attracted the darker creatures from our world, but not all are evil. Why, goblins were considered as such for many a long year and yet they seem perfectly amiable to me. It is true that the pendulum eventually swung towards the nastier side of things with the Unseelie. But it doesn't have to remain that way, and under my rule, it won't," Queen Malin vowed.

Sarah struggled to reconcile the woman she knew as a caring friend with the one who now sat opposite her. She was forced to acknowledge she didn't really know her at all.

"They say power corrupts, how do you know you won't become as bad as Mab and the others in time?" She questioned.

Queen Malin shrugged.

"I guess I don't, not for sure, but there's no telling who's hands the Unseelie Court might fall into if not mine," she said.

Jareth appeared to be coming around to the idea despite his wife's misgivings.

"Better the devil you know, eh?" He smirked.

"The humans do have some quaint expressions," Queen Malin chuckled.

Sarah's experience with the Unseelie had left her understandably wary, but she was glad to see Jareth and his mother getting along. It might not be such a bad thing to have friends in high places, or low ones, for that matter, she reasoned.

The final two months of Sarah's pregnancy soon passed and she got to the point where she longed to see her feet again. It was during an ill-advised visit with Hoggle to see Ludo and Sir Didymus, close to the Bog of Eternal Stench that her waters broke. She was glad to be reunited with her old friends, but venturing so far from the castle and Jareth when she was nine months pregnant, was not her smartest move. Sarah slumped down against a gnarly old tree trunk.

"Argh, get Jareth, he's out in the Goblin City," she begged as her contractions grew stronger.

Sir Didymus mounted his trusty steed, Ambrosius.

"Never fear, my queen, I shall ride like the wind and have him here before you can say John Robinson, or should that be Jack Robinson? Either way, I…"

"GET JARETH NOW," Sarah screamed.

Ludo and Hoggle bumbled about and collided with each other in their panic, sending the little dwarf perilously close to rolling into the bog.

"Give me strength," their queen grumbled as she braced herself for another contraction.

"Higgle, I'm most displeased with you," a crisp clipped voice announced.

The Goblin King materialised and went straight to his wife's side.

"You were supposed to make sure the queen stayed in the castle and to keep her suitably entertained. As you are so close to my preferred punishment for you, I may just help you the rest of the way in," he threatened.

Sarah grabbed his gloved hand and almost crushed it as another contraction ripped through her.

"Unless you want your child baptised with bog water, I suggest you get us out of here right now. Oh, and from this day forward we will be sleeping in separate beds, because this freaking hurts," she howled.

Jareth couldn't help smiling, even after she pinched him.

"Come, my precious, let us prepare to meet our son," he said.

Prince Jareth was born five hours later, and he did indeed have his father's hair and his mother's eyes. In the event, he turned out to be the eldest of eight children, with five sisters and two brothers following in close succession. His parents never did get those separate beds.

THE END.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this fanfic, and I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know either way. I also want to express my gratitude to Jetredgirl and Helena Desjardins, your lovely reviews really made my day, so thanks for that. Also, thanks to The Queen of Water, KrisNoel, comical freaka, Honoria Granger, gadamp, Idelle Evans and the anonymous reviewers, your feedback was much appreciated.