Chapter Text
A white barn owl with blue and brown eyes, a red fox, and an orange Maine Coon cat with green eyes cautiously made their way out of the portal mirror in Sarah’s bedroom. In a flash of golden glitter, a glow of shadowy red flames, and a gust of wind, there was a blonde man, a distinguished-looking older gentleman, and a black–haired, green eyed girl standing in the animals’ place.
“Okay, so it seems that my parents and Toby aren’t home yet,” Sarah said to the men beside her, “I’ll just leave a note that I went to visit the family next door. Jareth, you should probably change your appearance or something so you look more, I don’t know, normal.”
Didymus snorted at that while Jareth glared at her, then snapped his fingers so that he was dressed up in a blood-red button-down shirt which was halfway open to show off his chiseled chest, shiny polished black shoes, and of course, really tight pants. His usually messy blonde hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, and his eyebrows and ears were slightly altered so that he could pass for a human, albeit a very handsome one. Sarah saw him smirk when he caught her staring.
“Like what you see, Precious?”
Sarah caught herself and kicked him in the shin.
“You wish. Now come on and let's go to the living room so we can get our story straight before visiting. I don’t want to drop the bombshell on the Kessels on our first visit.”
“I don’t think that would be an option if your schoolmates’ long-lost great grandfather suddenly waltzes into their home without any warning.” Sir Didymus pointed out and Jareth nodded. Sarah noted that his accent was different than the one she was used to. It was a German accent, and it made sense because he was originally from Germany.
“All right, so what would our story be to outsiders then?” Sarah asked as she plopped down on the opposite end of the sofa in their living room to Jareth and Didymus. The Goblin King hummed thoughtfully.
“I could be a friend of yours who is currently in his fourth year of university, and Sir Didymus could be my uncle. I mean, he already looks the part,” he snickered, and Sarah laughed along with him noting the older knight’s attire. He was wearing a grey three-piece suit that was admittedly dashing, but extremely out of place in a 1980’s-era suburban town.
“It’s not my fault that I want to look like a distinguished older gentleman, not a male prostitute,” Didymus shot back while Sarah fell off the couch laughing.
“You two are lucky that you are both Knights of my Realm and I am obligated to protect you two from harm,” the disgruntled King growled at the both of them, “Or else I would’ve thrown you into the Bog of Eternal Stench.”
“You love us too much for that,” Sarah choked as she tried to arrange herself back on the couch, “Admit it.”
She did not see Jareth’s expression change and a flicker of surprise briefly appear on his features. Didymus gave him a knowing glance and he shook his head before the knight replied, “Yes, yes he does. We’re practically family, after all. And that means you too, Lady Sarah.”
Sarah’s mirth faded and she gave a small smile at her two friends. Didymus rarely called her “Lady Sarah” anymore because he was not playing the part of a quixotic Bog-guarding archaic knight and was her teacher and friend instead. So when he did call her that, it was for something important. She gave the older-looking man a hug and did not notice Jareth give a longing glance at the two of them. Didymus just shrugged at his King while the Champion let go.
Give it time.
“All right! Now let's go blow our neighbors’ minds!”
“You know that sounded so wrong on so many levels right?” The Goblin King teased as Sarah locked the front door behind them. She huffed and glared at him while Didymus looked scandalized.
“Jareth!” Both of them yelled at the same time.
“I did not need to have that mental image in my head,” groaned Sarah.
“See? I told you,” said Sir Didymus, “Three thousand years old, and still acts like an immature teenager.”
“Hey! I’m right here!”
The three of them laughed while they trudged down the snow toward the Kessels’ home. They were all bundled up in coats and sweaters, and Sarah felt like she was wearing trash bags when compared to the two handsome men walking beside her, wearing trench coats and hats and scarves to protect them from the cold. People stared at them while they walked past, although she knew they were looking more at Jareth and Didymus rather than her.
“Okay! We’re here!” She declared as they stopped in front of a quaint little house surrounded by a white picket fence and well-trimmed shrubbery. A paved stone path led to the front door and Sarah led the two men toward the door. Didymus nervously removed his hat.
“We’re actually doing this,” he stammered, rubbing his leather-gloved hands together nervously, “I’m going to see my daughter.”
“Hey, you did so much for me, for Jareth, for everyone. It’s the least I can do,” Sarah smiled up at her friend, “Uncle D.”
The older man’s expression brightened at that while Jareth chuckled.
“Uncle D, I like that. I’m going to start calling you that when no one is looking.”
“Oh, no, not you.” Didymus groaned. “It sounds terrible when you’re the one to call me that.”
“Okay Uncle D!” Jareth shot back in a sing-song voice. Sarah giggled. When she first ran the Labyrinth, she would never in a thousand years believe that Sir Didymus was actually an uncle-figure to Jareth. Now, knowing his human face, his personality, and his story, it actually made a lot of sense.
Sarah motioned to the two men (well, one man and one fae currently glamored as a man) to stay behind her so she could ring the doorbell to the Kesslers’ home. The door opened almost immediately, and there stood a brown-haired girl who was holding an ice pack over one blackened eye.
“Martha?” The other girl gawped. “What happened to you?”
Sarah wasn’t close to the Kessels by any means, but then she wasn’t close to anybody she went to school with. However she tried her best to be nice to everyone she met. Especially to the Kessels, who were often treated as outcasts because of their foreign heritage and Jewish customs.
Martha sighed. “It was Tiffany and her gang again. As always, whenever she gets frustrated when you don’t even budge she takes it out on us. She and the others tripped me and I hit my head on the stair railing.”
The Champion gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t be,” the other girl shook her head, “It wasn’t your fault. I’m actually impressed with how you stand up to her. And for defending us when needed.”
Sarah shrugged. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“Anyway, what did you come visit for?” Martha asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Sarah motioned to the men beside her who were quietly listening to their exchange, “I came because I need to talk to your dad, and your grandparents. We need to actually.”
“With them?” The other girl eyed her companions suspiciously.
“Yeah. You don’t have to worry about them, they’re really good friends of mine. This is Jareth.”
The Goblin King held out a hand for Martha to shake.
“And this is Didymus.”
The knight held out a hand for his great-granddaughter to shake as he was struggling to contain his emotions.
“So these are the friends you were bragging about in school a while ago, huh?” Martha asked while she led the trio inside the house.”
Sarah groaned. “You heard that?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” The other girl smiled brightly at her. “Now have a seat.” Martha motioned to the couch in the living room. “My dad and mom aren’t here yet, and my brother has soccer practice, but they’ll be here in around thirty minutes or so. It’s only my grandparents who are here right now and I think they’re in the backyard. Is that fine?”
Sarah looked to Sir Didymus, who nodded.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Your parents and brother will be coming home soon, right?”
“Yep. Before I go though, what do you want? Juice? Coffee? Water?”
“Water will be fine,” Jareth replied, while Sarah and Didymus just nodded in agreement with him. Martha nodded, then came back holding three glasses of water on a tray.
“Here you go.” She said, “I’ll call Grandma and Grandpa now.”
With that, she left the three in the living room.
Sarah nudged the older man beside her with her elbow. “You ok, Sir Didymus?”
“Just a bit nervous,” he replied, while the Goblin King wrapped an arm around his adopted uncle’s shoulders then let go after giving him a squeeze. “I mean, what am I going to say? We didn’t think this through, did we?”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, we’re literally going to expose the existence of the Underground to the Kessel family. Aren’t we going to get in trouble for that?”
Jareth tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“I could always erase their memories afterwards if the information would prove too much for them or if they will refrain from keeping the Underground a secret, which I doubt.” He added after seeing Didymus’s worried expression. “But if they consent to a certain spell that I would put on them so they would be unable to talk about the Underground to those who do not know about it, there would be no harm in letting them in on our little secret.”
“I can’t believe this. The Kessels will know about us before my own family,” Sarah laughed, “How ironic.”
“They are more ready than your family to know about the existence of the Underground,” said Jareth, “After all, it is not every day that your great-grandfather rises back from the dead.”
“Yeah, and who’ll take the word of a bumbling high-school student too immersed in fairy tales and stories?” snorted Sarah, “Oh, if only they knew.”
“Indeed,” agreed Didymus, although his voice was laced with agitation, and he began to twitch even more when he heard a door open and close. Sarah took his hand and squeezed.
“They have your eyes, you know.”
“Wh-what?”
The Champion chuckled. “Martha and Justin. Both of them have your eyes.”
Didymus’s mustache shifted in a small smile. Beside them, Jareth chuckled.
“Grandma, Grandpa, my classmate came here to visit. She says she brought some people who want to meet you.”
Martha shuffled back into the living room, an older couple in tow. They looked about the same age as Sir Didymus’ human form, in their early seventies or late sixties. Jareth, Sarah, and Didymus stood up to greet the new arrivals, whom Sarah recognized as her schoolmates’ grandparents. The woman was wearing her silvery hair in a bun, although Sarah noticed that it was speckled with streaks of brownish-red that was the same color as Didymus’ hair. Her eyes were the same color as her grandchildrens’, and her father’s. The man, on the other hand, had platinum-blonde hair with sapphire blue eyes. She could pick out the resemblances they had with Martha– she had her grandfather’s bearing and her grandmother’s eyes.
The couple’s gazes first landed on Sarah, and they graced her with kind smiles. When they turned to face her companions, however, they did a double-take. Especially at Sir Didymus.
“Papa?” The older woman choked out in a German-accented voice, her eyes filling with tears. “Is it really you?” She took some cautious steps closer, and dared to reach out with one hand, then withdrew. Didymus caught it and pressed it to his cheek, his own eyes glassy.
“Yes, meine kleiner,” the elder knight’s voice had lost its familiar British accent in his emotional state and mirrored his daughter’s, “It is I.”
Sarah half-expected Grandma Sarah to be skeptical, or to call him an impostor or something. Instead, the older woman threw herself in her father’s arms, sobbing openly. It was her husband who looked a bit wary, much like he wasn’t believing what was happening in front of them. She didn’t blame him one bit.
“Shhh, shhh, Sarai,” Didymus murmured in German, while stroking his daughter’s hair. Sarah didn’t understand what they were saying, only that Didymus was calling his daughter an older form of Sarah; the name of Abraham’s wife in the Bible. It made sense, knowing who he was now. She had to bite her lip from crying at the touching scene in front of them.
“But… How?” The man, Friedrich, Sarah remembered, asked in front of them. “How is he here? And how does he look like he didn’t age from the day we left him in Germany?”
Didymus and his daughter pulled away from each other while Jareth stepped forward.
“It’s a bit of a long story. Why don’t we all have a seat? I suspect Martha’s brother and parents would be back now.”
Right on cue, the front door opened and closed, and there was a jingling of keys being put down on the small table next to the front door.
“Martha! Mother! Father!” A smooth tenor called from the doorway, “We’re home!”
Didymus’s eyes widened. Was that…?
“Solomon,” he breathed, eyes turning wide when he saw his grandson walk in with his wife and son. He looked like a carbon copy of himself, although Sol was bulkier than his grandfather and had no mustache. Was this the little boy he soothed in his arms on that night their lives changed, so many years ago?
Sarah stood to shake the man’s hand and his wife’s. “Hey Uncle Sol, hey Aunt Julie.” She turned to the boy arriving with them, who was around two years younger than her. “Hey Justin. We’ve got something to tell you guys.”
“I’m sorry,” Solomon cleared his throat and looked at Didymus, “Do I know you?”
“Please, have a seat Mr. Kessler, Mrs. Kessler, Justin.” Jareth said, ushering them into the living room with fluid motions of his leather-gloved hands; Sarah knows by now that one of their uses is to protect him from iron exposure in the human world. “We have much to discuss.”
They quickly acquiesced, and soon enough Sarah, Didymus, and Jareth are telling them everything that had happened ever since Didymus was separated from his family in a train station where they rode off to Switzerland, never to see each other again. No eye is dry by the time Didymus finishes the story, and the first thing that was said afterwards is:
“So you’re dead?” Justin asks, bemusement clearly all over his place.
“Technically speaking, it was only my body Aboveground that died.” His great-grandfather explained. “When I was chosen to be Blessed by the Ancient Magic, I gained a new body, albeit one that cannot travel freely between worlds. I must be summoned, or I must be transported by those who are powerful enough.”
“And… He is a king?” Martha asked, eyeing Jareth with a mixture of suspicion and awe. The Goblin King just gave her a small smile and a little nod of his head.
“Jareth, Goblin King, Master of the Labyrinth, Guardian of the Way Between Worlds, Protector of Kings, et. cetera, et. cetera, at your service.”
“Thank you for letting me see my father again, Your Majesty,” the older Sarah said to the king, her amber eyes shining, “It is one of the greatest things that has happened to my family. I’m so proud of him.” She exchanged glances with her family. “We all are.”
“Do not thank me,” the King chuckled and motioned to his Champion, who was sitting beside him with a gentle smile on her face at seeing the Kessel family so happy, “Thank Sarah over here. After all, it was her idea to find and visit you. Little did we know that she was neighbors with Didymus’s family all this time.”
“Wait, which reminds me, Sarah,” Martha asked the girl across from her, “How do you know these people from a supposed underground fairytale dimension?”
Sarah and Didymus exchanged glances, then both of them shot a smirk at Jareth who rolled his eyes.
“Fine, fine, get it over with,” grumbled the King while slouching on to the couch.
“Well, it started with me beating him at his own game,” Sarah said haughtily while Didymus chuckled.
“You mean the Labyrinth?” The elder Sarah asked, “My father used to tell me that story when I was younger. Little did I know that it was actually real.”
“Yes, yes, now can we continue please?” Jareth growled at his two friends, who just laughed while the Kessel family watched with a mixture of amusement and awe at how Didymus and Sarah were treating the King as a close friend. However, before Sarah could continue, the doorbell started to ring.
“Are you guys expecting visitors?” Sarah asked the Kessels, who shook their heads.
“None that I know of,” said Justin, who got to his feet, “Hang on, I’ll see who it is.”
There was a click of the door, and muffled voices, then Justin came back.
“Uhh, this is going to sound weird, but I think I let Jareth’s parents into our house.”
Immediately Didymus, the younger Sarah, and Jareth leapt to their feet as a couple strode into the living room. The elder knight immediately dropped to one knee and motioned to the Champion to follow him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Goblin King bow from the waist down toward the new arrivals.
“Your majesties,” she heard Sir Didymus say from where she was kneeling.
“Please, all of you, rise,” said a deep male voice from in front of them. The younger knight got to her feet, and only then did she dare to look at the High King and Queen. They were wearing glamors that were making them look like humans, she realized. The man, Oberon, her mind supplied, had thick black hair peppered with silver, and his eyes were a vibrant golden-brown. Titania, on the other hand, had wispy blond hair and bright blue eyes. Both of them were tall and slim, carrying an ethereal beauty that even the glamors failed to hide.
“We do not have to dwell upon formalities, my friend.” Sarah’s jaw dropped when Oberon strode over to Didymus and gave him an embrace, then she was even more surprised when Titania gave him a kiss on both cheeks. She was petrified along with the rest of the Kessel family when Jareth laughingly embraced both his parents with a wide grin.
“Mother, Father, although it is nice to see you both again, we are in the middle of something.”
“Oh, sorry to interrupt. We were just passing through the area when we felt your magical signature and decided to greet you then be on our way, my son,” said Titania, while she glanced at the gathered humans in the room, “Though it seems that they know who we are, judging from their reactions.”
“Ma’am, Sire, these are my family,” Sir Didymus said to them proudly, “Dame Sarah helped me find them, and King Jareth was kind enough to accompany us when I decided to meet with them.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Martha mouth the word Dame? toward her. She gave her a nod and a look that promised, Later .
“Ah, the legendary Champion,” Oberon turned and smiled at the dark-haired girl who was still frozen in shock, “My wife and I are honored to meet you.”
Jareth nudged her with his elbow, and thankfully she was able to shake herself from her stupor.
“The honor is mine, your majesties,” she said, inclining her head in a small bow.
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but what is going on here?” asked Justin’s voice from behind them. His sister gasped and quickly shushed him while giving an apologetic look at the royal couple. Oberon just chuckled while Didymus started to speak.
“Everyone, this is Jareth’s mother and father, Titania and Oberon, High King and High Queen of the Underground.”
“Are we supposed to bow?” Solomon’s wife, Julie, choked out.
“No need,” said Titania, “Like what I said earlier, we were just passing by and we thought to greet our son before we would return back to the Underground. However, it seems that something important was going on.”
“We told them about Didymus and let him meet his family,” Jareth explained, “We were just about to get to the part where their schoolmate explains how she is friends with their great-grandfather.”
“Do you mind if we stay?” Oberon asked the Kessels, “After all, it is not everyday I get to hear the story of how my son was defeated from the Labyrinth’s champion herself.”
For the first time since Jareth’s parents walked into the room, Sarah laughed while the Goblin King just glared at her. Grandpa Friedrich just nodded while Grandma Sarah stood up murmuring, “I will get us all some refreshments,” then hurried to the kitchen. Solomon motioned for the High King and Queen to take a seat.
“They’re taking this really well!” Sarah whispered to Sir Didymus, who just smiled at her.
“We have been through much. It takes a lot to faze them, even the unannounced arrival of the High King and Queen of the Underground. That’s why I know we can trust them with the knowledge of who we truly are.”
“So, Champion, I believe you were about to tell the story of your Run?” Oberon said from across the coffee table.
“Yes, well, so it started when I wished my baby brother Toby away three years ago…”
Her adventures in the Labyrinth came pouring out, along with her experiences in the more recent Dragon Trials. To her surprise, it became an easy conversation between her, the Kessels, and Jareth’s family. They became more comfortable in each other’s company, especially that the three Fae were extremely charming, and brilliant in getting their companions to be more at ease around them. It turned out that Oberon had a wicked sense of humor much like his son’s, and Titania would make comments (usually at Jareth’s expense) that would get them laughing as Sarah told the stories. Jareth would act extremely offended, but his fond smile would betray his true emotions as they recounted his Champion’s heroic adventures in the Underground.
“So, yeah, that’s pretty much it.” Sarah said when she finished telling her stories.
“That’s why you aren’t the least bit scared when Tiffany and her friends would bully you,” commented Martha, laughing. “You beat Jareth, a dragon, and you’re an actual knight!”
“Yes, now you all know,” said Sarah to the family, “And I guess it’s ok with Jareth’s parents?”
“Don’t worry,” said Oberon, “There is a spell that can be performed where they cannot talk about their knowledge of the Underground to others who do not know.” He turned to the Kessels. “If you consent, we can perform it on you so you can continue to be in the know and communicate with Didymus. However, if you do not agree, we have no choice but to remove your memories of everything that has taken place.”
“We understand,” Solomon replied. “If this is what it will take so we can be with Grandfather again, so be it.”
“Do not take this lightly,” said Jareth with a sad smile, “As you have all surmised, Didymus is immortal now. He will remain as guardian of your family, even though those who knew him in life will be long gone. Let this serve as a warning not just to you all gathered here, but to you as well, Uncle.”
“I know, Jareth,” the elder knight nodded, “At least I get to spend time with them. That is better than no time at all. And it’s all thanks to you, Sarah.”
“No problem, Uncle D,” the Champion winked at him while she slung an arm around his shoulder, “That’s what friends are for.”
Since they were here, Jareth let the High King and Queen cast the spell which enabled the Kessel family to keep the Underground a secret, and Sarah promised them that she would bring Sir Didymus to visit once in a while. After exchanging embraces and goodbyes, Sarah, Didymus, Jareth, and his parents finally left the house and strolled down the street toward Sarah’s home.
“It was nice to meet you, your Majesties,” Sarah said as she unlocked the door to her house; her parents and Toby weren’t home yet.
“The pleasure was ours,” Titania smiled as she drew the Champion into a hug. “You’ll be seeing a lot of us from now on, don’t worry. For now, may we ask if we could make use of your mirror-portal? Since our son is here, maybe we could go on a little visit to the Goblin Kingdom.”
Jareth squeaked in surprise; the sound was very owl-like and it made Sarah laugh.
“Maybe if you let him clean his castle first,” she said with a smirk at her best friend.
“Sarah,” he said in a warning tone while Didymus and his parents snickered behind them.
“All right Goblin King, time to get cleaning,” Sarah sing-songed as she led her guests up to her room. Didymus stepped into the mirror first, followed by a grumbling Jareth. The High King and Queen lingered for a moment before they went through the portal.
“Thank you for everything, Champion,” the High King said in a solemn and formal tone.
Sarah thought they were talking about the Dragon Trials, and she wondered even more what this could mean, to make the High King and Queen thankful to her.
“You’re welcome?”
The Queen just chuckled, then she took her husband’s hand and they both disappeared into the mirror.
Well that was weird, Sarah thought.
Then again, when was anything in her life not weird?