The Thief, the King, and the Son
Chapter 4: What’s In A Name?

Jareth and the Carlson’s sat down at a booth, the menus spread before them.  Though people were merely sitting at tables, and a few waiters and waitresses were balancing trays between tables, the noise was unbearable.   There was loud music going and every thirty minutes the waiters were required to put on a performance--dancing the Macarena or the like.  They had entered Capri’s during one of these acts, so it had been difficult to ease past the waiters to get to their table.  Jareth found the place to be a bit unnerving, and he sat ridgely, having not been around so many people at once in nearly a thousand years.  If he could, he would have vanished everything chaotic from the room, but that was no longer in his power.  

He tried to focus on the menu instead of the multiple things going on around him and Irene noticed his discomfort. “Your majesty, are you okay?”

Jareth smiled at her, “Irene, if I am going to fit in with this world, you must not refer to me by my title.”

“Oh.” She smiled, but shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“I must confess, I’m not used to seeing so many noisy bodies in one place. Not even the goblins were this active--although they were quite capable of creating chaos.”

Irene laughed, “This is nothing. It’s just a restaurant. Just wait until you get to a nightclub. Now those places are really wild.”

Jareth looked confusedly at the menu; there were pictures of the food but everything was unfamiliar to him, “What cuisine do you suggest?  Let it be anything but chicken.”

“Why not chicken?” Roy asked, sipping on his beer.

“Because we have them in my world and nothing much else.”

The man laughed, “Let’s get you the all American favorite then, a cheese burger.”

Irene whined, “Roy, isn’t that too common? Shouldn’t he try something like filet mignon?"

Jareth smiled weakly and shook his head, “I’ll try this cheese burger…mostly because I cannot pronounce the other.”

After they took their order, Roy cleared his throat, “So, about tomorrow’s job hunting. I’ll give our niece a call in the morning, see what she has available.”

"Available?” Jareth asked.

“Sarah’s a temp agent.” Irene added, “She finds people jobs.  The dear helped us out with so much when we needed it. I’m sure she’ll find something for you.”

“Sarah.” Something about the name, hearing himself say it tickled the back of his mind and images of the girl from the pictures in their apartment surfaced, “The girl with dark hair from your photographs?”

“Yeah,” Irene said, then frowned in thought, “She’s the one who has told Joey the stories about you.”

Jareth cocked an eyebrow in confusion, “I do not know her, unless perhaps she was wished away herself.  But I’ve kept all the children wished to me the past two decades.”

“What did you say your kingdom was called again?” Irene asked suddenly.

“The Labyrinth.”

She nodded, “That’s what she called it.”

The girl from the pictures was certainly not old enough to have had a child of her own to have wished away, and none of the children wished to him years ago had been named Sarah. “How does she know?”

“She let Joey borrow her book once that has the story of the Labyrinth in it.” Irene added hopefully.

“She has one of the books!” Jareth straightened his body and sat up.

“What is so important about a book?” Roy asked before again sipping his beer.

“There are only four books in existence that connect your world to mine--essentially connecting them through my kingdom.  If I can get to the book, I might be able to get back to my world.”

“Wonderful,” Irene said.

Jareth stood up to leave, then looked down at them when they didn’t move, “Well, come on.”

“We haven’t eaten yet.” Roy said, then looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. “Sit down. Don’t be in such a hurry.  I’ll call her when we get home.”

Jareth remained standing for a moment, glaring at the man for being so forward with him again, but he sank back into his seat, “I hope for your sake delaying does not hinder my return.  I have been away for a day already and do not know what the Labyrinth will do without me there to control it.”

“Why, what could happen?” Roy asked.

“It is a live being.  It spreads like a vine, destroying everything it touches as it grows. You could say I am its gardener and keeper.” Jareth frowned, “The other kings of the Underground prefer for it to remain in its own territory.  If it gets too out of hand, they have the combined power to destroy it, thus kill all who live within.  As king of my people, no matter how loathsome they are, I cannot allow that to happen.”

*  *  *

Sarah rang her raven hair out with a towel before flipping it and brushing her fingers through it to loosen the tangles.  She never bothered with blow-drying it; hot air only caused damage and she was proud of her healthy long locks.  She heard the phone ring but hardly gave it a second thought--there were three other people in the house who could answer it.

A few seconds later she heard a knock on the door, “Hey, Sarah, it’s for you.” Her eight-year-old brother said through the door.  She cracked it open only enough for him to fit his hand through and give her the receiver, “Thanks, Tobes. Hello?”

“Sarah, it’s Joey.” She heard her younger cousin say with urgency.

She smiled, “Hi, I haven’t seen you in ages. Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, they’re letting him stay here, like it’s all okay and he’s normal.”

“Who?”

“Jareth.  He’s exactly like you said he’d be.”

Sarah blinked and swallowed, then shook her head, her voice shaking, “Excuse me?”

“The Goblin King, he’s here.”

Sarah tried to remain calm and ignore what her cousin was telling her, “Joey, does your mother know you’re making prank calls?”

“This isn’t fake, Sarah.” Joey moaned.

“Put her on, NOW!”

“I can’t.  She’s out to dinner with dad and HIM.  He’s got ‘em brain washed or somethin’.”

“Joey, this isn’t funny. “ Sarah seethed, “If you…”

But he shouted, “Fine, don’t listen to me either.”

Sarah didn’t know if she was relieved or angered further that he hung up on her.  Her heart was in her throat at even hearing mention of the Goblin King.  Joey knew how she feared and hated the monarch of the Labyrinth, and his joking around like this was not funny.  He didn’t know how much hearing that name hurt her.

She stared blankly into the mirror as she ran her fingers over her neck, thinking back to the last time she had seen the Goblin King--the only man she’d ever loved.