Work Text:
Title: "The Goblin Daddy"
Author: Kat Lee
Dedicated To: To my beloved husband and soul mate, and the father of our darling babies, Drew, and to my Dad, though he'll never read this piece, not being a fan of the Labyrinth, David Bowie, or Jareth, and to all fathers everywhere
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Father's Day comes to the Labyrinth.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, names, codenames, places, items, fandoms, titles, and etc. are always © & TM their respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Any and all original characters and everything else is © & TM the author and may not be reproduced in any way without the author's express, written permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I can't believe this is my first Father's Day fic ever!
He sat, bored, upon his throne, a seat of power he'd never wanted but had nonetheless had thrust upon him when he'd been too young to even consider all the duties and necessities that accompanied the crown. He thumped a whip idly against his tightly clad leg, barely even feeling the strikes as he stared out ahead of him at nothing. He did not look up when he heard the sound of many tiny feet swiftly scampering across the hard, palace floor, but he did scowl as their small beings came to a stop before him. "What is it now?" he growled out.
He felt the Goblins' nervousness as they squirmed where they stood, several dragging their slimy, green feet over stones that he would have to walk later that day. Thank God for boots, because he never wanted anything they left touching his feet or any other part of his flesh, for that matter! "Hum, King?"
"King Jareth?" another tried.
"Your Majesty?"
"Out with it!" Jareth snarled impatiently, still not granting them the pleasure of a look. Any one lucky enough to receive a gaze from his handsome eyes was undoubtedly pleased by the mere notion.
Several high-pitched and annoying voices started speaking at once. "Trely said -- "
"The humans have -- "
"Trely told us -- "
"We heard -- "
Jareth reached out and tapped the nearest Goblin on his little head with his whipping rod. "You, out with it; the rest of you, be quiet!" They had not even been there for a full minute and yet were already beginning to give him a headache.
"Trely told us that the humans have a holiday where they honor their fathers," the Goblin Jareth had chosen spoke in one great rush.
"So?" Jareth asked, still obviously bored. "Why do you bring me this information?"
"Well, because, hum, because you're the closest thing we have to a father!"
Dear God, Jareth thought, disgusted, surely he was not these things' father now?! "So we brought you this."
Jareth glanced down at the Goblins at last. Pride surged in him as some became stiff with fear and others "ooh"ed over the fact that they had actually won his attention.
"An apple," he spoke.
"Yes, sir. It--It's not much, but -- "
Jareth reached down and took the apple, knowing the Goblins would not silence until he accepted their gift. "Very well." He hit another of the Goblins with his rod. "Be gone," he commanded.
"Happy Father's Day, Your Majesty!" the Goblins chorused boldly together before running off to do whatever they did in the little time they were not bothering Jareth.
The Goblin King looked down at the apple he held. It was red, perfectly rounded, and shining brighter than anything in the labyrinth which he had not laid his hand upon. A single sniff of the fruit assured him that there were no worms or other bugs crawling inside of the apple, making it a rare treat indeed to be found within the Goblin City's walls. He rolled the fruit around in his gloved hands, for a moment, with the same grace with which he would have spun one of his crystal balls.
His oddly colored eyes darted around the throne room to make certain he was not being watched. Content to find himself alone, Jareth finally bit the apple. It tasted better than anything he had eaten since he had been trapped down here. Jareth took another bite and smiled. There were worse things, he supposed, than being a Goblin Daddy. He could have ended up in the Bog of Eternal Stench, after all.
As he ate the fruit, a few of the Goblins giggled in delight. The bigger Goblins pounced on them, striking them in their little heads with meaty fists. "Be quiet, fools! You want him hear us?"
Jareth's smile thinned slightly, but he continued to eat. He would not banish them or beat them senseless quite yet. He would not, he decided, even admit to hearing them, and as the Goblins fought in the shadows of his castle, the King continued to eat in what little peace he would ever have.
The End