Labyrinth: Coronation 12

Solicitation: "The final chapter of the origin of the Goblin King, and the mother who risked everything to save her boy."
==Story==
* Story by Simon Spurrier
* Written by Ryan Ferrier
* Illustrated by Daniel Bayliss with Irene Flores
* Colors by Joanna Lafuente
* Letters by Jim Campbell
* Character Designs by Kyla Vanderklugt and Daniel Bayliss
===Synopsis===
As Beetleglum sits alone on Jareth’s throne he is surprised by Jareth in his owl form, who flies in through a nearby window. Jareth transforms back to his usual self, and begins questioning Beetleglum over his past. 
:"So many stories you must have. But I’ve heard stories, too. Tales of a traitor in the Owl King’s Court. Whispers of a goblin letting outsiders in… Funny. I never thought you cunning nor bright enough to pull it all off, let alone get away with it. Mark my words, goblin – you won’t. Your actions come at a cost. And you will pay for every debt you’ve incurred to the kingdom." 
Beetleglum doesn’t deny the accusation of treason, which causes Jareth to angrily ask Beetleglum why he was so insistent that Jareth tell him Maria’s story, now knowing that Beetleglum saw it firsthand. Beetleglum reveals that although he was there, he never found out how it ended "... for the woman with the unvanquished heart." Jareth obliges, and continues Maria’s story.
The Owl King’s machine is sapping the life from Maria’s baby, collecting his essence in a glowing orb. Maria watches helplessly as she is dragged by Septimus towards the portal back to the human world. Maria begins to cry and one of her teardrops falls to the ground, cracking the brickwork. Seeing this makes Maria realize that the power she thought came from the chalk came from her all along, and she uses one of her tears to free herself from Septimus’ grasp. She rushes towards the Owl King’s machine, and begins using her magic on it. 
:"I don’t know how to stop your evil orb… but I can re-shape it." 
As the Owl King cries out, the life essence begins returning to Maria’s baby. Sir Skubbin, Tangle, and Cible work together to defeat Septimus, knocking him into the portal which closes behind him. The Owl King, defeated, shrinks until he disappears completely. 
Maria rushes over to find her baby alive and well. Maria tells her baby that they can finally go home, only to be corrected by Young Beetleglum, who had been watching the confrontation from the shadows. 
:"You did everything you could to save your child's life… but that life may not return to the way it was — or should be… He's changed, your baby. You can already see it… you and the child are part of a balance that affects everything around you – and in turn, everything will affect you too. The baby is connected to everything. To the Labyrinth. To the King. Ripples of this will be felt… in your world." 
Through a glowing crystal, Maria is shown a vision of a possible future she’ll experience in the human world. Septimus falls through the portal and smashes into Albert’s ship, killing him. Maria and her son are shown as paupers begging on the streets of Venice, until Albert’s father appears and takes her baby away, forcing him to live an unhappy life in the Tyton household. Maria recognizes that while she did manage to defeat the Owl King, that she did lose his game. 
:"The King was right then. I was too late. But… a vanquished soul doesn’t mean a vanquished heart."
Maria thanks her companions for accompanying her on her journey. Maria then picks up her baby and walks with him into the glowing light of the crystal. 
Jareth hurriedly tries to conclude Maria’s story, but Beetleglum continues, explaining that after Maria entered the light there was a "spectacular clatter," and the Labyrinth changed. Cible was celebrated as a hero, and she retired quietly having "learned the value of an unremarkable life." Tangle’s flies, which tormented them with their bites, were ordered by the "New Goblin King of the Labyrinth" to treat Tangle with love. Lastly, Sir Skubbin left the Labyrinth, becoming "the one true and only bandit to explore the Great Howling Wastes." 
Beetleglum asks Jareth what happened to Maria and the baby, revealing that after they disappeared into the light Jareth arrived "rather soon after. Fully formed. Ready to rule." Despite Beetleglum’s prodding Jareth refuses to confirm what happened, offering up a variety of explanations for who he is and what happened to Maria and her baby. 
Beetleglum begs to know the ending to Maria’s story, which appears to soften Jareth’s heart. Beetleglum nearly admits his suspicion that Jareth was Maria’s baby, but stops himself.
:"Sigh, it doesn’t matter. I tried to do everything to make sure he wasn’t sad. Led a life without– without cruel ambition. A life where he valued the people he loved, not yearned for more. I was ordered to make it my life’s work to placate him. And I’ve done that." 
Beetleglum says he is ready to accept his punishment, but Jareth has changed his mind. 
:"You can stay, Beetleglum. You are a loyal servant. The child thanks you." 
Later, in a shadowy tunnel, Jareth meets with two masquerade goers. The masked man and woman reveal themselves as Maria and the Clockwork Albert. Maria asks Jareth, "Is she coming?" Jareth replies, "No. She’s gone home." 
Jareth asks Maria if she’s still happy in the Labyrinth, and Maria tells him that the last three hundred years have been an "endless joy," living in the Labyrinth with the man she loves "and you, of course." 
:"Respect and happiness fills my life. Not failure or hardship. The love we share – this family – means more than any learned ambitions out there. After all… Fantasy can be so much better than reality." 
As a smiling Jareth looks on, Maria dances with the Clockwork Albert.
==Covers==
Labyrinth Coronation textless cover 12 Fiona Staples.jpg|Fiona Staples cover
LabyrinthCoronation_012_Cover_B_Preorder.jpg|Cory Godbey cover
==External links==
* Comic Book Roundup Review Aggregator
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Category:Labyrinth Coronation