The next day Sarah and Rosemary rode in the royal carriage to the High King and Queen's castle for the ball that evening, Anna and Zena were left to ride in the servants' carriage with the luggage. The ride out to the Greenhouse Palace was several hours long and Rosemary had suggested that Sarah practice more magic on the way there to keep from being bored. Excited to learn more magic they set to work, Rosemary teaching her some of the more complicated spells using the elements of the world. Much to her surprise the ride didn't seem to take as long as it actually did while she kept herself busy learning the art of magic; the carriage came to a jolting stop. She slipped on her white elbow length gloves and slipped on her red shoes, Rosemary helped her straighten her red off-the-shoulder gown before the door opened revealing a young elf man holding his hand out to help her step out of the carriage safely.
"Ladies," he said respectfully as Sarah placed her hand into his and allowed him to help her down. Rosemary just nodded to the elf when it was her turn then followed her liege into the High King and Queen's palace.
Fable met Sarah in the Grand Hall; Rosemary bowed low as did Sarah, this made Fable laugh lightly. "My dear Sarah, you don't have to bow to me, I've been your best friend for way too long for you to do that. Plus, you know too many of my Aboveground dirty secrets, wouldn't want to go all queen diva on you and give you reason to use those secrets against me."
"While that may be true, I never knew you were royalty either, so I don't think those secrets really count, but then again they might be good to get the High King laughing." Fable paled for a moment, and then the two women burst into laughter. The High Queen took hold of her best friends hand and led her into the Palace and began a tour of her castle until they ended up at the chambers where Sarah was going to stay while she was visiting the castle. Fable announced that her room was right across from Jareth's and in-between Starr and Toby's rooms. The palace servants brought her luggage in only moments later, and Fable left Sarah to her own devices while she went to announce their arrival to the other guests. Rosemary came in with Anna and Zena close behind, they helped set her room up with her belongings from the luggage, then Anna and Zena left to see if the High Rulers had any need for their services for the afternoon. Rosemary stayed with Sarah and helped her pick out a dress for the ball that was quickly approaching.
After taking a very hot bath, with so many different soaps and shampoos, Sarah stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a silky cream robe, Rosemary immediately grabbed her and began working on her hair and makeup then once that was finished she helped her get dressed in a black, slightly puffy ball gown that was 'V' necked with a silver star design at the end of the 'V'. She wore long black gloves and a delicate diamond bracelet. She looked into the mirror at her reflection and loved off-the-shoulder design of the dress, it made her look elegant yet seductive at the same time. Rosemary had done her hair up halfway in a bun and the rest hanging down in loose curls, glitter shimmered through the strands making them shine softly in the light. A simple diamond teardrop necklace adorned her slender neck, and the matching earrings hanging from her lobes flirtatiously. Her makeup was a beautiful coal color, blending neatly from dark to light starting on her lower lid, and a rosy pink lipstick adorned her lips, a thin layer of gloss added for shine.
A knock sounded on the door pulling Sarah's gaze from the mirror's reflection of her and called for the person to come inside. Jareth entered through the door wearing a similar outfit to the one from her peach dream years ago, yet the one he had on now suspiciously matched the dress she was wearing at the moment. Black streaks in his long blonde mane gave him a mysterious punk rock look that gave her goose bumps. "Hello, Jareth darling."
"You're Majesty," Rosemary said as she bowed then quickly left once he acknowledged her.
"Sarah, Sarah…you look absolutely stunning," he said as he kissed her gloved hand like a proper gentlemen. "Are you ready to go down to the festivities, I can tell you the ballroom is already throbbing with life."
"Yes, I'm ready." They walked arm in arm out of her room in the direction of the ballroom; the walk down to the party was short, but she didn't mind she was just happy to spend a little time with him alone.
As they reached the ballroom Jareth told the announcer their appropriate titles to be announced as they descended the grand staircase. The man's voice carried over the room full of fae society with a rich British accent that brought everybody to an awed silence. "High Prince and King of the Goblin Kingdom, His Majesty Prince Jareth, and as his escort for the evening Lady Sarah Williams of the Aboveground."
Everybody stared as they walked gracefully down the staircase; they had all heard of the young girl who had defeated Jareth and his mysterious labyrinth years ago and that she had returned to the Underground. They all wanted to know what she looked like; many of the fae women envied not only her looks but the fact that she was the Goblin King's escort, the fae men felt the same way towards Jareth himself, even the High King envied his son for having such a lovely young lady on his arm for the evening.
"She is a beautiful thing, Fable, my dear," the High King said as he watched Sarah and his son dance on the clear floor. "You said she was beautiful for a mortal, but you didn't say she could rival a fae woman!"
"My dear, Daioh, if I had told you that you would not have believed me. You may have even dared to say I was bit crazy," Fable said in return to her husband's accusation. "I knew that you would just have to see her for yourself."
Jareth twirled Sarah around the dancefloor which was slowly filling back up with couples, the song was a slow haunting melody, and for some reason it was familiar to Sarah who kept trying to remember where it was she had heard it. A memory finally filled her head of when Toby was only five and had been visiting grandmother Mary's house for the weekend; she and him were acting out the end of 'The Three Musketeers' movie "all for one and one for all". They had started to sing the words to the theme song "All for Love" with Mary; she smiled as the memory ended and continued to dance.
"Sarah, are you alright," he said as he saw her small smile creep onto her face.
"I'm fine, just remembering something with my grandmother," she said softly. "But there is something I need to talk to you about that does concern me a little. I'm worried about Rosemary's safety."
"And why is that? She seemed perfectly fine when I left yesterday," he commented.
"I learned from Firebeall that Anna and Rosemary don't exactly agree with each other, and I don't mean in a petty fashion…Anna has tried several times to kill her sisters behind your back. Rosemary says it's for power; she's even mentioned that Zena's safety is compromised with her sister being able to roam freely. I've seen what Anna does to Rosemary, and Firebeall is always responsible for healing her back to health only to have it done again."
"That is so unlike her, Anna is always so cordial from my inspections of her work throughout the castle. I've never seen her act out in such a way that you are speaking of." He looked at her for a moment thoughtfully. "How could she get such behavior past me anyways?"
"Honestly, Jareth, why would she behave where you could find out about it? That's asking for trouble to begin with, she is smart enough to make sure you are far from the scene before she does her deed…and the cuts and bruises that Rosemary has I'm pretty damn sure she wouldn't inflict upon herself. This past incident Firebeall told me that the vanity mirror in Rosemary's room was shattered when she went in there to fetch Rosemary for me yesterday, this isn't normal sibling behavior."
"I'll take care of it then," he said as he spun her around one more time.
Their dance finally reached the thrones of the High King and Queen, the two royals were sitting in perfect anticipation for them to reach this spot; Starr ran up to her mother and hugged her, Sarah couldn't help but think how cute her baby girl looked in the pink ball gown. Toby walked more calmly over, he was wearing black pants like Jareth's, but instead of a black jacket he had a white one that sparkled in the light.
"Well, well don't you two look stunning tonight, what did they have to bribe you with to sit long enough for them to make you look so," she smiled at them then bowed to the two royals sitting on their thrones watching the scene before them. "You're Majesties."
"Lady Sarah,, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," the High King said as he stood up and loosely embraced her before he took her left hand and placed a kiss on it. "Jareth and Fable, have spoken so much about you, I almost thought I wasn't going to get the opportunity to meet you myself."
Sarah smiled at the man, "I do hope they only had good things to say about me."
"Don't worry there wasn't an ill word said from either, most definitely not from my son. You're all he's been talking about since he has arrived here in our home." Everyone laughed earning themselves stares from the rest of the guests. The group talked for a few more minutes before Diaoh asked Sarah if she would honor him with a dance; Jareth took his mother's hand and they all danced to a classic waltz.
"I'm going to ask her to become my wife and queen, mother," Jareth said once he and his mother were far enough from Sarah and Diaoh to talk such private matters.
"That's wonderful, my dear," she replied happily. "And when do you plan on asking her, and where?"
Jareth laughed at his mother's open curiosity, "Wasn't it you who taught me that it is dangerous to show too much emotion in sight of the public's eye?" She gave him an annoyed look only to have him chuckle softly back at her. "I plan to ask her tonight in this very room during the feast so everybody can hear and not be distracted by other dancers."
"You know you have most definitely caught my son's eye since you first came here, Lady Sarah."
"I hope that's a good thing, or else I'm in some big trouble without knowing why," she laughed lightly as they moved gracefully across the floor.
"In fact that's the best thing that has ever happened to him…"
The ballroom doors crashed open and the music instantly died, everyone stared at the doorway where the intruder stood, a woman clad in black fighting pants and a flowing white shirt held down by a black sash around her stomach with long auburn hair stood glaring back down at them all. Her ruby red lips turned upward into a sinister smile when she spotted Sarah. "Well, Sarah, aren't you a lucky girl, not every lady is fortunate enough to get to dance in the arms of the High King."
"Anna, what are you doing here? Go back to your room immediately and await your punishment for such disrespect to the High King and Lady Sarah," Jareth ordered.
"I will soon enough, but first I'm going to dispose of a second pest; Zena turned out to be an easy kill once I had her powers, my next target however is that little throne seeker, the sweet 'Lady' Sarah," Anna said coldly. "She has been a throne in my side since she arrived back into the Goblin Kingdom, no mortal girl deserves such a title as Lady!"
"She killed Zena!" Sarah was in shock now, she feared for the girls' lives but she didn't think Anna would have tried to commit murder within the walls of the High King and Queen's Palace.
Anna in an angry rage threw a large fireball down at Sarah, but she and Diaoh moved out of its path before it had a chance to hit them. Diaoh called the guards to action, but with her new powers Anna had all the guards defeated within a few minutes. A few of the guest attempted to subdue her but she only sent their attacks flying back at them with a wave of her hand. Finally everyone stopped trying to take her and allowed her to speak once more. "How many of you who are only nobles want to see that wretch become the Goblin Queen or the next High Queen when Queen Fable decides to hand down her crown?" Much to her surprise many of the people in the room had raised their hands, even the High King and Queen themselves. She fumed; her plan wasn't going as she had hoped. They wanted the girl to be the next ruler of the whole Underground. While she was distracted by the odds being in Sarah's favor two guards had come up behind her and grabbed her roughly by the upper arms and started to drag her out. She screamed insanities at them and kicked wildly trying anything to make their grip lessen, she saw red and she wanted to see the mortal girl bleeding at her feet.
Once the guards had her out the room and you could no longer hear her shrieking voice the people in the room decided to take their seats so the feast could finally begin. The variety of food that had been cooked simply appeared from thin air on dishes lined up down the center of the long table. Everyone grabbed the delicious smelling food and placed the servings on their plates and began to eat, everyone indulging in small chit chat with their neighbors. As the mean drew to a close Jareth stood from his seat and got everybody's attention as he walked over to Sarah who had been sitting across from him at the table; Starr and Toby giggled with a knowing of what was about to happen, Jareth had already told them his plans. Once he reached her he got down on one knee, her eyes widened at the idea of what was about to happen…
"Lady Sarah, you captured my heart when you first came to my kingdom and when you returned back to the Underground. Not only have you made me fall totally and madly in love with you more than once, you have given me a beautiful daughter and because of this I ask you not to make me the happiest man in the entire Underground by marrying me and becoming my wife and queen."
Tears clouded her eyes as he spoke of his feelings for her, and had to clear her throat before she could speak her answer to him. "Yes, I will marry you, Jareth." She smiled as he slipped a gold ring onto her finger that had a diamond surrounded by emeralds and sapphires, he kissed her passionately as everybody around them cheered for the Prince of the Underground. As he pulled away she whispered into his ear so only he could hear her, "After all, you are 'my' Goblin King."