Chapter 25.
The guests assembled in the great ballroom. The Groom and his men awaiting the bride were in an alcove. Sarah looked around the room, a sea of faces some friendly others not so. One face stood out, that of a young Fae woman with a haughty smile and the look of a cat who had just eaten a canary. The look gave Sarah a very uneasy feeling. That one meant trouble, and there was only one way to warn the King.
Closing her eyes, she felt for the thin thread. 'Quinn?'
'Yes, Sarah?' he sounded aggrieved. 'What is it.'
'Just wanted you to know, Millicent is here. Looking like she's got something going.' Sarah faltered.
There was a long silence, then a soft. 'Thank you, my dear,' he was gone.
A tear stung the corner of her eye, and she refused to allow it be shed. This was not a time for tears; it was a time for great joy. She shook off the heaviness of heart, and painted on a smile.
Karen stood in the back of the room speaking to Robert in a low voice that no one over heard. He nodded and then patted her hand. He sent her to the front of the room with Claire Kerry.
Robert came into the entry and looked at Sarah arranging her friends court train.
The girl was dressed in a long flowing gown of candlelight satin and silk, covered in seed pearls and crystals. Even the leg of mutton sleeves had delicate designs made of the pearls and crystals. In her hands was a bouquet of Stephanotis and Gardenias in ivy. Little Stephanotis and ivy was laced though her hair. "You look beautiful, Anne. May I have the honor of walking you up the aisle?"
Anne looked at Sarah's father with more than a touch of suspicion. "I beg your pardon?"
Robert took her hands into his own. "I know I said a lot of things…some rather unkind and stupid. Let me make amends…I know you have no one here to do the honor of giving you away. Allow me to do that…for you."
Sarah smiled. "That's a wonderful idea."
Anne glanced from her friend to the man. "Ok, but I'm warning you…"
"I'll be on my best behavior…I'll think of it as a dry run for the next wedding." He winked at Sarah.
Anne snickered. "So you're not the hard ass after all, eh Mr. Williams?"
Flicking imagined dust from his court robe, he smiled. "Just don't ever come into my courtroom!"
Sarah signaled the minstrels, and sent Toby with his little pillow in hand walking up the long aisle. She looked back at the bride, crossed her fingers and began her own walk. Her under-gown of sea foam green georgette moved like the waves of the sea. A soft silk buttercup yellow over robe covered it. The ribbons in her hair were the same shades of green and yellow; the crystals reflected the light as she walked toward the throne.
The Minstrels began the bridal march and Anne on Robert's arm entered. Ryan looked at her, wondering how he had such good fortune to fall in love with so wondrous a creature. Giles felt the pride of a good friend. Karen and Celestia held hands as they watched the procession. Solea and Cairbre watched with gentle smiles as well.
Bride and Groom knelt before the King the room went quiet. Sarah looked at the pair kneeling, then looked at the King.
"AS is our tradition, we join this man and this woman as the sun sets, joining day to night." The voice was commanding and powerful. "Ryan, Paladin of Labyrinthia…do you take this woman to be your wedded wife?"
Ryan gazed at his lady, eyes filled with love. "I do."
"Lady Anne, Scribe of the King, do you take this man to be your wedded husband?" The King looked at her with a considerate gaze.
Anne looked at Ryan. "I do."
A smile crossed the King's lips. "Ryan, you may speak."
Holding Anne's hand, he spoke as he had two years before when they had handfasted themselves. "In a temple of old we pledged ourselves to one another. In two years nothing has changed. You are still the only one for me. I still pledge myself to thee."
The King whispered. "Anne?"
The girl with red hair looked at her long time friend and lover. "You have seen my very soul, and not been put off by the truth of it. I still now, and always pledge myself to thee."
The King bound the hands of the couple with silken cords. "Let it be forever after known that Ryan and Anne are man and wife." He smiled. "Rise good Paladin, and kiss your bride." Ryan stood, drew Anne closer and lowered his lips to hers. Sarah looked over at Giles and smiled. The King smiled softly. "It is my honor to present to you, Lord Ryan and Lady Anne of Labyrinthia."
The minstrels began to play and the bride and groom walked down to be greeted by the guests. Giles left the dais to seek his wife. Sarah looked at the King who seemed withdrawn. She stepped closer, "Are you alright?"
"Reflective, that's all." He said quietly.
Sarah nodded, "You made it a wonderful ceremony." She looked toward the couple in the center of attention. "One they will never forget, Sire."
Mismatched eyes looked sadly at her. "I hope they never forget." He admitted. "We want them to remember this always."
Sarah caught sight of Karen making her way with the little Kerry toward the exit. "Karen's going to take Kerry up to bed, Toby as well. I'm going to go kiss them good night."
"Kiss them for me as well." The King called as she left him.
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Phineas walked to the side of Lord Hawthorne. "Is your daughter ready?" His voice was low and dangerous. "The King will be unprotected for a time. All eyes are on the bride and groom."
Hawthorne nodded, "She is almost in position."
"Remind her to wait for the signal." The Healer whispered.
Solea head the words carried to her by the water in the fountain beside which the men stood. "The King is in danger!" she gasped to her husband.
Cairbre did not ask but moved swiftly to the side of the shattered soul, the two made one. "Sire, you must move." He advised.
Quinn looked over the shoulder of the Bard, saw the Fae woman coming toward him and cursed under his breath. "Blasted female buzzard," he said aloud. He turned moving the other direction though the crowd. 'They waited until Sarah was out of the way,' the inner voice warned. 'Quinn we need Sarah.'
Giles saw the King move, turned to see where the High Courts Healer was, and cursed under his breath. "Celestia, find where that blasted Lady Millicent got to."
"She's tailing the King!" Celestia pointed to the Fae female moving though the crowd like a knife though butter.
The Minstrels began to play a lively tune. Guests, Bride, and Groom joined in dancing. The King wove his way in and out of the crowd staying one step or two ahead of Millicent. 'SARAH! WE NEED YOU.' Both halves of the soul cried out.
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Sarah was in the hall kissing her siblings good night, and disentangling herself from Kerry's grasp. Suddenly she looked as if a force with the power of a truck had hit her. The air sucked from her lungs and she gasped. Karen grabbed Kerry as Sarah stumbled and grasped a wall to stabilize herself. Kerry reached out but Sarah eluded the child's clutching hands. "The King needs me." She said to Karen and staggered to the door. Seeing the King dodging and moving though the crowd, she knew what was wrong. Fury flamed in her eyes. "Millicent!" She snarled as she drew power form the castle itself. Karen was startled by the sudden disappearance of her stepdaughter. She had not witnessed Sarah perform magic before.
Millicent had nearly cornered the King, another foot and she would touch him. She smiled knowing how pleased her father would be. Stepping forward, a gloating gleam in her eyes, she reached out her hand.
A pair of female hands shoved her violently back. "I told you once, sister… BACK OFF." A voice ordered harshly. Millicent was pushed back into a group of dancers, carried off.
Sarah turned to find the King helplessly surrounded by dancers and merrymakers. She stepped into the circle, moving toward the King. He reached out and drew her close. "I'm here." She said. The crowds applauded loudly as the King swept his consort off her feet and spun around with her.
Millicent did not applaud, after freeing herself from the group that held her captive in the dance she stomped one foot, and turned to stalk back to her father. "I thought you said she was occupied…where did she come from?"
The King spun faster and faster, and the couple vanished, leaving only the sound of their laughter in the room. The music played one.
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Quinn transported them to the Escher room, a safe distance from the Grand Ballroom. They were still spinning when they appeared, and he gently placed Sarah back on her feet. She was laughing helplessly.
"OH did you see the face on that harridan?" She asked as she leaned on a wall for support.
"You enjoyed that! Tormenting and taunting old Millicent." Quinn was also gasping for air as he laughed.
Sarah giggled. "I take my eyes off you for just a moment, just a moment! The next thing I know some Fae bitch is trying to put moves on my…" She stopped, unsure of what to call him. Quinn had also stopped laughing; his face while still amused had become feral. His eyes raked over her as they had done on their first meeting. She backed up and nearly toppled over a staircase going up.
"I seem to remember that you owe me a debt, Mystic." He said from somewhere deep in his throat.
"You pick a hell of a time to call in your debts, Quinn." She continued to move away from him, staying just out of reach.
"Are you refusing to pay your debt?" he teased.
Sarah giggled, "Now I didn't say that…." She moved toward one of the archways.
"Be a good girl, come to Quinnie." He crooked a finger suggestively.
"Do you know the ins and outs of this kind of room, Quinnie?" She asked as she avoided his grasp. "You want a kiss, well you'll have to catch me to get it…and no cheating Quinnie! No magic…you have to play fair and square." She teased.
"I catch you…I get my kiss?" He asked mockingly. "You already owe me that kiss, Sarah."
"I'd rather owe you, then cheat you out of it…" She teased as she dashed up the stairs to her right. "So, Quinnie? Want to play?"
Quinn licked his lips. "You're on." He watched as Sarah dashed up one set of stairs. He moved to an archway and went inside it.
She came to a landing and saw him across the way going into another archway. She ran down the next set, and over a landing. Turning at a sound, she saw him in an arch one level lower. She crossed the landing and dashed up. He walked smoothly though yet another arch. From time to time, she would call out a taunt, rewarded with silence. She wound her way up and down, and lost track of where he was. She paused to peer over the edge of one of the landings, wondering if he would be looking back at her just as Jareth had when she rescued Toby. He was not there, and she felt a stab of disappointment. She kept looking over the edge thinking he had to be somewhere.
"Looking for something?" She heard in her ear, spinning around captured in his arms. "Hello, little fly." He growled. "Welcome to my web."
"You cheated!" she accused struggling against him. "I said no magic!"
"And I didn't use any." HE taunted. "I didn't have to."
Sarah stopped struggling; "You and he built the room together, just as you built the wizards' tower."
"Is that a question or a statement?" He asked pulling her to sit beside him on the stairs. "In any case, the answer is yes. We built the room together."
"You could have told me that before I challenged you!" she scolded. "Now I look a fool… all my practicing in here was for naught."
Quinn laughed as he pushed her back against the stone stairs. "Shut up…" He slid his hand over her side, "It's payment time," he lowered his face to her neck and began to trace the line of her throat with his lips. Upon reaching the hollow of her throat, he paused to pay homage.
"What are you doing?" She gasped.
"Warming up." He murmured against her skin. Slowly he inched his way up her jaw line, taking time to anoint her eyes, her cheeks and the tip of her nose. "Close you eyes," he whispered hoarsely. His mouth touched the corner of hers, she shivered under his touch.
"Quinn, no…wait…" she said suddenly.
"No, Sarah…I'll wait no longer." He growled softly from the back of his throat, "open your mouth," he moaned as his lips covered hers. She refused; he pressed his jaw against hers. "Give me passage, woman." He urged. Gradually the soft lips under his parted. Quinn moaned softly, breathing her in like a perfume. "Now tongue." He exhaled as his tongue slid in and over her inner mouth. Tickling the roof and then seeking her tongue. Quinn had kissed many women, but no kiss had ever given him more satisfaction. Pausing a moment, he looked down at her face, "Sweet Sarah." He said softly, shifting his weight and pulling her closer. "Again, I've yet to find your lungs…." He lowered his face to hers, this time she did not resist his assault, but welcomed it.
Sarah had only known the kisses that Jareth had bestowed upon her. Soft, tender, and almost chaste, this kiss was very different from those. At first she had not wanted to respond, she wanted to shield herself from the passions the two made one wakened in her. No ploy she applied worked, she could not help but want what he was offering her.
Her arms embraced him as he pulled her closer. She cried out as a sharp object stabbed her.
Quinn pulled back and looked down. "Sarah?"
"Something in your jacket just stabbed me." She whispered.
Reaching in he pulled out the large crystal and diamond spider. He looked at it for a moment then down at the young woman. He smiled, as he placed it on her bodice. "It's time Sarah."
"Time?" she asked blinking.
"We begin the bonding here, and now." He smiled at peace finally.
"Here?" She could not pull away, and she was staring at the crystal and diamond spider he had set on her. "Do you know the history of this room…. I mean in regards to your bother and I?"
Breathing deeply he nodded. "Indeed I do… that is why it's perfect for us. You refused and rejected him here…It's the perfect place for you to accept me."
"Quinn, this isn't funny." She warned shaking her head.
"I'm not joking." He stated as he began to peal off the leather gloves that were one of Jareth's trademarks.
Sarah moaned. "Oh that can't be good."
Crooking a finger, he stroked her cheek, and then her jaw. "Good no. Wonderful…oh yes."
"Quinn…. I'm not ready…." Fear filled her eyes.
Gently he touched her face. "I'm not going to bed you here Sarah." His voice was teasing. "I'm only going to begin the bonding here."
"But here…" she gasped. "Here?"
"Listen to me Sarah," He crooned in the same tone that Jareth had sung to her long ago. "It's not safe for us to be bondless anymore."
"What do you mean us? Jareth and I are bonded…."Fingertips silenced her.
"No, my sweet…All three of us are but half or not at all…It makes it dangerous for us. Moreover, Jareth is too weak to remain out of the healing place for long. It is time for us to bond. You must bond to us…both of us." Quinn kept the tone soothing, coaxing.
"We need you Sarah…bond with us…"
"But…I bonded…" she began to tear up, feeling like a cheat.
"We love you." He said softly. "With heart, mind and soul." Crooked fingers stroked her jaw. "Do you love us?"
Sarah, racked by a dry sob, did not want to answer.
"Do you love us?" He asked again, this time urgently.
"Yes." She whispered. "Yes, I love you …both of you."
Quinn sat up gathered her into his arms. "Then bond with us, beloved. Bond with us."
"Alright." She nodded her head.
Quinn pulled back withdrew his arms. He held his hands out, his naked hands with the palms upraised. "Take my hands, Sarah. Take them freely."
Placing her hands within his, she looked into his eyes. "And now?"
"We give you the Kiss of marking. You kissed Jareth, but it we who will kiss you." Quinn leaned forward. "And from this moment on, we three will be bonded." His lips moving over hers was deepening the kiss. Warm light and the scent of a garden surrounded them. Quinn moved back, "It is done." He picked up the spider pin, and placed it on Sarah's shoulder. "You are our beloved."
"Is this even legal?" she asked huskily.
Smiling at her innocents and confusion, Quinn brushed back her hair. "No one can now sever the connection. You and you alone will be wife to the Goblin King."
Sarah looked down, "Quinn…is…Jareth…still…"
"With me?" he placed a hand under her chin. "Yes, and soon the shattered soul will be mended…and there will be but one…"
Sarah hung her head; "Will it hurt?"
"No…" He assured her. "It will be as it was meant to be."
She looked at him, for a moment he looked more like Quinn of Tarsi then Jareth the Goblin King. "AS it was meant to be?" She placed her head on his shoulder. "As it was meant to be." She repeated.