Sarah awoke the next morning a bundle of nerves. She didn't now how she'd managed to sleep at all, but in the end exhaustion had won out. She opened her eyes as the first rays of dawn appeared over the horizon and within seconds of her getting out of bed, Mandana and Saliene were at her door, taking charge. First Sarah had a warm, herb infused bath to help calm her nerves. For a time it actually worked, but all too soon she had to leave the bath and the nerves returned in full. She hadn't thought she'd be nervous, she loved Jareth, she couldn't imagine not spending the rest of her life with him, but that wasn't what was bothering her. Despite everything she had done since returning to the Underground, the thought of becoming High Queen terrified her. She didn't feel like a Queen, she didn't know how she'd possibly be able to do it, and if she failed, if she made a wrong decision, so many people could suffer for it. The rational side of her brain kept telling her that she wouldn't be ruling alone, she'd have Jareth by her side and Saliene and Parthenon to give her advice, but still the nerves gripped her. In addition to that was the ceremony itself, similar to an Aboveground wedding in some ways, and yet so different. What if she forgot something? The thoughts kept going around her head as Mandana did her hair and make-up. Saliene could see Sarah's anxiety and kept up a steady stream of talk, but she only managed to keep Sarah distracted for half of the time.
The preparations seemed to take forever, first there was the hair and make-up, which even though the make up was minimal, there was a long cleansing and moisturising routine to do first. After that Salience forced Sarah to eat some porridge with fruit for breakfast as it was going to be a long, difficult day and she'd need lots of energy. Sarah ate what little she could then went over the protocol of the day with her soon to be mother-in-law. All the time during the preparations, goblins were constantly coming in to ask last minute questions of Saliene on details for the wedding. More than once Mandana had to stop preparing Sarah to shoo an unnecessarily ruffled goblin out of the room before their nerves made Sarah even worse. This was the biggest event the Labyrinth had ever held, everyone wanted it to go perfectly.
About an hour after Sarah had eaten, a pitifully small meal, but no doubt full of a lot more energy than should have been possible, and after Saliene had managed to talk some confidence into Sarah, it was time to dress properly. First came the elaborate, yet slim underskirt. Layers of gauzy, embroidered material to slightly bulk out the skirt of the dress. Then there was the corset, a gorgeous white satin piece with Fae ribbon ties, elegant to look at but incredibly strong. The corset was tied lightly, emphasizing Sarah's bust and waist without putting undue pressure on the baby. At this stage the corset couldn't harm the baby, but there was no need to make Sarah uncomfortable.
Then came the dress itself. Sarah had not yet seen the dress and was a little worried as to what a Fae wedding dress would look like. Memories of the meringue style dress of the ballroom from her first visit to the Labyrinth haunted her. She had stood for hours as the Royal dress maker had taken innumerable measurements, both mundane and magical to make sure her dress would fit perfectly. She'd had to go through it all again two days ago to make sure the dress would still fit over the slight swell of her stomach. Yet not once in all the preparations had Sarah had so much of a glimpse of the dress. Even now Sarah was blindfolded as Mandana and Saliene helped her into the dress, then made slight adjustments to the dress, her hair and her make-up before finally allowing her to see herself in the mirror.
Sarah needn't have worried about another meringue dress, the dress maker had gone for a more traditional Aboveground dress, and when Sarah saw it, she was stunned. The woman she saw in the mirror truly looked like a queen. Minimal make-up enhanced her powerful eyes and regal cheekbones. Her raven hair had been curled, the front swept back and held in a crystal encrusted clasp, with the rest falling in curling tendrils down her back. And then there was the dress. It was made of Fae satin, shimmering between pure white and iridescent cream as the light fell on it. The bodice was tightly fitted over the corset, low cut, yet tasteful, tiny spaghetti straps, more decorative than functional, adorned her elegant shoulders. The skirt flared out slightly at her hips, falling gracefully to the floor with a few feet of train trailing out behind her. The material at the front of the skirt was split and beneath was a panel of the most gorgeous lace Sarah had even seen, it was so delicate it looked as if it would fall apart if you touched it, but Sarah knew it was Faery lace and was as strong as any man-made material.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, Sarah's skin began to glow slightly, her Fae side beginning to show through. With hardly a thought Sarah brought her wings out, using magic to make sure the dress was not damaged. Staring at her striking image in the mirror, Sarah finally began to see what others saw clearly in her, a true Queen. Awed by her image, Sarah turned to thank Mandana and Saline, only to find both of them had tears of joy in their eyes. Seeing both of them crying set Sarah off and soon they were hugging, careful not to crease the dress of course.
A knock came at the door and a goblin informed them that the guests had all arrived. Drying her eyes, surprised to find her make-up had not been damaged by her tears, Sarah took one final look at herself in the mirror and then turned to the window.
"It's time." She said. Before gripping Mandana and Saliene's hands and transporting them all to the brides tent at the edge of the clearing in the Labyrinth for the wedding.
Sarah's father was already in the bridal tent when the women arrived. He was left speechless at the sight of his daughter and took a few seconds to recover before telling Sarah how proud he was of her. Sarah found herself holding back tears as she realised she was proud of him too, proud he had managed to sort his life out and gone back to being the father she knew and loved. There was no time to tell him this though as they heard the wedding march begin outside the tent. It had been hard to decide which bits of which world's ceremony's to use, but Sarah had asked for a traditional Aboveground opening before moving towards a more Underground wedding, symbolic of her leaving her old life behind and joining the Underground.
As Sarah exited the tent on her father's arm, she was stunned by the sheer number of people present. The aisle seemed to go on forever, and she couldn't see the end of the congregation on either side of her. All the nobles of all four Kingdom's, all those that had fought or helped in the war, and every single able bodied goblin was present. Even after the losses of war, the vast extent of the Underground populations was staggering.
Sarah's thoughts didn't linger on the guests for long though. At the far end of the aisle she caught a glimpse of Jareth and her breath caught in her throat as she walked towards him. His sleek blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail and all traces of his once excessive make-up were gone. Upon his head sat an elegant gold crown, the symbol of the goblin Kingdom in etched into the front of it. His breeches were made out of a navy blue satin, silver thread tracing elegant patters over them. He wore a white shirt with loose sleeves, and a vest waistcoat to match his breeches. Completing the ensemble was a cream coloured cloak covered in silver embroidery that depicted the four races of the Underground. The crown upon Jareth's head indicated his continued role as Goblin King, whereas the cloak was that of the High King. Seeing Jareth dressed as the king he truly was, filled Sarah full of pride. He was a great King, all who gathered here knew that. And Sarah loved him. Completely and with her whole heart, she loved him. She was no longer nervous, only filled with pure joy at finally being joined in marriage to the man she loved.
Eventually Sarah and her father reached the front of the assembly, Sarah stood to the left of Jareth with her father to the other side of her. Lord Lenea came to stand at Sarah's father's side and Trea and Markon moved to Jareth's right. Saliene and Parthenon stood in front of the couple, facing both them and the guests.
"Jareth, High King of the Underground and ruler of the goblins" Parthenon began, his voice carrying clearly to all present. "And Lady Sarah of the Faeries, daughter of the mortal world have expressed their desire to marry, to formalize the love that binds them together, today and always. It is a joining of both this couple and the races to which they belong. I therefore ask the representatives of these races to show their consent to this marriage."
As the King stopped speaking Lord Lenea stepped forward and turned to Sarah. Holding her hands lightly in his, he closed his eyes, almost instantly the veins in Sarah's wings began to glow and then turned a gleaming gold. Smiling, Lord Lenea released her hands and took hold of Jareth's. This time when he closed his eyes, Jareth's cloak seemed to go transparent and the bright outline of wings shone through Jareth's clothes, a permanent tattoo etched in gold along Jareth's skin. Smiling once again, Lord Lenea opened his eyes, released Jareth's hands and moved to take a seat on the front row.
"The blessing of the Faeries is given." Saliene announced.
The ritual was repeated by all those stood by the betrothed couple. Sarah's father hugged his daughter and shook her soon-to-be husbands' hand, the mortal sign of approval. Markon placed bead and owl feather ornaments in the pair's hair, symbols of Jareth's Animalanis side, and their King's approval. Finally Trea bade them both form the symbol of their magic. Jareth held out a crystal. Sarah held out her rose with the sphere of light. Taking both their hands in his own Trea closed his eyes. When he opened them the crystal and the rose sphere were gone. In their places two crystals filled with flickering gold and red light remained, a symbol of the couple's joining magic.
After reach representative had sat down, Saliene announced in turn that the blessing of Aboveground, Animalanis and Fae had been given. A small smile played on Saliene's lips before she continued speaking.
"Although neither the bride nor the groom is goblin, Jareth has ruled the goblin Kingdom for hundreds of years and his subjects wish to show their respect to him and their new Queen."
At a small gesture from Saliene, Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo arose from their seats and knelt in front of the couple.
"Fair maiden, good sir, I pledge myself to your service. May your love reign eternal." Sir Didymus announced.
"You've shown me true friendship an' allowed me to prove I'm no coward. You 'ave my thanks an' allegiance, always." Hoggle continued.
"Sarah and Jareth friends." Ludo finished succinctly. Sarah found herself fighting back the tears once again at her friends' show of love.
After the three had taken their seats once again, Saliene and Parthenon stepped forward. Together they placed Jareth's left hand atop Sarah's right.
"As the former High Rulers of the Underground and representatives of all its peoples, we give you our blessing." Parthenon said.
There was no magic this time, no gifts, simply the heartfelt approval of two who shared the feelings of an entire world's population.
After that came the speeches from various nobles of all four Kingdom's. It was mostly generic speeches about how they wished the couple eternal happiness and peace throughout their reign, but Sarah could hear in their voices that they meant every word. At the end of the speeches the nobles would pledge the allegiance of their household to the High King and Queen.
It was as the last Fae nobles had finished his speech and Parthenon stepped forward to speak that Sarah felt a slight tug on her dress. She looked down to find herself gazing into the solemn eyes of her little brother. Toby had spent the entire service sat quietly on the front row next to her father, but had left his seat as the last noble spoke.
"Sarah," he said quietly, "Can I make a speech? Please?"
His voice was so timid and his eyes so sad, Sarah began to worry something was wrong. Quickly she glances at Jareth who nodded his head in agreement.
"Okay Toby, go up to the front." She said to her brother, smiling warmly at him in encouragement.
Slowly, Toby made his way to stand before Jareth's parents. He stood facing the audience silently for a few seconds, plucking up his courage before eventually speaking. His voice was quiet, but Sarah knew the magic of the Labyrinth meant everyone heard him.
"Everyone's been saying how you'll be a great Queen," He began, looking straight at Sarah. "But you're not a Queen to me, you're my sister. You're the bestest sister I've ever had. You always hugged me and told me stories and fed me. You looked after me. I know you're staying here, and I have to go home… I wish I didn't, I'll miss you. But this is your home and you're a Queen and I'll still get to see you, so I guess it's not so bad. I just wanted everyone to know how great you are, and, well, you take care of my sister okay?" He ended, speaking to Jareth.
"I will Toby, I promise." Jareth replied sincerely.
Sarah knelt down as Toby rushed to hug her, finally giving way to the tears that she had held back throughout the entire service. Tears of love and joy, but tinged with sorrow at the thought of once again parting from her brother.
When Toby finally returned to his seat, the ceremony was almost over. Parthenon read out messages from other lands that were allied with the Underground, sending good wishes to the new rulers on their wedding day. Then all that remained was to exchange rings, an Aboveground tradition Sarah would not abandon, and for Sarah to be given the cloak of the High Queen. When Sarah and Jareth shared their first kiss as husband and wife, the assembled guests let out a loud cheer, proof of their support of the royal pair.
A/N I'm so sorry for the delay, my internet once again decided it didn't want to work. But this is a longish chapter so I hope you'll forgive me!! Once again I've had to chop the chapter in half as the full thing is far too long, but I'll update again in a few days (as long as my internet works...). Thank you as always for reading and please let me know what you think!
