A/N: So, I left a few loose (and not so loose) ends that could use tying into a bow...so for those that love a good squishy happy ending, this is for you.
Sarah walked with Marren through the rose gardens below the Castle. They might have been any two noblewomen taking a turn in the outdoors, except both were wearing armor and had swords at their sides.
"Do you have word from the King, your Majesty?" Marren asked.
"Yes, he should be returning from the eastern front in a few days," replied Sarah. "I believe the defense against Lord Orilin has gone well. General Didymus will maintain a garrison there, but the worst is over. I have to thank you for your people's aid, my friend. I can't believe it's been almost a year since I became queen. I don't think we could have pulled the country back together so peacefully without you."
"Think nothing of it, my queen. It is an honor to serve as your vanguard. I have also been gratified to show that the peoples of the Labyrinth have a choice. Very few chose to leave - their hope has been renewed by your share in the throne, and I believe the loyalty of those that have stayed has deepened."
"I haven't forgotten my promise to you, Marren. I consider your debt fulfilled once a year and a day has passed, from my first pledge. Thrice I promise you."
Marren bowed. "You have a generous and just heart, dark queen. I wish to give you a gift in return." She opened the pouch at her side, and drew out a charm. It was a hammered golden spiral hung on a golden chain, tied with a web of many small silken threads in intricate knots. "One of our oldest and most powerful crones made this for you, after the king saved her grandson at Tersca."
Sarah took it in her hand, feeling it vibrate with warm magic. "It's beautiful. What is it?"
Marren smiled. "A fertility charm. Once you chose to wear it, do not remove it for any reason. Over time, the threads will slowly unravel from the charm. The day the last thread falls is the day your child will be born."
Sarah's eyes widened. "Does it… really work for…"
"I would not give it to you unless I was certain. Stepping across the boundaries is one of the deepest magics my tribe possesses. Threading together the two sides of magic is almost impossible, but the two of you were already twined together by the power of the Labyrinth, and as you remain steeped in the magics of this liminal place the charm is strong enough to provide the last bond to finish the weaving of your powers into one. This time of war may not be appropriate, but one day you will have peace again, and then you both may remember us kindly."
"It was fun meeting the pixies, but they leave glitter everywhere," said Sarah, dusting off her book as she curled up in her chair by the fire.
"I thought next we might invite the Ettins," said Jareth, smirking into his book. "Although we'd have to double the kitchen staff in self-defense."
"Don't you ever take a vacation? Things are good, you know? Maybe we could go see your parents. I haven't seen them since our wedding. Toby has been here the past three summers, for goodness sake."
Jareth gave up any pretense of reading, and looked into the fire thoughtfully. "I see no reason why we should not. You know, Precious, I have gotten so used to being confined within these borders that I sometimes forget that's no longer the case. I am glad you're here to remind me."
The next day they transported themselves to the forests of Terathiel, a Seelie kingdom far to the east. They approached a great house, which seemed to be formed from the living trees within the forest. Sarah gripped his hand, feeling a bit shy and uncertain.
"Is this where you grew up?" she asked, craning to look around at the huge trees around them.
"Yes," he said softly. "This is the royal family's country house. Belenus and I spent many hours running through the woods and terrorizing each other as children here."
She snorted. "It's good to know that little boys are the same everywhere."
As they reached the door, it was opened by a small slim Fae woman. Her hair was the color of ripe corn, and her eyes were the same crystalline blue as Jareth's. She didn't appear to be any older than he, except for something in her eyes that gave away her age.
"Jareth," she said, leaning against the door for support, never taking her eyes from his face.
"Mother," he said gently, bowing low before her. "Sarah asked me if we might visit, and I realized that a homecoming was...overdue."
For the first time the older Fae became aware of Sarah, and when she smiled at her it was as if dawn had broken over the world. "Oh my dear, you are both most welcome."
Sarah smiled back. "I hope we haven't come at a bad time, ma'am."
"Oh, please call me Niamh. No indeed, I love nothing more than a full house. Your brother is here, with his family. What good fortune! I shall ask the elves to prepare you a room." With that, she beckoned them inside and took them through to the large formal gardens.
There they found two tall male Fae, standing apart from a group of two small children and a woman who was obviously their mother. The fairer of the two men turned at the motion of their arrival, and raised an eyebrow as he looked them over.
"I think I see the family resemblance," murmured Sarah. They could be mirror images, although Belenus definitely puts off those 'first child' vibes. Fae family reunions must get weird.
Jareth cleared his throat. "Belenus," he said with a minute bow. "It is good to see you well."
"And you, brother," he returned, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Welcome back to Terathiel."
"Father," continued Jareth, bowing more deeply to the other Fae.
"My son," he said, his back rigid, face immobile, although his icy grey eyes flicked to Sarah. "I hope that your bride finds our accommodations comfortable."
It's just fine, except for all the silver encrusted furniture. Not sure where I'm going to sit at dinner. "It's lovely here," said Sarah, smiling warmly at him. "I really appreciate your hospitality to us, especially on such short notice."
The elder Fae thawed slightly, eyes softening. "Please treat this as your own home, my dear. I believe you will find refreshment on the veranda there next to Auriel and the little ones."
Sarah retreated to the lively scene before her, leaving the three men to their phlegmatic conversation. The two children, one small boy and a smaller girl, retreated behind their mother at the approach of a stranger. Auriel's nutbrown eyes darkened for a moment at Sarah's approach, then cleared in recognition. "Ah, you must be Sarah. Welcome, I am Lady Auriel. This is Tamlin and Limina," she said, gently encouraging the two children forward. "Children, this is Aunt Sarah."
Sarah sighed a bit internally, recognizing the woman's reaction. I guess all Seelie fae expect Unseelie to try to eat their kids. I guess I can't blame them. She knelt down, putting on her best smile and waved at the children. "Hello there, I am so happy to meet you! I've always wanted to be an aunt. How old are you?"
"I'm gonna be 30 in a week, and Limmy is only 21," volunteered Tamlin with a bright, gap-toothed smile. "How old are you?"
Sarah laughed. "I bet you won't believe me, but I'm 28."
His golden eyes were as round as saucers. "Mama, is she telling the truth?"
"Yes, for time moves differently Above."
The little boy practically tackled Sarah when he heard that. "Above, really? Is it true that everyone rides on steel horses there?"
Jareth stood with his brother and father, watching Sarah play with the children. She grew animated, telling them stories, drawing pictures of cars and skyscrapers with sticks in the dirt. Tamlin laughed at her antics, and little Limina finally overcame her shyness and insinuated her way into Sarah's lap. His heart spasmed a bit as she cradled the little girl, but he said nothing.
"She is charming," smiled Niamh, who had rejoined her husband. "Don't you think so, Iliven?" To Jareth's ears, it sounded as if an argument had subsisted between his parents about his bride, an argument his mother had won.
"More to the point, she is a woman of many talents," he commented, turning to Jareth. "I understand that she almost single-handedly reunited your kingdom while you were abroad defending it from invaders?"
"Indeed she did," replied Jareth. "The Unseelie in particular have taken to her. She has brought the balance I had long hoped to achieve."
"She had the tenacity to prise you out of that infernal trap, so she must be a wonder indeed. A pity, that you will have no heir." his father finished, under his breath so Niamh wouldn't hear.
"We would be happy to have you at the palace," rejoined Belenus. "Auriel and the children already seem to love her." He stifled a grin, watching Limina showing Sarah the best way to decorate mud pies.
Jareth managed a smile, Belenus' kindness smoothing out the anger he felt from his fathers' remark. "We would be honored, perhaps next time. Now that our lands have returned to harmony, you are welcome as well."
Later that week, after they had returned home, Sarah went to her room and pulled out a small box she had secreted high up on her bookshelf. Everything is just how I left it, thank goodness. She set about the delicate business of unraveling the wards on the box. Eventually the box sprang open at her touch, and she withdrew Marren's charm. She sat by the fire, contemplating the flames for a long time, until Jareth came into the solar in the evening.
"There you are," he said, throwing his cloak across the end of the bed. "I had thought you would be in the gardens, the spring flowers are beginning to bloom." He began undressing for the night.
"I want to show you something," she said.
Her tone made him stop, and he came to sit across from her in his fireside chair. "Is there something amiss, Precious?"
"Not exactly," she began slowly. "I was just thinking about your brother's children, Tam and Limmy, and…"
He looked into the fire, eyes bright. "I had rather feared this would come up. It was part of the reason I delayed going home for so long… I did not wish to see you unhappy because of…"
"That is what I wanted to talk about, but not how you think," she said, holding out the charm to him. "Do you know what this is?"
He gazed at the charm for a long moment, and reached out his hand, nearly touching it. He drew in a sharp breath, and looked at Sarah with disbelief.
"Marren gave it to me, a few days before she left. She said… it was for us."
"This is intricate, delicate weaving," he whispered, not taking his eyes from the charm. "It overcomes the dissonance in our magic. I did not know her tribe possessed such a power."
"She said the Labyrinth knew. Maybe that's why it tried to persuade us with a child, because it had ensnared their magic for its use. In any case, she suggested I save it for the right time." Then she looked at him and smiled softly, saying everything that needed to be said in that moment.
"Yes," he breathed at her unspoken question, and watched every movement as she took the charm and fastened it around her neck. She shivered as the magic wove itself to her own, and he could see the threads in the spiral sparkle in the rhythm of their dual heartbeats.
Jareth and Sarah found that the path to their dreams was not as straightforward as they originally thought; It was, in fact, better - It was strewn with the hard work of building a kingdom and a life together, as well as the great adventures involved in parenting a small slip of a girl with a Goblish sense of mischief. But that, as they say, is another story.
A/N: Finis! I hope you enjoyed this ramble, it was REALLY fun.