Author's Note: A much shorter than average chapter, but I promise to follow it up with a long chapter this weekend. Oh! Did I tell you guys that I actually finished the story? It is completed! I'm still going to stick to my posting schedule though in order to be able to read back through the chapters and do minor edits. But if you see more chapters posted outside of the schedule, it's because I've finished and am eager for you lovely people to read it!
It had been just over a week since Sarah had first woken up. In that time, she had slowly become more and more mobile. Healer Watts had been insistent on taking it slow, but she'd pushed boundaries and eventually was able to walk around Éclat Castle longer than ten minutes without getting winded. The fae had been insistent that she needed to go slower, but had soon given up after realizing she wasn't going to listen to him. Often times he would leave her rooms grumbling about how she and Jareth deserved each other, which always made Sarah smile.
She wound up spending a lot of time with Toby, Jareth, Inara, and Celeste going through the books they had found and gathering information. On the first day of research, Inara had a severe reaction to one of the books. Her powers had kicked in unexpectedly when she touched one of the books and she had sat in a trance, gasping air, and whimpering as she slowly described a bloody treasonous plot to overthrow the king. She had spent the rest of the day recovering in her private rooms. She hadn't been allowed to touch the ancient books after that.
As for their handfasting, Sarah and Jareth had told those close to them about their engagement, but had decided not to make a big public spectacle of it. Perhaps one day soon when there wasn't a homicidal maniac out to get them, they would make it public and throw a fête that would last a week. However until then, the two decided a small ceremony presided over by a priestess and attended by close friends would be enough. They would perform the soulbond ceremony directly afterwards. Tuathal, surprisingly, took the initiative to contact the priestess from a local temple in Avalon. She had been used for various other palace functions and he trusted her to keep this quiet.
The ceremony was to be performed in the early afternoon, and Celeste had insisted that Sarah and Jareth not see each other until then. Toby and Tuathal were assigned Jareth watch duty and Celeste and Inara kept Sarah company and helped her get ready. With the addition of magic to the works, it took far less time to get ready, but Sarah was still glad to have their help. Celeste had helped to source a beautiful empire waist ivory dress with intricate lace overlay and pearls. A veil wasn't customary in the Underground, but Inara let Sarah borrow a silver circlet with celtic triquetras intricately woven into the design of the headpiece and inlaid moonstones. "It was made for my grandmother for her engagement to my grandfather."
"Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing it?" Sarah stared at the intricate patterns made by the silver vines and leaves, admiring how they wove around each other and effortlessly included the moonstones.
"Of course not," Inara smiled. "It has been a long time since it has been used. It deserves to be shown off and this is the perfect occasion."
Sarah smiled as well and allowed the elven princess to carefully set the circlet on top of her head. Her shoulder length dark hair was much shorter than a normal Underground noblewoman's, but the circlet seemed to give her an air of authority once placed over her brow. A silver collar necklace dripping with moonstones and diamonds sparkled at her throat and dripped down over her sternum culminating in a single sapphire. Looking in the mirror, Sarah saw an elegant noble woman looking back at her. She wasn't the same person who had come home from Kuwait only a couple of months ago. So much had changed since then.
"I think you're ready," Celeste said, laying her hands on Sarah's bare shoulders. Sarah took in a deep breath and nodded. It was time.
Because it was a private affair, the ceremony was held in a gazebo dripping with ivy and roses in the garden at Éclat Castle. The priestess stood at the head of the group. Jareth and his best man, Freyr (the nobles from the Goblin Kingdom had been invited to witness) already stood to the right of her dressed to the nines in black tails, cream waistcoat, sapphire poofy silk cravat, cream trousers, and kneehigh black boots. Each also had white gloves on, but Freyr held a long set of navy blue tartan cords with stripes of green, purple, black, and white running through them.*
Toby stood tall beside his sister, dressed similarly to Jareth and Freyr, but with reversed colors. His waistcoat was sapphire blue and his cravat was cream. Once the low flute music began to play, announcing Sarah's arrival, he straightened up and beamed at his sister before beginning to walk down the path with her. Celeste, Tuathal, and Inara stood off to the side across from the other Goblin Kingdom nobles.
As the siblings slowly walked forward, Sarah's stomach tightened into one giant knot. She had a moment of panic, wondering if this was truly the right thing to do. Toby must have noticed her hand on his arm tighten because he squeezed it with his hand covering hers and leaned over slightly to whisper, "You're doing amazing, Sar. Mom and dad would be so happy for you today."
Sarah let out a breath and tried to visualize the tension in her body leaving with it. It helped fractionally, but enough so that she made it to the front of the gazebo without further incident. Once they stood even with Jareth, Toby took her hand from his arm and gave her a tight hug before moving to stand behind her where a maid of honor would usually stand.
The priestess, dressed in rich green and gold robes with intricate celtic knots embroidered on them, gave the couple a smile. "Shall we begin?" she asked in a low voice.
Sarah and Jareth nodded. "Excellent," she spoke louder next. "Welcome family and friends! We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two individuals, Sarah Anne Williams and Jareth Fionnlagh Nuada Llewellyn. In this ceremony, I shall perform the handfasting and the couple have elected to say a vow to each other."
She turned to Freyr. "May I have the cords?"
He offered her them with both hands. Taking them, she gently ran her hands over them several times, murmuring a sibilant chant in Gaeilge. The cords began to glow softly. "Face each other and join hands, please." Sarah turned and handed her bouquet of white, cream, and blush colored roses to Toby. The pair did as asked, crossing arms at the wrist before grasping each other's hands. The priestess placed the cords over the top of their joined hands and slowly began to wrap it around their hands and wrists as she spoke. "As this knot is tied, so are your lives now bound.
"Woven into this cord, imbued into its very fibers, are all the hopes of your friends and family, and of yourselves, for your new life together. With the fashioning of this knot, I tie the desires, dreams, love, and happiness wished here in this place to your lives for as long as love shall last. In the joining of hands and the fashion of a knot, so are your lives now bound, one to another. You may now say your prepared vows."
Jareth cleared his throat. "Sarah, if I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever. I promise you that I will be your husband in all that the title entails. From this day forward, I promise to love and respect you. To support and to hold you. To make you laugh and to be there when you cry. To softly kiss you when you are hurting, and to be your companion and your friend. On this journey that we will now make together through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered."
Sarah's eyes glistened and she sniffled a little before beginning her own vow. "Jareth, despite the rather short time with have been courting each other, I believe you to be the best guide for me through this journey called life. You have shown me what it means to love. You have directed me down paths I did not know existed. Through our adventures, we have discovered incredible beauty, but we've also discovered intense pain. However we have together admired the beauty and together fought through the pain and came out the other side victorious and stronger than before. I look forward to holding your hand through all the adventures to come because in all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. And in all the world, there is no love for you like mine."
The priestess smiled at them both then proceeded with the ceremony. "By this cord you are thus bound to your vow. May this knot remain tied for as long as love shall last. May this cord draw your hands together in love, never to be used in anger. May the vows you have spoken never grow bitter in your mouths. As your hands are bound by this cord, so is your partnership held by the symbol of this knot.
"May it be granted that what is done before the gods be not undone by ye. Two entwined in love, bound by commitment and fear, sadness and joy, by hardship and victory, anger and reconciliation, all of which brings strength to this union!
"Hold tight to one another through both good times and bad, and watch as your strength grows." She gave them one last smile before saying, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."
Sarah and Jareth leaned forward over their tied hands and pressed their lips together. Clapping began around them, growing louder, and Freyr let out a loud whoop. They broke apart and the priestess placed one hand on their bound hands. "I understand you wish there to be a soulbond spell performed as well?"
Jareth and Sarah nodded. "Yes."
"Then continue to clasp hands tightly. You may feel some dizziness and tingling." The priestess closed her eyes and began to chant softly. "Cad a bhí dhá, anois ar cheann. Cruthaigh iontu banna nach féidir a bhriseadh. Agus go siúlfaidh siad go deo tríd an saol ina iomláine seachas dhá chuid. I bpleananna na déithe tá muinín againn."**
A golden stream of light emerged from under her hand, spreading in opposite directions, wrapping around and up Sarah and Jareth's arms and around their torsos. A sudden breeze swept through the gazebo and the pair swayed slightly. Toby reached out as if to steady his sister, but the priestess held up one bony hand to stop him. The light reached such an intensity that those watching had to turn away, but only for a moment. It receded just as quickly as it had come and left the two participants breathing heavily and leaning against each other. Eventually they straightened and looked at each other. A slow smile spread across their faces and they leaned forward once more to kiss.
The priestess helped them to unbind their hands once they were done and they were quickly led away by those in attendance for the party and feast set up in the smaller ballroom of the castle.
Author's Notes:
*Image search for Ancient Pride of Scotland tartan to see a visual. Also, fun fact, Pride of Scotland plaids were created for people across the globe that do not have their own family plaid, but have a desire to wear plaid.
** Irish to English Translation:
What was two, now become one. Create in them an unbreakable bond. And may they forevermore walk through life as one whole instead of two parts. In the gods' plans we trust.
References:
"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever." - Lord Alfred Tennyson
"In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. [And] in all the world, there is no love for you like mine." - Maya Angelou
Handfasting ceremony (with some modifications made by me) found here: officianteric dot com
Sarah's vow (with some modifications made by me) found here: minted dot com
Jareth's vow (with some modifications made by me) found here: allseasonsweddings dot com