A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Amethyst Lainey, who has been IMing me all night instead of doing her Accounting homework to make me post faster. Thanks for the encouragement!
Disclaimer: You'd think after all this work I'd own something, but alas…
The battle had frozen, as everyone on the battlefield turn to stare at the young Wiccan. Her arms were spread wide and her head thrown back as though embracing the night sky. The moon seemed to hover directly over her, and her flame colored windblown hair caught the moonlight in such a way as to give the illusion that she was afire. She was chanting, almost singing, and the sound resonated throughout the valley. Ambrosius cowered low to the ground, his paws over his face, afraid of the change in his new friend. The orcs were staring at her with expressions of awe which quickly turned to horror. They dropped their weapons and began to tremble in terror.
"What's she doing?" Buffy asked Giles, seeing the orcs' reaction.
"I haven't a clue." The Watcher answered truthfully. "I wouldn't have thought she could do any magic here. I don't even know what language she's speaking."
"It's a goblin dialect, but very old." Sir Didymus interjected. "I understand but little. Can you make it out, Sire?" he asked, addressing Jareth.
The other three turned to Jareth, and were startled to see the blood draining from his face. "I can." He said, his voice almost a whisper.
Giles put his hand on the Goblin King's shoulder, concern burning in his eyes. "Jareth, are you alright?"
Jareth continued to stare at Willow, a far away look in his eyes. He didn't answer Giles, but instead began to translate. "'We the Ancient Fallen, the Labyrinthine Dead, call upon the powers of the elements. Cleanse this holy ground of the evil that creeps upon it, let them be swallowed by the flame of justice.'"
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She looked from Jareth to Willow and back, her heart thrumming wildly in her chest. Finally she found her voice. "Is that what she's saying?" she asked.
Jareth nodded solemnly. "She's repeating it, over and over."
"But how does Willow know some ancient goblin language?" Xander asked, and they were all relieved to see that he and Oz were okay.
"She doesn't." Giles finally answered. "But obviously the 'Ancient Fallen' do."
"But who are they?" Buffy asked.
"Those who died on this field, a thousand years ago." Jareth answered. "My family." This last was said softly, with a sadness and reverence that was nearly palpable. He continued to stare at Willow a moment longer, when he suddenly remembered his future Queen. He turned his attention to Xander and Oz. "Where is Sarah?"
Xander shook his head. "I'll give you three guesses, but you're only gonna need one."
"Damn it!" Jareth cried. "How long ago did he take her?"
"Not long." Xander told him. "Just before Willow started her light show."
Sir Didymus' ears perked up at the mention of Sarah's name, and Ludo and Hoggle, who had just made their way down the hill to join the group, also took notice. "Is My Lady in trouble?" Didymus asked.
"Sawah!" Ludo roared.
"Wait." Said Hoggle, looking around at his King and the strangers by his side. "You means the little lady's here somewhere? In the middle of all of this?" he gestured wildly towards the field that was strewn with dead orcs and cowering live ones.
Jareth paid them no heed, but spun around, wanting to run to Sarah's aid. There was no where to run to. He looked around frantically, growling in frustration when he saw no sign of either Sarah or Bothvar. Buffy took his arm and turned him to face her. "It's okay, Jareth. She's okay." The Slayer reassured him.
"How can you know that?" he asked.
"Because this is all about revenge. He wants you to see her die, and he won't hurt her until you're there to watch." Jareth's eyes shimmered with tears of frustration, and he seemed to age before her eyes.
"I can't lose her, Buffy." He said, forcing each word past the lump in his throat. "I've lost everything I've ever loved, I can't lose Sarah too. I'm just not strong enough."
Hoggle and Didymus looked at each other questioningly. Did he say love?
"I've never lost a fight, and I won't let you lose Sarah." Buffy told him, her eyes earnest. "We'll get her back, I promise."
Suddenly the wind began to pick up, gaining speed until they were fighting to stand against it. Didymus and Hoggle clung to Ludo's shaggy fur to keep from blowing away. "What's happening?" Xander called over the whirring gale.
"I don't know." Hoggle shouted back. "But the little lady on the hill's what's causin it."
As the wind blew harder, the orcs that were already cowering began to grovel even lower to the ground. If the wind got any faster, none of them would be able to stand. It was at that point that Willow stopped chanting and let out a blood curdling shriek. The sound seemed to pierce the sky somehow, as suddenly streaks of lighting began to fall around them in every direction. They gathered together in a circle, hovering with their faces covered to block out the blinding light. Even with their arms over their eyes the world seemed to be lit by a thousand suns. They could hear screaming all around them, but no one dared to look for its source. It was as if they had been thrown directly into a star.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Warily they pulled away from each other and opened their eyes. The wind had stopped, and they were once again surrounded by darkness. More importantly, they were surrounded by hundreds of small piles of ash where once there had been orcs.
"By my honor, they're all dead!" Didymus exclaimed.
"She killed them." Xander said, his voice hushed with quiet awe.
They all turned once again to look at Willow. She looked tired, drained somehow. The wind that had billowed around her before had diminished some, but had not gone away completely. Her eyes were still closed, and she still held her arms and face toward the sky. And she was chanting again, but the words had changed.
"What's she saying now?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know." Jareth answered. "She's too quiet, I can't quite make it out."
Disembodied laughter brought their attention behind them. They turned to see Bothvar materialize in front of them, Sarah in his arms.
"Jareth!" She cried, trying to pull away from her captor, but he held her fast.
"I see your pet witch has done away with the orcs." Bothvar sneered. "No matter, they bought me time to recapture my prize. You will regret what you have done to me, cousin."
"I don't think so." Jareth said, closing his eyes. With his mind he reached out to his beloved, and this time he felt the connection between their minds. He projected a feeling of warmth towards her, like a mental hug, to reassure her that he loved her and not to be afraid. Then he probed deeper, looking for the source of the magic he had given her.
Sarah was struggling to get away, terrified of being tortured yet again. Her fear and panic threatened to take over her rational mind, when suddenly she felt a presence inside her. It was warm, and comforting, and calmed her down immediately. Jareth. He was there, and he was about to awaken the magic inside her. This was it, she knew; after this there would be no turning back. She would be the Goblin Queen, bound to Jareth forever. She took a deep breath to steady herself and smiled broadly, looking up at her captor with shining eyes and waiting to be filled with Jareth's power, and his love.
Bothvar's laughter caught in his throat as he saw the smile spread across Sarah's face. What did she have to look so smug about? He glanced at Jareth, whose eyes were closed as if in prayer. Suddenly he understood, and fear clenched him. He wouldn't, would he? It was unheard of! No Goblin King for the last ten thousand years had awakened the connection in his Queen. Jareth was not even bound to this girl, surely he was not trusting her with so much power?
His question was answered when a bolt of pain shot through him as though he had been stabbed. He was able to catch the flash in Sarah's eyes as they went from emerald green to ice blue, and then he fell to the ground in pain. He tried to dematerialize, to disappear and go far away from her, but he couldn't.
Giles began to laugh, the kind of belly laugh that only comes with extreme exhaustion or relief or, in this case both. Willow's chanting had gone from Goblin to good old fashioned Latin, and he could recognize a binding spell when he heard one. She was holding him in place, making sure he didn't get away.
Jareth too recognized the spell. "It looks like our 'pet witch' isn't quite done with you, cousin." He said. Unlike Giles there was no humor in his tone. Quickly he advanced on the demon, who was now cowering defenseless on the ground. He screamed in agony, the combination of Jareth and Sarah in such close proximity causing pain to wrack his body. Jareth raised his sword above his head, but faltered. Even after everything he had done, Jareth couldn't bring himself to destroy his own cousin. He looked up at Sarah, but she shook her head, wordlessly telling him that she couldn't do it either.
Buffy watched the two of them and sighed in exasperation. She stepped between them, axe in hand, and swung, bringing Bothvar's miserable afterlife to a close. Then she turned around and walked away, just the hint of a strut in her step. At the awestruck look on the faces before her she commented "Well, the Big Bad is dead, the cemetery is covered in piles of dust, my work here is done."
"Wow, that was pretty neat." They heard Willow say, and turned just in time to see her smile weakly before collapsing at the foot of the hill." Oz and Xander ran to her side, as the others followed. Oz bent and scooped her up into his arms. "Is she okay?" Sarah asked.
"She's breathing." Giles answered. "She's just very tired."
Buffy sighed with relief. "Aren't we all." She said.
Jareth turned to Sarah, pulling her into his arms, and held her tightly. She put her arms around him and they held each other for a long moment. Finally Jareth broke the embrace and looked into Sarah's eyes. They were slowly fading back to their natural color, with only traces of the blue shining through. "I'm so sorry, my heart." He said softly. "I should never have let you take such a risk. You were nearly killed."
Sarah smiled, brushing a stray hair from his face. "But I wasn't." she said. "You saved me."
"Oh Sarah, I love you so much. If I had lost you…" Jareth began, and stopped as a rebellious sob escaped his cultured lips.
Sarah put a finger to those lips and kissed him gently at the corner of his mouth. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." She said. He pulled her even more tightly into his arms and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately as tears of joy and relief streamed down his face.
Ludo, Hoggle, and Didymus stared at the sight before them in utter disbelief. "Am I seein what I thinks I'm seein?" Hoggle asked.
"Well, if you think you see our Sarah in a passionate embrace with His Majesty King Jareth, then you are my brother." Didymus answered.
"What does it mean?" Hoggle wondered, scratching his head.
It was Ludo who answered. "Sawah Queen!" he exclaimed, and to everyone's surprise bowed low before the couple, who were now turned to face them.
Sarah was astonished to hear a low rumbling voice in her mind. "My Lady Sarah, it is my honor to pledge my loyalty to you as Queen of the Labyrinth."
"Ludo?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide.
"Prince Ludo." Jareth corrected, smiling. To Ludo he added "You have served your people well today, Your Highness, and brought honor back to the Cree."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, though no action of mine can ever make up for the treachery of my people." Ludo answered, though only Jareth and Sarah could hear him.
Sarah searched for the right words to respond to him, but could only find two. "Oh Ludo!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the furry creature.
I(&O&(&(&()(&)()(+)(+)()(&I&(&()(&)()()()()()()(P)(&(&(&(&)(&())()()(+)(+)(+)()&(&&&&&(&)(&)()(+(
They were standing in the throne room, Jareth and Sarah with their arms around each other, the rest huddled together waiting to say their goodbyes. Jareth had tried to convince Buffy and the others that they should stay for a while, at least until Willow had her strength back, but they would have none of it. As Buffy put it, every minute they were away, was another minute the Hellmouth went unprotected. He knew better than to argue with the Slayer, and so had reluctantly agreed to send them back once they had gotten cleaned up.
The responsible adult inside Giles had been struggling with him for several minutes, and finally broke free. "Sarah, are you sure you don't wish to come back with us? At least to say goodbye to your family?"
Sarah clutched Jareth tighter, shaking her head. "My place is here, with Jareth." She said, and Jareth smiled proudly. "Besides, if my family had cared at all about me, they would have noticed what was happening and tried to help. As it is, I doubt they even notice I'm gone yet."
"Then you'll just leave them to wonder where you are?" Xander asked.
"I won't be the first teenage girl to go missing in Sunnydale." Sarah answered darkly.
"I suppose not." Giles admitted. "Still, won't you miss them at all?"
"I will." Sarah said. "And I may tell them eventually where I am. Especially Toby, he's the only one who may understand. But for now, I have so much to learn, and so much to get used to." She looked up at Jareth, who smiled warmly at her, kissing her gently on her pale pink lips.
"And so much catching up to do." He added and she blushed.
"That reminds me." Buffy said. "Do we get an invite to the wedding or what?"
"Of course!" Sarah said, but Jareth pulled her aside and whispered something hurriedly in her ear, causing her blush to deepen to a dark crimson. "Uh, so not the wedding, but maybe the reception?" she amended.
"What?" Buffy asked, "Why?" Before Sarah could respond, Giles pulled her close and did his own whispering. Buffy's eyes grew wide, and to everyone's amazement, she blushed as well. "Uh…Okay. Reception it is." She made a motion in the air as though writing something down. "Consider the date marked." She said, smiling sheepishly.
"What am I missing?" Xander asked, as confused as ever.
"I think goblins skip the ceremony and go straight to the honeymoon." Willow said, never very discreet to begin with and now too tired even to try.
"Oh…" Xander and Oz said in unison. "Sweet" Oz added, giving Jareth a playful punch in the shoulder, to which Jareth frowned and rubbed the offended body part.
Buffy pulled Sarah away from Jareth and whispered conspiratorially, "You know, maybe you shouldn't have forgiven him so fast. Who knows when you'll have him groveling at your feet again like that again?"
Sarah looked from Buffy to the Goblin King, and then to the stairs leading up from the throne room. "Oh, I predict he'll be groveling at my feet about 30 minutes after you leave." She said, giggling.
Jareth pulled Sarah back into his arms. "I am a king, I never grovel, nor do I beg." He told her, his trademark smirk firmly in place.
She leaned in close, kissing the soft skin of his slender neck. "We'll see about that, oh great and powerful King of the Goblins" she whispered, and he felt goose bumps rising along his skin. Once again she had defeated him, for he would have her as his bride tonight, even if he had to beg, grovel and plead.
"Yes, well," Giles began, clearing his throat to get their attention. "I suppose we should be going."
Jareth turned back to the watcher, thrusting his hand to him. "Rupert, it has been my great honor to know you, sir."
"And I you, Your Majesty." Giles answered him, bowing slightly.
"If ever I should need an advisor, you would be the first one I thought to call upon." Jareth said, meaning it completely.
Giles smiled, uncomfortable with the praise. "Thank you, Jareth. That means a great deal."
Jareth moved on to Willow. "How can I ever repay you for what you did today?" he asked her. "I said before that you were a powerful witch, but I had no idea just how powerful you are. Guard that gift carefully. It can be your lifeline, or your undoing."
Willow smiled as he pulled her into an embrace, and whispered into his ear "Your parents told me to tell you that they love you, and they are very proud of you." He pulled back, shocked by her words. He looked into her eyes and understanding flashed between them. He smiled brightly, his eyes shimmering, and pulled her into a new embrace, this one filled with more gratitude than the last.
Finally he moved on with his farewells. Addressing Xander he said "You fought well today, as well as the bravest Goblin Elite. Buffy should be proud to have you by her side."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xander said, smiling broadly.
Coming to Oz the Goblin King smiled. "You fight well even in your human form. I hope one day to meet the beast inside you."
Oz shrugged. "Meh." He said, and Jareth nodded, moving on.
Finally his gaze rest on Buffy, and he hardly knew where to begin. She saved him from his awkwardness by pulling him into a powerful hug. A human of weaker strength might have felt bones cracking under the strength of her embrace, but Jareth only smiled warmly and returned it wholeheartedly. When they were done, they both had tears in their eyes.
"I'm gonna miss you." Buffy told him, wiping at her eyes.
"And I you, Slayer." Jareth told her. "I could never have made it through this without you."
Buffy shrugged off the comment, although her heart was as heavy as she had ever felt it. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me."
He put his hands on her shoulders, looking earnestly in her eyes. He was trying to read the path before her, and was terrified by what he saw there. "The same goes for you, Buffy. Sarah and I will always be here if you need us."
Buffy nodded, understanding that he was speaking in more than generalizations, but not wanting to know what he had seen. "I know, Jareth." She said, and kissed him softly on the cheek.
Jareth stepped back, and gave Sarah a chance to say her own goodbyes. Sarah merely stretched her arms wide, pulling all of them into a group hug. Her tears were flowing freely. "It's funny how in just a few short hours a group of near strangers can come to mean more to you than your own flesh and blood." She said, sobbing. The Scoobies looked at each other, and the truth of her words hit home on a level even she wasn't aware of.
Buffy squeezed her hand. "Take good care of him." She told the future Queen. "And make him take care of you."
"We'll be fine." Sarah said, and looked meaningfully at Giles. "It's our destiny.
With that she stepped back and put her arm around Jareth.
"Would you like to do the honors, my Queen?" he asked her.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "What? I can't do that." She protested.
"Of course you can." He smiled. "You can do anything I can. Just close your eyes and concentrate, and you'll find you know exactly what to do."
She closed her eyes and focused her mind. As he promised, the knowledge seemed to come to her as though it had always been there. She held out her palm and formed a crystal, focusing her will inside it. She opened her eyes and looked at her friends one last time. As excited as she was at the thought of being alone with Jareth, her heart ached knowing she may never see any of them again. "Goodbye my friends." She said as they disappeared in tendrils of smoke an glitter.
"Well done, darling Sarah." Jareth said, pulling her to face him. She smiled warmly, laying her head on his chest.
"Were you really that worried about me?" she asked him.
He put a finger under her chin, lifting her face until their eyes met. He gazed at her lovingly, giving her time to see the sincerity in his eyes before he spoke. "If Bothvar had taken you from me, my life would be over." He told her.
She smiled softly. "And now my life is just beginning." She said.
He took her by the hand, leading her towards the stairs that would take them to his chambers, their chambers. "Then let's not waste a second of it, my love."
&&&(&)(&)(&&&$&$&(&)(&(&&$&$&&(&&$&&(&&$&$&&(&(&(&()&)(&(&&&(&(&(&
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Bog of Eternal Stench, a balding little gremlin of a man was sloshing through the muck, trying to find his way to dry land. His suit was befouled, his tie long since lost, and his shoes were filled with something he'd rather not identify. He was mumbling to himself, as he had been for several hours. It was the usual tripe about revenge and getting his hands on someone and making them sorry, yada yada. Suddenly he looked up at the sky, screaming to no one in particular "And what is that smell?"
A/N: So that's it, the last chapter. Thank you all so much for reading this story, and for the great reviews I've gotten.
Sarsalot: Is this soon enough?
Great Materia Hunter Yuffie: Yay for my, you reviewed twice. Don't worry, I love it when they're long. And thanks for the tip on anonymous reviews, I've got that fixed now.
Solea: Ye, I loved her too. Even still, that was unexpected. It surprised even me.
Angelwings202: Realistic? Really? Even I was like "Damn, where did the orcs come from?" lol. But I'm glad you're enjoying it.
TheShadowCat: Thanks
Scifimimi: Thank you too.
Silverwater17: I never get tired of hearing that, lol.
Jumping-jo: Lol, I see where you get your name.
Lady of the Labyrinth: Thank you for the praise, sorry I have to end it, but I need to get back to God Save the King sometime. Btw, who is John Howard?
Cathawk: Thank you
Dancin Ryo Oh Oki: I'm glad I made your day, and yes, I plan to update GSTK as soon as this is all finished.
I have an epilogue all written and ready to go. Do you guys want it? Or should I leave it here? Please let me know, and as always, contributions are appreciated.
