Chapter 68: The Sentence
The thirteen days of celebrations flew by. Sarah was too busy to be nervous. In many ways it was like the Dwarf-king's wedding festivities: mornings were taken up with unofficial "lessons" with Bev – although Alia had joined the small group as well, to give her perspective and to get to know Sarah better—and afternoons were taken up by sitting in on Jareth's meetings. The early part of the evenings, Sarah spent with her family and Jareth, quietly by themselves. She had been away at college for so long, and then all of this Underground stuff had happened so suddenly, that she wanted the time to re-connect with them, and for them to get to know Jareth. After dinner, the dancing (and hobnobbing, Sarah thought, rolling her eyes) began, and she began to create a more formal demeanor for these times—it was just easier, when dealing with the "public faces" of the other monarchs and nobles, to come up with one of her own. Otherwise, she felt hopelessly intimidated! Jareth told her that she would develop one during their wedding, and she couldn't wait!
The night before the wedding, when Alia called the names of the other monarchs, no one else spoke up. So Jareth and Sarah reaffirmed their intent to wed on the following day, and that was that. There were no kidnappings this time, and if any of the other women were overcome with jealousy for Sarah, they had the good sense to hide it after Terrillia showed up.
For Terrillia made an appearance at the festivities the night before the wedding. Still spelled into complete silence, tied up and accompanied by four dwarf guards bristling with weapons, she was escorted to a special chair at the bottom of the room near the kitchen. There was one last thing Jareth had to do before he got married.
The crowd hushed as the dwarves brought her in. King Daxon and Queen Claro stood next to Jareth and Sarah, to lend their support. They were flanked by both unicorns and Terrillia's mother, Bev.
"Terrillia rin Bevelyn," Jareth addressed her in a ringing voice, using the name of her noble mother as opposed to her commoner father. "We have called you before us today so that we may pass judgment on your behavior toward my betrothed." He indicated Sarah, who stood tall and proud by his side.
Terrillia winced, her face showing her fear for just an instant before she regained her control and became impassive. She nodded once to Jareth and waited.
"You shall be exiled to the world Above, to live among the humans for at least four years," he informed her.
Her jaw dropped.
"You shall have to earn a living and make your way among them as you also work toward your education," Jareth went on. "You are going to attend an institution of higher learning—the same one Lady Sarah attended, in fact—and you shall study there as a common student." The he delivered the parting blow. "You shall be stripped of your magic as of now, and we shall make arrangements for your seamless entry into Aboveground society tomorrow." He smiled faintly and gave her the final twist of the knife. "At the same time that I am being united with my new queen, you'll be united with the human world Above. Your losing your magic will provide that much more of it for my bride to receive, when we are wed tomorrow."
Terrillia blanched. Magic was a tremendous part of a fae's natural makeup! How would she get by without it? Especially among the humans, whom she disdained.
Watching her, Bevelyn spoke up. "You won't die of it, T'rill. Humans get by quite well without any magic for their whole lives; and anyway, look at the bright side! If you return, you'll be a better person for having learned to do things for yourself."
Terrillia caught the "if" in her mother's statement and looked frightened again. She looked pleadingly at Jareth. Was he going to banish her forever?
Sarah touched his hand to restrain him from speaking, and stepped forward. "Considering that I was the injured party, and that by this time tomorrow I shall be the Goblin Queen, does anyone object if I speak with the queen's voice now?"
No one objected. Sarah took a deep breath and lifted her chin. "University life is a learning experience, Terillia. It is our hope that you will see it as such, and learn from your interactions with humans—as a human—just as much as you will learn from your classes. Upon graduation, we will summon you to stand before us again, and we will see what you have learned. Our decision of whether or not to accept you back among us will depend upon that meeting. For what it's worth, and for your sake, I hope you find it within yourself to learn from your exile, and maybe even to enjoy it. Good luck."
Jareth nodded to the guards and they made Terrillia stand up. He took Bevelyn's hand with one of his, and placed the other on Alia's neck. The three of them closed their eyes, concentrating.
The atmosphere in the room changed subtly, strengthened somehow, and Sarah could tell the exact moment that Terrillia's magic was stripped from her. The fae woman paled and staggered, but managed to keep her feet as the dwarves led her out.
There was a moment of silence, and then Alia stamped a forehoof and gestured for the musicians to start playing again. Jareth bowed to his betrothed and held out his hand, pulling her out onto the floor. Slowly, other couples joined them, including the dwarf monarchs.