A Love That Will Last
It wasn't three months after Sandra and Toby's arrival Underground that Sarah stood in her room, Cattie, Sandra, Amaryllis and Belladonna surrounding her.
Amaryllis was giving Sarah last minute reminders on Underground marriages. Cattie was applying finishing touches to the girl's make-up. Sandra was fixing Sarah's veil to her head. Belladonna tried her best to keep Sarah calm, while checking to makes sure the other women were also prepared.
It was when Sarah thought she couldn't take anymore that there came a knock at the door. Cattie opened the door to find Llewellyn, dressed in formal garb. He bowed and said, "Ladies, five minutes."
Sarah entered the gardens smiling, hoping her fear was not apparent, and everyone stood. Jareth watched her walk towards him and knew that this was where she belonged, and where he belonged. With each other.
As Sarah reached the place where Jareth stood, he held out his arm to her. The Wise Man, whom Sarah had encountered in journey through the Labyrinth, smiled and asked those assembled, "Who here gives away this Mortal Woman, Sarah Williams?"
Sandra stood up. "As the Mother of this Mortal Woman," she said, remembering the words Amaryllis had given to her, "I give Sarah Williams to Jareth, King of the Goblins. May they live forever in happiness. Blessed be."
"Blessed be," the guests said.
Sandra sat back down. The Wise Man's hat spoke this time, "And who here gives away this Fae, Sarah Williams of the Aboveground?"
Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus all stood up. "As the first Underground friend o' this Lady, I's do give Sarah Williams of the Aboveground to Jareth, King of the Goblins," Hoggle said respectfully.
"As the protector of this Lady and one of her guides," Sir Didymus said nobly, "I give Sarah Williams of the Aboveground to Jareth, King of the Goblins."
"Sarah and Ludo friends," Ludo said. Amaryllis had given him a simplified form of the usual words. "Sarah be with King."
"May they live forever in happiness," Hoggle and Sir Didymus said together.
"Bless be," Ludo finished. The three brothers sat down.
"Then," the Wise Man continued, "step forward, Mortal Woman, Sarah Williams of the Aboveground, and Jareth, King of the Goblins, and pledge your love for each other."
Sarah and Jareth stepped forward, Sarah handing her golden bouquet to Belladonna, her maid of honor, and holding each Sarah's hands, Jareth said, "Sarah Williams, as your King and Husband, I pledge to love, honor and protect you, forever and always, until the world falls down and beyond."
Sarah took a deep breath and a moment to find her voice. "Jareth, King of the Goblins, as your Queen and Wife, I pledge to love, honor and serve you, forever and always, until the world falls down and beyond."
"Have you the rings?" the Wise Man's hat asked.
Quillan and Toby stepped up from behind Jareth and Sarah, Toby next to Sarah and Quillan next to Jareth, holding out the silver pillows that the golden rings sat on.
"Then," the Wise Man said, "Jareth place the ring on Sarah's finger and repeat these words, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Jareth did as he was told, and the Wise Man turned to Sarah. "Sarah Williams," the Wise Man's hat said, "place the ring on Jareth's finger and repeat these words, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Sarah, too, did as instructed. As the Wise Man said his next words, Jareth held on almost desperately. "If the be anyone here with reason that these two she not be wed, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."
A few seconds of silence passed and Jareth relaxed, earning amused glances from the Pixie King and Dryad Queen. "Then," the Wise Man and his hat said together, "I present to you, Jareth and Sarah, King and Queen of the Goblins."
Some say the cheer that followed could be heard in every kingdom through out the Underground. Others say the sound that was heard was the sound of the High King rejoicing over his only son's marriage. Whatever the noise was, it was only to be rivaled one other time.
As seemed to be the case whenever anything important happened, King Keenan of the Pixies, Queen Amaryllis of the Dryads, King Jareth and Queen Sarah of the Goblins, and King Galvin and Queen Belladonna of the Wizards stood in a circle in the center of the Labyrinth, their magics mixing together.
The Aboveground was loosing their belief in the Underground races. The Underground was falling apart. The only hope lay in the center of the circle of monarchs, rising by magic to Aboveground. As the spell finished, the monarchs who had cast it turned to living statues, silently waiting for a time when they were remembered.
Ryuichi Shindou ran through a park in Japan, desperately trying to reach his school before the tardy bell rang. As he rounded the corner, Ryuichi tripped over a large, ancient book. Opening the book, Ryuichi began to read the list of spells.
Charlotte Cavadica sat down under her favorite tree in the middle of England's countryside. Looking up at the clear sky, she sighed. This was always her favorite time of the year.
Charlotte looked down towards her lap, when something caught her eye. A short distance away, gleaming in the sunlight, sat a small snowglobe with a Labyrinth inside. Charlotte stared, watching the tiny figures move about and the walls move to confuse them.
Tatiana laughed, picking up her small daughter. The home she had in South Africa may not have been much, but it was theirs.
Tatiana watched as her small son waddled towards her, carrying a small tube filled with shining specks. Taking the tube from the boy, Tatiana emptied some into her hand to inspect it.
Holding the specks in her hand, Tatiana once again wished for what she wanted more than anything. She blinked and opened her eyes, to find her home a bit more grand. A phone call informed the woman that she could now afford to make ends meet.
Ramon ran through the rainforest in Brazil, chasing his friends. He tripped over a large tree root, and that's when saw them. Small wooden carvings of five or six people, mostly girls, with wings. Ramon called out to his friends, and the rest the day was spent pretending they had wings and were as small as flowers. When night came, Ramon and his friends each took one of the carvings home.
Danny sighed, looking up at he clock in her parent's house near Boston. Eight thirty. Good. She could now put her bratty two year old sister to bed.
Danny looked around for anything to make the girl stop crying. She picked up a small, red leather-bound book with gold lettering that she had never noticed before. She thumbed through it quickly then went back to her sister's room.
Danny sat down next to her sister's bed and said, "Do you want a story?" The two-year-old nodded.
"All right," Danny said, opening the book. She turned to the first page and read aloud, "Once upon a time there was beautiful young girl who's step mother always made her stay home with the baby..."