Ch 48
Sarah woke up on her wedding day with butterflies in her stomach. Instantly wide-awake, she jumped out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. "Today you become someone's wife." She bit her lip as she looked at her excited reflection. Then she couldn't hold it in anymore, and she squealed loudly.
"I'm getting married today! I'm getting married today!" she chanted, dancing around her bedroom. Unable to stop herself, she even jumped up and down on her bed. She laughed at her behavior, but she didn't care that she was being silly. It was her wedding day, and she was entitled to the excitement.
Jareth had told her he'd come for her at nine in the morning, and she looked at the clock to see it was a little after eight.
"Yikes!" she said, and ran around, trying to get herself somewhat put together. She didn't bother dressing up, since she would be getting ready at the castle. The night before, she had packed a single bag with her most treasured belongings and a few of her favorite articles of clothing. "I can't be expected to wear those stiff gowns all the time," she said to herself as she re-checked the bag to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.
The doorbell rang, and she ran to answer it, knowing it would be her dad, Karen and Toby. She had told them to be at her house before nine, and to be ready for their trip. They would be arriving with Sarah to the Underground and staying the night. Jareth had said it was up to them if they wanted to stay longer, and she hoped they would. There was so much she wanted to show them.
"Hi Daddy! Hi Karen! Hi Tobes!" She was almost bouncing with excitement as she let them into the apartment.
"Hi sweetheart," her father answered, kissing her on the cheek. Then, on second thought, he wrapped her in a hug, saying, "I can't believe my little girl's getting married today." And to a fairy king, no less, he thought to himself. But he had decided to accept his daughter's soon-to-be husband, and he was fairly sure that Jareth would be good to her. He just wanted his little girl to be happy.
Karen hugged her next, and all the while Toby was firing questions at her. "Am I gonna meet Hoggle? And Ludo and Sir Didymus? Is the Labyrinth hard? Will I see lots of goblins? Are they scary?" and so on.
"Tobes, all of your questions will be answered in…" she glanced at the clock. "Ten minutes! Oh my gosh, ten minutes? That means that in ten minutes I'm leaving here and never coming back!"
Sarah glanced wildly around her apartment, which somehow looked suddenly cozy and inviting, not cold and impersonal as she'd once thought. How could she leave this place? And how could she leave her family? What was she doing?
Karen recognized the look in her eyes. "Sarah, calm down. You just have some last-minute jitters."
Sarah looked at her with wide eyes. "But what if it's not just jitters? What if I'm not ready to get married?" She was terrified of how overwhelming these feelings suddenly were.
Karen smiled understandingly. "Sarah, it's normal. I felt the same way when I married your father." Sarah looked surprised at that. "I told you, it's normal, it doesn't mean you're not ready to get married. Look at me, Sarah." Sarah looked at her stepmother with her brow furrowed.
"Do you love Jareth?" Karen asked her. Without even thinking, Sarah replied, "Of course I do."
"And does he love you?" Karen continued. Sarah nodded, not doubting for a moment that Jareth loved her.
"Well, then, there you go. You know you love him, and he loves you. You're going to live happily ever after. And you're definitely closer to that fairy tale ending than any other bride I've known!"
Sarah smiled at that. She was beginning to calm down, and she felt rather silly. How could she have doubted her decision to marry Jareth? He was the only one for her, and she was sure of it.
"Thank you Karen," she said, giving her another hug. She sat back and chatted with her family for a minute, and then Jareth was there.
Sarah's father jumped out of his chair. "Holy hell, what is it with you people and your surprise entrances?"
"I apologize," Jareth said to him with a smile. He then looked at Sarah, who he thought was adorable in an old track suit with her hair in a ponytail. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms, and he twirled her around as she laughed happily. Her parents stood watching the scene with smiles on their faces.
Jareth looked into her eyes, his own mismatched ones sparkling. "Are you ready to become my wife?"
"I've never been more ready for anything in my life," she said. She looked at her parents and Toby. "You guys ready for the most amazing trip of your life?"
Without waiting for them to answer, Jareth waved his hand and brought them all back to his home, where he and Sarah could finally start the rest of their lives together.