Chapter Fifteen

The Ball

The morning of the ball came bright and warm, tickling gentle breezes swirled in from the east. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the trees were all in bloom. It was a perfect day for a wedding ball.

Sarah flipped the hair away from her face and gazed down into the courtyard where hundreds of Fae were already working to set up buffet tables and last minute decorations. The fountains were shimmering, the floors scrubbed, everything with a surface had been polished. She had been to check on her dress and make sure everything was in order. Now all she had to do was wait until it was time to dress for the ceremony, which was to begin in the gardens at noon.

Sarah had slept in her old bedroom. She was determined not to see Jareth until the ceremony began, in keeping with the Aboveground tradition. That one night away had been a bit restless and discomforting. She hadn't slept alone in a year and it felt cold and lonely without someone to snuggle. It was especially cold the night before because of the clear skies, and she lamented being unable to curl up like a cat along his side.

Jareth spent much of the night tossing and pacing. He knew that he loved Sarah and that she would make an excellent queen, but something was still nagging him. It wasn't so much something that was there, but something that wasn't. He felt like there was a dark spot on the plans for the ball, something he hadn't thought of. He shrugged it off as jitters and tried to sleep.

His dreams had been flooded with animals. He didn't know why, but the animals all seemed frightened. He kept trying to protect them, but there was nothing he could do. The next thing he remembered was that he was crying as all the animals turned away from him. And the tears weren't feeble; he was sobbing. He fell to the floor and sobbed, rocking with grief, until he woke feeling cold and shaky.

He felt something tickling his face and realized that tears were burning streaks down his face. He brushed them off and rubbed his face hard, trying to eliminate the almost painful streaks where the tears had runt heir course. Something was nagging at him, some inner fear that he couldn't quite place. He wanted to talk to Sarah about it but knew that she wanted to uphold the Aboveground tradition.

Sarah, on the other hand, slept through the night. Something was simmering in the back of her mind as she wandered through the back halls of the castle. She caught snippets of her dreams from the night before: A large caged bird, a thick cloud of arrows in the sky that rained down over an empty field. She was in the middle of it all, unharmed, but she felt panic that was out of her control. She felt that she was powerless to stop it.

Sarah attributed this sense of being carried along in the current to represent her slight anxiety about commitment. It wasn't a question of love, Jareth was her soul mate, but she was afraid of letting down the Goblin Kingdom.

She heard heeled boots rounding the corner and quickly darted into the nearest room and flung herself behind a sofa. She giggled nervously under her breath as she heard Jareth pass. It was fun trying to remain hidden from her husband-to-be.

Jareth heard a door slam as he turned the corner. He froze for a moment, then continued down the hall, wary of noises. He passed a room and heard a muffled giggle which he recognized as Sarah at once. With a smile, he shrugged off his anxieties from the dream and continued on to check on his ensemble for the ball.

Sarah heaved a sigh of giddy relief and cautiously rose from her niche. Curiously, she stared around the room. There were sofas and chair everywhere, all facing inward to a low round table. The chairs and lounges all seemed to recline so that whoever used them could look up toward the ceiling. It was a large dome shape, set at least fifteen feet above, but she couldn't see the edges of the dome. They seemed to extend off into some hidden space that wasn't visible from below.

Suddenly she heard a great rustling, distracting her from the reclining chairs. She looked around nervously, then realized that the sound came from the ceiling itself. Above her, moving with agility across the ceiling, was a swarm of birds. They crossed every which way, none colliding or landing anywhere, but rushing across like a swarm of beetles. Sarah sank to the floor and stared, remembering the arrows from her dream.

Just as suddenly as the rushing seemed to start, they all flew out of sight and the air stilled. The wake of the silence was deafening, and for a moment she thought that she had dreamed the whole thing. She blinked several times and just stared open mouthed at the place where she thought she had seen a flock of birds.

She considered getting up and leaving when a bit of color caught her eye. The high domed ceiling was now changing to a rich blue tone. Sarah furrowed her brows as golden-orange fish swam slowly out from beyond vision and moved gracefully across the ceiling. She thought of aquariums and the ocean and the one time she had been scuba diving in high school. It was so gentle and relaxing. Bubbles drifted down from above and she remembered fondly the time when she was saving baby Toby from the Labyrinth and Jareth had sent crystals to take her away to the enchanted ballroom.

Now the ceiling turned green and the last of the fish swam out of sight. Grass sprung up (or down, as the case was) and then flowers followed. All different types of daisies and daffodils grew and blossomed at a rapid speed. Soon they began to wilt and the fading petals fell down and landed around the chairs and in Sarah's lap.

This soon changed to white and a dry snow began to fall. It was cold, but didn't soak anything. The petals faded away as the snow covered it. After a while it disintegrated as the birds flew back into the room.

Sarah watched the cycle twice and then broke her mind from it's hypnotic grace. The birds were scaring her, reminding her of the dream, so she left as soon as the snow began to fall the second time.

She shook the cold flakes from her hair as she left the room and headed to visit Tacky and Wacky, who had offered to help her dress for the ball.

Jareth looked in the mirror one last time, fluffing his hair and straightening the lapels on his jacket. Kade knocked on the door and poked his head in.

"Ready?"

"Yes," Jareth clenched and released his hand, trying to work out the jitters that had crept onto him. "I'm the King of the Goblins. I'm not supposed to get nervous about professing love to the woman I adore."

Kade laughed and patted his shoulder, "Being King of a Kingdom is one thing, but In love? It doesn't compare to anything in this world or hers."

"Marvelous."

"Spectacular."

"Ravishing."

"Exquisite."

"Gorgeous-"

Sarah laughed, "Okay! I get your point! I don't need to fuss over my appearance anymore!" Tacky and Wacky giggled.

Corsicana hugged Sarah lightly, careful not to rumple anything she was wearing. "Let's go.

Hundreds of Fae sat around the circular garden like in an amphitheater. Only a chink was cut out of the crowd where the waterfall fell into the great pond. All eyes were turned toward the small stream that ran back and forth down to the bowl-shaped pond garden. A sudden sparkle of emerald green dust began to swirl and grow, a light wind ruffling the feathers on dresses and in hair. Kade appeared in a hasty puff of glitter before he sat in an empty seat next to Patrick and Kathy.

As the glitter on the center rock dissipated, Jareth appeared. He wore a marine green suit that shimmered with opals and moonstone. The lapels were completely encrusted, jewels spattered on his shoulders and collar, and the hem was bordered and faded into the silk. It was done in a style similar to that of the enchanted ballroom suit, with cream colored tights and his trademark stack-heeled boots, today in a warm forest brown. A cream colored shirt poked out the top, the ruffled ascot tucked neatly in. His hair had some opalescent shimmer to it that drew attention to his unusual eyes. Finishing the ensemble was the royal necklace. He wore no gloves today so that the design covering his right hand was visible to all. His hands were shaking slightly, though no one watching could notice.

The crowd rose and bowed and Jareth bowed back, acknowledging the dignitaries who came to witness the union. Suddenly, Corsicana appeared next to her husband and sat. Everyone's attention was suddenly turned to the path leading to the waterfall. Sarah was just materializing out of the green glitter that settled around her. The women sighed and the men nodded appreciatively at the beauty that was now descending the path toward the top of the waterfall.

Sarah's gown was made of the same marine-green silk and decorated with opals and moonstone. It was a simple and elegant style, strapless and tight fitting on the bodice. Her torso was covered in gems so that she sparkled and gleamed as she stood above the roaring water. Wind caressed the train, which extended a few feet behind her and was hemmed with another collection of gems. The skirt was loose and flowing, causing her waist to look diminutive underneath all the precious stones. Her hair was mostly up and curly with flower shaped hair ornaments tucked in with white orchids. Around her neck was a green choker with the royal insignia of crescent and orb against her throat. As she looked over the crowd, they bowed to her as well, but she didn't even notice. She was smiling, gazing down at Jareth who look stunned and pleased in equal measure.

Jareth came to his senses and waved a set of three crystals toward the water. It froze into shallow steps that textured to keep her from slipping. As soon as she set foot on the rock, the ice melted and quietly trickled back into the pond.

Jareth reached out his right hand and she took it with her right, the designs glowed golden and then light exploded from them, leaving a golden residue over the markings. The audience clapped and the new queen smiled at her king.

They formed a crystal between them, growing from the palms of their hands bigger and bigger, and the golden light from this swirled with energy. First Jareth took it and raised it toward the crowd. They cheered and applauded, and then he passed it to his new wife who raised it as well. This symbolized the power that they now shared as rulers of the kingdom and the peace that remained between their kingdom and the neighboring ones. Together, they lifted the orb and released it to the sky where it shattered like glass and showered everyone with a golden dust.

Once this was over, Jareth and Sarah shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The applause rose up again, but suddenly faded as shouts and cries pierced the joy. Jareth's heart jumped and Sarah felt something sinking in her stomach.

In the sky where the orb had just shattered were dark and ominous storm clouds. An all too familiar raven and a falcon were swooping down toward the stone platform. They landed and in a burst of cold wind transformed into Andromeda and the Galahad-Toby.

"Well, it seems someone forgot to send our invitation," Andromeda hissed as the uproar died down.

"It wasn't forgotten, it was intentionally left out," sneered Jareth. "You have brought us nothing but pain."

Toby shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Sarah. She noticed something about the way he held himself. He wasn't acting like a proud man, as he had before in Andromeda's presence. He now moved from one foot to the other like a boy. She blinked, nearly drowning out the words of the King and witch. Toby was shorter than before too.

"I thought at least for the sake of pleasantries you would invite an old family friend," she simpered.

"You are no longer welcome here, Andromeda. I ask you once, and only once to leave."

"And what about my precious Galahad? Certainly the queen would have wanted to invite her brother dearest. And you wouldn't want to be on bad terms with his future wife, would you?"

At this there was a general murmur of disapproval from the crowd.

Toby looked to her with worry, but she took courage. He was showing signs of the old Toby. "I did invite my brother. But you will never be welcome here, Andromeda, nor will you ever become my sister."

A shadow of worry crossed Andromeda's face, "What? You have sent no invitation to my castle- Galahad would have told me." She looked to Toby, who refused to meet her eye. "Wouldn't you?" she added quietly.

Still he stared at anything but her.

Her temper began to rise, "You mean to tell me that you have communicated with this mortal filth?" This time Toby glared at her.

"Don't you dare call her that. Sarah is my sister. I have every right to communicate with her."

Andromeda struck him across the face, sending him to the ground. Jareth, Kade, Corsicana, and the ambassador of the Seelie all threw crystals toward her that caused her to freeze where she was, incapable of moving.

Sarah kneeled by her brother, who looked into her eyes.

"I made it," he said quietly with a little laugh. He looked younger still, nearly the height he should have been and with a rounder face and higher voice.

Sarah smirked a little, but took him firmly by the shoulders. "You have to separate your soul from hers."

"I don't know how," he whispered, tears at the corners of his eyes. "I tried, but I don't know how."

Jareth had joined the two of them and he placed a hand on Toby's shoulder. "Feel yourself detach from her. Abolish any feelings of compassion toward her- forget her."

Toby closed his eyes. The spells holding Andromeda loosened a little and her arm twitched as she spat, "I raised you. I made you a man, I made you what you are, I promised you power and gave you nice things. How can you bring yourself to hate me when I have given you everything you could ever hope for?"

Toby stood and faced her. "You didn't raise me. I have a mother and father, and a sister who cared for me. It was you who kidnapped me, and you who took me away from everything that I loved. I don't hate you, no. Hate isn't strong enough. Hate has just as much passion as love. What I feel for you is worse; I feel indifference. You are nothing to me, and I am going to forget you and never look back."

He turned around, and so did Sarah and Jareth. They walked together, Toby shrinking to his old height, the freckles appearing one by one on his face. He reached over and took Sarah's hand as they walked over an ice bridge and into the audience, who turned as one and walked up toward the courtyard.

Andromeda, the freezing crystals wearing off, began to shriek, "I gave you everything! Look how you are repaying me! You can't do this!"

Jareth put an arm around Toby's shoulders.

"What are you doing? You can't just forget me!" she slipped to the ground.

But no one heard her. Patrick and Kathy had rushed over to hug Sarah and Jareth, Corsicana and Kade beaming at their new children. The love and happiness that surrounded the Fae court overwhelmed the atmosphere as everyone offered works of kindness and respect to the new King and Queen. They ascended the steps, the royal couple leading the way, and soon music filled the air and faerie dancers twirled on raised stages. Toby, Patrick, and Kathy ran off to sample the buffets and watch the performers.

Andromeda sat alone on the cold stone amidst the pond, watching the celebration begin from a distance. She stared and stared, but then finally turned back into a raven and flew off into the sunshine, never to show her face again.