Chapter: Gaia's Hand
This was not how Sarah had imagined her wedding day, nor had she in her wildest fantasies' pictured the goblin king as her groom.
Yet here she sat, on a nest of heavy furs, dressed in a loose blue cotton summer dress, in a bedroom that looked like the perfect backdrop for a fantasy smut film, with a broken and trembling king resting his head on her thighs, about to become not just a wife, but the queen of goblins.
Stroking her hand over his loosely braided hair, Sarah sighed, and nodded towards the towering Fey lord and his ethereal wife, as she laced her fingers with Jareth's
" Go ahead, I'm... ready..."
Oberon's voice filled the room as he spoke the words that would bind her to not only the unconscious man whose head rested once more in her lap, but to the sprawling and seemingly endless Labyrinth, and the magic that came with it.
" Be the light when darkness falls, be the rock as the world crumbles, be the sword when battle calls, be to each other two sides of the coin and hold fast, these words bind you for as long as the sun follows the moon and the moon follows the sun. What was parted now merge as one..."
There was no real words to describe the feeling of Jareth's magic as it burst free inside of her like a shattered dam , it was joy and life so pure that that the air itself vibrated with it, it was shadows so dark they appeared solid and light so bright it seared the soul. Gasping with the absolute agonising, terrifying joy of it all Sarah clung to Jareth' hand, as she found herself gazing into wide startled eyes of breathtaking blue and gold.
His name spilling from her lips like a prayer, as she spiralled into the world of his magic, losing her grip on consciousness.
. . .
" Wake up precious, now is not the time for you to play the sleeping beauty."
Leather clad hands warm, strong and burning with power cradled her face for just a second before narrow but gentle lips melted against hers, drawing her into a kiss of power and passion, her lips parting as a pointed tongue flickered across, eager to explore and possess.
Only after what felt like an eternity of exploring each other, did the lips draw back from hers to growl possessively: " Look at me love. it is very rude to ignore someone you are kissing with such delightful wantonness."
" Jareth..."
Fingers threaded through her loose hair, to fist in the short hair at the nape of her neck, drawing a soft hiss from her lips, and willing her to open her eyes.
His mismatched eyes glowed with power and more emotions than Sarah could put a name to, as he held her gaze.
" yes, say my name, let me hear the desire in your heart, let me know that you desire this, as much as I do."
Letting herself drown in the gold and aqua, Sarah would have fallen to the ground if his arm around her waist had not held her up and tight against him. Treading her own hands through his long golden tresses, Sarah drew him into yet another kiss softly moaning: " Jareth " Against his parted lips, before closing the distance and joining the kiss once more.
Power flowed between them, warm and living. For the longest time there was nothing in the world but lips and eyes and hands clinging to each other as their magic entwined and grew into something much more than their separate strength.
And finally when their lips burned and their knees grew weak, and threatened to spill them to the floor, did they part to stand still simple gazing at each other.
A roar of joy exploded as the world came into focus, and a voice called :" And so two are one, forever joined.
Jareth's hand was a comfortable weight on her hip as they turned to wave and greet their cheering subjects. Leaning her head against his wide leather clad shoulder, Sarah smile happily as she watched Ludo, Sir Didymus and Hoggle wipe tears from their beaming faces. This was what they had all wanted, what they had all waited for, and now the day had finally arrived. Pulling her in close Jareth purred with contentment as he felt her slender arms encircle his waist holding him as close as he her.
" I love you my goblin king."
His smile grew wider revealing perfect sharp teeth like those of a goblin, as he leaned down and murmured against her upturned lips:" And I love you my goblin queen, I have since the very moment I first beheld your beauty and I will until the stars die out. Now come the ball awaits, and I wish to sweep you off your feet."
Mist swirled as it rose to cover the cheering faces below them, in a grey all consuming blanket. Clinging on to his supple leather jacket in fear, Sarah whispered : " What is that? what's happening Jareth."
His arm tightened and became protective as he backed them up against the silvery marble wall, putting as much distance between them and the slowly rising mist as possible as he said urgently:"It is the veil, no matter what happens you must not let go! and you must cling to the magic that is yours, do you hear me Sarah! Do not let it steal away what is yours! "
Pulling her against him, he shielded her eyes with his body, as the mist lapping at their feet began churning and rising, drawing a hiss of pain from his pale cracked lips. Bruises bloomed and spread across his face and body as the mist burned his clothes away, leaving him a half naked bloody wreck in her arms.
Cradling him and her, Sarah sank to the floor as his legs gave in and she was left holding his weight against her.
" Jareth? what's happening? Jareth I won't let go, please don't leave me, please... Jareth?"
the mist swirled and condensed rendering them blind for an eternal terrifying moment, then the grey thinned, and retreated, revealing a leaf clad form, round, fertile and beautiful as she knelt before them, her ebony hands outstretched in a gesture of welcome and greeting.
" Oh my son what have they done to you?"
Her voice was mountains moving and gentle birdsong, it was waves cresting on a roaring sea, and the haunting cry of whales, as she cupped Jareth's face with soft fingers.
" Gaia, earth mother... but? why? why are you in my dream? are you here to call me home, to bring me to Sarah's side once more? ": The rasp of his tortured words brought tears to Sarah's eyes, oh how she wanted to make him see that she was not dead, that she was with him even here in the mists of his dreams...
" Sweet child yes I am here to return you to her that you love with such desperate devotion, but not where you think, close your eyes child. Close your eyes and see..."
Gaia's hand rested softly across Jareth's swollen eyes, light swelled between her fingers, making him tense and gasp as his fingers in turn dug into Sarah's wrist.
Then the light faded and Gaia smiled as she withdrew her hand: " now see with unbound eyes, the truth that was maliciously concealed from you."
Removing her hand from Jareth's eyes the dark skinned goddess smiled sadly as she said: "See my son, the one you love"
Squinting as if the dull light suddenly caused him pain, Jareth looked utterly confused as he whispered hoarsely: "Oh great goddess... Sarah you... oh goddess. you live, but I thought... I saw... the car..."
A host of emotions washed through Jareth's eyes as he finally saw the truth, Sarah lived and..
Forcing his hand to move through the waves of racking pain, he rested his hand against her tear stained cheek, feeling his meagre power as it ghosted across her skin, drawing soft gasps in response.: " I have power over you... Why... How ?"
" I was young Jareth, I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't understand the consequences for either of us, and I didn't realise that, I love you. I think that I always have..."
"Sarah? I. .. I "
Blood stained her skin as he clung to her, burying his face in her lush hair, breathing in the sweet scent of her skin, his entire body shivering with the strain of simple holding on.
Laying a soft hand on both their shoulders Gaia smiled happily at their joy: " It is time to return. Tell no one of this, for this is yours and yours alone. "
The mist closed in swallowing up Gaia, and the reunited, but this time there was no fear, no horror as they simple held on secure in each others arms.