Author's Note: Hey guys. I added a few paragraphs to chapter 15 and combined a few others. Sorry to take so long.
"Oh no you don't!" Toby heard Sarah's voice as clear as if she was yelling in his ear and she was all the way down the hall. He had arrived about forty-five minutes ago with Lais' help after a few false starts."No, Jareth. Get out! No, out, now!" Toby watched, trying not to laugh when Sarah's door burst open and a very bemused Goblin King stumbled out.
He brushed down his shirt, making a slight face. He glanced down the hall and acknowledged Toby with a nod before walking toward his Heir. "Don't tell me, another stupid human tradition. Should have just stuck to a Goblin marriage, but no. I had to get fancy to make sure she didn't feel like she was missing out on a human wedding. Curse it all!"
This speech tipped Toby over the edge. He couldn't control his laughter anymore.
Jareth threw his hands into the air dramatically. "Williams! Never show any respect. If anyone deserves your respect, nay, demands your complete obedience, it would be me. But no, you cast judgment everywhere."
It took Toby a few tries before he could speak properly. "I'm sorry Jareth, but what did you expect? What made you think today would be different? You're just gonna have to curb horniness until after the ceremony."
"Don't forget that ball. Not as important, but we still have to at least make an appearance," Jareth said, almost sounding forlorn. Then his tone changed completely. "Shouldn't you be defending Sarah's honor? It's not like I'm complaining or anything, but I don't want my idea of human behavior shatter either. Or does the honor thing only apply to older brothers with younger sisters?"
Toby shrugged. "Guess it depends. Besides, I think Sarah would kill me if she caught me trying to defend her honor rather than thank me for it. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. I think she's proved that to you already, hasn't she? But if you prefer," With a swiftness Jareth didn't think possible for the gawky kid, Toby slammed the Goblin King into the hallway wall, pinning him to the rough stone with his shoulder. Jareth's eyes grew wide with confusion. He had been joking. "Of course, you'll probably just blast me off with magic in a moment. Nor do threats about harming Sarah's virtue matter now since you're getting married in what, an hour. But if you hurt her, I'll find a way to hurt you back." Suddenly Toby grinned and stepped back, releasing Jareth. "Now, wasn't that fun?"
"Remind me not to get on your bad side Lais has taught you what you need to know," was all Jareth said.
Sarah slammed the door with a very satisfying thud. "He never lets up!" she said, flopping in the chair that sat by the window. She really wanted to just flop down on the bed and stare at the ceiling, but she would have destroyed the wedding dress Jareth had created and laid out for her if she had. She saw this whole wedding thing as something else to go through before her life could actually start. She had been living in a sort-of limbo, where she was part of the human world while another part of her dreamed for the Underground. Now she was here and it wasn't exactly what she had dreamt about. She guessed half of it came from the fact that Jareth had been so busy with this damn wedding that he hadn't spent much time with her. Hopefully that would change. She leant her head on the arm of the chair, looking down at the dress on the bed.
It was more a creation than a dress, in her opinion anyway. At first glance, it resembled the white renaissance fair style dress she had worn when Jareth first saw her in the park. This dress was much fancier than that though. The bodice was made entirely of lace with off-the-shoulder bell sleeves and a completely open back. Lace trimmed the edge of her sleeves and the hem of the skirt as well. The skirt wasn't the puffy ball-gown she had been expecting; she guessed he had realized she had grown out of that at least. Instead, it was a straight skirt to the ankle with a long train. The only concession to a ball-gown was the split overskirt that draped halfway across the skirt. The silver and white gown would have looked more at home in a high fashion magazine rather than on Sarah herself.
She stared at it for a few more minutes, almost forgetting about the waist-length veil also trimmed with lace that went with the wedding dress. "How does he come up with these designs?" she muttered. Sarah slipped off the chair and walked over to her bed. She fingered the smooth cloth with a gentle hand. "Why bother when he's probably just gonna destroy it tonight? Although, nah." She shook her head with a slight smile at the thought.