Despite his efforts to remain asleep, the early morning sunlight streamed across Severus's face, waking him. "Damned Underground," he muttered, trying in vain to shift out of the sunbeam's path. He much preferred the dreariness of Wizarding London, the cool darkness of his home in the dungeons of Hogwarts. He still taught after all this time, even though he had been eventually hailed a war hero.
The overall populace was surprised that he had lived after being bitten by Nagini. He hadn't been surprised, knowing that his blood wasn't normal wizarding blood, for which her venom was about as effective as a bee sting to a Muggle. Annoying, something to deal with, but he had healed in good time.
After getting over their shock, the Wizarding public had hounded for his blood and justice for Albus Dumbledore. That, too, had been cleared up. Giving Harry Potter his memories were both a cathartic and name clearing event. Cathartic in that he was able to finally give his love for Lilly proper closure, and name clearing in revealing that he had no other choice but to kill Albus, compelled by the Unbreakable Vow and, revealing that Dumbeldore was slowly dying. The information had kept him out of Azkaban.
And his life went back to normal. Just because he was no longer a bad guy, no longer forced to hide his loyalties, didn't give him a softer disposition. Severus Snape was still the black hearted bastard tormenting students left and right. He even kept a yearly tally of how many of them he made cry.
Groping underneath the pillow for his wand, he flicked it towards the gap in the heavy curtains hanging in the window across the room. Sparks emitted from the tip, but nothing else happened. He groaned and sat up. "Bloody hell!"
He fared better than most Wizards when visiting the Underground but Wizarding and Fae magics were different enough that there was always a bit of difficulty. According to the history books of both groups, they shared a common ancestor, and somewhere down the line they split into two different kinds of magical beings. The best any of them could describe it was that their magics ran parallel to one another, occasionally crossing with shared spells and incantations.
Fae magic had more of an earthy feel to it, and they had a greater control of the elements than witches and wizards did. They also didn't need to use wands to channel their power. Extremely powerful witches and wizards could perform bouts of wandless magic but they were few and far between.
Sighing and glaring at the unrelenting sun, Severus climbed out of bed and stalked to his adjoining bathroom to ready himself for the day.
Sarah eyed the selection of clothes that were lying on their bed. After her fainting incident, Jareth no longer trusted the goblins to lace her stays, insisting that he do so himself. It made dressing a lot more interesting for both. Sarah made a mental note to have their royal appointments start later from here on out.
Jareth ran his fingers through his mussed hair, forming it back into a cloud of spikes. "I'm flying to the Elvin Kingdom today to renew their treatise. I intend to be back this afternoon; we could survey the northern border together."
Sarah carried over a hunter green riding dress and stepped into it, gesturing to him to help with doing up the pearl buttons along her back. "What's Severus going to do while you're gone?" She watched his progress in the mirror before them.
"Research, most likely. You're not the only reason he's come to visit." He fiddled with a button. "He's been working on a way to connect Fae and Wizarding magic more thoroughly. As you've read, our magics run parallel to one another." He continued buttoning.
Sarah did know. After cleaning and organizing the library, she'd spent many evenings curled in her favorite armchair and studying the ancient tomes that Jareth had been able to translate for her. As for the ones that even he had trouble reading, those were sent to the high Fae Court to be translated for them. Jareth had never bothered before, but since Sarah had a never ending thirst for knowledge, they were shipped off.
"Do you have issues when you visit their world?"
He snaked his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking at their reflection. "Some, but I carry a wand with me. It helps overcome some of the difficulties."
Sarah gasped, "You have a wand! Let me see."
Jareth let her go and walked over to a small console table next to the fireplace in their room. Rummaging through it, he pulled a slender box that had collected dust. He brought it back over, wiping the dust off with the hem of his untucked shirt. "I don't visit very often."
Inside the velvet lined box sat an 11 ½ inch elm wand. "What's the core?" she asked.
Jareth thought for a minute. "Unicorn tail hair. I'm told that the combination makes for a wand that's perfect for elegant charms and consistent magic." He kissed her. "And I am, if anything, elegant."
Sarah shook her head. "You preen more than I do, Goblin King. Nary a hair out of place."
"You would have me no other way."
Indeed, she wouldn't.
Breakfast was a quiet affair for the three of them. Trays laden with delicacies not only from the Goblin Kingdom but from surrounding kingdoms were spread out on the table before them. Fruits, pastries, meats and eggs piled high. Sarah took to eating some of the more unidentifiable food quite well except for the blue tinted meat. Even though Jareth assured her that it was perfectly safe to eat, the idea of consuming it made Sarah queasy.
Missing her Aboveground foods, she taught the goblin cooks how to make a few of her favorite foods such as cheeseburgers and fries, Mexican food, and, of course, coffee. To please his wife, Jareth designated a group of goblins to regularly go Aboveground to procure ingredients, since cheeseburgers made with actual goblin boogers, although, the best of the best, were unappealing.
"What are your plans today, your Highness?" Severus asked Sarah, taking the opportunity to twine his fingers with her resting hand in a gentle hold.
Sarah pulled away, picked up a croissant and buttered it. "I have to confer with the harvesters, attend a brownie and pixie counsel and…" she took a bite. "I might go riding in the afternoon and see how things are with the northern border."
"Might I accompany you?" he asked.
Sarah's eyes shot over to Jareth to gauge his reaction, but he was proofreading a proposed treaty and wasn't paying attention to them. She swallowed her food and took a sip of her coffee to borrow time.
She needed to give him a fair chance. Smiling at Snape, she replied, "I don't see why not."
Sarah shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. The parade of brownies and pixies seemed never ending. Most of their complaints were centered on living arrangements: The brownies preferred the pixie's part of the Labyrinth, while the pixies wanted to stay put. She sighed, smoothing her gown. At first, she had no idea what the women of the Labyrinth wore, except for what she had observed in that Masquerade so many years ago. Most seemed to wear clothing from around mid 18th century Vienna, of all places. Some of the pieces Jareth wore harkened from the 17th century, and yet whenever they had attended High Court, she had seen some of the Fae gentry dressed in garments from as recent as the 19th century. So, in the end, her own outfits were a hodgepodge of styles that all seemed to fit together.
Even Severus Snape fit into the general time periods, with his high collared frock coat, buttoned pants and boots. Victorian London. If I visit, I'll have to have some new pieces made. I wonder if he'll invite me to visit? Ooh, maybe I could get a wand like Jareth's. She sighed again, but this time it was wistful. Maybe I could wear pants!
That was one thing that was a rare treat for her. "Noble and gentle Ladies of the Court, especially my future wife, do not go gallivanting around in pants," Jareth had told her when she started spending greater time in the Underground. This had sparked an argument between the two. Sarah was unwilling to give up her modern-day freedom and ease of movement; Jareth did not want to break tradition. And Sarah suspected that Jareth was jealous that her bottom looked better in pants than his did- but that was beside the point.
In the end they compromised: she could wear pants on their off days provided that no one other than the servants saw her. Oh, and whenever they visited the Aboveground, but that was a given. In turn, Jareth could keep some of his otherworldliness during those visits too. Hair and clothes had to be tamed, but he left his eye markings alone.
As the last subject was ushered from the throne room, Sarah stood up and stretched. Meeting with the harvesters was next, then lunch, then a ride out to the northern border to meet Jareth. Severus stood as well from his chair that was situated off to the side of the matching pair of thrones. He smiled politely at Sarah and offered his arm in escort. A moment's hesitation, and she accepted, tucking her arm into the crook of his.
They ascended the steps of the palace, making a rather handsome couple to the casual observer. "Jareth mentioned that you were doing research today," Sarah quested lightly.
Severus shielded his eyes from the bright Underground sun with his free hand. "I was, until something more interesting caught my attention." His eyes adjusted to the brightness and he was able to drink in her beauty. The deep, almost emerald green of her gown brought out her eyes and complimented her complexion. Her hair was styled in a chignon and tucked into a matching hat complete with black and silver feathers jauntily attached to it.
She let his comment slide.
He continued. "You're wearing my house's colors, and they do look lovely on you."
A look of confusion crossed her face, until she remembered the books. "Oh!" She looked up at him; he was smiling, or, at least, trying to. She had a feeling that Severus Snape didn't smile often. "I am. I hadn't realized. Thank you..." she trailed off, not sure what else to say.
"Get used to my compliments, Sarah, for I will shower you with them every day you spend at my side."
She stiffened slightly and he felt it. "I'm sure you would. And what would it be like?"
They turned a corner and stepped onto the main throughway of the Goblin City outside of the castle. "You would be able to explore Hogwarts and other parts of Wizarding London," he supplied.
Sarah scoffed. "I already have a whole castle here and different Realms of the Underground to explore." She looked up at him. "Although, Hogwarts is tempting."
Severus tried that smiling action again. He felt he was getting better at it. "Access to boundless knowledge. I'd take you to visit mythical beasts."
"Again, I have that already. Or have you forgotten our massive library and that I am the Goblin Queen?"
'Bugger! I'm losing ground. I need to see her thoughts… desires…' A silky smile crossed his face. 'I need a distraction.' He cleared his throat. "Of course not, your Highness. I was merely pointing out that you would experience similar yet different things in my world." He pointed at a rundown building ahead of them. It was nestled in a darkened alcove- a perfect place for a private moment. "Is that an apothecary?"
Sarah looked to where he pointed and furrowed her brow. She couldn't see any signs or anything indicating what it was. In fact, the building looked abandoned, and she didn't remember Jareth telling her about the goblins running an apothecary. "Odd," she murmured to herself, "I don't remember seeing this building before." She walked up to it with the intent on peering into the dingy windows.
Severus followed. "We have many renowned apothecaries in my World, and if potions making interests you, I could teach you," he offered.
Sarah, distracted from trying to figure out what was inside the building, only half heard him. "Perhaps." She darted around to the back of the closed up shop to look for more windows. Unnoticed to her, the back of the shop jutted into the alcove.
Severus's silky smile turned into a feral grin. Perfect. He pitched his voice low and hypnotic, knowing that it would lull her. "I could teach you many things, Sarah." He crept up behind her on silent feet.
Sarah suddenly didn't care anymore about what was inside the shop. His voice wrapped around her mind and made everything feel soft, like being in that moment between sleep and awake. She turned around to face him and didn't startle when she found that he was standing mere inches away from her. So close that she could feel his legs press up against hers. She managed to take a tiny step back, but that placed her up against the cool stone wall. He took a step forward regaining contact.
"Many things," he purred, "like how to loose oneself in pleasure." He caressed her cheek with his fingers, cupping it in his hand. "How to condition yourself to be ever-ready for my touch." Her eyes locked onto his and she could not look away. Dark pools of ebony pulled her in until the world around her ceased to exist. Her lips parted slightly of their own accord. Severus closed the gap between them and kissed her. Gently at first to see if she would resist, but she didn't. He darted his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Wrapping his free hand around her waist, he pulled her flush to him and, keeping her distracted with the kiss, he entered her mind.
Severus Snape was an extremely powerful Legilimens in his own right, however, being in the Underground did diminish his capabilities slightly. Not enough to impede upon what he was currently doing, though. He still had to be careful. Only read her mind, not input any suggestions. Using his voice the way he did was barely within the rules. The only reason he was able to get away with it was because it came to him naturally; no magic was needed to make her pliant.
He started rifling through her memories. Early childhood was ignored, as was her mother leaving- that served no purpose to him. He pressed forward, entering her teenage years, dimly hearing the Sarah he was kissing moan and begin to kiss him back with fervor. Books were a big part of her life. Little Sarah spent a lot of time reading anything she could get her hands on. Novels, history, fantasy… a red leather bound book with golden letters caught his eye, and he paused. The Labyrinth. Of course! Sarah would think it was pretend- made up by Muggle authors like the Harry Potter series. She didn't know that those books, The Faerie Books, were placed into human hands for a purpose.
He flicked forward, searching for what he knew was coming. Jareth's arrival. Sarah had said the words and her world had changed- no more pretend. He was all darkness and mystery, magic (and so much glitter). Sexuality too- he could feel it radiating off of him and that teenage Sarah had noticed it. She was intrigued by him in her entire time spent in the Labyrinth, but also confused. Too young to understand. She beat him, of course, and her life continued.
More flipping. More reading- likes and dislikes. After experiencing the Labyrinth for real, Sarah's interest in the leather book waned. She discovered new books, music, plays, nature walks, pets- cats in particular. One cat that was always secretly wished for. A Siamese kitten- Ayesha- came from the pages of her new favorite book. One that she read so often, she could recite the opening line from memory: "It was a breached birth…"
Growing up, going away to college. Taking up painting, music, playing the flute, piano, cello. Dancing, traveling, eating exotic foods… Owls. Not just any owl, but Him. Jareth returning to her life, creeping in on the edge of her consciousness. Reconnecting and understanding. Their courtship, first kisses, giving him her virginity, learning more of the Underground.
Fast-forwarding to their handfasting. Love- overwhelming complete love and adoration for the Fae beside her, knowing that he loved her the best he could. Fear, too… unsure if she was capable of taking on the role of Goblin Queen. The excitement of her magic slowly filling her veins. Concentrating, practicing, tiny crystal balls. Jareth away on business. Jareth holed up in his study for days, pouring over laws, trying to rewrite some and create others.
Loneliness- missing her family.
He backtracked to her feelings of becoming a queen- a Goblin Queen. It wasn't what she thought it would be. Sarah, being practical, knew that marrying a King wasn't going to always be pretty dresses, fancy balls, and prestige. But she didn't factor in that it was unrelenting. The King and Queen of any kingdom, even a magical one, were at the beck and call of their subjects' petty disputes, laws, dealing with neighboring kingdoms. Just as soon as one issue was resolved, another popped up in its place, and then another after that. Attend Court and keep the peace. Keeping up appearances, never letting her mask slip out of place. Corsets. Her life was starting to feel like a corset that she couldn't take off, and it was slowly getting tighter and tighter until she felt like she could barely breathe.
The loss of freedom.
He pulled away, breaking both the kiss and the mental link. He had what he needed.
AN: I do not own any of these characters- they are the property of their respective owners.
Lyrics are from The Phantom of the Opera (All I Ask of You). Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Heart and Richard Stilgoe.
And the book I'm referencing- I know I should give credit here, but I also don't want to give the book away since parts of it feature predominantly in later chapters. So, patience, please!
Betaed by AnonyMissJ. I wouldn't be able to do this without you.