Here comes the bride... You'll get the last three chapters in one go - no more cliff-hangers, just fluff and some serious M-rating ;-)
Three days later, just before noon, Sarah was pacing her room, restless, nervous and excited. She was all alone – everyone except her and Jareth was down in the throne room waiting for the wedding to start. Hoggle and Sir Didymus would be there, of course, as well as a multitude of Jareth's goblins. Ludo would be sadly missing – he had left the Labyrinth shortly after her first visit and no one had been able to find him in time, not even Jareth, as his powers did not reach outside the Labyrinth.
Sarah was waiting for Jareth to come for her, before they would go down to the ceremony together – he still needed to provide the dress she had asked for. "I want a romantic setting for the ceremony," she had asked of him playfully that day. "A dress to make me feel like a princess. A token of your eternal affection. And then we should write our own vows in secret, before we say them to each other before witnesses."
Setting the wedding day three days after the ritual, she had been busy writing her vows and had hardly seen Jareth who had insisted on organizing everything, but now the time was up, and there was no turning back. It wasn't without a pang of sadness that she looked at the tall windows that made the room faintly resemble a church. No matter how much Jareth wanted her to have the perfect wedding, it would never be the same as the wedding she had dreamed of as a child.
For one, her father should have been here beside her to lead her to the groom – but her father could never come here and she could never go back. She had discussed her family with Jareth in the past few days, and he had admitted that he had deleted their memories of her on the day he brought her to the Underground, just like he always did when he took wished-away children. No one above was missing her, no one remembered her, and no one could ever come to visit. He had been able to show her the house in a crystal ball, and she had seen her father and stepmother doting on Toby and acting like a real loving family together. They seemed happy, and she couldn't begrudge them that or wish it different. Wouldn't it have been worse if they had remembered her and spent months and years wondering what happened to her – always waiting for word of someone finding her alive… or the remains of her? But right now she selfishly wished that her father was here, dressed in a fine suit and looking at her with the kind of love they had shared when she was a little girl – before he met her stepmother.
She had also never imagined that she would be married at 18. Before her visit to the Labyrinth, she had expected to go to college and get a degree, perhaps settling down with a husband and children when she was in her late twenties or early thirties. And after the Labyrinth, she had known that she could probably never marry or have a normal life, so though she had tried to avoid thinking about the future as much as possible, she had rather imagined herself moving away to some deserted place, getting a little house and write novels for a living, her only company a faithful dog. Or something like that.
"Hello, beautiful," a deep voice whispered in her ear, and she jumped a little – lost in thoughts, she hadn't heard Jareth enter. She smiled up at him and leaned back towards him, the feathers on his pristine white collar and cloak were soft against her skin, and only the thinnest of gloves separated his hands from hers. His warm embrace gave her comfort and she felt no regrets – in a few moments, she would be his and nothing else mattered anymore. "Not having second thoughts, are you?"
"Of course not… Your Majesty," she smiled and kissed him briefly on the cheek, before turning around to stand before him. "Now… the dress, please."
With a crooked smile, he conjured a crystal ball and held it up for her to see. In the middle of it, a white dress was just visible, and then he held it over her head and let it burst like a soap bubble. She felt the magic tingling all over her, as her green dress transformed into a white one, bigger fuller and sparkling all over with little diamonds and golden highlights.
"Satisfied?" he asked, and she went to stand before the floor-length mirror, inspecting the dress in details. It was not quite a copy of the one she had worn in the ballroom dream three years earlier, but almost, just slightly more elaborate and mature. Her hair had been swept up in a loose knot with white flowers and golden threads, and tiny diamond teardrops sparkled in her ears and around her neck. Her eyes looked bigger and the magical markings more pronounced, but in a good way – not theatrical. Princess-like, just as she had asked for. On her feet were matching slippers with comfortable low heels.
"Very satisfied," she smiled and turned to him. "How do I look?"
His eyes shined as he took her hands and drew her close. "I could have clad you in goblin rags and you would still be the most beautiful woman in the Underground, Sarah."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, considering I'm probably the only woman in the Underground right now, that doesn't really say much, does it?"
Jareth grinned and kissed her hands, before he started leading her towards the door. "Just wait, my love, before this day and night is over I will have convinced you in a thousand ways how lovely you are and why I love you."
The ceremony and following party went by in a rush and Sarah hardly remembered any of it afterwards, but she supposed most weddings were like that. Jareth had done an amazing job with the throne room – every inch of it was covered in white drapes and crystals and flowers, creating a magical dreamlike scenery. The goblins looked slightly out of place there with their earth-coloured clothes, but the happiness and eagerness they radiated more than made up for it. Everyone had been excited and chatting amongst themselves, with some holding brightly coloured flags, others scarves and more flowers, but the moment she and Jareth had stepped in together, silence had fallen.
The ceremony had been short – just them exchanging vows – but the party afterwards had lasted all afternoon and night. Jareth had altered his throne so it was big enough for the both of them, and it seemed like each and every participant in the wedding wanted to perform for them or bring gifts or just say a few words, so by the time the light from outside waned and Jareth rose to lit the chandeliers, making the crystals sparkle even more, Sarah was completely overwhelmed and glowing from all the nice words and well-wishes she had received. He shooed the goblins away from the middle of the room and lit more candles that framed a large circle, and then went back to her, offering her a hand with a deep bow.
"Come, Sarah. May I have this first dance?" The room was warm, so he had taken off the cape long ago and stood before her with tousled silvery hair and a half-open white shirt that proudly displayed the King's pendant… and the smooth muscular chest it rested on. Sarah's fingers were itching to touch it, but for now, she just accepted his hand and gave him a smile.
"Of course, Jareth. But it isn't really our first, is it?" she said and thought back to the ballroom he had created 3 years ago.
"Our first as King and Queen, then," he conceded and swept her on to the floor as some remarkably talented goblins started playing a soft haunting song in the background. Sarah leaned into him and let him lead her around the floor, and as she met his eyes, she became oblivious to the room around them, seeing and sensing only him. The warmth of his body against hers, his hand on her backside, the strands of his hair brushing across her cheek, as he lowered his head and let his lips grace her forehead. During the slow dance, he drew her even closer and she let her arms glide around his neck, until they were totally entwined and he finally captured her lips with his in a heated promising kiss. She returned it eagerly, and he groaned and almost crushed her against him, before letting go and suddenly lifting a hand, making the entire room go silent in a heartbeat.
"One last thing remains," Jareth proclaimed in his strong Goblin King voice that carried across the room. "My Lady asked four favours of me from this day and three have been given. I now present the fourth."
He conjured a crystal that sparkled for a moment in the candlelight, as he held it high, and then it turned into a shimmering silver necklace with a glittering pendant. In shape it resembled his King's Pendant, but it was much smaller and lighter, and instead of solid crude metal, it was made of woven silver threads with a string of diamonds forming the eternity symbol.
"Sarah," he continued and carefully fastened it around her neck, where it fit perfectly to the dress. "Please accept this as a token of my love and affection and as a symbol that you are tied to me and the Labyrinth forever."
He turned and looked at the crowd. "It is also a symbol that Sarah is now Queen of the Goblins – your Queen. Whatever is her wish, is my wish. Whatever is her command, is my command. I present to you – your Lady Sarah."
The goblins all bowed formally and serenely towards Sarah, but as they straightened, they immediately broke into smiles and cheered loudly, waving their little flags and throwing flowers at her. She grinned and waved back and then turned to Jareth, caressing the delicate necklace with her fingertips.
"It is beautiful, thank you," she said and stepped up to kiss him on the cheek. "I will treasure it always."
He caught her hands and pressed them to his lips. "You're welcome, my Lady." His voice was deep and silky and the intense look in his eyes made her blush. With a little tug, she was back in his arms.
"I think…," he said slowly and let his hands slide down to her waist, sending delicious little shivers through her. "I think it is time we retired."
She felt her cheeks growing even hotter, and then before she could voice her agreement, they were no longer in the warm brightly lit throne room, but instead all alone in complete darkness and silence. He moved a little, and immediately the fireplace and several torches were lit, and she could see the outline of his room around them. More flowers were placed near the bed and on the tables, and the room smelled fresh and clean.
She looked into his eyes and saw her own passion and desire reflected there, and with more confidence than she really felt, she moved a hand up to caress his naked chest like she had wanted to do for a long time. He felt hot and firm beneath her fingertips and she heard him hold his breath for a moment. "Well, my king, my husband," she whispered with nervous anticipation. "I'm all yours now. What are you going to do about that?"