A/N: Firstly, I would like to PROFUSELY APOLOGISE for the long delay. I didn't intend for it to be so long, but I didn't quite get it all done and uploaded before summer really hit. For those of you who've been around since last summer know, my summers are the busiest time of year for me (crazy busy, I tell you) so I hardly am at home let alone able to do any good amount of writing. Plus, I didn't want to be lazy or nonchalant about the last chapter. The epilogue is just as important!
I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this story, but even more so, sharing it with all of you! Yes, you. All of you. It's because of you guys that it even means anything and that I kept going until the final finish. So I'd like to THANK ALL OF YOU who read it, reviewed, alerted, or favourited this story in any way. It's been so fun and a huge blessing to get your responses and to see the all the people who've enjoyed it. Thanks SO SO SO much everyone! Much love to you all! I'm honestly going to miss you who I've gotten to chat to throughout the story…
Lylabeth: Wow! That's all I can say. Thank you so much for all your reviews and for so much feedback. It means a lot that you took all that time to do it, and I wish I could respond in kind but I don't think everyone would appreciate me leaving a chapter size response here on the chapter page, haha. You are so well-versed in all Irish folklore and the Sidhe that I feel very ignorant! Glad I got a lot spot on, but there are certainly some things I did on my own. Hope that's all right :). You should definitely write your own stories or pass on all that knowledge though! Thanks also for the constructive criticism because I know I don't catch everything and for the reading suggestions. I hope you find this story again and get to read this final epilogue! Also, I will be publishing under the epic fantasy genre someday by the pen-name of E.M. Fleischer.
anonymous: The Darkness or the Shadow Fiachna mentioned is just a reference to Evil itself that dwells in the Underground. That greater dark power behind the individuals...And thanks!
Jill: Thanks for getting on me about this epilogue, haha! I was just gone so much, but here it is! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the story :)
sunnysideoflife: I blush. All I can say is: thank you. Thank you very, very much :)
Here it is. The epic conclusion…
Epilogue: It's Only Forever
...
...
The ethereal, pale gold light flickered like tongues of flame in the cradle of silver glass shaped with curves like seashells dangling at various lengths on delicate, glittering chains from the ceiling. Night had fallen, and the few scattered lights cast a small pool of illumination surrounded by shadows that almost seemed to dance with the lambent curls of radiance. The height of the ceiling could not be guessed since it reached high out of the light, and the shadows played about the edges of a high seat that sat in the midst of a vast chamber. A material thick and smooth of the purest white fell in soft folds over the back of the throne and rippled down to the floor paved with dark green stone running with veins of gold.
Standing at the foot of the high seat was an impressively tall figure, his face cast in dark shades but his bronze skin gleaming under the soft touches of pale gold light.
"You know not what you ask of us." His words echoed deep and rich into the dark reaches of the grand chamber. "To request such a gift for a mere mortal…"
"I know exactly what I ask of you," replied a melodic voice from a second silhouette standing a proper distance from the throne. "That is why I have come. It is not a whim or a fanciful desire: it is a decision I have made concerning my eternity. We both have, for her opinion is as important as my own."
"The request will be put to the whole of the High Court to decide whether to grant it or not." A bout of hesitation caused another layer of unspoken tension. "You are absolutely certain this is what you want? Once done, it cannot be undone. This has rarely been granted in all of our existence, the last not for a thousand years or more. There are many consequences to this action."
"All of which I am well aware of," said the second Fay with a clenched jaw. He shifted on his feet. "I did not come to be questioned but to bring the issue before the High Court. You are fortunate I even asked any sort of permission from any of you…"
"And of that I am well aware. Which is why we will consider this with great sobriety and sincerity. Await our answer. It will come soon."
The majestic figure of an unearthly man took two chalices in his hands and offered one to his guest. The emeralds set in silver glinted with green sparks as they raised their chalices in the air.
"Your words have been heard. Your request has been made known. And the Court shall hear. Blessings be upon your way and in the waiting."
They both drank deeply of the golden mead.
Toby blew a puff of warm breath on the window until it fogged up. He drew a face, the pad of his finger squeaking on the glass. It was five minutes until six o'clock when his sister was supposed to show up, and so he waited for her at the window as the minutes counted down slower than he ever remembered. Well, except for that one time in school when he had a new red ball he wanted to play with at recess…
His finger paused on the window when he heard a car driving down the street, and as soon as it came closer, he recognised it immediately. Sarah was a few minutes early! He hastily wiped the glass with his sleeve and pressed his face against the cool surface to watch as his older sister climbed out of the car.
Toby didn't know the right words, but he did know that something seemed different about Sarah when her face came into view out in the sunlight. She looked happy, but she also had an aura about her that he couldn't put his finger on. It certainly was different than the last few times he'd seen her when her eyes seemed so very sad and deep. He didn't like seeing her like that. It was more than her emotional state, though, and reminded him of stories she had read to him when he was younger where a character would handle something magical and the effect lingered upon them.
As soon as Sarah disappeared from view, he knew it meant she was about to knock on the door; yet a blur of movement caught his eye that he almost missed by darting away from the window. A barn owl tucked its wings against its sides after perching on a branch in one of the trees outside of the house. Toby frowned and peered out at it. Strange…
The owl was forgotten once he heard Sarah's voice downstairs. He ran down the steps and straight into her arms as he'd done for years now at the sight of her.
"You know how glad I am to see you, Toby?" Sarah said with a delighted laugh. She squeezed him tight.
"A lot?"
"Yeah. A lot," she said in a softer tone as she looked down at him.
His parents regained her attention with pointless pleasantries, but all he wanted to know was why they'd seemed anxious after Sarah called the night before. They'd talked late after his bedtime about why she rang them up to come over the next day. He was young enough not to understand what might upset them but old enough to sense that things were about to change and all it took were a few words from his older sister's lips. Her deep green eyes glanced down at him for a few moments as if sensing his thoughts.
"We should all sit down," said Sarah. Her smile was nervous and uncertain.
Toby saw his mom and dad exchange a look. What was going on?
Once they had all settled in the living room, his mom offered everyone something to drink. Sarah said 'yes' a little hastily as her fingers toyed with a button on her shirt.
"What's wrong, Sarah?" asked Toby with a scowl. "I thought you were really happy when you got here, but now you look sad or worried."
She ruffled his hair, and he laughed as he ducked his head to get away.
"I just have some big news to tell you guys, and it makes me kind of nervous. That's all. Did you ever have a big secret that you knew you had to tell?" Toby shrugged. "Well, it's like that and it gives you a funny feeling inside when you're about to tell it."
"What kind of secret? I like secrets."
She smiled a real smile this time. "It'll have to wait till your mom comes back."
He huffed and threw himself back on the couch. He grabbed a pillow and waited till his mom entered the room again with some iced tea and lemonade. Sarah took a long drink from her glass with eyes avoiding direct eye contact with anyone for a long while.
"All right, Sarah, sweetheart," her dad began, "what is it? You said you had something important to tell us."
"I do. I really do. Uh…well…might as well come out with it. No beating around the bush." She met the gaze of her father. "I've decided to move. Sort of…far away."
"How far?" her stepmother questioned with eyebrows raised.
"Out of the country actually."
Toby's mouth dropped open a bit. It sounded like quite the adventure, but he wondered if he would see Sarah again. Living out of the country seemed so far away…
"To Ireland. It's a beautiful place, so full of magic and wonderful things and opportunities." The subtle lift of her lips made Toby think of secrets and inside jokes. "It's not as sudden a choice as it seems to you guys, but I've never been more excited. I wish I could explain more, but I think it's best to leave it at that. And I'm going in…three days."
Their parents' joint exclamations of surprise startled Toby. He closed his mouth and watched the adults begin to fire questions at Sarah who manoeuvred around them with strange ease. When the barrage became too much, she raised her hands and her voice for silence.
"Okay, I understand how crazy this sounds, but you'll have to trust me. I've made my choice." Her eyes shone with unspoken joy that radiated off her skin like a soft sheen of moonlight. "I have a place to stay, people I know, and so much to do and enjoy. I'll be safe and having adventures none of you will ever understand. Just know that I'm happier than I've ever been about this change. And I'll visit too! When I can. I'm not going to disappear forever." She drew in a shaky breath at those last words and dropped her head.
Toby kicked his feet. "You promise you'll visit?"
"I promise," she said with fierce determination set in her jaw when she looked at him.
When their parents began another round of paternal interrogation, he got up and headed up the stairs to his room to think about Sarah's news alone. He sprawled on his bed to stare up at the ceiling. A little while later, a soft knock interrupted his thoughts. Sarah poked her head in.
"Can I come in?"
He nodded. She sat on the bed next to him. He rolled over and reached for a small book that fit into his pocket bound with red leather and golden script on the front. He saw Sarah's eyes widen slightly when he lifted it up.
"I read it, you know," he said. "Thanks for giving it to me. I really like it. You told us a secret, so can I tell you one?"
Sarah swallowed hard and nodded.
Toby flipped through the worn pages. "It's weird because…whenever I read this, it kind of feels…familiar. Like I've read it before. Or seen it. Or something…Like I had a dream like this and didn't remember till I read this book. Isn't that weird?"
Sarah took a moment to respond, and when she did it was in a soft voice and intent eyes on her little brother. "Not at all. You know, maybe there's a reason. You may find out some day too. Sometimes what seems like a dream isn't a dream at all."
"So you don't think I'm weird?"
Sarah laughed. "Of course not! Well, not any more than me!"
He grinned and put the book back on the bed-stand. It felt freeing to share that with someone after wondering about why he felt that way for so long. He still couldn't explain it very well, but Sarah always understood things that most people didn't even if the words weren't quite right.
"I'm going to miss you," he said in a whisper.
"I'm going to miss you too." Her lips quivered, and she cleared her throat as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She pulled him to her chest and held him tight. "I love you very much, you know. But don't worry. I'll see you again, and I'll try to make it soon, okay?"
"You promised, so I know you will."
She shuddered and pulled him back so she could look at him. "Then promise me something: keep dreaming, have adventures, and enjoy being a kid while you can. The world tries to take away your imagination and simple wonder and enjoyment of life, but don't let it."
Toby wasn't fully sure what she meant, but he consented.
When his big sister walked out the door the next morning with one last brilliant smile sent his way just for him, he knew that she wouldn't be the same when he saw her again. He was only a little sad for it because he felt there was an unseen wonder ahead of her.
There was only one last goodbye to make: the most difficult to achieve because of the persistent questions that would inevitably come.
Sarah drew in a deep breath through her parted lips when she heard Amber's shoes on the stairs outside. She poured hot tea in two red mugs and set them on the table beside the cake she'd baked earlier. The apartment lacked a few extra items that had once been there now that Sarah had taken a few boxes to her dad's house the night before, for what use would she have of any possessions here when her life was about to start in an entirely different world? The few pieces of furniture she owned would be left with Amber to use or sell if she chose to, but the absence of some of her things was noticeable. Amber would immediately perceive that a shift in their futures had taken place; although she already had witnessed Jareth's return and their reunion at the costume ball, which was more than enough to place Amber in an alarmed state. She'd nearly attacked Sarah with her burning curiosity the following day after Sarah had returned to the apartment to begin preparations for her new life, but Sarah refused to say anything until the time was right. Amber graciously stepped back from the issue, but she was bursting at the seams to know who the mystery man was that kissed her best friend on the dance floor as if they'd known each other for years.
When the blonde opened the door and stepped inside, she was met with the sight of her friend sitting at the table with two mugs of steaming tea and a cake waiting to be sliced. Sarah smiled and nodded at the afternoon snack.
"I made your favourite: lemon cake. And here's some tea. I thought we'd sit down and chat, but go ahead and take your time." Amber had just gotten back from a class, the book bag and papers a telling sign.
"Thanks," Amber said slowly. "Not that I'm not excited for lemon cake, but this makes me feel like you're going to ask some huge favour or announce some crazy news. Are you pregnant?"
Sarah choked on her tea and glared at her friend over the rim of the mug. "No. Definitely not. I said I'd tell you some things about…about what happened a couple nights ago. This is me ready to tell you. Not pregnant."
Amber blew out a relieved breath that stirred her bangs and set her bag on the ground before plopping in a chair at the table. She grabbed the knife and cut into the round cake decorated with white frosting. "That's a relief. Just thought with all this you might be saying you're getting married or something wild like that. Ha!"
At Sarah's nervous laugh that died off rather quickly, Amber's head shot up. The knife paused. Sarah hid her hands under the table on her lap.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding…No way."
Sarah lowered her gaze and slowly placed her left hand back on the smooth tabletop. The incredible crystal and diamond ring that Jareth had given her caught the light in a burst of rainbow embers. Amber gasped then gaped with her mouth hanging open.
"This is hard to explain," said Sarah with a sheepish smile. "All I can tell you is that we met years ago when I was a lot younger." She gained more confidence as she spoke and took the knife out of Amber's hand to finish cutting slices of cake for them. As she put two pieces on plates, she continued. "It wasn't love at first sight or anything silly like that. It surprised me actually. Love is like that. It comes up behind you step by step until you begin to sense its presence, like a soft sound or a sweet fragrance, until it's right beside you and takes your hand. There's no mistaking it then. Those fingers wrapped around yours…"
Sarah's heart swelled in her chest, and she closed her eyes a moment. Amber stared in fascination.
"You really are in love, aren't you?" Amber murmured. "You've never…Wow. I'm so sorry I've been upset with you for keeping secrets. Seeing you two dancing at the party like the rest of the world ceased to exist: it was almost magical. Then I realised you had to know each other already because no one looks at each other like that for the first time. Sarah, who is he?"
"The love of my life."
They both smiled the smiles that only women can give to each other when sharing about those precious moments when they've found the one they'll spend the rest of their life with.
"But who is he? What's his name? Where did he come from? There's so many things I want to know! Tell me all about this mystery man."
"Amber…I'm really sorry but there's not much I can tell you. His name is Jareth. He's not from around here. Not anywhere even close actually. I didn't realise all those years ago how wonderful he was, and it's not because he's perfect. He's far from perfect, but it's that heart of his that he kept so well hidden and guarded that changed my own over time. The deeper I saw into him, the harder I fell. He loves me in a way I've never been loved. It frightened me sometimes, but when someone's willing to give up everything for you, eventually you stop being afraid because you realise how special and rare that is. There's something more I've got to let you know too before we say anything else." She took a long sip of her tea to gather the right words while Amber chewed nervously on her lip. "Like I said, he's not from around here and I'm going to leave with him. I'm going to Ireland."
It tore at her insides to have to lie to everyone she loved, but 'moving to Ireland' seemed the closest she could come to revealing the truth to friends and family. It was the country that had first come into contact with Jareth and his world, and there was no way in this realm or the other that she was going to say she was moving to the Underground, a magical domain beyond the sight of this one where there were fairies, dwarfs, and Fey. That's not the memory she wanted to leave behind.
Amber's eyes grew huge at the same time her eyebrows rose up high on her forehead. She almost dropped the mug in her hands.
"This is a lot to take in all at once, I know," Sarah pressed on, "but I hope you understand. Or even if you don't, I hope you're okay. If I had known earlier when I was going to go, I would've let you all know sooner too."
"But you still could have said you were leaving even if you didn't know when!"
"It's a bit more complicated than that. I hoped I'd be going, but I wasn't exactly sure."
Amber's eyes softened. "You weren't sure he would take you with him?"
Sarah nodded, not explaining the full complexities of the situation. I was hoping he wasn't dead or hadn't abandoned me after fighting an evil mage who wanted to kill us both. Yeah, that would go over well.
"When are you leaving?"
"In two days."
Another bout of silence settled over the apartment. Neither made eye contact for a few minutes.
"So this is actually a goodbye," said Amber.
"Yeah," breathed Sarah. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "For now."
"Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?" Amber's eyes were brimming with melancholy and a hint of injury. "It's kind of hard to digest news that your best friend is suddenly getting married and moving away. Not in a few months: two days!"
"I wish I could've shared it with you before, but there was so much I didn't know and still so much I can't really explain. Do you trust me?" Amber nodded after a moment's hesitation. "Then please trust me now. I'm happier than I've ever been before. I get to be with the love of my life and live in an amazing place! It's hard having to do things this way, but I know it couldn't have happened any other way."
Amber rubbed at her eyes as she fought back tears of both sorrow and joy, grief from the approaching loss of her closest friend and rejoicing at the great joy that was at the source. She wasn't sure how to digest all this at once without warning. She glanced around the apartment and finally noticed that a few objects were missing of Sarah's, and that brought the truth closer to home than anything else.
"Well, I guess we'd better make the most of these next two days then," said Amber with a sad smile.
Sarah Williams sat in her favourite park near her childhood home where the lawns were ruffled jade and the clear stream brilliant under the sunlight. A sense of familiarity warmed in her chest at all the memories—both past and recent—that lingered here. Only months ago she had been sitting at this same place thinking about her life and where it was headed, but little did she realise then just how much it would change within the span of a few days.
Adventure always waits just around the corner. You never know what the next turn will bring.
And here she was. Spending her last few hours in her own home world before leaving to the Underground to begin a life together with the man of her dreams: literally and figuratively. He hadn't been her dream at first, but it only took a bit of time and unveiling for her to see how much he'd become her new dream for the future. It hadn't been what she was looking for or expecting, but those were always the best of all.
After all the goodbyes and tying up of loose ends here in this life, her heart ached with both the bitter and the sweet, the sorrow and the joy. Even though she would see her family and friends again, it would never be the same as if she'd stayed here to live a normal life. Yet she couldn't deny her heart and the remarkable fate that awaited her in the magical realm unseen by Men.
"The Goblin Queen," she tried out quietly on her tongue. She pursed her lips. It sounded a bit grim or ghastly without its proper context; however, one had only to visit the kingdom to understand the shiver of excitement that ran down her spine all the way to her toes. In truth, the Goblin King may have been the true cause of the thrill…
At dusk he would arrive to sweep her away to her new home. Even now the sun was close to the horizon, reaching out to paint the clouds with mauve and gold. The East darkened to a deep vibrant blue, and a steady wind blew in from the South.
"I'll be back someday," she murmured into the wind. "I won't just be Sarah Williams anymore, but I'll come back…"
A pale owl swooped in from the sky, the golden sun catching on the rise and fall of his wings as if swimming through a glimmering pool of light. He swirled downwards in a graceful spiral till he landed atop a stone pillar at the end of the bridge a few feet away from the young woman.
Sarah's grin rivalled the brilliance of the sun about to dip behind the mountains as she leapt to her feet. She grabbed the bag sitting in the grass beside her and clutched it tight to steady the eager tremble in her hands.
"I'm ready to go home," she said.
Far from our world where fairies, goblins, and the Tuatha de Danaan are mere legends drifting among the mists of time, a realm full of forgotten myths and magic quivered like a drop of rain on the surface of the water with the rumour of a rare union that was just as mythical to them as they seem to us humans. In lands far from the source, many dwarves, pixies, and other beings laughed it aside as pure gossip, but many of the Fair Folk knew of its truth. It had been over a thousand years since such a solemn ceremony between a Fay and a mortal occurred; however, the knowledge that that particular mortal was being granted the even greater and rarer gift of the long life of the Fey was kept as secret as possible.
The Sidhe Court had decided to grant this mortal woman Sarah Williams the Deoch na Beatha—Elixir of Immortality or Ambrosia as it was named in some human legends—after her displays of courage, wisdom, and sacrifice that marked her stay in the Underground; particularly in helping defeat the evil Raven Mage who no one else had had the boldness to confront. The Goblin King and his mortal love had overcome a great and vile power…together.
To receive immortality, life as that of the Sidhe, one had to be given it as a gift in a special goblet held by the Court made of a rare metal from deep in the White Mountains that shone gold under the sun and silver beneath the moon. Also, it had to be drunk at the time of Samhain: a festival that summoned in autumn. It just so happened that Samhain was almost upon them when the Goblin King brought tidings of Sarah's soon return.
The marriage consisted of two ceremonies: one private between only Jareth, Sarah, the High King, and two witnesses for the drinking of the Deoch na Beatha; the second for whoever they chose to invite to witness the marital bonding.
Although there were few present even at the marriage ceremony, it didn't take long for word to spread like a spark in the dry grass about the anticipated union between a great Fay and a human. It was said they were both clothed in matching resplendent white and gold that set them like stars against a dark sky when the falling sun burned bright and pure on their luxuriant apparel. Sarah Williams did not seem very mortal when the guests and witnesses gazed in awe upon her dark beauty: her shadowy curls rich against the spotless white cloth, her smooth skin pale but flushed prettily with joy and delight, and her full pink lips always with the hint of a smile in the corner. Also, no one had ever seen Jareth the Goblin King so outwardly glad and content, a peace in his pale gaze and no rigid tension along the line of his shoulders as he stood tall and proud at the side of the woman he'd chosen to spend forever with.
The celebration began as the last glimmer of the sun's orb disappeared and the first stars glittered in the deep blue heavens. A sweet, fresh wind blew in that smelled of exotic blooms and aromatic spices. The twenty guests ate and drank as the newly-bound couple vanished for a long while with three others: the High King of the Sidhe Court and Ètaìn and her husband.
This proceeding had a far more solemn air as Sarah Williams took with trembling hands the Ambrosia that would forever change her. The crystalline liquid tasted like a cold mountain snow, sweet fruit perfectly ripe bursting with flavour, and of spices from deep in the earth. Her whole body felt aflame without burning as the liquid ran through every vein. Words of ceremony were spoken, and Jareth's hand grasped hers tightly as the drink of life continued to rush through her.
The life she had promised to Jareth was now to span the centuries at his side.
Not everyone would notice a difference in Sarah when Jareth and she reappeared amidst the celebration. Many attributed it to the love that glowed upon her countenance and flowed off of her new husband in waves of warmth. Surely that was the reason for the extra radiance of her skin, the brightness of her green eyes, and the graceful movement of every bend of her arm or step of her foot. They did notice, though, that Jareth didn't really pay any heed to anyone or anything else except for the lovely being at his side, but he gazed at her as a man in a dream or a man who could hardly believe in her existence.
They did not linger long. Only enough to greet everyone—mostly Sarah, of course—and sip at the festive drink while enjoying the stars overhead and the music of Jareth's own composing that played over the sound of talk and laughter.
Just as Jareth leaned down to whisper in her ear and tug at her hand to signal their departure, Sarah saw her old friends standing near. She looked at Ludo with his hair actually clean and brushed, Sir Didymus in a sharp uniform over the bandages that covered his healing wounds, and Hoggle with his best cap on and gave them all a brilliant smile. They had been the first she visited as soon as her feet were on Underground soil. Mary also stood a few yards apart watching the new man and wife with a motherly gleam in her gaze. Sarah sent her a special smile for the woman had been such a support through all the difficulties to getting here, and she'd been there to help Sarah prepare for the wedding as her own mother or grandmother might have done. Sarah blew a kiss and waved before letting Jareth lead her away from the festivities. They glimmered as white and gold stars in the shadows that grew further and further away until no one could see them.
Sarah's friends stared after her with bittersweet expressions. Well, until Hoggle had to run and hide again for the fifth time that evening.
Seraphina had found him yet again and shouted her enthusiasm from across the grass. His eyes grew as large as plates as he scrambled for shelter from the adoring Fay. She only giggled like a little girl and chased after him. Apparently the potion worked longer than any of them had expected…
As the other Sidhe gaped at the scene of the once dignified and snobbish maiden racing after an ugly little dwarf with professions of love and devotion, Ètaìn laughed and turned her thoughts back to the remarkable couple that had slipped away mostly unnoticed. She leaned against her husband's arm, her golden hair tumbling down to his wrist.
"I never thought I would see Jareth so happy," she murmured. Her husband smiled and nodded. "They have such a great destiny written on their pages. I can sense it so strongly when I'm with them. Sarah Williams was meant to be in this world for a reason and a great purpose. This is not the end. This is only the beginning."
...
A few months later…
Sarah awoke when warm sunshine crept up the bed to stroke her cheek and touch her closed eyes. She stretched and turned over onto her side. The other half of the bed was empty, but a gold flower lay on the pillow where a head had lain earlier, the sun setting it afire when it struck its silken petals. A smile pulled at her lips when she remembered Jareth brought her that same flower the day after their first kiss on a similar bright morning. She reached over, plucked it up, and brought it to her nose to inhale its refreshing fragrance.
It felt strange still to remember that she was a married woman. Of course it was impossible to forget, but the surreal reality of it lingered even though it had been four months since that wonderful day. Being the new Goblin Queen took a lot of adjusting—especially when goblins were your new subjects—so it wasn't all rainbows and puppies since they returned to the Underground. It certainly wasn't the same as being a queen in her world or perhaps a lot of the other kingdoms here either because Jareth didn't exactly run his realm in a typical fashion. She loved it. He'd been instructing her in the ways of Fey royalty and how to handle the mischievous little creatures under their rule. She thought she had seen so much of him, but every day she still learned more about the enigmatic Goblin King; and she looked forward to every day for the rest of their lives. True, it would not always be easy to love him like she did now, yet she was willing to fight for their love and make it a choice even when she didn't feel like it. He was worth it.
A ghost of breath hit the back of her throat as a strong, lean arm slipped around her waist. Her smile broadened.
"Good morning," said Sarah.
"It is a good morning," said Jareth in a low voice. He placed a kiss where his warm breath touched her throat.
"I think I'm a pretty lucky woman. Still giving me flowers even though we're married?"
She set the gold blossom aside and shifted onto her back so she could see Jareth's face. He leaned the arm that had been around her waist on the other side of the mattress so he hovered over her. His thin lips quirked at the corner.
"If you still feel so fortunate in a hundred years, I will be happy."
Sarah laughed and laid a hand over his heart. The beat of it thrummed against her fingertips. "How about five hundred?"
"Then I shall be immensely happy."
"I look forward to it," she murmured as her hand slid up from his heart to his shoulder where she fingered a few of his blonde strands of fine hair. To be able to touch him so freely when no one else could continued to amaze and please her. Who would have thought that cold, calculating exterior would ever tumble down?
He began to lean down with his eyes on her mouth.
A loud crash echoed up the hall from down below. Both their heads spun towards the closed door. Jareth pursed his lips, and Sarah rolled her eyes.
"I'm guessing they still haven't quite recovered from you being gone those three weeks," she groaned. They had been absent for three weeks after their wedding, leaving the Goblin Kingdom fairly unattended since Jareth had insisted it would be fine. The goblins had gotten a bit drunk on so much freedom and a little crazed without direction. Needless to say, they'd returned to a rather…chaotic…castle.
"Mm. I think my Queen should accompany me down to set them straight, don't you?"
"Oh but it's so comfortable right here!" She blinked into the golden haze that made the dust particles floating in the air look like small fireflies darting around the room. The luxurious blanket woven of some silver thread specially crafted by sprites from the Evergreen Valley moulded around her so softly that going down to check on the impish creatures below did not sound at all appealing.
"Hm. I will just have to give you a good reason to get out of that bed then." As her mind conjured pleasant motivations he might think of, one of his crystals sparked in the sunlight in his palm with a swish of his hand. "Would a serpent do the trick? Or perhaps a rat?" It hovered over her covered legs.
She sat up before she even realised what she was doing and jabbed a finger at him. "No you don't! I'm your wife. You'd better not threaten me with those tricks of yours!" It didn't really surprise her. He could be remarkably romantic and sweeping her off of her feet, but the next moment his streak of mischief rushed upward to the surface. She wouldn't have it any other way, of course.
One finely arched brow of his lifted, but he did not move his hand. Sarah paused, eyed that crystal orb, and decided for a different approach that had worked plenty of times before. Her thick lashes dropped a little lower over her eyes, and she moved her long dark tresses over her shoulder to expose more of her alabaster skin. Predictably, his gaze followed the movement of her hand and then fell to her lips when she leaned forward.
Which meant he didn't see what the other hand was doing.
She snatched the crystal. His expression of indignation brought a bubble of laughter up to her throat. The crystal felt warm on her skin as she handled it gently in front of him. The indignation lining his mouth and wrinkling between his brows smoothed away when she began to swirl the clear orb in her hand the way he always did. She didn't come close to dropping it, and it seemed she had been juggling crystals all along.
"When did you…Never mind. I should no longer be surprised when you surprise me."
The smile she gave him made his heart tighten with pleasure in his chest. "I practised." The glint of joy refracting off of her slipped out of sight for a moment as sobriety settled like a shadow in her eyes. "When you sent me back and I didn't know if you were still alive or if I'd ever come back here. It…it made me feel closer to you, as if you were watching. Or that you would come flying in telling me I wasn't doing it right. It sounds silly, I know…"
Jareth placed a hand over the crystal in her palm to still its movement and looked down at her with a soft intensity. "Not at all. You have no idea how agonising that decision was, to send you back knowing that it might be the last time; that I might die without you ever knowing. But if I hadn't, we all might have died." His fingers stroked over her knuckles down to her wrist before lifting it to his lips. There he pressed a warm kiss, then on her palm. "It does not matter now. The Raven Mage is dead and we are together. Forever."
"Forever," she breathed as her eyes studied every line of his face.
"I must attend to duties downstairs, but do come down soon," he said with that familiar gleam of impishness in those mismatched eyes. "Although, first…"
Without warning, he grasped the back of her head and brought his lips to hers. Her arms naturally rose up to his shoulders and wrapped around his neck to bring him closer. After he'd kissed her quite thoroughly and stolen her breath, he pulled back and smirked. A smile tugged at her flushed lips as she slid out of bed at last even as he rose to his full height beside her. The pads of his fingers lightly brushed a trail down her back before he slipped by towards the door.
As soon as Sarah chose her outfit for the day, Mary knocked on the door and swooped in. Her trailing grey braid swung at her back as she carried a small tray of food into the broad chamber, a tray filled with eggs, vibrant fruit, and a giant golden biscuit. Sarah's stomach gave a noise of delight at the sight and smell of breakfast, and she laughed when Mary sent her a knowing glance as she set the tray on a clear surface.
"Thanks so much, Mary. I'm starving!"
"As I can hear. Pardon me for barging in, but I saw that His Majesty was elsewhere so I thought it safe to come in."
"It's no trouble. Especially when you come bearing gifts." Sarah grinned and sunk her teeth into one half of the biscuit drizzled with honey.
Mary began tidying the bed, but her gaze darted towards the young woman a handful of times until Sarah had to ask what the matter was.
"Oh, nothing dearie. Nothing wrong anyway." She straightened the pillows before facing Sarah with a hand on her hip and a tilt to her head. She tugged at her braid. "I just still can't believe you're here for good and as an immortal no less! It boggles my brain, it does. It hasn't changed you so much that it's startling: just enough that I can't help but stare sometimes. Pardon me, Your Majesty! You know how I speak my mind…"
"Oh, Mary, call me Sarah. We've been over that too many times." She moved forward and laid a hand on Mary's arm. "And don't be afraid to speak your mind. I've only just become a queen, but I came from the same place as you." She chewed on her lower lip a moment as her head dropped so she did not look directly at the older woman. "Do you…do you think my family will notice something's changed? That I'm different now?"
"I'm sure they will, dearie!" Mary patted her hand. "But they'll assume you've gotten older and touched by new experiences and adventures. It won't change how they see you."
"Thank you. Have I told you how much I love having you here with us? You're part of my family now, Mary, and always will be. Thank you."
Mary did not usually wear much of her emotion upon her face, but the look of love and sweetness in Sarah's gaze and softly spoken words touched straight to a deep place in her heart. She'd been so alone for so long, but now she had a young woman who could've been her granddaughter. And that was just how she planned to treat her.
"No, thank you, dearie," she murmured. "I've always wanted a family…"
Jareth could sense Sarah approaching long before he saw her. He sat casually on his throne beneath the towering ceiling and allowed his attention to linger on her rather than the raucous band of goblins scattered throughout the chamber. She wore a white blouse with evergreen leather wrapped around her waist and at her wrists, and her hair was partially pulled back with a few complicated braids. Amusement lurked at the corner of his mouth when he considered how his style choices had influenced her a bit ever since she arrived. He wasn't complaining, of course. He found it considerably appealing.
Her matching green leather boots thudded gently on the stone floors as she walked towards him, the goblins finally noticing the presence of their new queen and giving her obeisance as Jareth had ordered. He'd ordered quite firmly that first day they'd returned.
He rose up to meet her with his customary smirk and twinkle of his eyes. She placed her hand in his and turned to face the goblins who still stared at the pair of them. It'd been quite a shock to the half-brained creatures that their king of so many years had gotten himself a woman willing to stay in the Goblin Kingdom.
Just as the noise began to fill the room again, a magical whisper rustled through the air and caused everyone to still as if struck into stone. Sarah gripped Jareth's hand tighter, and he stared off into a place no one else could see as the fateful words drifted around them with an ominous echo.
"I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away."
Jareth stepped forward and released Sarah's hand, his black mantle appearing with a flourish in his arms. He threw it over his shoulders and whirled around to look at his new bride.
"No…it can't be," Sarah muttered. The shock of hearing the whispered wish stiffened her limbs and caused words to fail on her tongue. It always was a possibility since she dwelt here with the legendary Goblin King, but for it to actually happen was entirely unexpected. Could she watch some poor soul go through what she'd endured so many years ago? And that voice…it had been the voice of a child. Then she realised Jareth stared at her.
"It is," he declared. "I must go. Yet there is something you must see for yourself." He held up a crystal to her and beckoned her to look inside.
When Sarah examined the depths of the crystalline substance, a lump formed in her throat, and her heart pounded in her chest. The image had cleared into that of a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes: a very familiar face. "Toby…"
She didn't know what to say. She was speechless. So she lifted her head to see the reaction of her beloved. He waved a hand and the crystal disappeared.
"I must go to him. He's said the words."
"But…" She shook her head. "You can't make him do the labyrinth! Not like I did. And he…he wished himself here. How…?"
Jareth touched a hand to her waist and leaned close. "Who said I was going to send him through the labyrinth?"
Sarah's frown smoothed away like a rolling pin over dough, and she beamed up at her love. Her relief and excitement dimmed slightly when the gravity crashed down around her. "I was going to tell him the truth someday, but not this soon. I guess I don't have a choice now. Well! Here goes nothing. Toby, you're going to be in for quite a shock."
After an amused chuckle and a wink, Jareth disappeared with a bow and a flurry of black and white. Sarah gaped at the space he'd previously occupied and felt her thoughts racing and tangling all in her mind as the implications reasserted themselves.
Well, Toby was about to find out his big sister lived in a mythical and magical world instead of Ireland, that she also had gotten married to a legendary Fay who happened to be the Goblin King who she'd wished Toby away to as a baby, and that the Labyrinth book she'd given him had all come true. Oh, and her friends consisted of an old Irish woman, a large monster-like creature, a talking fox, and a dwarf; not to mention she was royalty over a slew of goblins…She'd have to let her brother know not to try to play with the fairies though. They bit. Oh, and not to talk to that sweet little blue worm because he might send you off in the completely wrong direction.
Although, now she was thankful for that. It's amazing how one wrong turn can actually be the right turn.
Yes. Sarah was ready.
THE END
FINAL NOTE: For all of you who would like to be notified when I publish my novels, just let me know in a review or PM! I'll write your name down and send out a notice to you all when the time comes because it will probably be a while from now. Thank you to all of you!