Some of the human traditions of Christmas had made their way Underground long before Sarah had become Queen, but Madeline could tell that many of them were a product of her influence.

Christmas trees were one of those traditions that pre-dated Sarah's reign. Madeline had been both surprised and intrigued when Jacen had explained how the trees remained living, to be replanted in the forest after the season was over. That was the first thing they'd done after she'd gotten settled in Jacen's rooms… go Christmas tree shopping.

The castle was pretty much what she had expected, given that she'd spent so much time at Aedon. Like the castle Above, it had the same medieval atmosphere, yet also a warm, homey feeling to it. The furnishings, while on the one hand rich and stately, were also… made to be used. There was nothing in the castle that wasn't meant to be touched, and everything there seemed to have been acquired with an eye toward comfort as opposed to elegance alone.

The Ughlánas side of the castle was even more lived-in. Jacen had laughingly told her that she was seeing it on the day they cleaned it, otherwise she might have run in horror. Looking around at the mayhem (and the flock of chickens that were running around the throne room), Madeline had to agree. What was interesting about it all was the throne room itself. Jareth set aside a day out of his busy schedule to sit with the Ughlánas and hear them out for any issues or disputes they had (although he admitted Sarah took this on more often than he did nowadays). They had a representative on the Council (Zee, the one that had left her all those flowers) but both Jareth and Sarah looked at this as a way to keep their relationship with the Ughlánas as close as it always had been, and that no matter how cosmopolitan and sophisticated the Goblin Kingdom had become, the Ughlánas were its heart and soul, and always would be.

Madeline wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. While she didn't have the history with them that Sarah (and certainly Jareth) did, she'd fallen utterly in love with them, and enjoyed spending time with them. While in some ways, they were almost childlike in their simplicity of thought, they could also be quite profound and had a habit of dropping wisdom bombs on her with startling frequency. And if she'd thought the adult Ughlánas were charming, she was blown away with how adorable their children were.

She also had the chance to meet the rest of Jacen's family. His little sister Helena was a lovely young woman, who thought it rather hilarious that it was her birthday present that had brought her and Jacen together.

Toby laughed when she'd mentioned reading about him in Sarah's books. "Oh, I wasn't nearly such a nice kid as she'd let you believe," he said. "There's a reason why she wished me away in the first place."

To her delight, Sir Didymus and Hoggle had come to the castle to meet her as well. Madeline felt a pang in her heart that Gran never got the chance to meet them; she had a feeling she'd have gotten along with Hoggle quite handily, and Sir Didymus… well, he was just a charmer. He'd chuckled when she mentioned that much of Jacen's gallantry was clearly from his influence.

During her tour of the castle, Jacen had brought Madeline over to the library, where she encountered Garthan for the first time. He was even taller than Jareth, with platinum hair and icy blue eyes. Lily hadn't been kidding when she'd said that Madeline's heart would be in her throat the first time she met him. But while he was a bit more sedate than Jareth, he was quite congenial (and just as sarcastic as his wife), and soon had her completely at ease.

That was interesting, in and of itself. She'd met so many of the Othánas as Jacen took her around, and all of them were friendly and welcoming to her. While she'd never discussed it with Jacen, part of her had been a bit nervous as to how these people would view her. She was a human, an outsider, and… although this was something that Madeline hadn't fully realized until just now, she would eventually be their Queen. That thought alone was enough to give her fits of anxiety, but at least as far as she could tell, the people here accepted her with an open attitude that was very reassuring.

After her tour, Jacen bundled her up and took her to the Christmas market in the city. Madeline looked around her with wide, enchanted eyes. The city looked like something out of a roleplaying game, or one of those virtual reality titles she'd seen. Like the estate Above, the buildings were mostly medieval/Tudor style, with tiled roofs and wide cobblestone streets. The architecture changed depending upon the district they were in… the Elven section had buildings that were more flowing, and the Ughlánas section looked like something out of a pirate movie. Aside from the Ughlánas district (with its ever-present chickens), the streets were clean, and the snow plowed away. The lights from the shops lining the streets cast a warm glow onto the snow around them, and the bustling people traded greetings with her and Jacen as they went about their errands.

They'd picked out some Christmas trees, one for the ballroom and one for Jacen's chamber, along with a huge one for the castle courtyard that the children in residence would decorate. The marketplace had an enormous variety of ornaments and decorations, all handcrafted with some even bearing magical enchantments. At one point, Madeline had to stop exclaiming over the things she was seeing, since Jacen would buy whatever she looked at, and it was getting a little silly. "Jacen… we'd need five trees to hold all of these…"

He shrugged, "I want to spoil you. Can't blame me, love."

One shop he took her to was some sort of portrait studio. The proprietor sold handcrafted crystal portrait panels, which functioned similar to Aboveground cameras in that they captured an image using the ambient light. That image was then somehow magically etched (with colors) within the flat panel of the crystal, with the final product being a translucent portrait, similar to holographic ones she'd seen back home. Jacen had told her that at some point, Jareth would commission a formal portrait of the two of them on canvas, but Jacen wanted something a little more personal and casual, something to mark her first full day in the Underground. They left the shop with an enchanting portrait of them, arms around each other and looking into each other's eyes with soft smiles.

They'd stopped at an outdoor seating area which had various musical groups playing holiday songs. Some of them were recognizably Christmas carols, some were not. Some were even in languages that Madeline didn't understand, and Jacen had to translate. In all, it was an extremely festive atmosphere, and Madeline was almost reluctant to go back to the castle and leave it behind.

Dinner in the castle dining hall was just as festive as the Christmas market had been. There was a decorated tree in the corner, and the entertainers all played a variety of jaunty tunes. Madeline laughed silently as she looked down at herself, clad in medieval style finery, standing next to her Prince. It was so close to those fantasies she'd had when she'd first met him that it was almost surreal.

This was the first time that she was seeing Jacen in his element. That laid-back, casual attitude he had was just as evident here as it was Above. The various courtiers and servants were completely comfortable bantering with him (and the King and Queen too, for that matter) and while there was a natural note of respect for his title, it was clear that the royal family were regarded as people, not 'elites'. The titles of 'Lord' and 'Lady' were more attached to occupations and honorifics as opposed to any notion of noble bloodlines. Sort of like 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' was, back on Earth Prime. In fact, according to Jacen, the only bloodline of any significance was the royal one, as they were supposedly descended from the First Othánas, but the irreverence and snark that accompanied that remark told her that no one (at least in the royal family itself) took it very seriously. Jareth himself garnered a lot of respect, as did Sarah, but Madeline had a feeling that it had more to do with their deeds and their personal qualities as opposed to a title.

All of those heavy subjects went right out of her head when Jacen pulled her into a reel in the center of the dining hall. For the first time in months, since she'd lost Gran, Madeline felt light in her steps and light in her heart. She couldn't explain it, but somehow, she felt that this was the place for her… tonight, and for the rest of her life.

Madeline was home.

Madeline had met Anduin, Erynne, Toby and Aurelet the day before, but today, she got to spend more time with them all, as they were headed toward the sledding hills. Located outside of the gates of the Labyrinth, it was a huge open field with gentle hills and several areas of smooth, flat ice. Jacen had described the various winter activities that went on there, including skating, sledding and something called 'broom hockey'. Madeline, who had taken skating lessons as a child, was looking forward to taking a turn on the ice herself.

Erynne was just a sweetheart… reminiscent of Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind. She was always pleasant, and always had something nice to say. Aurelet was also a kind soul, but she had more than a touch of her parents' snarky wit and had Madeline laughing uncontrollably for most of the journey. Anduin looked like an amalgamation of his parents' best features, with Garthan's sharp, intimidating looks and Lily's sweet smile and kind eyes. He saved his snark for when it was most humorous, and it was utterly amusing to see the three men trading their good-natured barbs between themselves. It was clear that these three were close, and that they would always have each other's backs, and Madeline was glad that Jacen had such good friends.

They'd laughed uproariously when Madeline had told them how Jacen tried to describe their convoluted relationships to her, back when they first got together.

"Oh, thanks, Jace. Nothing like implying a little incest there," said Toby with a laugh.

"Hey! Don't get all flustered," Jacen replied, laughing himself. "She figured it out."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," said Anduin with a smirk.

"Well, at least I knew what flowers to get her," returned Jacen with a matching smirk. "Which is more than I can say for you."

Anduin gave him a mock frown as Erynne laughed. "That was Zee, not you. Don't try to take the credit for that. And anyway… your idea of meeting a lady is to slam your face into a door, so…"

"To be fair, I'm the one that slammed the door into him," said Madeline with a smile.

As Anduin and Erynne were but newly life-bonded, Toby and Aurelet were the only parents among them. Currently, their son Kris was with Garthan and Lily at the winter field. They loved spending time with their grandson, which gave Toby and Aurelet some much-needed time to just relax and have some fun. Toby was an artificer and spent a lot of his time creating things that echoed many of the inventions by humans Above. Aurelet was a structural engineer, responsible for many of the infrastructure projects currently under construction in the Goblin Kingdom. Erynne taught introductory history at the Creche (and Madeline had to admit she was envious of the way children were educated here as opposed to the system she'd endured Above). Anduin was a general in the Goblin Army, second only to Lord Martial Randel. This left Madeline a bit puzzled, as Randel was also something of a diplomat and was currently serving a stint in the Strigoi kingdom. Given that this was a direct result of the Samhain scandal, Madeline didn't ask any questions, but it seemed like they all had the quiet hope that the situation would resolve itself soon, and to everyone's satisfaction.

She was soon ensconced on a wooden bench, a cup of the most divine hot chocolate she'd ever tasted held in her hands. She and the other ladies were watching the men play broom hockey, which was hilariously entertaining. They wore no skates, sliding and slipping on the ice in their boots and pushing around a leather 'puck'. While this game never devolved into the fistfights that Aboveground hockey always displayed, the spectacular pileups were no less exciting and there was much laughter to be heard, both on and off the ice.

It was during this game that Madeline asked about life-bonding, "So… how does it work? I mean, I know you make a wish… that you'll stay together forever. But you have to do it at the same time? Do you both just say, 'Okay, let's make the wish now' or… what?"

Aurelet laughed and said, "In my case, that's exactly what we did. And from what Momma told me, that's what she and Papa did too. But it can happen by accident."

"Not so much accident, as… inadvertent," said Erynne. "You could be thinking the wish to yourself, and if your partner is thinking it at the same time, you get the life-bond. That's what happened to me and Anduin. And to Jareth and Sarah, if I recall."

"That's true," said Aurelet. "She had no idea what had even happened to her at the time. Jareth had to explain it."

"So, I take it that there's something… magical that happens?" said Madeline. "Something to let you know what just took place?"

Erynne smiled, "Oh yes… you feel a rush of sensation, almost like lightning is coursing through your body. It can knock your knees right out from under you."

"There's no mistaking it, when you feel it," said Aurelet. "It's even more… wondrous… than the heart-bond."

Madeline shook her head with a smile, "This is all so… amazing. That you guys have so many ways of cutting through the strife of relationships, what with the auras, the bonds and all."

Erynne gave her a solemn look, "Yes… we do. But keep in mind, just because you're life-bonded doesn't mean that you become a different person. You can still argue about things. You won't suddenly wake up and be of one mind with your partner at all times."

Aurelet laughed, "As if you'd argue with Anduin… you two are so sweet together, it gives me tooth cavities."

"Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it can't, or won't," said Erynne. "We know this, but Maddie is just now getting used to the idea of the whole thing. Sure, the fights never last long, but they can happen. And when they do, it can be startling."

"Well, considering my mother kicks my father out of her bed at least twice per year, even now… I guess I always knew that the life-bond didn't stop arguments from happening," said Aurelet with a giggle. "But I see your point. If you go into this with the idea that you'll never argue and never have disputes… well, it can be a bit confusing."

Madeline laughed along with her. The thought that the scariest man in the Kingdom could be bounced out of his own bedroom by his petite, lovely wife was just… hilarious. But she heard the warning that both ladies were giving her. She had indeed thought that having a life-bond meant that she and Jacen would never fight… but what they said made sense. A life-bond didn't change their personalities, and they would still have to work things out as much as any fully human couple would.

The rest of the day was spent in sledding races and skating, something Jacen was not very good at. It was quite fun to literally skate rings around him as he scrambled on the ice. "I did better with just my boots," he'd grumbled with a smirk.

At some point (and Madeline would never know how it started) an epic snowball fight broke out near the bottom of the sledding hill. She dove right in, flinging loosely packed snowballs every which way, and getting clobbered herself. She cleared the latest snow bomb out of her eyes only to see the King himself out in the thick of it, trading missiles with a group of Ughlánas and laughing like a loon while Sarah looked on indulgently from the sidelines.

They'd worked up quite an appetite by the time evening fell, and Madeline was glad to see that she wasn't the only one in the dining hall who was attacking their meal with an utter lack of manners. There would be no dancing tonight, as the giant tree in the courtyard was going to be decorated by the castle children, and no one wanted to miss that.

Standing out front and bundled warmly against the cold, Madeline at first looked on the process dubiously. The tree was so very tall, and she really couldn't imagine how the children would get their decorations up towards the top of it. She needn't have worried, as Jareth and the other adult men would levitate the kids up where they wanted to go. Soon, the entire tree was covered in a wondrous variety of ornaments, with strings of fairy lights illuminating the branches. It was topped with a beautiful crystal star that gave off a warm, golden light.

As she stood by the tree, Jacen behind her with his arms around her middle, Madeline leaned back into him, her heart boiling over with love and contentment. Everything about this moment was perfect… the most perfect in her life. She never wanted it to end.

Ah… I wish we could be like this forever…

Almost immediately, she felt a rushing sensation from her fingertips into her heart… an electric sensation that was accompanied by a roaring in her ears. Her knees buckled, and she might have fallen if Jacen hadn't had his arms securely around her. She took a couple of breaths, letting the stars clear from her vision before she turned her head and looked up at him in wonder.

"Was that…?"

"Yeah," said Jacen, his own face reflecting the dazed wonder that was shining from her eyes. Madeline's lips parted with a gasp of joy, before he kissed her softly. Never before had Madeline felt this sense of utter love as she felt in this moment. As Jacen squeezed her tighter, she turned her dazzled gaze toward Jareth and Sarah, who were looking over at her with soft, indulgent eyes.

And somehow, in the midst of this wave of feeling, Madeline could have sworn she'd heard Gran's voice…

Merry Christmas, Maddie…

Author's Notes:

I mentioned it before in 'Kingdom', that there isn't much in the way of snobbery in the Goblin Kingdom, mostly because the heart-bonds do not take bloodlines or family names into consideration. It is entirely possible for a Princess to bond with a farmer, or a nobleman with a milkmaid. Odd pairings happen all the time, so the Goblins have learned to just go with the flow.

While there might have been some surprise that Jacen picked a human woman as his wife, they also understand that it wasn't a conscious decision. Goblins trust the heart-bonds, to the point that if another human woman is set to be their Queen someday... then she must have been the best choice. While I don't really get into the religion of the Goblins all that much, I did try to weave some of their attitudes into these stories. They tend to look at things that happen as having some sort of meaning or cause. It is up to them to figure out what that is and (if it's a bad thing) figure out how to fix it. It would surprise them that their next Queen is going to be another human, yes. But they would look at it in the sense that there was a reason for it. They are aware that Danu is something of a chess player... she moves pieces into place in ways that the people don't understand, but turn out to be strategic. They've gotten so used to viewing the world and its events from this lens that they tend to accept unusual circumstances much easier than other sentient species do.