After their second lovemaking, Sarah fell forward onto Jareth's chest, breathing heavily from their shared passion. Ever so gently, Jareth turned Sarah's face toward him and looked deeply into her lovely green eyes.
With infinite tenderness, he brushed her hair back.
Gazing soulfully back, Sarah whispered the words Jareth had waited centuries to hear.
"I love you, Jareth." she ventured, breathlessly.
Pulling her closer, Jareth spoke in a voice equally as soft, but laced with determination.
"You're mine now, Sarah, my love, utterly and completely. There will be no one else for either of us, ever." Jareth replied forcefully.
Sarah blushed as Jareth moved her to his side and began to kiss her again. They made love several more times until they were both quite exhausted. Finally, they both snuggled close, satiated and sleepy. Embracing her tenderly, Jareth rocked Sarah in his arms until once again they both drifted back into peaceful repose.
As the first rays of a new day broke over the Goblin city, The Goblin King was lying in bed, head propped up on his elbow indulging in his newest, most favorite hobby: watching his lovely Sarah sleep. He had thought that having her sharing his chambers was enjoyable; but nothing compared to the pleasure it gave him to see her sleeping warm and replete next to him in his own bed. The night before he had found that he relished all the little details he was learning about his lovely Sarah, knowing that she would share them with only him. For one thing, Sarah loved to snuggle. Every time she had drifted off to sleep, she had promptly cuddled up next to him almost immediately. For another, Sarah loved to burrow down deep under the blankets. Every time Jareth awoke, she was covered up all the way to her nose. He found it quite enchanting.
Unfortunately, the door to his bedroom opened and little Atta came quietly creeping in.
Any other goblin would have instantly incurred the Goblin King's terrible wrath for daring to disturb him. But Sarah liked Atta, so Jareth was prepared to be a little tolerant.
"What is it, Atta?" the Goblin King inquired, taking care to keep his voice low so as not to wake Sarah.
"Sorry, Kingy." she whispered in a tiny, frightened voice. "Me no want to disturb you and Lady Sarah, but goblins in the throne room getting hysterical. You no there this morning and they going crazy. They think something happen to you."
Sighing in angry frustration, Jareth gently extricated himself from the bed and got up. Usually, he was in the throne room long before now. Obviously, his absence had sent the goblins into a panic; sometimes being Goblin King was a trying burden. Summoning his usual magic, he was instantly dressed and ready for his day. Regretfully, he looked back to the bewitching form of his still sleeping Sarah and it gave him an idea. With a smirk, he summoned another globe of special magic and cast it. Within moments, a ripple of magic blew through the room like a summer breeze. The Goblin King glanced around, surveyed his handiwork.
Frowning, he noticed the covers had slipped down on Sarah, leaving her back exposed as she shivered a bit.
Irritated, he promptly kicked the bed leg and hissed angrily at it.
"Hey, you; pay attention! My Sarah's cold!" he growled in displeasure.
Soundlessly, the covers glided back up over Sarah of their own accord and she sighed in contentment. Placated, the King's smile returned and he departed to restore order to his kingdom.
Sarah awoke, warm and comfortable in the huge bed. She was a tad disappointed to realize Jareth was no longer beside her. Lazily, she stretched. As she looked around, she was surprised to see that Jareth's chambers had changed again. The red curtains that had separated her former room had disappeared as had the bed and fireplace. In place of the bed, a new larger wardrobe stood next to the dressing table in front of the large bay window. The rose theme however, remained and had expanded to extend to the whole room. Though subtle, the rose theme now seemed everywhere. The large frescos on the walls and ceiling had roses entwined in each scene. The mantle over the huge fireplace contained rose accents. Even the bed now had a carved rose vine running up its dark posts mingled with the other carvings. But it was the owl figure carved over the headboard that surprised Sarah most. Essentially it looked the same; a magnificently carved white owl perched on a glided half moon. But now, clutched in one of its talons was a beautifully carved red rose in full bloom.
Momentarily stunned, Sarah sat up and was instantly drawn to a tantalizingly familiar aroma next to the bed. Realizing what it was, she cried out in delight.
"Coffee!" she exclaimed.
Though the past few days had been wonderful, Sarah had to admit that this was one thing she had been sorely missing. Her favorite coffee was a rather pungent Turkish blend her mother had introduced her to and she loved it. Next to the coffee sat a plate of fruit and several sweetbreads. Hungrily, Sarah dug in. As she ate and drank, Sarah couldn't help but wonder rather idly if Jareth had ever tried coffee. She resolved to introduce him to it at the first opportunity.
Back in the throne room, Jareth watched Sarah with interest in a globe he conjured. A short time before, he had felt a warmth in his chest that had immediately let him know the moment Sarah was awake. He hadn't been able to resist conjuring her a bit of breakfast including a beverage she had been craving. Her desire for it had been so strong that Jareth had actually felt it himself through their bond. But a moment later, he was taken aback as a strange cup appeared next to him. Surprised, he recognized it as the brew Sarah had been craving. Chuckling, he quickly realized that Sarah's magic was beginning to assert itself. Taking the cup, he lifted it in a mock toast to his lovely Sarah and tried the steaming liquid. Centuries before, Jareth had tried coffee and found it a foul and bitter concoction. But this pungent liquid was flavorful and quite pleasant to the Goblin King.
Jareth had conjured breakfast for Sarah since Atta was otherwise occupied. The absence of Sarah's locket had not gone unnoticed by the Goblin King. Though he had been distracted the night before, he summoned Atta and demanded an explanation after restoring order in the throne room. Reluctantly, she had confessed how Sarah had traded it for the Goblin King's gift.
Awed and humbled that Sarah would go to such lengths to give him a gift, Jareth had instantly summoned the pin and put it on. He then dispatched Atta to retrieve Sarah's locket. Armed with a fat commission and a royal appointment as court jeweler, he had no doubt that Atta could convince the dwarf to part with it. He could have merely summoned it by magic, but that would have diminished the significance of Sarah's gift.
Sarah got up and felt inexplicably drawn to the throne room. For some reason, she knew beyond any doubt that Jareth was expecting her. At the foot of the bed, she found a beautiful red gown with elaborate black and red rose brocade stitched at the sleeves and hem. The matching slippers were red trimmed with black ribbon. Bemused, Sarah put them on after her morning ablutions and hurried to the throne room.
As she got closer, Sarah was suddenly hit by a wave of trepidation. Though last night had been wondrous and they had both spoken of words of love, Jareth and she had never really talked about their future. Nervous, Sarah approached the throne room.
The moment she entered, the Goblin King met her in the doorway and promptly seized her for a passionate kiss. Surprised but relieved, Sarah relaxed and returned the kiss ardently.
"There." he stated in a voice full of satisfaction. "That's better. Now I can face this last day of court and may actually get through it. Come along, lovely Sarah."
Sarah was amused to see that the Goblin King was wearing an outfit of jet black. The only color on his clothing was her gift pinned prominently on the lapel of his black silk shirt.
Jareth escorted her in the direction of the throne, though this time he didn't take her arm. Though his hands were still gloved, he intertwined his fingers with hers intimately in a gentle, but firm grip. As they got to the dais, Sarah looked around in confusion. Seeing her bewildered expression, the Goblin King turned to her.
"Is something wrong, Sarah?" he asked.
"My chair's gone." Sarah observed, noting the absence of the padded chair.
"Oh course." Jareth replied casually. "That chair was fine for Lady Sarah; but it's hardly appropriate for the Goblin Queen. I can create a throne for you by magic, my love, or you can have the Goblins make it for you. Until then, we'll simply have to share mine until you decide."
Stunned, Sarah's expression dissolved into shock at Jareth's off-handed pronouncement. Though she wanted to be with Jareth, she never really considered the full ramifications.
"Queen?!!!" she asked rather shakily.
Frowning, Jareth replied in an exasperated tone.
"Yes, Sarah." he said as he folded his arms. "That is the usual title for the wife of a King. What else did you expect after last night?"
At the mention of their passionate night, Sarah blushed as crimson as her gown.
Amused, Jareth said rather lightly "I simply adore when you do that! You look absolutely irresistible! It's almost as lovely as your green eyes. I do hope our children inherit them!"
Taken aback at this swift turn of events, Sarah could only stutter in shock.
"Ch.. Children?!!" she squeaked.
Frowning deeply, Jareth's temper snapped at Sarah's stunned reaction to the conversation. Though he loved Sarah dearly and would have granted her literally anything in his power at that moment, the very thought that she might not feel the same enraged him as his Fey nature dramatically reasserted itself.
"Yes, Sarah!" he hissed angrily as he grabbed her arms in a rather harsh grip and shook her a little. "Children! I meant what I said last night! You are mine; do you hear me?!! You will be my wife, my Queen, and the mother of my children! There will be no other for you except me, EVER! I don't care if you protest or it isn't fair! I love you and I will not allow you will not leave me! You'll simply have to get use to it!"
Whatever reaction had Jareth expected, the one he got took him by surprise. Sarah froze for a moment and when she spoke her voice was very soft.
"You love me?!!" she said, barely above a whisper.
"Of course I do!" he roared angrily in reply.
Sarah immediately launched herself into Jareth's arms, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him fervently. Knocked back off balance, Jareth caught Sarah against him and sat down on the throne behind him. Not one to waste an opportunity, he swept Sarah onto his lap and kissed her breathless for several minutes.
The goblins had been watching the scene with rapt attention. Like rabid soap opera fans, they took in the melodrama, unwilling to look away. Frankly, things were usually rather dull in the goblin castle until now and this was the most excitement they'd had since the last time Sarah came.
As she came up for air, Sarah finally noticed that Jareth's throne actually now seemed much larger. One side even appeared to be padded and had several throw pillows on it.
"Oh, Jareth!' she exclaimed. "I love you."
Pacified, his good humor returned and the Goblin King smiled, supremely satisfied.
"I have something of yours." he said. Opening his gloved fingers, he revealed what was inside.
"My locket!" Sarah cried.
"Oh, Jareth, you didn't have to." she protested." I traded it. It was my choice."
"Yes, I did." he asserted firmly. "You may wear it if you wish, but I also have something else for you."
The Goblin King then magically produced a chain and fastened it tenderly around Sarah's neck.
Gazing at the necklace, Sarah realized it was a smaller, more delicately wrought version of the amulet Jareth himself wore, a gilded crescent moon.
"For the Goblin Queen." he pronounced softly as he gazed deeply into her eyes..
Unfortunately, the royal chamberlain chose that moment to clear his throat, breaking the mesmerizing spell of the past few moments. Jareth frowned in irritation, but waved his hand for the court to begin. Sarah blushed and tried to slide off the Goblin King's lap, but Jareth locked his arms around her and held her firmly in place. Eventually, he did allow her to get up, but insisted on keeping her firmly tucked to his side. The rest of the day flew by as Jareth quickly dispensed with the last day of court. He even magnanimously pardoned the two goblins from the egg case in honor of Sarah's first day as Goblin Queen. In truth, the Goblin King only did it to please Sarah since he was the hardly forgiving type. She still laughed every time she thought about the rotten eggs.
With the court business finally over, Jareth pulled Sarah onto his lap again for another kiss. Sighing happily, she returned his kiss. The past few hours had been heavenly, but Sarah knew she still had something she had to do. Reluctantly, she knew she was going to have to bring up something that Jareth wasn't going to like, but she had little choice. There was still unfinished business she simply had to take care of before she could begin her new life in the Goblin Kingdom.
"Jareth," she began hesitantly. "I need to talk to you about something. You know I love you and I want us to be together always. But I need to take care of something first. I want to go back to my mother's apartment one last time."
As Jareth's expression darkened, she quickly rushed on.
"I know you may not like it, but I have to. I left some things there and I want to go get them. They aren't valuable, but they mean a great deal to me. Please, Jareth." she pleaded softly.
Sighing heavily, the Goblin King capitulated.
"How long will you be gone?" he asked frowning.
"That depends." she stalled.
"On what?" Jareth asked.
"How long you thing the Goblin Kingdom can survive without its king." she finished.
Realizing her meaning, Jareth moved to kiss her passionately again.
As they embraced, Sarah watched as a rather large goblin in an apron carrying the largest halberd she had ever seen clumsily tried to sneak up on a nearby chicken.
"Come here, you." the goblin muttered. "Me gonna cook you for da new queeny."
He brought the ax down heavily, missed the chicken completely but nearly decapitating a nearby fellow goblin.
Filled with alarm, Sarah observed, Maybe we'd just better go for the day."