Caoilinn smiled at her son. "Perhaps you suspect us of conspiring against you because manipulation is such a part of your own nature."

Sarah bit her lip and ducked her head to hide her smile.

Jareth chose to ignore his mother's statement. "Good afternoon, mother. You didn't tell me that you were coming today." His tone was mildly chastising. "I see that you have met Sarah."

"Yes, I have," Caoilinn said, "we've been having a very nice chat. She seems like a sensible young woman."

Jareth arched an eyebrow and looked sidelong at Sarah. His mouth quirked but otherwise remained silent.

Sarah frowned slightly and narrowed her eyes at his silence, and he suddenly laughed.

"Ah," he said, "I see how this will work. One of you will drive me toward the trap while the other lies in wait to spring it."

Caoilinn shook her head slightly.

"If you are going to be unpleasant, Jareth," she said, her voice stern but her eyes sparkling with laughter, "then you may leave us."

"Unfortunately, ladies, I must. I have an appointment. However, I fear that I shall come back to find my authority overthrown. Perhaps it is already too late," his voice was teasing.

Sarah smiled openly now. It was apparent that he had inherited at least some of his playful tendencies from his mother.

Caoilinn made a dismissive gesture, "Ah, Jareth, it depends upon the authority to which you refer. If it is your kingdom, then Sarah and I have no interest in usurping your position. If it is your marriage, then you are foolish to assume that you will have any authority at all."

Jareth smiled widely and glanced at Sarah. "Mother, I have never had any illusions in that regard."

--------------------------------

Brennan paced Jareth's office while Ethain sat comfortably in front of the King's desk.

"He's late," Brennan complained. "That isn't like him and I truly wanted to watch this."

"Queen Caoilinn arrived unexpectedly," Ethain explained. "He is greeting her at the moment. He will be here shortly."

"Ah, so she's come to look Sarah over?" Brennan raised an eyebrow in question.

"To meet her, certainly," Ethain said dryly. "I don't believe she intends to perform an inspection as you seem to be implying."

Brennan laughed. "Don't you? Sarah is to be her daughter and the mother of her grandchild, of course she intends to inspect her. She'll just be subtler about it than I would. Hmm, I wonder if they'll get along?"

"They seemed to be getting along quite well," Jareth said as he entered the room.

Ethain rose and both he and Brennan bowed.

"Gentlemen, are you ready?" Jareth asked. As they smiled widely, his eyes narrowed and he continued, "Then it is time to begin."

--------------------------------

"Would you care for something to drink, Your Majesty?" Sarah gestured toward the tray of drinks a servant had provided.

"No, thank you, and in private or during family gatherings, you must call me Caoilinn." She hesitated and then looked at Sarah seriously. "I would suggest that you call me mother, as Jareth does, but he has informed me that your relationship with her is rather strained. I thought you might prefer us to be friends rather than mother and daughter."

"I'd like that very much," Sarah said softly.

"It must be difficult without a mother to assist you with your wedding," Caoilinn said gently.

"Breena's been a really big help. I couldn't have done all this without her." Sarah smiled and then frowned slightly. "My mother and I are not close. Quite frankly, it's my dad that I'm going to miss the most. I think every little girl dreams of her father walking her down the aisle on her wedding day. That isn't going to happen here." She laughed a little sadly. "There isn't even an aisle here."

Caoilinn touched her hand and looked at her sympathetically.

Sarah smiled at her and took a deep breath. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it? Not as long as Jareth lo... um, cares for me. That's all the matters."

"That's right," Caoilinn said with a smug smile. "As long my son loves you, that's all that matters."

Sarah looked at Caoilinn warily.

The High Queen gave a delighted laugh. "Did Jareth believe that he could fool me?"

"Fool you?" Sarah stuttered.

"Oh, come now, Sarah. It's admirable that you are trying to protect him. It's even wise. But it's obvious to me that Jareth is in love with you."

"Uh, I'm sure you know that he doesn't..." Sarah began.

Caoilinn shook her head, still smiling. "He will deceive everyone else very easily. Including his father." Her smile faded somewhat. "And considering the circumstances that is for the best, I think. But Jareth cannot deceive me in this matter. I know him far too well and I saw his face as he looked at you. Do not worry, I would never do anything to harm my son. His secret is quite safe with me."

--------------------------------

The Goblin King entered the throne room, flanked by Ethain and Brennan. He took his throne, deliberately ignoring the man who bowed before him. Only after he had settled himself onto the throne did he deign to look at Lord Carden.

There was a long moment of silence and then Jareth's icy voice cut through the room.

"Your lies almost obliged me to spend the rest of my life with a woman I did not wish to marry. Your lies almost condemned my firstborn child to live the life of a bastard for the rest of his life," Jareth's _expression and tone was emotionless. "Do you have anything to say before I impose your punishment?"

"It's... It was just..." Carden stammered, lips trembling.

"Well?" Jareth appeared bored.

"Lady Vivienne is just so beautiful, Your Majesty. What man wouldn't want to be married to such a woman?" Carden whispered.

Jareth frowned. "Her beauty had nothing to do with your decision. Her money, however, played a large role in the matter."

Carden lowered his head, obviously cowed.

"At dawn tomorrow, you shall be banished from my kingdom for the rest of your life. Failure to adhere to this punishment will result in the immediate binding of your magic and imprisonment," Jareth intoned. "In addition, I will have a statement sent to the rulers of each of the other kingdoms regarding your appalling lack of medical scruples."

Jareth leaned forward, locked eyes with the healer and said softly, "Consider my words carefully, Carden, I am being generous in giving you an opportunity to prepare."

Carden swayed on his feet and swallowed hard but said nothing.

A sneer crept over Jareth's face and he waved the healer away. "Leave."

The three friends watched the healer bow and then walk from the room, his steps faltering. When he had at last left, Ethain looked curiously at Jareth.

"Do you suppose he completely understood what you just did?"

"If he does not, he will in time. Sooner or later the implication will occur to him," Jareth said as he rose from his throne.

"Implication?" Brennan asked. "You've kicked him out of your kingdom, what other implication can there be?"

Jareth smiled coldly. "I have banished him from my kingdom. Today that encompasses the Goblin Kingdom but eventually..."

Brennan's eyes widened and he nodded in admiration. "Eventually, you will be High King."

"And my kingdom will be the entire Underground," Jareth said. "As I said, I was generous in giving him time to prepare."

--------------------------------

As the next week passed, Sarah began having bouts of morning sickness.

Each morning, as soon as she raised her head from the pillow, she felt a surge of nausea. The first morning it had occurred, Jareth had immediately sent for Dorenil.

"I am sorry, Your Majesty," the Elf said, suffering his monarch's angry glare, "but there is nothing I can do. It is a natural occurrence. It will pass within a few weeks."

"There must be something you can give her?" Jareth demanded. He winced as the sound of retching filtered through the doorway from the garderobe.

"Unfortunately not, it must run its course. A light breakfast of dry toast before arising is sometimes beneficial," Dorenil replied.

"Sometimes beneficial?" Jareth snapped. "And if it is not?"

"Each woman is different, Your Majesty," Dorenil said spreading his hands apologetically. "Each pregnancy is different. What works for one does not necessarily work for another."

"He's right, Jareth," Sarah said as she came back into the bedroom, pale and trembling. "I've read enough about it to know that. There's no point in taking the man's head off."

Jareth was immediately at her side, one arm wrapped protectively around her waist and one hand at her elbow as he guided her to the sofa in front of the fireplace.

Dorenil, recognizing the opportunity for a strategic retreat, hastily bowed and left the King's bedchambers.

"This is just the baby's way of letting me know who's in charge," Sarah joked shakily.

The scene replayed itself, complete with Dorenil's presence, for over a week before Sarah awoke one morning to find Twylla patiently sitting at her bedside. Before Sarah had even focused on the goblin clearly, a cup of tea was placed under her nose.

"Don't move any more than you just have to and drink this," Twylla ordered. "It will help."

Sarah frowned but took the tea and carefully took a sip. To her surprise, it was delicious. She drank the entire cup and then the goblin maid handed Sarah a plate with a small slice of dry toast.

"Now eat this," Twylla ordered.

Sarah nibbled on the bread until it was gone and then cautiously sat up. The nausea was still there, but it was manageable. Twylla smiled widely at the relief that was clear on Sarah's face.

"Ginger tea with honey and a piece of toast before you get out of bed every morning," Twylla said in a matter of fact tone. "My sister swears by it and she's got five little ones.

"Thank you," Sarah said, "but how did you know..."

"With you having the healer here every morning, it wasn't hard to figure out why," Twylla scoffed. "You should have asked me to begin with, men never know what to do about morning sickness."

The goblin maid peered at Sarah and continued, "I'll bring you a cup of this tea every so often. You might be queasy from time to time during the day and it will help with that."

Twylla gathered up the cup and plate and hurried off with her prized piece of information. So, the human wasn't barren after all. Well, she'd known it all along, Twylla thought, mentally rewriting history. Whoever had started such a rumor in the first place?

--------------------------------

During the next two weeks, Sarah relied heavily on the tea to settle her stomach as the flurry of wedding plans and Jareth's almost constant absences to attend meetings with Prince Khopok and the members of the Seelie Court became increasingly frustrating to her. He was often gone long before she arose and didn't return until late into the night.

"We're getting married tomorrow and where is he? I've barely seen him in the past ten days," Sarah paced the bedroom. Breena, seated on the sofa in front of the fireplace, watched her friend work herself into a frenzy.

"You know that His Majesty is meeting his father, Prince Khopok and King Mogh. You know that he has several very important meetings today," Breena said. "In fact, you have a very important meeting of your own in a few minutes. Paslia is bringing your gown for the final fitting."

Sarah waved her hands in annoyance and whirled to face Breena. "I know he has important things to do but Jareth said he'd go over what I'm supposed to say to each of those dignitaries that are showing up tomorrow. I'm afraid that I'm going to end up insulting somebody."

Breena tilted her head as Sarah continued to pace. "Ethain is going to help you with that later today. Now, what is truly bothering you? You've been increasingly agitated for the past several days."

"Nothing is bothering me," Sarah snapped. "I just don't want to mess up in my first fifteen minutes as Jareth's wife. I still don't have all those greetings down pat and I keep thinking I'm supposed to say "Live long and prosper" to somebody and I know that's not right."

Breena looked puzzled, "I don't believe I've ever heard that greeting."

Sarah slumped onto the sofa beside her. "You wouldn't have. It's something from the Aboveworld." She smiled faintly. "Where no man has gone before."

"I understand," Breena nodded, although actually she didn't understand at all.

"I'm going to end up saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing and Jareth is going to be sorry that he ever married me," Sarah muttered.

Everything clicked into place for Breena. "You're nervous," she exclaimed in amazement.

"No," Sarah frowned, "I am not nervous."

Breena broke into a wide smile. "Yes, you are. I'd always heard that it was the groom who went through nervous fits before the wedding. I never realized that the bride could do the same."

"I am not--" Sarah broke off as she met Breena's gaze. "Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous. But wouldn't you be? I am literally marrying the man of my dreams. A king, no less." She sighed heavily. "It's just that a little voice in the back of my mind keeps saying that one day Jareth is going to wake up and wonder why he ever married a stupid mortal."

"Sarah," Breena admonished, "you know that's not going to happen nor is it even true."

"I know," Sarah said quietly. "I know he loves me. But for the first time, I understand exactly what he meant when he said that he was exhausted from living up to my expectations."

"These past few weeks have been very stressful," Breena acknowledged. "Everything will calm down considerably after the wedding."

Sarah nodded and reached over to squeeze Breena's hand. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I've never really had a friend like you before. Thanks for putting up with me."

Breena smiled and squeezed Sarah's hand in return. "I have never had a friend like you, either."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That will be Paslia with your gown," Breena said as she rose and went to admit the seamstress.

--------------------------------

Jareth was slouched in a chair in front of his father's desk, legs stretched out before him, rubbing his eyes wearily. The events of the past few weeks had been exhausting. He had been running from meeting to meeting, all the while still trying to find time to spend with Sarah. He sighed silently as he thought of her. He knew that she was feeling neglected especially since she had been ill and he vowed to himself that he would make it up to her after the wedding.

Meilseoir glanced up from the documents he was reviewing. "I believe that you have completed all the negotiations needed to secure the Trolls' place in the Seelie Court. The documents provided by King Mogh and Prince Khopok seem to be in order."

"The negotiations are complete," Jareth agreed. "However it is up to the other members of the Seelie Court to accept the Trolls or not. But I believe the trial period that I have recommended before the Trolls are granted complete admission will help to ease the Court members' minds somewhat."

Meilseoir regarded his son solemnly. "Why did you recommend this trial period? The Trolls seem sincere. They have certainly been quick to accommodate any demands placed upon them by the Seelie Court and they have asked for very little in return. What has made you uneasy?"

"Prince Khopok has a heartfelt desire to join the Seelie Court. I have no doubt of it. His wish to help his people is quite real." Jareth crossed his legs and continued, "King Mogh, however, is harder to read. He is a circumspect man. He says little and his reactions are carefully guarded."

"That could be due to his position. A High King must, by necessity, be cautious. Do you doubt his sincerity?" Meilseoir asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jareth hesitated. " Perhaps it is, as you say, merely a side effect of his status. However, I am still uncertain and I dislike uncertainty. A trial period will allow all parties involved to observe each other before the Seelie Court members take a final vote."

"A wise decision," Meilseoir said. "So, then, we shall present these documents to the Seelie Court. That only leaves one final piece of business. You wish to handle the matter this afternoon?"

Jareth gave a sharp nod. "Yes. I want to dispose of that one final piece of work."

--------------------------------

"Just think, Sarah, at this time tomorrow, you'll be preparing to marry the King," Breena sighed. "The next time you put on this gown will be on your wedding day."

"Tomorrow," Sarah murmured. "Oh, Breena, are you sure this is real?"

"What do you mean?" her friend asked.

"I'm not going to wake up back in my apartment, am I? I'm not going to find out that this is all a dream?" Sarah looked at Breena with an anxious _expression.

"No, it's not a dream," Breena reassured her.

Sarah smiled and looked in the mirror, transfixed as Paslia tugged at the wedding gown. Sarah had watched the gown take shape over the last few weeks until it was this gorgeous creation she was now wearing.

The long ivory silk brocade gown had a sweeping skirt and fitted bodice that laced up the back with gold ribbon. Full flared sleeves were gathered and embroidered at the upper arm. The same gold embroidery edged the hem, neckline and a belt that fitted low around her hips.

The embroidery matched the design in the circular insert of Jareth's medallion. When Sarah questioned Paslia about it, she was told that the King had specified the design to be embroidered on the dress. Jareth simply refused to answer her questions about it, saying that he didn't want to spoil his surprise.

"Oh, Sarah, it's so lovely," Breena said, as she watched Paslia take a pin from the ones held in her mouth and readjusted a section of the hem. "You'll be the most beautiful bride the Underground has ever seen."

"I don't know about me, but you're right about the dress." Sarah looked at Paslia and said softly, "Thank you so much, it's absolutely gorgeous."

Paslia nodded. "Just be sure that the King understands that you're pleased with it," she said firmly. "It's important that he knows that."

"If I ever see him again," Sarah said under her breath, "I'll be sure and tell him."

--------------------------------

At the moment, Jareth was seated upon his throne solemnly regarding the woman standing before him.

"Did you think that I had forgotten?" Jareth drawled, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Vivienne held her head high. "No, I never imagined for a moment that you had forgotten me."

"Then you shall be pleased to learn that I have decided not to punish you at all," he said mildly.

Vivienne looked at him, stunned. "But I thought... You were so angry..."

Jareth leaned forward slightly and waved away her concerns. "In fact, I have decided to grant your fondest dreams."

Vivienne blinked. "My fondest dreams?"

"You wished to marry. You wished to become a queen. I have decided to grant those wishes," he said, still wearing that faint smile.

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Vivienne asked warily.

"For once in your vapid, hedonistic little life, you shall serve a purpose," Jareth's smile widened and his voice grew cold. "Your marriage has been arranged. In three days time, you will wed Khopok, High Prince of the Trolls. You wanted to marry, Vivienne, and so you shall. Eventually, you may even become their High Queen."

She went white. "Wh--what? The Troll's are Unseelie. And they're... they're Trolls. You can't be serious, Ja..." her mouth snapped closed at his warning look.

"I am completely serious," he said, eyes gleaming. "The Trolls seek to join the Seelie Court. They have made several concessions in order to attain that goal. All they ask in return is an assurance of our intent. What better assurance than to unite their kingdom with ours?"

Vivienne gritted her teeth. "You can't command me to marry outside the Fae," she said angrily. "Only the High King is allowed to give that order."

Jareth smiled and rose from his throne with a slight bow as King Meilseoir stepped through the doorway.

Vivienne's hands began to shake as she sank into a deep curtsy.

"I have already assured King Mogh that you will be delighted to marry his beloved son," Meilseoir said coldly. "Although, from what I've seen of Prince Khopok, he deserves far better than you."

"But... But, Your Majesty," Vivienne stammered.

Meilseoir cut her off with a sharp look. "Save your protests, girl, they will do you no good here."

"But Jareth is only doing this to punish me." Her voice trembled.

"You are not being punished, Vivienne," Jareth smirked. "You are being made an ambassador."

"You should be grateful that my son has not brought charges against you through the Seelie Court. This is more mercy than I would have shown you," Meilseoir snapped.

"It's because he knows that the Seelie Court doesn't care about his mortal property," Vivienne began to gain some of her confidence back. "They wouldn't care whether she lives or dies."

"Perhaps not," Meilseoir said, "but they would care a great deal about the Sidhe child she carries within her womb. A child that is in direct line for the High Throne."

Vivienne looked stunned and slowly turned her eyes to Jareth. "Child?" she whispered. "So soon?"

Jareth inclined his head.

Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "It seems Marcan was right, after all. Humans are prolific." She locked eyes with Jareth. "You will regret marrying her. You know that, don't you? You will wake up one day to find that her beauty has faded and that she no longer interests you. One day, you will regret not marrying me."

"Your concern is touching," Jareth said dryly, "but implausible. However, I will try to remember just what it is that I am supposed to regret when I'm surrounded by my children."

Realizing that her taunt had been ineffective, Vivienne quickly tried another tact.

"Just how do you suppose this... this Troll will react to learning the true reason that I am marrying him? You may call it any pretty word you like, he is still my punishment," she sneered. "He will surely not be flattered by the designation."

"Prince Khopok knows exactly what you have done and what you are capable of doing. I respect the man far too much to allow him to marry you without warning him of your tendency toward avarice," Jareth said coldly. "However, if it will comfort you, Vivienne, Prince Khopok is not overjoyed at the prospect of marrying you, either. He considers you a tribulation that he must bear in order to help his people."

For a moment, Jareth mused, the expression on Vivienne's face was almost comical. She obviously couldn't decide upon fury at being forced to marry a Troll, annoyance that she had been outmaneuvered or being insulted that the Troll didn't want to marry her. As he suspected it would, vanity won out.

"A tribulation?" Vivienne snapped. "He considers marriage to me to be a tribulation?"

Jareth shrugged.

"He should consider himself lucky to have me," she spat out.

King Meilseoir glanced at his son and raised an eyebrow at the woman's audacity.

"Luck has nothing to do with this arrangement," Meilseoir intoned soberly. "You are to represent the Sidhe and will be expected to conduct yourself accordingly. Do not forget that even married to the High Prince, you are still my subject. I will be watching you, Lady Vivienne. You would do well to keep that firmly in mind."

Vivienne shot Jareth one last glare before turning back to Meilseoir and dropping her eyes respectfully. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said coolly.

--------------------------------

Jareth shook his head in exasperation as he knocked on his own bedchamber door. When Sarah opened the door wearing her jeans, he raised an eyebrow in question.

"I assume that it is safe for me to enter my own bedchamber?" he asked, his tone acidic.

She laughed. "Yes, Paslia and the dress are long gone."

"For a people who do not generally believe in magic, mortals are a superstitious lot," he muttered as he entered the room.

"I just don't want to jinx our marriage by letting you see me in my dress before the wedding," she said.

"Or by allowing me to even see you tomorrow before the ceremony," Jareth pointed out.

"I don't want to take any chances," Sarah said. She hesitated and then said, "I notice that you father left without meeting me."

Jareth sighed. "You know that he is a very busy man."

"I understand that. But I also understand that he isn't happy that you're marrying a human. I think that had more to do with him leaving without meeting me than how busy he is."

"Perhaps," Jareth said. "But his opinion changes nothing. We will marry tomorrow and he will accept both you and our marriage."

"I hope so," Sarah said, her expression became briefly wistful and then she tilted her head and glanced at the clock. "What are you doing here? Dinner was only an hour ago. Lately, you haven't been getting back until much later. Aren't you supposed to be having a meeting or something?"

"I am pleased to say that I have successfully concluded my meetings and I have caught up on most of my paperwork," Jareth smiled. "Now I have a present for you."

Sarah unconsciously touched the crystal pendant at her neck. "Another one?"

He lifted his hand. Suddenly he held a scroll tied with a silver ribbon. He motioned for her to stand before him.

"What is it?" she asked, reaching for it.

He pulled it back and shook his head at her. "It is an official document and I will read it to you."

He untied the ribbon and opened the scroll with a flourish. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Sarah and assumed an officious manner.

"I, Jareth, King of the Goblins," he made a rolling gesture with his free hand, "assorted and sundry other titles, do hereby declare that from this day forward, Sarah Williams, a human, is a free woman with all the entitlements and responsibilities of a subject of the Goblin Kingdom."

Sarah broke into a wide grin and moved to throw her arms around him but he help up his hand to stop her, smiling slyly.

"Now for the entertaining part," he said.

"Entertaining part?" Sarah asked suspiciously.

"Yes," he leaned close to her and purred, "Get on your knees."

"What?" Sarah's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Kneel," he said.

Sarah stood for a long moment and stared at him. Unconsciously, her gaze drifted low over his body and then back up to meet his eyes, which were now sparkling with amusement.

"Do you want me to... Surely, you're not asking me to... Um, well, okay," she said as she slowly lowered herself to her knees. She looked up at him and bit her lip.

He snorted. "That's not what I want you to do." He glanced down at her and smirked. "At least not at the moment. Now, repeat after me... I, state your name, do hereby pledge my fealty to Jareth, King of the Goblins and to the Goblin Kingdom."

Sarah laughed softly and then repeated the oath.

As she finished speaking, Jareth reached down to help her to her feet and handed her the scroll. "You are now officially a free woman."

She hugged him tightly. "So, this means that the first time I sleep with you as a completely free woman it will be as your wife. I think that's romantic."

"Actually, this means that you will never have slept with me as a completely free woman," he said.

She looked puzzled.

"By this time tomorrow night, you will be my wife. In this world, a wife does not have quite as much freedom as her husband," he explained.

Sarah pondered his words. "So the next few hours are my only shot at it?"

He was puzzled by her slang for a moment, but then nodded his understanding. "Well, yes," he said. "Actually, they are."

Sarah looked at him for a long moment. Finally, she pursed her lips thoughtfully and gave a slow nod.

"All right," she said, as she took him by the hand and began tugging him toward the bed.

Jareth smiled. "I wasn't implying that you had to sleep with me now."

"Well," she shrugged and grinned. "If you don't want to..."

"I never said that," he said quickly, reaching out to unbutton her blouse.

"Okay," Sarah said, tugging open his jacket. "But remember, I am not spending the night."

"We shall see," he murmured as he pushed the blouse from her shoulders and shrugged his jacket to the floor.

"No, we shall not see. I've got to be back in my room before tomorrow." She tugged his shirt free of his breeches.

"It is a pointless superstition," he said, unclasping her bra.

She pulled his shirt over his head. "It won't hurt you to sleep alone one night."

He unbuttoned her jeans. "Why don't we talk about this later."

"No, we need to talk about this..." she began unfastening his breeches.

Jareth lowered his head to her breast.

Sarah's eyes slid closed as his mouth moved on her. "Well," she gasped, "I guess we could talk about this later."

--------------------------------

Ten minutes before thirteen o'clock, Sarah leaned over and softly trailed her fingers over Jareth's cheek. He was sleeping soundly and didn't stir as she touched him.

"We're getting married tomorrow," she whispered. "We're having a baby and we're getting married tomorrow. And I can't afford to jinx any of that. So, when you wake up alone in the morning, don't be mad at me, okay?"

She brushed a kiss across his forehead and quietly left the bed. Pulling on her clothes quickly, she slipped from the room.