Epilogue

A few hours later, Sarah and Jareth returned to her new realm. The staff had sensed the change, but hadn't had a chance to whisper to one another about their new Mistress, and most likely new male consort. Still, they were teeming with excitement. They hadn't seen this much change in over a millennia.

Sarah did not stop to chat with her new subjects either. Waving them away, she gave orders that she was not to be disturbed, but called Brigid to attend them as she led Jareth to their rooms.

Brigid objected when Sarah insisted on staying in the rooms they had been occupying previously.

"But, beggin' your pardon, Your Majesty. The rooms meant for you are so much grander than these," Brigid said, looking around.

Sarah laughed lightly, "I'm sure they are Brigid, but for now, I think Jareth and I will be perfectly comfortable here. Have the Queen's Chambers made ready, I'll move into them next week."

"If you're sure…" Brigid hedged.

The new Queen of the Dead nodded firmly. "I'm sure, Brigid."

Brigid bobbed a small curtsey and turned to leave the room. Before drifting through the wall, she turned back to Sarah. "If you don't mind my asking, Sar- I mean, Your Majesty. What did you do to the Shadow People?"

Sarah simply smiled and then shrugged her shoulder, a glimmer in her dark eyes. "Let's just say, that with both the Mistress of Death and the Master of Dreams threatening them, I don't think they'll be a problem going forward."

Brigid blinked but made no reply, turning and fading into the wall without a word. Later, when the others asked her about the new Mistress she only gave this reply: "I'm glad to have had a chance to get to know her before she became the Queen. She's every bit as deadly as the old Master was, but perhaps less morose. Still, her look and her voice when she spoke of the Shadow People... It was chilling, it was."

Alone in their room at last, Jareth looked around, taking in the gloomy atmosphere. "Can we change the decor in the keep?" he asked.

Sarah looked at him, quirking an eyebrow quizzically. "Why?"

"Because it's so... so... gloomy and gothic!"

Sarah laughed. Leave it to Jareth to complain about something so silly after everything they'd been through. "Sorry, Love. It suits me. I don't think I want to change it."

Jareth sighed, grumbling under his breath, as Sarah seated herself on the bed where they had spent so many nights together. He sat next to her, immediately pulling her into his arms. She relaxed into him, resting her head on his shoulder as she had so often when she's been ill.

They sat there, just enjoying the feel of being together.

"What happened to Ankou?" Jareth suddenly asked in a quiet voice.

"He crossed through the veil," Sarah replied, smiling to herself as the memory of what had happened after Ankou kissed her flooded through her mind-

As Ankou broke the kiss, Sarah gasped. Power flooded through her, painfully expanding as it filled her. Her vision darkened for a moment and she closed her eyes as she adjusted to her new state of being.

When she opened her eyes again, Ankou stood before her, no longer the fearsome King of the Dead. His face was relieved and there were tears rolling down his face.

"Thank you, Sarah."

Behind him, Sarah could see a shimmering in the air, as though a sparkling curtain hung between this plane and the next. With a flash of intuition, Sarah realized that she was looking at the veil between the astral plane and the next world, just as she had before. Only now, she was seeing it as it really was through the eyes of a reaper.

As she gazed at it in awe, a figure appeared, standing within the shimmering curtain of the veil. Sarah blinked, attempting to sort the sparkles of the veil from the features of the figure waiting there. Slowly, the features of the figure resolved into those of the woman Sarah had seen in Ankou's memories and she smiled at her.

Ankou looked over his shoulder. When he saw the woman, his entire bearing changed. Sarah could practically feel the waves of excitement and joy radiating off of him.

He turned back to Sarah once more. He opened his mouth to speak but Sarah cut him off.

"She's waiting for you," she told him with a smile. "Your long separation is over. Go to her." She made a little motion with her hand, urging him to go.

Ankou smiled his gratitude one last time before turning and running to the woman. They met within the shimmering veil and Sarah smiled to see Ankou take the woman into his arms. They shared a passionate kiss before turning to wave farewell to Sarah.

Then, hand in hand, they passed into the next world.

"He's gone," Sarah whispered softly, caressing Jareth's face.

"What do you mean? He's gone? So you're..." He frowned, glancing over her before stilling. His eyes briefly widened. "Oh."

Sarah smiled faintly, catching his hand that briefly ran through her hair as he was pulling it back. "Yes, oh. Does that bother you?"

Jareth slowly shook his head, simply staring. He thought of what to say - the immense joy at seeing her again, the gratitude that she wouldn't be taken from him by time or illness, now that she was immortal like him. So he simply fumbled with one word spoken reverently as he leaned forward and kissed her.

"Forever?"

"Forever," she agreed, returning his kiss.

Jareth moaned softly and gave in to the sensation, tugging her close.

Just as they rolled into the bed, he leaned back with a grin. "You do realize we're going to have to share domains, right? If you won't change the blasted decor, you've got to spend some time dealing with goblins and chicken fodder with me back at the Labyrinth."

Sarah laughed and tugged him down onto the bed with her. "Deal."

They didn't leave their chambers for almost a week - which once more sent the staff into a tizzy of gossip, not that they cared one bit.

As they ruled happily, secure in their power and love, two pairs of eyes would occasionally glance down from the Summerlands, peeping through the veil to see how the Goblin King and the Queen of the Dead were faring.

Claire leaned into the crook of her husband's shoulder. "I agree with Jareth, they should redecorate," she teased jovially.

"That place has been exactly the same for every monarch who has passed through there. It's a pillar to eternity!"

"Moody eternity." She poked him in the ribs. "I don't think it helped you to be surrounded by all that black and blue. My silly man doesn't thrive in humorless stone."

Ankou dropped a kiss on to his wife's head. One of thousands since they had been reunited.

"No, I certainly didn't. Even in death I couldn't live without you."

Claire raised her face and nuzzled his nose. "Come, my love. Let's go have dinner."

They walked through the eternal garden that Claire had built to a perfect little cottage of their dreams. And there, they shared their own forever.
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The authors as always thank you all and appreciate your support!

Authors:

AvaloneBane
breejah0923
LiteraryRhapsody
Sarah198026(wattpad)