Epilogue: One Warm Summer's Day
"Really though, Sarah, how did you get the idea?" the man asked as he leafed
through the many pages of the tightly bound manuscript.
She shrugged, sipping at the golden tinged wine in the crystalline goblet she held in
one delicate hand. Her appearance had changed over the year that had passed since she
had left Fontridge. Sarah's long brunette locks were cut short, just above her shoulder.
Her face was more slender, and her features more refined. Everything had just altered
slightly, but enough to make her seem so very different.
The man sitting in her chair set the manuscript on the table, tapping it a few times
with the blunt eraser end of the pencil he was currently toying with. He turned his
emerald eyes towards her and smiled, tapping more furiously on the coverpage as he
realized the sheer beauty of what Sarah had written.
"It's amazing," he stated, and then pushed the chair away from her rich wooden
computer desk.
Sarah backed away, a smile spreading across her ruby lips. She set the glass down
on a near by table, and then followed the man as he walked towards the front door. She
waited anxiously, wondering if her hard work would pay off.
"Well? Are they going to publish it?" Sarah asked, as the man pulled on his light
coat.
He pulled his cap on, and then flashed a truly handsome smile in Sarah's direction.
She was flattered, but her mind focused on one thing alone, her book in print. She had
struggled with the story for a year, and now wished to have it where everyone else could
read about the tragic love story.
"It'll be in print before you can believe it. Sarah, let me take you out! You have
to celebrate, and not alone," he asked, those lovely emerald eyes flashing briefly as the sun
streamed down through one of the windows.
Sarah walked towards the door, her hand falling on the brass knob. It wasn't that
she didn't like this man, but.... it all seemed very meaningless. How could she ever explain
to anyone that there was no male on earth that could begin to compare to her fantasy
lover, her Goblin King. Sarah opened the door and then looked at the sweet man, her
expression telling him all he needed to know.
"If you change your mind..." he began as he walked out the door.
"Don't worry, I'd call you first," Sarah replied with a brief laugh as she waved
goodbye.
She promptly shut the door and leaned against the smooth wooden surface. She
had changed so very much, but hadn't really become any different. She was still
anti-social, still living alone, and still hopelessly in love with fairy tales.
Sarah walked slowly away from the door and into her sitting room, casting a
furtive glance outside, towards her large backyard, the white fence, and the forest which
sat beyond it all. England had become her new home, for she had never been able to leave
it and return to her parents.
Instead Sarah had taken on a well-paying job through a local acting group. She,
unfortunately, was not the actress, but rather helped as assistant director. In fact, during
the short year she had worked, she had acquired quite a name for herself, hence the large,
lovely house she had been able to afford.
During that time she had written feverishly, in any spare moment that was
available. Her typing skills were well developed, and with a constant flow of inspired
words, and sentences and images, she could easily turn out ten to fifteen pages a day.
However, time had been her enemy, and her work prevented any great amount of free
hours in which to write.
Sarah threw open her French doors and walked out to her backyard. She was at
once greeted by her dogs, two large German Shepherds that jumped up on her clean jeans.
She stroked their lustrous coat, and laughed, as their weight pushed her back against the
outside of her house.
"Okay, okay, is it time for a walk guys?" Sarah asked, her speech broken by
laughter as she kneeled down by them and was immediately coated with dog kisses.
She brushed their fur from her cornflower blue tanktop and then rose back to her
feet. They raced around in circles, barking briefly at each other as she crossed the expanse
of her yard and threw open the gate which led to the old woods. Both dogs stopped their
playful antics and sprinted out, excited to be able to be free from the restriction of the
fence.
Sarah watched them running, frolicking about in the shady woods. The
temperature was quite moderate and almost cool when she entered beneath the trees'
shadows. This was her solace, these thick, old, and overgrown forest. It was her escape
from everything that was wrong with the real world. Almost a little bit of magic amidst all
else.
She stepped over a root, which stuck up from the debris-ridden forest floor. The
dogs barked somewhere off in the distance and Sarah whistled shrilly, calling them back.
She could hear their paws padding through the underbrush as twigs snapped and dried
leaves crunched.
Another sound split through the genuine calm and silent surroundings of the
woods. A lonely owl hooted from somewhere behind her. Sarah jumped at the sound and
spun around, her dark eyes scanning the canopies of the trees for the bird. Yet, there was
no sight of it, only the occasional hoot from somewhere too far for her to see.
The twigs snapped again, and Sarah relented. It had been far too long already.
Still, at every owl sighted, and when she just turned around because the feeling of being
watched would strike without warning, Sarah believed he would be there. A year had
passed since that morning when they had parted and she had received no sign from Jareth.
The brush crackled again and she shook her head, forcing her smile to return. It
was hopeless to wish for something that would never come. Sarah sighed and then
turned, to continue walking with her impatient mongrels. They hated waiting.
"You two don't give me a second of ....," Sarah stopped abruptly as she noted
what had stopped in front of her.
Her dogs were no where to be seen, but she could still hear their howling barks in
the distance. However, directly before her stood another animal, ebony in shade, with
long silken mane and tale that drifted about his body as he shook his noble head. Sarah
placed her shaking hand to her lips and then watched, in awe, as a single white rose fell
from the stallions mane, and landed upon the ground.
*Do not fear that we will never meet again, Sarah. You will know if I survive.
Now take heed!* The phantom voice of Jareth, as she had heard it more than twelve long
months prior, drifted through her mind as she looked at the majestic steed.
Sarah reached down, retrieving the fallen rose and cradling it in her hands. It was
thornless, but what was odd, was that it seemed the flower had never had the sharp
objects on its green stalk. A light glittering of shimmering dust covered her hands, and
Sarah was shocked to see that the entire bud shone with the shattered specks.
"Jareth?" Sarah asked gently and the looked at the horse as he bowed his head,
pawing at the ground anxiously.
She slowly approached the stallion, running a trembling hand along his powerful
neck. The horse lowered himself, kneeling upon one front leg to offer Sarah an easy
mount. She wound her hands through his mane, and slowly threw one leg over his silken
back. In the distance Sarah could almost see her loyal friends, as they rushed to catch up
to their mistress. However, she would be gone before they arrived.
The steed rose with a swift grace, that offered not a single dangerous moment
where Sarah believed she might fall. She clung tightly, not afraid, but wondering how she
would ride when she had never had a day of experience. Obviously, the horse did not care
for her lack of skill, for he took off, galloping as swift as the wind through the forest.
The air blew threw her recently cropped hair, tossing it back. It stung against her
eyes, and so she shut them, holding tightly to his mane and willing herself not to fall.
Their speed was utterly exhilarating, but terrifying nonetheless. Her fear subsided quickly,
and soon she opened one eye to watch the many trees, and brief glimpse of open
countryside pass by.
Then his pace slowed, and she found a gentle rocking quality had replaced the
sprinting gait. She raised up, and looked around, finding herself perfectly balanced atop
his smooth back. The Stallion slowed once more, ducking beneath a low hanging vine,
which Sarah also avoided, but did so with only a great amount of work.
A shock of light poured down upon her from the sun overhead. It seemed as if
they had broken into a clearing. Sarah glanced around, and her mouth dropped open in
utter and complete shock. The ruins, those that had once housed Emelia's diary, were
sitting innocently in front of her. However, she had never lived anywhere near them, and
it seemed that it had taken but a few minutes to reach them by way of the horse.
He lowered himself once more, allowing Sarah to dismount with ease. Her legs
stung briefly from tightening the muscles as she had ridden. She rubbed her calves and
thighs as she walked towards the old walls, fallen even more to the weather since the last
time she had seen them. Only that time the rain had pummeled down, now it was awash in
rich golden sunlight.
Sarah swallowed back her anticipation and slowly approached the ruins. Nothing
appeared different, nor did she see Jareth. She glanced back at the horse, who had now
taken to grazing upon the emerald grass in the clearing.
"I don't understand," Sarah whispered, as she leaned against the wall that had
hidden the diary.
Strangely enough the brick had been replaced since the time she had removed it.
Sarah fell to her knees beside the loose piece of the wall. She firmly gripped the brick, and
slid it from its proper place. Without a thought she reached in and felt along the hole that
was left. A smooth, round object was hidden in the far corner, and she quickly retrieved
it, drawing it into the sunlight.
The crystal shone brilliantly, and appeared entirely magical. She turned it about in
her hand for a few moments, and then looked around once more, wondering where he
was, if he was here at all. Surely he would have shown himself. Perhaps she had
misunderstood, and....
The crystal came alive and danced into the air. It defied gravity for a short amount
of time, as if it had become a bubble. The magical orb sat there and then it literally
exploded into thousands of raining pieces of shattered gems and crystals. She laughed, as
it rained upon her, covering the ground in something that looked like glitter.
"Such beauty should be a sin," the thickly accented voice purred from behind her.
Sarah spun about, leaping to her feet in the process. She then paused, her eyes
raking across the familiar man who leaned against one of the remaining walls. He wore
simple clothes; a cream poet's shirt, leggings of tawny color, and tall black boots. His hair
was tied back with a ribbon which matched the shade of his shirt.
"Jareth?" Sarah asked, her eyes widening in his presence.
He pushed himself from the wall, and Sarah realized with wonder that the mighty
king now walked with the slightest of limps to his noble gait. She cringed at the injury,
wondering what could have happened to inflict such permanent damage. Jareth stopped in
front of her, and reached out to touch her cheek with a single finger.
"Don't worry yourself, Sarah. It has been a long time," Jareth stated calmly as he
removed his hand from her face.
She nodded in agreement, and then scraped the toe of her sneakers through the
glitter-like material which cloaked the ground entirely. The dust had intertwined amidst
her hair, and made it seem like she was shimmering herself. Still, Sarah found that she
couldn't say a thing as he looked at her, with those changeling, intense eyes.
"I thought...," she began, but her voice hitched in the middle of her words.
"That I had died? I'm afraid not, though if my brother had had his way I most
assuredly would not be here before you, Sarah," Jareth whispered, completing her
thought.
Jareth urged her forward, taking her hands in his own. He ran a hand through her
short hair, his smile wavering a bit at the changes she had undergone. She had tried so
hard to put everything behind her, losing weight from her already perfect frame, cutting
her brunette locks, and the change of environment.
"I needed to change," she stated as her eyes flicked a bit.
"You will always be perfect, Sarah. Your soul is as beautiful as ever, as are you,"
he whispered and then pulled her to him in a tender embrace.
Jareth broke the embrace apart slightly, and then kissed her lips. She wrapped her
arms around him, the anxiety that had originally been present in her actions dissipated as
passion was allowed to finally flow freely. His hands traced the curve of her back, beneath
the thin cotton material of her tank top. Her shivers responded to his touch.
"What shall we do now?" Sarah asked gently as she gazed lovingly into his
mysteriously different eyes.
Jareth led her towards the comfort of the soft, green grass that his steed still
grazed upon. She sat down beside him, allowing the King to take her into his arms once
again. He kissed her forehead, and then smiled down at her.
"I'm certain, my dear, that time will tell," Jareth replied cryptically and then
pressed his lips to hers.
**Go to sleep and dream again.
Soon your dreams will rise and then
From all this gloom love can start anew
And there'll be no crying soon.**
~Queen~
"Really though, Sarah, how did you get the idea?" the man asked as he leafed
through the many pages of the tightly bound manuscript.
She shrugged, sipping at the golden tinged wine in the crystalline goblet she held in
one delicate hand. Her appearance had changed over the year that had passed since she
had left Fontridge. Sarah's long brunette locks were cut short, just above her shoulder.
Her face was more slender, and her features more refined. Everything had just altered
slightly, but enough to make her seem so very different.
The man sitting in her chair set the manuscript on the table, tapping it a few times
with the blunt eraser end of the pencil he was currently toying with. He turned his
emerald eyes towards her and smiled, tapping more furiously on the coverpage as he
realized the sheer beauty of what Sarah had written.
"It's amazing," he stated, and then pushed the chair away from her rich wooden
computer desk.
Sarah backed away, a smile spreading across her ruby lips. She set the glass down
on a near by table, and then followed the man as he walked towards the front door. She
waited anxiously, wondering if her hard work would pay off.
"Well? Are they going to publish it?" Sarah asked, as the man pulled on his light
coat.
He pulled his cap on, and then flashed a truly handsome smile in Sarah's direction.
She was flattered, but her mind focused on one thing alone, her book in print. She had
struggled with the story for a year, and now wished to have it where everyone else could
read about the tragic love story.
"It'll be in print before you can believe it. Sarah, let me take you out! You have
to celebrate, and not alone," he asked, those lovely emerald eyes flashing briefly as the sun
streamed down through one of the windows.
Sarah walked towards the door, her hand falling on the brass knob. It wasn't that
she didn't like this man, but.... it all seemed very meaningless. How could she ever explain
to anyone that there was no male on earth that could begin to compare to her fantasy
lover, her Goblin King. Sarah opened the door and then looked at the sweet man, her
expression telling him all he needed to know.
"If you change your mind..." he began as he walked out the door.
"Don't worry, I'd call you first," Sarah replied with a brief laugh as she waved
goodbye.
She promptly shut the door and leaned against the smooth wooden surface. She
had changed so very much, but hadn't really become any different. She was still
anti-social, still living alone, and still hopelessly in love with fairy tales.
Sarah walked slowly away from the door and into her sitting room, casting a
furtive glance outside, towards her large backyard, the white fence, and the forest which
sat beyond it all. England had become her new home, for she had never been able to leave
it and return to her parents.
Instead Sarah had taken on a well-paying job through a local acting group. She,
unfortunately, was not the actress, but rather helped as assistant director. In fact, during
the short year she had worked, she had acquired quite a name for herself, hence the large,
lovely house she had been able to afford.
During that time she had written feverishly, in any spare moment that was
available. Her typing skills were well developed, and with a constant flow of inspired
words, and sentences and images, she could easily turn out ten to fifteen pages a day.
However, time had been her enemy, and her work prevented any great amount of free
hours in which to write.
Sarah threw open her French doors and walked out to her backyard. She was at
once greeted by her dogs, two large German Shepherds that jumped up on her clean jeans.
She stroked their lustrous coat, and laughed, as their weight pushed her back against the
outside of her house.
"Okay, okay, is it time for a walk guys?" Sarah asked, her speech broken by
laughter as she kneeled down by them and was immediately coated with dog kisses.
She brushed their fur from her cornflower blue tanktop and then rose back to her
feet. They raced around in circles, barking briefly at each other as she crossed the expanse
of her yard and threw open the gate which led to the old woods. Both dogs stopped their
playful antics and sprinted out, excited to be able to be free from the restriction of the
fence.
Sarah watched them running, frolicking about in the shady woods. The
temperature was quite moderate and almost cool when she entered beneath the trees'
shadows. This was her solace, these thick, old, and overgrown forest. It was her escape
from everything that was wrong with the real world. Almost a little bit of magic amidst all
else.
She stepped over a root, which stuck up from the debris-ridden forest floor. The
dogs barked somewhere off in the distance and Sarah whistled shrilly, calling them back.
She could hear their paws padding through the underbrush as twigs snapped and dried
leaves crunched.
Another sound split through the genuine calm and silent surroundings of the
woods. A lonely owl hooted from somewhere behind her. Sarah jumped at the sound and
spun around, her dark eyes scanning the canopies of the trees for the bird. Yet, there was
no sight of it, only the occasional hoot from somewhere too far for her to see.
The twigs snapped again, and Sarah relented. It had been far too long already.
Still, at every owl sighted, and when she just turned around because the feeling of being
watched would strike without warning, Sarah believed he would be there. A year had
passed since that morning when they had parted and she had received no sign from Jareth.
The brush crackled again and she shook her head, forcing her smile to return. It
was hopeless to wish for something that would never come. Sarah sighed and then
turned, to continue walking with her impatient mongrels. They hated waiting.
"You two don't give me a second of ....," Sarah stopped abruptly as she noted
what had stopped in front of her.
Her dogs were no where to be seen, but she could still hear their howling barks in
the distance. However, directly before her stood another animal, ebony in shade, with
long silken mane and tale that drifted about his body as he shook his noble head. Sarah
placed her shaking hand to her lips and then watched, in awe, as a single white rose fell
from the stallions mane, and landed upon the ground.
*Do not fear that we will never meet again, Sarah. You will know if I survive.
Now take heed!* The phantom voice of Jareth, as she had heard it more than twelve long
months prior, drifted through her mind as she looked at the majestic steed.
Sarah reached down, retrieving the fallen rose and cradling it in her hands. It was
thornless, but what was odd, was that it seemed the flower had never had the sharp
objects on its green stalk. A light glittering of shimmering dust covered her hands, and
Sarah was shocked to see that the entire bud shone with the shattered specks.
"Jareth?" Sarah asked gently and the looked at the horse as he bowed his head,
pawing at the ground anxiously.
She slowly approached the stallion, running a trembling hand along his powerful
neck. The horse lowered himself, kneeling upon one front leg to offer Sarah an easy
mount. She wound her hands through his mane, and slowly threw one leg over his silken
back. In the distance Sarah could almost see her loyal friends, as they rushed to catch up
to their mistress. However, she would be gone before they arrived.
The steed rose with a swift grace, that offered not a single dangerous moment
where Sarah believed she might fall. She clung tightly, not afraid, but wondering how she
would ride when she had never had a day of experience. Obviously, the horse did not care
for her lack of skill, for he took off, galloping as swift as the wind through the forest.
The air blew threw her recently cropped hair, tossing it back. It stung against her
eyes, and so she shut them, holding tightly to his mane and willing herself not to fall.
Their speed was utterly exhilarating, but terrifying nonetheless. Her fear subsided quickly,
and soon she opened one eye to watch the many trees, and brief glimpse of open
countryside pass by.
Then his pace slowed, and she found a gentle rocking quality had replaced the
sprinting gait. She raised up, and looked around, finding herself perfectly balanced atop
his smooth back. The Stallion slowed once more, ducking beneath a low hanging vine,
which Sarah also avoided, but did so with only a great amount of work.
A shock of light poured down upon her from the sun overhead. It seemed as if
they had broken into a clearing. Sarah glanced around, and her mouth dropped open in
utter and complete shock. The ruins, those that had once housed Emelia's diary, were
sitting innocently in front of her. However, she had never lived anywhere near them, and
it seemed that it had taken but a few minutes to reach them by way of the horse.
He lowered himself once more, allowing Sarah to dismount with ease. Her legs
stung briefly from tightening the muscles as she had ridden. She rubbed her calves and
thighs as she walked towards the old walls, fallen even more to the weather since the last
time she had seen them. Only that time the rain had pummeled down, now it was awash in
rich golden sunlight.
Sarah swallowed back her anticipation and slowly approached the ruins. Nothing
appeared different, nor did she see Jareth. She glanced back at the horse, who had now
taken to grazing upon the emerald grass in the clearing.
"I don't understand," Sarah whispered, as she leaned against the wall that had
hidden the diary.
Strangely enough the brick had been replaced since the time she had removed it.
Sarah fell to her knees beside the loose piece of the wall. She firmly gripped the brick, and
slid it from its proper place. Without a thought she reached in and felt along the hole that
was left. A smooth, round object was hidden in the far corner, and she quickly retrieved
it, drawing it into the sunlight.
The crystal shone brilliantly, and appeared entirely magical. She turned it about in
her hand for a few moments, and then looked around once more, wondering where he
was, if he was here at all. Surely he would have shown himself. Perhaps she had
misunderstood, and....
The crystal came alive and danced into the air. It defied gravity for a short amount
of time, as if it had become a bubble. The magical orb sat there and then it literally
exploded into thousands of raining pieces of shattered gems and crystals. She laughed, as
it rained upon her, covering the ground in something that looked like glitter.
"Such beauty should be a sin," the thickly accented voice purred from behind her.
Sarah spun about, leaping to her feet in the process. She then paused, her eyes
raking across the familiar man who leaned against one of the remaining walls. He wore
simple clothes; a cream poet's shirt, leggings of tawny color, and tall black boots. His hair
was tied back with a ribbon which matched the shade of his shirt.
"Jareth?" Sarah asked, her eyes widening in his presence.
He pushed himself from the wall, and Sarah realized with wonder that the mighty
king now walked with the slightest of limps to his noble gait. She cringed at the injury,
wondering what could have happened to inflict such permanent damage. Jareth stopped in
front of her, and reached out to touch her cheek with a single finger.
"Don't worry yourself, Sarah. It has been a long time," Jareth stated calmly as he
removed his hand from her face.
She nodded in agreement, and then scraped the toe of her sneakers through the
glitter-like material which cloaked the ground entirely. The dust had intertwined amidst
her hair, and made it seem like she was shimmering herself. Still, Sarah found that she
couldn't say a thing as he looked at her, with those changeling, intense eyes.
"I thought...," she began, but her voice hitched in the middle of her words.
"That I had died? I'm afraid not, though if my brother had had his way I most
assuredly would not be here before you, Sarah," Jareth whispered, completing her
thought.
Jareth urged her forward, taking her hands in his own. He ran a hand through her
short hair, his smile wavering a bit at the changes she had undergone. She had tried so
hard to put everything behind her, losing weight from her already perfect frame, cutting
her brunette locks, and the change of environment.
"I needed to change," she stated as her eyes flicked a bit.
"You will always be perfect, Sarah. Your soul is as beautiful as ever, as are you,"
he whispered and then pulled her to him in a tender embrace.
Jareth broke the embrace apart slightly, and then kissed her lips. She wrapped her
arms around him, the anxiety that had originally been present in her actions dissipated as
passion was allowed to finally flow freely. His hands traced the curve of her back, beneath
the thin cotton material of her tank top. Her shivers responded to his touch.
"What shall we do now?" Sarah asked gently as she gazed lovingly into his
mysteriously different eyes.
Jareth led her towards the comfort of the soft, green grass that his steed still
grazed upon. She sat down beside him, allowing the King to take her into his arms once
again. He kissed her forehead, and then smiled down at her.
"I'm certain, my dear, that time will tell," Jareth replied cryptically and then
pressed his lips to hers.
**Go to sleep and dream again.
Soon your dreams will rise and then
From all this gloom love can start anew
And there'll be no crying soon.**
~Queen~