Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Foreword:

In which the author attempts to explain herself and probably just confuses the reader even more. (I apologize in advance.)

Before we start, I wanted to explain a few things regarding this fic. This was written (at least Prologue-Chapter 12) for National Novel Writing Month 2012 (NaNoWriMo). I wrote this after a viewing of the movie “Labyrinth,” which is incidentally one of my favorite movies. We see Sarah at the beginning of the movie reading her infamous lines from a slim red book with a gold and black cover. I wanted to know what story lay between those eponymous red covers. This is that story, the one that inspired Sarah's journey through the Labyrinth and helped her to defeat the Goblin King.

There are some things that you may be wondering about, such as why I chose the names that I did for our heroine and antagonist, as they are suspiciously familiar to the ones in the movie. “But wait!” you cry, as you realize that the heroine of this book is named Sarah, “I thought that this was supposed to be the fictional book that Movie!Sarah cherishes so much, and is the basis for her own journeys through the movie. Why is the name the same here?” Well dear reader, after a bit of thought, and a bit of research, I decided that Sarah was a fitting name for the heroine of my book. This was based on not only because of its relative popularity throughout history, and its etymological meanings (lit. "princess," from sarah, feminine variation of sar "prince," from sarar "he ruled," related to Akkad. sharratu "queen."), but also because I subscribe to the Labyrinth fandom canon that the Labyrinth and its inhabitants come about in part from Sarah’s subconscious, and that things that she has seen or read about would be imposed upon the fabric of the Underground. For example, in the movie, the discombobulating staircases from the Escher poster in Sarah’s room showed up at the end of the movie as real in the Labyrinth, or the statuette of Hoggle in Sarah’s room in the opening of the movie, which fave way to the real character, or the words from Sarah’s book “The Labyrinth” that turned out to be the words needed to defeat the Goblin King. (Sarah seems to quote “The Labyrinth” all throughout the movie.)

It makes sense then that the name “Jareth” would be taken from Sarah’s novel (and her subconscious) and therefore applied to her version of the Goblin King, and that the name “Sarah” would have perhaps drawn Movie!Sarah to the book. (Is it possible that this humble writer wished to make her own task easier by keeping the same names? Perhaps, but you shall never get me to admit that! Aren’t you excited when you read your own name in a book? If I, as a 23-year old kid adult, gets excited about reading my own name in a story, certainly a 15-year old Sarah would as well.)

While the plot may resemble that of the movie from time to time, I have taken the necessary liberties (with my profound apologies to Mssrs. Henson, Froud, and Lucas) to ensure that it is different enough in structure and whatnot to be plausible that this was the book that Movie!Sarah was reading.

Perhaps it is not coincidence that Sarah shares a name with her favorite novel’s heroine. Perhaps that’s how it was supposed to be.

(Also, you may be wondering if I am padding my word count by adding in a Forward, dear reader. Please forgive me, I am currently staring at a blank Word Doc on November 5^th, 2012 for my first NaNoWriMo ever, with a few scribbled pages of notes in lieu of a nice, neat outline, and I have 50,000 words to yet to write. I think I can be forgiven for such a stunt as this, don’t you?) And now, we begin!

2014 AN: I wrote this story in 2012 for NaNoWriMo, and posted it over at FFnet.

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE:

Jealous Oberon

“The king doth keep his revels here to-night:

Take heed the queen come not within his sight

For Oberon is passing fell and wrath,

For she as her attendant hath

A lovely boy, stolen from an Indian king

She never had so sweet a changeling

And jealous Oberon would have the child

Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild

But she perforce withholds the loved boy,

Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy

And now they never meet in grove or green,

By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen,

But they do square, that all their elves for fear

Creep into acorn-cups and hide them there.”

-Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

Never make a deal with a goblin. Bartering and bargaining are also frowned upon. Even more importantly, if you want you and your descendants to remain unscathed by the vagaries and cruelties of fate, never ever strike a deal with the goblin’s king. This is well known. However, one must be ever more cautious of refusing a deal with the Goblin King, for he is neither goblin nor ghoul, but fae. Immortal, ethereal, amoral, proud and cruel, fae are beings whose sole delight is to meddle in the lives of humans and to create mischief. The fae care not for the concept of good or evil, only the twisted nature of the games that they play to sate their own boredom.

When a fae is refused or defied by it is plaything, their fury can be extraordinary. Those beings with all their power and temperament are as unused to refusal as a desert is to water, and will respond most cruelly to the one who rejects their game. If the human is lucky, death will be their easy escape from the fae’s rage, but sometimes, the fae decides that death is far too mundane a route, and that a price must be paid for such insolence.

Oftentimes, a curse befalls that unlucky human who dared to cross proverbial swords with the fae, and depending upon the degree of the transgression, the curse may not only affect the transgressor, but his or her descendants as well.

This is how we shall begin our story—with a fae, a human, and a curse.

****

A long time ago in a land far, far away, a young girl and her parents lived near the edge of the dark wood. The young girl was an only child, and was beloved of both her parents. One day, the young girl’s mother ventured needlessly into the dark wood, and was never seen again. As the years passed, the girl and her father fell into despair, deeply mourning their loss. When the girl reached the brink of womanhood, her father fell in love with another woman, and in a few short months, he married her, finally letting go of the insurmountable grief that he held in his heart for his first wife. His daughter was hurt and infuriated that her father dared to try to replace her mother, and therefore did not take kindly to her new stepmother. The stepmother disliked the young woman in return, and she treated her with equal disdain. Not too long after her father and stepmother were wed, the young woman found that she was no longer an only child, but the older sister to a gurgling baby boy. Both the young woman’s stepmother and father fawned over her half-brother, often saving little or no attention for the young woman. The young woman grew to hate her half-brother, with the same fervor as she had for her stepmother. Her stepmother treated her horrifically, as though she was practically a slave-girl. The young woman had to watch over the baby day and night, and she also had to bear the brunt of the household chores. The child grew into a healthy baby, spoiled by the unending affections of his parents, while the young woman suffered in silence.

One night, when the young woman could bear it no longer, she spirited the babe away to the edge of the dark wood, the place where the magical creatures of the world claimed as their domain, and she called upon the goblins for aid.

One by one they appeared, skittering over rocks and the skeletons of leaves, or slithering noiselessly forward out of the gloom to hear her desperate plea. When a multitude of the rough, mischievous creatures had gathered, the young woman hesitantly repeated her desperate words, frightened by the host of dark creatures before her.

‘Say your right words,’ the goblins hissed, ‘and we shall relieve you of your burden. Say your right words, and we shall take the babe with us to the Goblin City, and you shall be free forevermore.’

Their words buzzed and slithered around in the young woman’s mind, sounding at once wonderful and terrible, but she knew not to trust such creatures, that they would take the child to their king, and in his castle, turn the babe into a goblin to be his minion. The young woman fled home with the child, her courage for action deserting her, suddenly painfully aware that her own mother had succumbed to death in the woods before her, most likely to creatures such as the goblins that she had sought out.

However, there were forces greater than the girl at play in this game, forces that were far older and far cleverer than she. That insurmountable force was none other than the king of the goblins.

What no one knew, not even the Goblin King himself, was that he had somehow fallen in love with the girl, watching her from afar in his glittering castle, and that he had bestowed upon her certain powers. Certain powers which most certainly came with a hefty price for both of them. The Goblin King was crestfallen that the young woman had fled, but he knew that he only had to wait. After all, fate was on the Goblin King’s side. It was always on his side.

After her first encounter with the goblins, the young woman languished in silence, falling back into her old routine for many months until one night, when her stepmother had been exceedingly cruel to her, and her father had failed to care about her, she took the child to the edge of the forest once more, and cried out to the goblins for aid.

Once again they answered her, and once again they asked her to say the correct works. The young woman obliged.

‘Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!’

The goblins hissed and thrashed around in the underbrush, for those were not the right words, they were never the right words. The young woman became frightened once more and nearly ran off as she had last time, except that inspiration struck her. She spoke again, this time hesitantly.

‘I wish…’

The goblins cackled and howled with glee, urging the young woman to speak on.

‘I wish…’

She spoke to her baby brother cradled gently in her arms, who looked up at her with wide eyes, unsure of what was happening.

‘I wish that the goblins would come and take you away…’

She paused for a breath, noticing suddenly out the corner of her eye that a large white shape was gliding closer through the trees of the forest. The goblins growled ever more raucously at her words, and jumped around even more rowdily as each moment passed. She was standing on the precipice of something she did not quite understand, and she was going to take the plunge without quite knowing what lay at the bottom of the cliff.

“…right now.”

The chanting and catcalling of the goblins rose from a steady cacophony to a deafening roar as several things happened in such a quick succession that the young woman could not keep up with them. She was not sure, but she was suddenly aware that her half-brother had been unceremoniously wrenched from her arms, and that the goblins were vanishing like ghosts into the black underbrush, their shrieks of delight still audible as they sank deeper into the dark forest. She watched in fearful fascination as a tall, ethereal man strode from the blackness of the forest, coming to stand before her. His dark armor made him almost blend into the shadows that surrounded him, and a bright circlet glinted on his brow, disappearing into pale, fair hair.

The young woman gasped and took a few steps back, for she knew without quite knowing how, who and what this being must be.

‘You are him, are you not? The Goblin King?’

‘Thou speakest a’right.’

As he spoke, the young woman became aware of a chill that ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the weather that dark night, but rather the extraordinary otherness that this creature seemed to emit. If she was afraid before, it was nothing compared to the terror that she was experiencing now.

‘Wh-where is my brother? I-I do not see…’

She spun wildly in a circle as if half-expecting to see him sitting on the hard ground, blissfully playing with a clod of dirt or a bit of root.

‘What’s said is said.’

A small smile flickered across the Goblin King’s face as he spoke.

“No…”

The young woman faltered as fear settled in to the pit of her stomach, as she comprehended what she had done, what she had said.

‘I have brought you a gift.’

The fae passed a gloved hand through the night air and a shimmering orb materialized in his palm. He toyed with it for a moment, the moon glinting off of the round, smooth surface before he proffered it to the young woman.

‘This is no commonplace gift for an ordinary young girl who attends to a squalling child. Take it. It is yours.’

The young woman stretched out a hand to take the orb before snatching her hand back to her breast, common sense returning to her at last.

‘What is it?’

‘A simple crystal, nothing more. But wait; if you twist it this way, it shall reveal to you your dreams. Just forget the child.’

‘No.’

The young woman straightened up, utterly terrified of the fae before her, but completely unwilling to show it.

The Goblin King clenched his fist around the crystal and it cracked under the pressure, crushing it to glittering dust that escaped from between his fingers.

‘Do not dare to think that you could possibly defy me.’

The air seemed to grow colder around them, matching the chill that frosted the Goblin King’s words.

‘Please! He must be so frightened!’

‘I care not. ‘Tis you who sent him to me.’

‘Please! I would do anything to get him back.’

The Goblin King scrutinized her, as if seeing her properly for the first time.

‘Are you aware of what commonly happens to those who make deals with the fair folk, child?’

The young woman remained mute, her late mother’s stories streaming through her mind.

The Goblin King sighed and looked off into the distance, as though he was looking for something.

‘I have been the lord of this wood since before your ancestors settled here, and Goblin King for far longer than that.’

He leveled his gaze on the young woman, and she looked away, uncomfortable at being analyzed so intently by the ancient being.

‘If you are thinking of trying to trick me or trap me in some manner, know this: never shall it work. There are forces at work here that you could never comprehend.’

He reached out like he was going to touch her face. The young woman flinched.

‘But perhaps…’

He turned his back on her and looked into the darkness of the forest.

‘Do you not wonder why my goblins were so eager to heed your call?’

The young woman balked for a moment at the sudden change in the direction of the conversation.

‘I do not understand…’

‘I have watched you more closely and for far longer than you could have possibly imagined. I decided to bestow upon you certain powers that in turn would lead you invariably to me one day.’

The young woman was properly fearful now, this strange revelation filling her with an unease that she had never before known in her short life.

‘Come with me,’ the Goblin King declared passionately, extending a gloved hand in a motion that was at once pleading and threatening, ‘be my queen, to stand with me at my side, and you shall live forevermore.’

The young woman spoke cautiously, feeling as though a metal cage was closing in around her. When words held power, each word must be carefully chosen, especially when in the presence of one of the fae elite.

‘If I do, may I have my brother back?’

‘No.’

The Goblin King’s response was cold and curt.

‘Then, I shall never go with you. Never!’

The young woman spoke with venom, her own haughty pride and distain for the Goblin King and his ilk seeping past her common sense, and blinding her with a quiet white rage.

The Goblin King seemed to be momentarily speechless. He took a few moments to collect himself, before speaking dispassionately.

‘Is it possible that you are refusing me? Think carefully before answering.’

‘Yes.’

The Goblin King inhaled slowly, speaking with a forced calm.

‘You do not want to get your brother back.’

‘Yes, but not by the terms you suggest.’

‘Best not take them as a suggestion, for those are the only terms I set. Come live with me in my kingdom, where you are your brother shall be happy, or leave now without your brother, and live forevermore with the knowledge that your selfishness lost him. But know this: I have been exceedingly generous up until now, but I can be far more than cruel.’

‘That is no choice!’

The young woman cried out, her hands clenched into fists as she and the Goblin King faced one another as adversaries.

‘Then you should not have wished him away to me. I shall repeat my offer one last time; just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.’

It was her final chance. Unbeknownst to the young woman, not only her happiness, but also the Goblin King’s as well depended upon the manner of her reply.

‘I could never love you.’

The Goblin King gathered up his pride at her terse answer, and spoke quietly with a calm voice that was at once splendid and terrifying to behold.

‘So be it.’

The air started to shimmer, and the smell of magic, metallic and hot, filled the night wind. The Goblin King seemed to grow even more formidable as the hot wind whipped his hair around his face and made his cape snap. The murmur of the night fell silent to heed his words, small creatures ceased to crash through the bushes in the wood, the creeks stopped gurgling, all fell silent to witness their lord’s wrath.

‘I curse you. Yea, not solely you, but your descendants as well. For spurning the affection of the Goblin King, Keeper of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Dark Wood,

the Protector of the Realm, and for rejecting his most generous offer, what fate has befallen you shall befall every one of your kin. Every first-born child shall yield their younger siblings to me, whether they wish it or not, they shall be compelled to do so. They shall earn their freedom just as you have this night.’

The young woman buried her face in her hands; frightened and ashamed of what her careless actions wrought, but unfortunately, the worst of the Goblin King’s wroth had yet to be revealed.

‘And yet, after your grandchildren are dead, and yea after their grandchildren are dead as well, I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter. I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer. For all eternity, your descendants will curse your name and detest you for what you have done. Your actions tonight have single-handedly destroyed the future of your dynasty.’

The young woman’s eyes grew wide with horror as she stepped backwards, away from the Goblin King before her, turning wildly and dashing away into the night, as trying in vain to run away from the truth, the manic laughter of the Goblin King haunting her every step.

****

The young woman eventually married after spending years wracked with guilt and despair at the loss of her brother and the curse that she had earned for her family. It was not for love that this young woman married however, for who could ever look at a mere mortal man in the same way after having been loved by the king of the goblins? She bore one child, and took precautions to have no more, and yet, fate conspired against her. She bore a second child, and before her second child’s first birthday, the babe disappeared, having been given to the Goblin King by its older sibling.

The Guillemin family line was hereafter marred with missing children. The Goblin King had not deigned to specify a set time frame for when he would have the child taken. Sometimes it was when the child was early in its infancy, when the older sibling was still too young to know what they were doing, or later on in life, when the older sibling would repeat their ancestor’s mistake and wish away their sibling in a fit of anger. Some Guillemin parents tried and succeeded to have only one child, and were therefore spared of the Goblin King’s curse, but not for long, as a grandchild or great-grandchild would be taken.

Those who were graced with first-born daughters were the most anxious of all. The forest was declared forbidden, as well as magical creatures of any sort. The day a younger sibling was taken was met with a horrific mix of both relief and despair for those parents.

And yet in spite of all this, the Guillemin family stayed in their home near the forest for many years, for it was the home of their forefathers, the home that they had struggled so hard to both build and defend. They also stayed because who knew what might once more awaken the wrath of the Goblin King?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ONE

What Lies in Store

“Wind’s in the east, a mist coming in,

 Like something is brewing and about to begin.

 Can’t put my finger on what lies in store,

 But I feel what’s to happen all happened before.”

-Bert from Disney’s “Mary Poppins”

Sarah Guillemin had always been an only child. She was lucky in that regard, but unlucky as well.

It was lucky for her, in that it meant that she did not have to betray her family and herself by surrendering a younger sibling to the whims of the nefarious Goblin King, unwilling or not. She could scarcely imagine what it would be like to do such a thing, how it would destroy not only her family, but also herself at well. Doing such a thing would steadily eat at your mind and soul every day that you walked this earth.

She was unlucky in that she was both first-born and female.

The day Sarah had been born had been one of mingled joy and despair for her family. Of course her parents had been overjoyed when she arrived into this world, tiny, pink, and wailing, but their joy had been tarnished by the ever-looming threat of the family curse.

There had been other first-born females before her, of course, and yet none had been taken by the Goblin King to be his Queen. No one knew when he would suddenly appear to collect his due, but everyone knew that one day he would, and that frightened them perhaps even more than the terrible certainty that came with a second-born child’s arrival and subsequent departure to the Goblin Kingdom.

The Goblin King had not been content just with burdening the Guillemin dynasty with the heavy certainty of the loss of many second-born children, no, he had to thrown in an element of uncertainty, as most fae would typically do, to make sure that the Guillemin family would constantly think of him and fear him eternally.

Sarah had heard of hereditary curses before in other families, but they were usually mundane things like being cursed to have an affinity for brussel sprouts or being cursed to always lose their left boot. It was usually done by old witches or hags who had been annoyed because the family had let their children trample her prized vegetable garden, or because they had thrown stones at her cat. Her family’s curse was old magic, and they were worse off for it. The fae were rare creatures, and curses laid by fae were even rarer still, and one of this magnitude was altogether singular in nature.

Sarah often cursed the memory of her ancestor, that young woman who could not have been much older than Sarah when she doomed her entire family line. She also cursed the Goblin King, though she was extremely careful to only do so in her mind. Words had power after all, and it was best not to tempt the devil. Sarah could not comprehend how a creature as old and powerful as the king of the goblins could have been hurt so much by the rejection of a mere human. It was altogether unthinkable. Sarah had often found herself wondering why the Goblin King had not forced her forbearer to love him, whether by magic or by blackmail or by some other clever fae way of skillful manipulation that he possessed. If he really truly had loved the young woman, would he not have done anything in his power to win her hand? In hindsight, it seemed as though he had hardly even tried. Damn him. Damn them both.

‘After your grandchildren are dead, and yea after their grandchildren are dead as well, I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter. I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have caused you. For all eternity, your descendants will curse your name and detest you for what you have done. Your actions tonight have single-handedly destroyed the future your dynasty.’

She hated the curse. Her parents had always been particularly overprotective of her because of it. Whenever she left the house, she always had to have a chaperone, she was forbidden from so much as thinking about entering the woods, and she was never ever, on the pain of death, to speak to any manner of magical beast, being, or creature, be it fairy, troll, or talking frog. It was all due to the fear of the Goblin King, and the chance that it might be she whom he desired to crown as queen.

Try though she might to put on a brave face and laugh off such fears, Sarah was loath to admit that she was terrified that the Goblin King would take her. However, the way that the curse was phrased, it sounded as though the Goblin King would take the first born daughter of a couple who had a younger child as well. That would certainly rule her out, as she was her parent’s sole heir.

Sarah’s family had lived by the shadowy woods for hundreds of years. Sometime in that span of years, a Guillemin had been made a feudal lord, and he had replaced the wooden home of her ancestors with a large home of stone and mortar, befitting that of a lord. It is true that he was a minor lord and the tract of land that he had been given was undesirable at best. Those who chose to live near to the woods were cared for and protected by the tragic Guillemin family. These folk knew of the infamous Guillemin misfortunes, and most of them felt that if they chose to stay in Guillemin land, they would be spared of any magical mischief. What idiotic magical creature would dare to hurt or curse a soul residing in the company of the doomed Guillemins, for fear of provoking the even greater power of the Goblin King for attempting to encroach upon his territory? Who dared to live up to a curse such as the one that the lord of the woods himself had bestowed?

The Goblin King had not taken any children for the past few years, for there had been none to take. The past few generations of Guillemin children had thankfully been only children. Surely that had made the Goblin King angry, but no one knew if that was the case, for he had not been seen for nearly a century, and that both comforted and frightened Sarah.

Perhaps the Goblin King had gotten over his grudge, and had decided to forgive the tragic ghost of the Guillemin girl who had spurned him on that night many years ago. Perhaps his long years had granted him the ability to learn how to forgive, and to take pity on the family whom he had ravaged. On the other hand, perhaps he was out there still, just biding his time, growing ever more cruel and cunning as the seasons passed, hardening his heart to the memory of that fateful night by the dark woods.

Or perhaps, there were other forces at work, guiding the hand of destiny and twisting it to suit their own cruel game…

At 20 years of age, Sarah was thankfully past the age of teenage insolence and angst for the most part, but on the other hand, she was not quite old enough to possess the self-assured calm and unforced grace of adulthood. She felt as though she was drifting aimlessly between the two states, and she had no knowledge of how to bridge that gap. She was lonely, and in rare, unguarded moments, she would carelessly wish that she had a little brother or sister to play with and to love, before remembering with a horrified jolt what she would have to do if she had a sibling. It was the thing she both hoped for and feared.

Sometimes, even if you take care never to speak your desperate wish aloud, it will be granted even so. Such was the way of fate.

****

It was a lovely, crisp morning. The mid-winter frost dusted the earth and made everything sparkle to such a degree that one was momentarily blinded by its brilliance.

Sarah awoke as the first few rays of clear wintry sunlight strayed across her pillow.

Her nose peeked out from under the blankets that Sarah clutched tightly around her face. Sarah grimaced. Her nose felt so cold that she was almost positive that there were icicles dangling from it. She buried her head in the warm blankets, trying to savor the warmth they provided before she had to dash across the room to get dressed.

Sarah squeaked as her toes met the cold stone floor beneath her feet and she quickly sidestepped onto a plush rug, making a mental note to pull the rug over the few inches to her bed so that she did not have to freeze her toes in the morning, as well as her nose.

She dressed quickly, trying to banish the chill that clung to her, and hurried to the dining hall to break her fast. She strayed near the large fireplaces that lined the far wall of the hall, rubbing her hands vigorously. Servants bustled in and out of the hall, laden with tureens of hot, steaming food and loaves of crispy, warm bread. As Sarah sat down at the long table, her father, the Lord Fabian Guillemin, entered the hall and made his way to sit next to his beloved daughter, gracing her with a warm, fatherly smile.

“Good morning, dear one.” He kissed the crown of her head and sat down.

“Good morning, father.”

Once their morning pleasantries were over with, both father and daughter ate in silence, trying to eat the food while it was still relatively warm.

Sarah’s father suddenly spoke, breaking the easy silence that lay between them.

“Your mother says that she feels too ill to come down to breakfast this morning once again. Would you take up something for her? I fear that she has caught yet another late winter cold.”

“Of course,” Sarah mumbled through the bite of bread in her mouth.

She stuck her tongue out at her father as he threw her a sharp look before rolling his eyes at her ill manners and continuing to eat his own breakfast in peace.

A little while later, Sarah piled a plate high with food for her mother and made her way to her mother’s chambers, carefully balancing the plate as to not spill any of the food. She hurried so that the food will still be at least a little warm by the time that Sarah climbed all the winding stairs to her mother’s room.

Sarah knocked softly on the door, and pushed it inward after she heard a soft “Come in!” The curtains were drawn, and the room was gloomy but warm. The only light came from the embers that flickered like fireflies in the fireplace. Her mother, the Lady Emeline Guillemin, was still abed, the numerous blankets and furs on her bed shifting as she struggled to sit up.

“Good morning, darling.” The Lady Emeline smiled as she saw who it was bringing her breakfast.

“How are you feeling this morning?” asked Sarah, carefully laying the plate down on a side table next to the bed, “Father said that you did not feel very well when you awoke.”

“I feel quite strange, to be honest. I am not sure if it is just a cold that is just somehow different from normal colds, or if it is something…else.”

Lady Emeline looked a little guilty, and perhaps a little frightened as she finished her sentence, as though she was privy to some knowledge that she had yet to share with the rest of her family.

“What is it?” asked Sarah, sitting down on the edge of her mother’s bed and pulling her legs up to tuck under her body. Sarah reached for her mother’s hand, and found that she was trembling slightly. “Mother! You’re trembling! Please, what is it?”

Her mother turned her face away, but not before Sarah saw a multitude of emotions flash across her mother’s face. Despair. Fright. Excitement. Pity. Sarah felt her stomach clench suddenly into a tight knot. Her gut was telling her that this was not the simple cold that her mother was trying to convince herself that it was. Her mother was trying to spare her from some terrible truth.

“Oh Sarah,” her mother murmured softly, reaching her free hand up to stroke Sarah’s long dark hair, “You worry too much, it is nothing…”

Before Lady Emeline could continue, Lord Fabien entered the room, the tender smile on his face disappearing completely has he strode forward into the room and saw the looks on his wife and daughter’s faces.

“What is it?” he asked, a hint of wild edge entering his voice. “Emmy? Sarah?” He looked desperately between the two women.

“I-I don’t know,” said Sarah warily, gripping her mother’s hands tightly in her own as her father came and sat down on the bed next to her. “Mother was just about to say…”

“Go on,” Lord Fabien prompted, enclosing his wife and daughter’s hands in his own as he tried to steady himself for whatever great and terrible news his wife had in store for him.

“I-I think,” Lady Emeline stuttered, her voice faltering, “I think that I am pregnant.”

A ringing noise filled Sarah’s head, and she could hear the erratic staccato of her heart thudding in her ears. The three Guillemin family members sat stiffly in stunned silence.

“Are you quite sure?” asked Sarah’s father, trying his best to inject a forced calm into his slightly quavering voice.

“There are signs,” said Lady Emeline a little testily, “And all the signs right now are pointing to a baby. I had thought it was just a cold…”

Lady Emeline suddenly broke into heartrending tears, her narrow shoulders shaking from the force of her sobs.

“But the fact is that we do not know if that is what this is,” said Lord Fabian tenderly, stoking his wife’s hair as she buried her face in his chest. “We can only hope for the best. It may not be that you are with child. If you are,” he paused to lift his wife’s tear-stained face to his view, cradling it in his large hands, “We shall welcome a wonderful new addition to this family, curse or no curse, and we will love the child, just as we love Sarah.”

Sarah balked at the mention of the curse. She looked away from her parents, afraid to meet their gazes. She did not know what she would see if she dared to look into their eyes. Pity? Hate? Fear? They knew what would happen if they had a second child.

“Sarah?”

Sarah jumped when her father spoke, and instinctively recoiled, somehow expecting harsh words and accusations of a crime that she had yet to commit.

Her father looked at her for a moment, looking a bit hurt at her reaction, before speaking again in an undertone. Her mother still sobbed, but it had calmed from the uncontrollable wrenching cries that she had been producing earlier.

“Sarah, would you please run to the village and rouse the midwife and the doctor? I fear that we will need their combined expertise on this matter.

Sarah murmured in assent and left the room, quietly shutting the door on her mother’s soft sobs and her father’s gentle words of comfort.

She walked calmly down a few steps, before picking up the pace, her boots slapping noisily on the stone floor in her haste to get away. She flew to her room, quickly throwing on a cloak and scarf before running out again, sprinting through her home, ignoring the startled servants who scuttled out of her way, staring after her with looks of curiosity and surprise.

Cold air hit her face as she threw open the double doors leading into the courtyard, and Sarah shivered, though she was not completely sure that it was solely from the bitter air. Once she was free of the courtyard, Sarah dashed through the trees in the apple grove, the icy branches whipping her face and clutching at her cloak. She bobbed and weaved through the orchard until she could bear it no longer, and she stopped abruptly, leaning against a sturdy tree for support as a harsh sob threatened to break free and overwhelm her. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sky, which by now was streaked with pink and yellow, backed by watery blue. Two solitary silvery tears fell from her closed eyes, staining her cheeks in their wake. How could it be that fate would deal such a cruel blow? For the past few years, Sarah had thought that her mother had passed the age for bearing children, and she had almost stopped worrying that she would be another Guillemin affected by the Goblin King’s curse. Fate it seemed had quite another plan in mind.

Collecting herself, Sarah wiped the remains of her tears unceremoniously from her cheeks and hurried off on in the direction of the village.

****

The sun was well into its trajectory through the sky by the time both the doctor and the midwife left, both confirming that Lady Emeline was indeed a few months pregnant.

In the turmoil surrounding this revelation, Sarah managed to slip away, feeling that it would be best if she tried to sort out her emotions on her own.

Sarah wandered aimlessly for a long time, winding in and out of the bare apple trees in the orchard, her mind running a thousand miles a minute while her feet carried her mindlessly in any which way.

After an hour or so of aimless wandering, Sarah found herself on the outskirts of the little village by her home. Sarah blanched, and turned hurriedly away, electing to walk down a cart path that was not often used.

Sarah was startled out of her reverie when a lilting voice called out to her, making her jump.

An old woman in a motley assortment of mismatched clothes beckoned her closer, her bony fingers glittering in the wintry sunlight from the numerous rings that adorned them.

There was no one else with the old woman. She was sitting on a stump by the side of the road; the old grey donkey hitched to a small, heavily laden cart her only company.

“Pardon?” said Sarah, standing in the middle of the road as she eyed the old woman warily.

“I said come here, child,” the old Romani repeated encouragingly, beckoning enthusiastically to Sarah once more with a gnarled hand. “Come here and let Baba Tshilaba reveal to you your future. I can see that it is causing you some heartache at this moment.”

“Thank you,” said Sarah, not unkindly, “But I am afraid my future has been revealed to me already.”

“Aaaah,” said the Romani woman, crooking her finger once more to invite Sarah over to her little camp, “Are you quite sure about that? I see everything and know all, and I can see quite clearly that what you are thinking is dead wrong.”

Feeling a bit morbidly curious, Sarah walked over to where the woman was sitting. Baba Tshilaba patted a stump encouragingly, and Sarah sat down, feeling quite silly that she was about to listen to such nonsense, and also hopeful as well. Perhaps Baba Tshilaba knew of some way to break the curse so that she did not have to betray her family by doing the Goblin King’s bidding.

“That’s better, dear.”

The old woman patted Sarah’s knee before getting up stiffly and hobbling over to her cart, whereupon she extricated a small folding table. Baba Tshilaba set up the creaky table between her stump and Sarah’s, and hobbled back over to the cart, disentangling other items that she piled up in a basket that she had managed to find among the disarray of her cart and came to sit back down next to Sarah. Baba Tshilaba dumped some of the contents of the basket onto the rickety table, and dropped the basket and the rest of its contents on to the snowy ground next to her stump.

Baba Tshilaba smoothed a threadbare silk cloth over the table, and arranged several stubby candles in a silver dish and set it to one side of the small table. She then drew forth a small velvet bag, the contents of which made a dry, rattling noise as she picked up the bag.

“Now child, I am ready to begin. Are you ready? Be sure that you are, for once I begin, I shall not be able to stop, no matter what you may wish. Hard truths shall sweep aside bitter lies, and you shall be privy to some of my great foreknowledge. The past, present, and future are mine to behold, my gift granted to me by God, and I choose to share it with you and only you, child. Banish all of your doubts, for this is no mere parlor trick. I do not let people come to see me, no, I seek out those who I deem worthy of the gift of my knowledge.”

The old woman opened the velvet bag and dumped its contents out onto the pale silk. They were bones. Bleached pale and lined with cracks, obviously quite old, and very much not human bones. They looked like finger bones, but the creature whose bones these had been was quite a bit larger than a human.

Baba Tshilaba answered the unspoken question.

“Dragon finger bones. These are older than I, and that’s saying quite a lot, believe you me. These once belonged to the great dragon lord Azazel, who was slain by the great knight Baldric the Bold. It took quite a bit of searching to find these bones, but it was greatly worth it. Dragons may be one of the most magical beasts ever to grace this here earth. Their finger bones prove to be exceptionally potent when used in cleromantic divination.

“I shall combine my reading of the bones with my foresight. Perhaps we shall be able to unriddle your future, hmm? I cannot tell you exactly what is to be in the future, but I can give you a few hints.

“So, dearie, tell me, would you like to have your future told by Baba Tshilaba?”

Sarah’s head snapped up to meet the eyes of the old woman. She had not noticed how strange the Romani woman’s eyes looked, somehow different, alien. Sarah shivered, and it had nothing to do with the chill air around her. She thought of her parents, and of the child that was coming. She made up her mind in a matter of moments.

“Yes please.”

Baba Tshilaba’s face broke into a craggy grin.

“We shall begin.”

Baba Tshilaba gathered up the spilled dragon bones from the faded silk and shook them in her hands. In a low voice, she began to intone strange words, words that Sarah could not decipher. Sarah felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, and she shivered once more. Magic!

With one final chant, Baba Tshilaba released the bones from her hands. They fell through her fingers and landed pell-mell on the table. Sarah glanced from the bones to Baba Tshilaba’s face, hoping to discern anything from either.

After several agonizingly long minutes, Baba Tshilaba sighed and straightened up, rubbing her temples as she did so.

“Ah, child, you have one of the most complex futures that I have even seen. It moves and changes like the sands shifting in a desert. So many twisting paths and opportunities for fate to swoop in and twist it another way…pray, tell me, what is your name?”

“Sarah Guillemin,” replied Sarah hesitantly, afraid of the reaction that her notorious surname would evoke.

The Romani woman cackled with delight.

“Ah yes, of course! I should have known…” She bent over the bones again, delicately poking at them with the tip of one gnarled finger. She suddenly grabbed one out of the pile and held it up before Sarah’s eyes. “Aha, yes, here it is! This bone obviously tells me of you and your family’s plight. Hmm, perhaps I need my spectacles after all…”

The old woman clambered off of her stump and shuffled back over to her cart, and after a bit more digging, she emerged with a pair of golden spectacles that she put on. Baba Tshilaba settled back on her stump, as regal as a queen, her golden spectacles glinting in the sunlight.

“I should have known your name immediately when you said that you already knew your own future, silly girl. One of the accursed Guillemin, eh? Ah, that’s bad luck, poor lamb. Well, I am afraid that there is nothing that I can do about that, unfortunately, and even if I could, I would not. It is one thing to reveal a bit about the plan that fate has in store, it is quite another to dare to try to change it. Now, let’s continue on with our reading, eh?”

Baba Tshilaba bent once more over the bones, studying them carefully. She would occasionally poke at a bone with one ringed finger, or turn one towards the light so that she would be able to examine the cracks in it more vigilantly. After a long while, she exhaled and reached down into the basket by her side and pulled out a thick woolen shawl, drawing around her shoulders as if she had suddenly taken a chill.

The old woman looked at Sarah for a long moment before retrieving a tinderbox from the basket at her feet and methodically lighting the cluster of candles on the table.

“I understand now,” said Baba Tshilaba, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table, peering over the flickering candles at Sarah, who shifted uncomfortably on her stump at this intense scrutiny.

“Understand what?” asked Sarah uneasily. She was quite over the novelty of having her fortune read by the strange Romani woman, and would like nothing more than to slither home and find somewhere to hide.

“Your mother is pregnant, and you are afraid that you shall become another unwilling pawn in the game of the Goblin King.”

Sarah spluttered.

“How did you know? I only found out this morning, and the doctor…”

Sarah trailed off as she saw Baba Tshilaba roll her eyes and gesture to the bones that lay on the table.

“…ah.” Sarah finished, lamely, folding her hands in her lap, “Of course. I am sorry, please continue.”

“I shall not tell you exactly what your future entails, for that is unwise. Life is meant to be lived through a series our own choices, and knowing what path to choose ahead of time only bring about monotony and a perverse uniformity. However, I can offer you a few hints to guide you along your way and to make your journey through the years just a little less uncertain.

“In your life, you shall be put through a great hardship, quite soon, as a matter of fact. But alas, it will not be the one that you dread so much. If this is for better or for worse, I cannot say. It will hurt you more than what you fear so vehemently. You shall be tested as no one has ever been tested before, and whether or not you emerge victorious shall be determined by the strength of your own heart.”

“If I may, I would like to give you a bit of advice,” Baba Tshilaba continued, “Quite often, child, when it seems as though you are not getting anywhere, remember that in fact, you are. Things or situations are often never quite what they seem to be at first glance in this world, and if you can learn to see things for what they truly are, you can do anything.”

Sarah sat without uttering a word, trying to take in everything that the old woman had said. Her thoughts moved sluggishly as she tried to process the load of information that had been unburdened onto her during Baba Tshilaba’s divinations.

“Well, that is my spiel, child. I wish that I could help more, but it seems as though the fates conspire against me no matter what I try to do.”

Baba Tshilaba rose from her stump, grunting as she did so, rubbing her sore muscles. Once more she went over to her cart and dug through the pile of items. She eventually found a small lacquered box. Once opened, the inside was revealed to contain many small bits of metal, darkly glinting in the watery sunlight. Baba Tshilaba pondered for a moment before selecting one. She tossed the box back onto the cart and dug in one of her many pockets for a moment before coming up with a white satin ribbon. As she walked back over to Sarah, Baba Tshilaba affixed the amulet to the ribbon, proffering it to her.

“One final thing,” Baba Tshilaba said, a note of caution in her voice as the gave Sarah the amulet, “Keep this with you at all times.”

“What is it?” asked Sarah, holding the pendant up to her face to better study the small item. It was shaped like a sickle moon, lightly engraved with intertwining lines that adorned both sides of the amulet. A small opal sat the in the inner curve of the crescent, glittering softly in the light. Sarah tied the white ribbon around her neck, the cold pendant resting in the hollow of her throat.

“This is made of cold iron,” said Baba Tshilaba, “It will protect you against the maliciousness of the fae. “

“You mean the Goblin King,” said Sarah in a flat voice, eyeing Baba Tshilaba with a gaze that held more than a little suspicion in it.

“Yes, I mean him. fae are susceptible to iron. It is deadly to most of the younger fae. I am afraid that it will only incapacitate the Goblin King for a little while, but it is better than nothing, no?”

Baba Tshilaba patted Sarah on the shoulder and turned to walk away, clearly done with this exceedingly strange encounter.

“Are you saying that I’ll have to meet him?” blurted Sarah, a wildly uncertain note in her voice, “The Goblin King, I mean?”

Baba Tshilaba sighed, resigned, and turned back to face the young woman whose fate was as twisty and indecipherable as the branches of an olive tree.

“I wish that I could say otherwise, but I can see that your future is already intertwined with his.”

“Oh,” said Sarah unsteadily, a lump forming in her throat. “I see.” Sarah steadied herself and after a moment, plastered a genuine smile on her face. “Goodbye, Baba Tshilaba, and thank you,” she said sincerely, touching the amulet tied around her neck.

“You’re welcome, child. I hope that you feel that you have benefitted from our meeting. Fate can be both generous and cruel, and I have tried on this day to equip you with the knowledge that will help you move more easily along the path that destiny has laid before you.”

Baba Tshilaba nodded to Sarah and turned away to pack up the small table and other items that lay scattered on the grass. In a few minutes, she clambered up onto the cart and flicked the reigns that lay across the donkey’s back. In a few moments, Baba Tshilaba disappeared around the bend in the road, leaving Sarah alone in the misty twilight.

Sarah looked up at the sky, a little shocked at how late it had gotten, and resolutely turned towards home, her head filled with a little more knowledge and her heart filled with a little more hope than when she had left home that morning.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWO

To Tempt the Wolf

“Into the woods, no telling when,

Be ready for the journey.

Into the woods, but not too fast,

Or what you wish, you lose at last.

Into the woods, but mind the past.

Into the woods, but mind the future.

Into the woods, but not to stray,

Or tempt the wolf, or steal from the giant—

The way is dark,

The light is dim,

But now there’s you, me, her, and him.

The chances look small,

The choices look grim,

But everything you learn there

Will help when you return there.”

-“Finale: Children Will Listen” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods”

A few months later, just before Sarah’s 19^th birthday, her baby brother was born. Her parents named him Aubrey.

Sarah could hardly sleep after Aubrey was born. How could she? She had tried to keep away from the child for the first few weeks, hoping to keep the madness of the Goblin King’s curse at bay. She relented, however, when her father had scolded her and told her how silly she was being. However much her father tried to convince her otherwise, Sarah saw the heartrending looks her parents gave her when they watched her rocking Aubrey to sleep or playing with him or just holding him. They knew that she would eventually give their youngest child away to the Goblin King, and that there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it, not even Sarah. Sarah tried to ignore how she was never allowed to be alone with the babe, how someone was always watching her, making sure that she was not overcome with the supernatural desire to offer her brother up to the Goblin King. Sarah’s lack of sleep grew worse and worse, she was paranoid that if she succumbed to sleep, she would wake up to find Aubrey gone.

It was early fall, and the leaves in the orchard were changing colors, revealing a brilliant plumage of yellows, oranges and reds. Beyond the wall of the keep, the trees of the forest were changing too, and somehow, the colors they displayed seemed somehow more brilliant and breath taking than the colors of trees that were not a part of the forest. Magic…

Sarah was strolling through the orchard one afternoon, picking up pretty leaves as she went along, collecting only the most brilliant to weave together to form a chain to hang above little Aubrey’s crib.

She hummed a little made-up song as she went along, selecting only the prettiest leaves to bring home to weave together for the chain. She had not been paying much attention where she was wandering, and she strayed closer to the forest than her father had permitted her to go in the past.

Something caught her eye from within the wood, and she turned, looking intently. Whatever it had been had disappeared, if it had been anything at all. The woods often played tricks on her, as they often did to many a traveler and wanderer. It was said that the woods were haunted, or that they had even a sort of consciousness of their own, a result of a spell laid on them by some extraordinarily magical being. This, in addition to the sort of magical beings who inhabited the forest, made it infamous to the townsfolk for leagues around. There had been attempts in the past to cut down trees of the forest, both for timber and also to try to force back it is unwelcome entity, but any attempts to change or stay the forest’s growth was met with hostility.

She should not be near the forest, let alone walk into it. Her father would be furious if he found out, but Sarah was sure that no one had seen her leave the keep, never the mind approach the forest. Her secret would remain hers. And besides, Sarah had a funny feeling that she could not place. It felt as though some unseen force was drawing her in, enticing her to come closer, to enter the woods. Sarah shivered.

Her hand went unconsciously to the amulet at her throat. Sarah had made sure to wear the amulet every day, and even so at night. Whenever she was with Aubrey, however, she surreptitiously tied the white ribbon around his tiny wrist, bestowing to him whatever power of protection it held. Perhaps she needed to find another iron amulet like hers to give to Aubrey. Maybe that would protect him from the Goblin King.

Just as Sarah was contemplating the probability of her finding Baba Tshilaba ever again, a great white owl soared above her head, making Sarah squeak with terror and duck her head. On silent silver wings, the owl flew by, alighting on a tree branch high above Sarah.

It appraised Sarah with dark beady eyes, before hooting once and flying off again. Sarah watched the owl disappear through the brightly colored canopy of leaves, a little entranced that she had seen such a creature up close, and in the daytime, no less.

Suddenly, a twig snapped, sending Sarah’s heart into overdrive, thumping out a wild staccato that threatened to dislodge the organ from her chest. Sarah turned wildly around, trying to see what had made the noise. Another twig snapped, and Sarah ceased to breathe.

Sarah suddenly snapped out of her reverie, remembering what infamous being was lord of these woods, whom she presumed would love nothing more than to meet Sarah in his territory, to inflict upon her the madness that would make her bring Aubrey to him. She turned abruptly and quickly fled the wood. She should not have gone in there, what was she thinking? Was he there? Was that who was approaching? How could she have been so stupid?

Sarah did not stop running until she had achieved the relative safety of the apple grove once more, her heart still beating madly, her breath coming in short, halting gasps. She had lost most of the leaves that she had collected before she had strayed into the woods, so Sarah tried to calm herself by gathering leaves once more. She was a little less meticulous about which leaves she chose this time, due to her little excursion to the wood, and due to the sun which had begun to set, making the trees cast long shadows across the leafy ground. Once Sarah was sure that she had collected enough leaves and had calmed down enough, she walked back home, her gait perhaps a little faster than she had when left.

****

One month passed, and then another, and another, slipping by as easily as could be, without so much as a whisper from the Goblin King. He was constantly on the minds of the Guillemins, and the village folk as well, for that matter. Sarah was always on the receiving end of stares whenever she ventured into the village. Most of the time, the looks they gave her were pitying, for they knew the curse as well as any Guillemin, and they knew that it would not be her fault when she did steal away her baby brother. Others, however, were not so forgiving. Though they stayed in the village, they blamed the Guillemin family for the sins of their ancestor; afraid of the anger that she had awakened in the Goblin King would spread, infecting the rest of the villagers with the consequences of his wrath.

Little Aubrey grew from a wrinkly little creature, in to a very healthy, rosy-cheeked baby. Sarah had tried to keep herself from loving her dear little brother, but she could not help it. She loved him with all her heart. She adored the way his little face broke into a smile when Sarah appeared, the way his little hand wrapped around her finger, the way he slept peacefully in her arms. Sarah had not quite realized just how lonely the first 20 years of her life was until Aubrey had been born.

Sarah cursed the Goblin King. Surely being rejected by a mere mortal would not warrant such an insidious curse? After hundreds of years, the Goblin King had apparently not learned the mercy of forgiveness. Had the Guillemin family not been punished enough? Was it not time to end it? To call it square? Surely the Goblin King’s hurt pride had been assuaged by now with the acquisition of many Guillemin children and the destruction of so many families. Sarah had no doubt that the Goblin King knew exactly the toll his decree had had on the lives of those who had given him their siblings.

What kind of human could inflict so much cruelty without so much as batting his eye?

Sarah mentally chided herself for her mistake. The Goblin King was not a human, he was fae. That made him all the more dangerous, and all the more malicious and pitiless. This waiting was driving Sarah insane. Every time she let her guard down and managed to forget about the curse, something suddenly reminded her of it or of the Goblin King, and she stared to worry all over again. She would never be able to think of anything save for the Goblin King for as long as she lived. If only there was some way she could reason with him or persuade him otherwise…

Sarah knew this would be futile, for she was almost positive that many elder Guillemin children before her had attempted to change their fate, to plead desperately with the Goblin King without any success. At least it was some consolation that they had managed to not infuriate the Goblin King any further with their useless pleas and baseless threats.

She remembered Baba Tshilaba’s words from last winter:

“In your life, you shall be put through a great hardship, quite soon, as a matter of fact. But alas, it will not be the one that you dread so much. If this is for better or for worse, I cannot say. It will hurt you more than what you fear so vehemently. You shall be tested as no one has ever been tested before, and whether or not you emerge victorious shall be determined by the strength of your own heart.”

She had thought over the old woman’s prophecy many times since that wintry afternoon, trying to decipher her cryptic words without much success. What did it mean, that the thing she feared was not the thing that was going to happen? She obviously feared the implications of the curse, and she feared living with her actions once the Goblin King came for Aubrey. What greater hardship could she be put through than this?

Damn the Goblin King! If and when she finally met him, she was going to try her damnedest to break this curse, no matter what he threatened to do to her. She was sick and tired of her family being punished for one woman’s mistake. It was completely and utterly unfair.

Did she not have a say in her own fate?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THREE

A Goblin, a Trickster, a Warrior

“There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior…

A nameless, terrible thing,

Soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies.

The most feared being in all of the cosmos.

And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it.

One day it would just drop out of the sky

And tear down your world.”

-The Doctor from “Doctor Who” Series 5, “The Pandorica Opens”

It was not until mid-October that fate decided to finally rear its ugly head.

Most tales would say that the day of destiny happened on a dark, stormy night, when the wind howled and thunder lashed mercilessly from the heavens, but this was utterly and completely wrong.

It was a beautiful evening in early fall. The sun was still setting in the clear blue sky as the Guillemin family sat in the library after dinner. Lord and Lady Guillemin were chatting quietly in gilt chairs next to the window, while Sarah and Aubrey lay on the plush rug that was situated in front of the large fireplace. Sarah was attempting to teach Aubrey to walk, holding his tiny hands and wiggling his arms to try to persuade him into a walking motion. Aubrey was trying, Sarah would concede to that, but he was also in rare form tonight, throwing a little temper tantrum every time he fell down onto his bottom. Every time Aubrey realized that he had failed once more, he would stick out his lower lip and pout, making Sarah giggle like a little girl.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door to the library and opened it quickly. One of the young boys who ran errands for the steward entered the library and strode rapidly across the room, bobbing in a hasty bow as he began to speak.

“Milord, milady, I am so sorry to interrupt you like this, but I was sent to tell you that someone has arrived, unannounced. He will not say who he is, but he looks as though he is quite important, as his clothes seem to be of a fine make.”

“Yes, of course, we shall be down in a few moments,” said Lord Fabian, dismissing the boy.

“Milord…”

The boy remained where he was. He seemed to be having an inner battle with himself, as if deciding whether or not it would be wise to speak what was clearly causing him internal strife.

Lord Fabian looked at him, a little surprised.

“What is it? Speak, child.” Lord Fabian asked.

“Milord, I feel as though I ought to tell you...the steward said that  I should not bother you about such fantastical things, but I feel as though it is my duty to inform you of what I have seen. He arrived without a horse, and yet his clothes are impeccable, no dirt or anything on his cloak. He could not have traveled from very far on foot without soiling his cloak. I would say he came from somewhere nearby, save for the fact that I do not recognize him, nor does the steward. He speaks quite nobly, though his accent is not one that I can not place. At the same time, he has an air about him that is passing strange; I cannot explain it, other than saying that it is peculiar.”

“Thank you for telling me. I will now be better informed when we meet our mysterious visitor,” Lord Fabian replied, smiling kindly at the boy.

Sarah looked quizzically at her parents as the boy rapidly left the room, as though he was glad to get away.

“Who on earth would arrive so suddenly?” she queried as her parents rose from their seats.

“I have no idea,” said Lord Fabian, “but I have a feeling that this will not be very pleasant.”

“Why do you say that, dear?” asked Lady Emeline, looking up at her husband.

“I am not sure,” he replied, taking her hand, and patting it softly. “I just have a funny feeling. The boy’s words just now have not instilled me with a great deal of confidence at the moment.”

Lady Emeline moved across the room to where Sarah and Aubrey sat on the rug, and picked up Aubrey, who smiled and let out a stream of incomprehensible baby talk. Sarah smiled and got up as well, brushing the wrinkles out of her dress.

When Lord Fabian, Lady Emeline, Sarah, and Aubrey entered the great hall, a cloaked figure sat in the large, throne-like chair at the end of the hall that was reserved exclusively for Lord Fabian’s use. Sarah drew in a quick breath. Who was this man who felt so strongly that he was above the jurisdiction of her father that he would immediately set the tone of the evening’s proceedings to one of outright hostility?

“May I inquire as to who you are,” asked Lord Fabian, his voice quite frosty. “The steward tells me that you gave him no name.”

The cloaked figure deftly uncrossed his legs and stood up in one fluid motion, his raven cape swishing around his shiny black boots.

“You should know who I am,” said the cloaked figure, “Or have you forgotten? It has been a great many years since I have entered this hall, after all.”

He laughed, high and cold, as if he was sharing in some private jest.

“Quit speaking in riddles, and talk plainly! I ask you again, who are you?” warned Lord Fabian, his hand reaching to his side by force of habit, to where his sword was usually belted.

The cloaked figure descended the few steps from the dais and stopped, raising his arms wide beneath the cloak, spreading it out so it looked almost like wings.

“I have come to collect that which is rightfully mine.”

With a flourish, he threw back his hood, revealing a shock of long pale hair, pointed ears, and a silver circlet upon his brow. He was dressed in black, a billowy silk shirt emerging from beneath an iron-colored ornamental breastplate and dark leather greaves. Sarah knew immediately who he must be. Her hand flew to the iron amulet that was hidden beneath the collar of her dress.

“Who am I? Why, none other than the Keeper of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Dark Wood, benevolent Protector of the Realm, and the ever swift arrival of destiny. In short: I am he whom you should rightly fear; I am the Goblin King.”

He let out a peal of wicked laugher at the petrified looks on the faces of the humans that stood before him.

Lord Fabian moved swiftly between the Goblin King and his family, Sarah shielding her mother and Aubrey from the view of the Goblin King. A thick blanket of tension descended upon the hall, smothering the humans with fear. The Goblin King remained cool, completely unaffected by the stifling atmosphere.

Sarah’s thoughts moved as slow as molasses, while at the same time, her heart beat madly. She had known that the Goblin King would be appearing some time in her life, and yet he had caught her off guard.

“Nothing to say?” the Goblin King drawled, raising one pale eyebrow. “You really should not be so surprised that I have shown up. I told you that I would, after all.” He grinned, revealing sharp teeth that glinted in the firelight. “I always collect my debts in a timely manner.”

“You cannot have him!” cried Sarah, her tenuous composure snapping at last, taking a few steps towards the Goblin King, as if she had any chance at all of frightening him off or intimidating him. The Goblin King merely smiled with a look that might have been called benevolence, had it rested on the face of anyone other than a fae lord.

“Lord Guillemin, I presume that this is your eldest,” said the Goblin King, appraising Sarah, who felt her cheeks grow pink from the intensity of his gaze.

“Yes, she is. Sarah.” Lord Fabian’s response was curt.

“She is quite lovely. A credit to your beauty, madam.” The Goblin King nodded in mock politeness to the Lady Emeline, who glared at him in return, not daring to speak as she clutched Aubrey closer to her breast.

The Goblin King sighed then, affecting a remorseful tone.

“But alas, it seems as though you are mistaken as to why I am here this night.”

“Really, pray tell then, why are you here?” Lord Fabian replied drily, his voice as sharp as the crack of a whip.

“Do you not remember the curse I placed upon your unfortunate family? The wording of it is quite specific. It has been many a year since that fateful night, and yet I can remember every word I uttered with complete and utter precision.”

The Goblin King began to pace slowly, reciting the curse he laid centuries ago on that unnamed Guillemin ancestor; the humans before him watching his slow tread across the floor with distaste, fear, and suspicion.

“I curse you. Yea, not solely you, but your descendants as well. For spurning the affection of the Goblin King, Keeper of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Dark Wood,

the Protector of the Realm, and for rejecting his most generous offer, what fate has befallen you shall befall every one of your kin. Every first-born child shall yield their younger siblings to me, whether they wish it or not, they shall be compelled to do so. They shall earn their freedom just as you have this night.”

Lord Fabian rashly interrupted the Goblin King, anger getting the better of him as he ground out his words.  “Yes, of course we know the bloody curse, I do not see how that is any diff-”

The Goblin King swiftly raised a slim gloved finger, effectively silencing Lord Fabian.

“Ah, be patient my good man, there is yet more to my curse, which you seem to have forgotten in your haste to interject.”

The Goblin King continued to repeat his curse from so long ago, completely unruffled by the thick haze of tension that permeated the great hall.

“And yet, after your grandchildren are dead, and yea after their grandchildren are dead as well, I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter.”

The Goblin King paused speaking for a short moment and stared at Sarah, who could feel the blood drain from her face. He continued on with a triumphant note to his voice, almost giddy that his words had elicited such a response.

“I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer. For all eternity, your descendants will curse your name and detest you for what you have done. Your actions tonight have single-handedly destroyed the future of your dynasty.”

Lady Emeline let out a scream of dismay, and began to sob. Little Aubrey was startled by his mother’s terror and began to wail in her arms, adding to the din.

Lord Fabian turned to Sarah and stared at her with a look of unbridled alarm, quite unable to speak. He took the few strides to be at her side, and placed his hand on her shoulder. Whether this was to comfort Sarah or to comfort himself, Lord Fabian was not quite sure.

People streamed quickly into the hall at the commotion, curious to see what was going on.

“Oh look,” said the Goblin King sardonically, “An audience.”

He turned to the throng of people who had entered the room and spoke in a booming voice.

“Mortals! Take heed! I am the king of the goblins, and I have come to lay claim on what is rightfully mine, as set forth by the curse that I cast before any of you were born, and yea, before your fathers were born and their fathers as well. I am not here for the babe, but rather the young woman, Sarah Guillemin. I intend to take her with me back to my kingdom and make her my queen. Do not attempt to impede me or dissuade me from this. I can assure you that if you try, you will invariably fail, as many have failed before you. No man could ever beat me and no man ever will. This is old magic at work.”

“I will not let you take her,” Lord Fabian growled, his face darkly clouded with emotion. He bellowed a command. “GUARDS!”

Silver-plated men rushed forward to aid their lord, but before they could do so much as raise their weapons, the tang of magic filled the air, and suddenly a goblin brigade appeared out of the ether. The motley crew yowled and hissed as they surrounded their king, banging spears and hammers against their shields, effectively drowning out every other sound in the great hall.

The Goblin King smiled and raised a hand and the goblins fell silent at once. He spread his arms in a smooth motion, as if he was displaying his most prized possessions.

“Behold! This is but a miniscule demonstration of my power. I do not think that you would want to see the full extent of my power.”

“I will never go with you!” cried Sarah from behind the shield of her parents, trying and failing to extricate herself from their grasps.

“Are you so sure,” said the Goblin King, “Are you not afraid of what horrors I will unleash if you do not come with me?” The Goblin King spoke in a soft voice that was laced with tinges of anger, verve and supplication. He continued to speak smoothly. “Shall I tell you exactly what will happen? Shall I give you the luxury of knowing all the details before I force you to make your choice?”

Sarah merely glared, not deigning to give him the satisfaction of an answer.

“Very well,” snapped the Goblin King, a little testily. Clearly he was unused to people resisting him. “If you do not agree to this, I will take you anyways.”

Sarah made a noise of disgust and squared her shoulders as she started to speak in her defense. The Goblin King, however, cut her off swiftly.

“But soft,” scolded the Goblin King, his eyes narrowing, “I am not yet finished speaking. I will take you to my kingdom, either way you choose, and if you continue to insist on resisting me, I will take your little brother as well. If you choose to come quietly, however, nothing more will happen to your family or your little town. As I have said, if you choose to defy me, I will take you and your brother, and I will finish what I should have done many, many years ago. The Guillemin line will be no more, and I will release the horrors that I so graciously keep from molesting you and your townsfolk. The full power of the dark forest shall be unleashed. I, as the Lord of the Dark Wood have sole control of these beings, and believe me, they are not to be trifled with. Everything you know and love will cease to exist. Now you know just some of the repercussions of your choice. Now choose.”

As the Goblin King finished speaking, a smug look settled on his face. Sarah was incensed.

“We will fight you, never the less,” declared Lord Fabian, steadfastly undeterred by the fact that he and his guards were outnumbered three to one by the Goblin King and his goblins, and also hopelessly outclassed by the Goblin King’s magical prowess and Machiavellian cleverness. The goblins that surrounded the Goblin King uttered quiet cackles and half-heartedly readied their weapons, reminding Lord Fabian just what kind of force he was dealing with.

“Do not try my patience, my lord, this is not your choice, my lord, but hers. Your part in this tale is nearly over. I would urge you not mistake my politeness for weakness. That would be a most unwise decision, and most likely fatal. Stand down.”

The Goblin King turned to Sarah, ignoring her seething father, and reached out a hand to her, trying to make it seem as though it was as a placating gesture.

“So, I ask again, how do you answer me, Sarah? Will you come with me and become my queen, or will you deny me as your ancestor did hundreds of years ago and watch as everyone and everything you know is destroyed?”

It was no choice. The Goblin King knew as much, for he could not hide the look of triumphant satisfaction that drew his mouth into a sneer.

Sarah glanced at the people who were in the hall. What would they be thinking of her right now? Their future now depended on the choice that she alone had to make. Damn the Goblin King. It was unfair. She turned to her parents, and gazed at them, not quite seeing them for a few moments. Sarah mentally made her choice, if it could be called such, and she steeled herself to meet her parent’s reactions. The expression on her face hardened, her mind quite decided on what answer she would give the Goblin King.

“No, Sarah,” Lord Fabian urged in an insistent undertone, correctly reading the determined look that had settled on his daughter’s face. “I will not allow you to do this. There must be some other way.”

“Do not you see father? I cannot refuse him. I simply cannot. Either I go with him or I watch as everything and everyone I love is destroyed.” Her face twisted into a wry grin, trying to convince her father, as well as herself. “Not much of a choice, I will admit, but I know which one that I can choose that will allow me to live without any regret of the consequences. Who knows, maybe he will find that I would make a terrible consort and he will send me home. One could only hope.”

“Sarah,” Lady Emeline plead, still cradling Aubrey to her breast as if her life depended upon it, “Please do not do this, there has to be some way, something we could offer him instead…I cannot lose you, my dear daughter.”

“Oh mother,” said Sarah shakily, her voice faltering as she nearly lost her composure. “I am quite certain that there is nothing on this earth that we could possibly offer to him that would make him change his mind. You forget that this is the Goblin King. Oh mother, please do not make this harder for me than it already is. When I first realized whom it was who had arrived so suddenly here tonight, I felt so guilty, though I had not done anything yet. I knew that I would somehow give Aubrey to him and that there was nothing I could do to stop myself from giving in to the Goblin King’s wiles. But now I do not have to betray my family. Do not you see how much of an improvement this is?”

“Improvement,” Lord Fabian scoffed, “How can this be an improvement? Do you even hear what you are saying? This is the Goblin King we are talking about. You said it yourself; he is not human. He does not think like a man. He may be all pretty words and gentle courtesies now, but who knows how he will behave when he is in his own element.”

“Even a Goblin King has to have honor, father. I will take that chance instead of the certainty of what will happen if I do not.”

Sarah smiled sadly at her parents. It seemed as though it was harder on one’s heart to try to convince a parent to let go of their child than to walk willingly into a monster’s lair to kill the beast.

“Do not blame yourselves. I am making this choice of my own volition. You have raised me to be a strong young woman, and you have taught me how to be honorable and brave in the face of uncertainty. It is past time that I left the nest. I am a child no longer.  I have not been for some time now. I can hold my own against the Goblin King. You’ll see.”

Sarah grasped her mother’s hands. The older woman was shaking with silent tears.

“Raise Aubrey just as you have raised me. Help him to grow into a brave and courageous little boy. Show him the differences between right and wrong, and guide him along the path of life to make the choices between what is right and what is easy. Tell him stories of his older sister who set out on a great journey to have adventures and to slay dragons. Tell him how much I love him.”

“As touching as this is, I do have a kingdom to run,” interrupted the Goblin King, lazily adjusting one of the cuffs on his jacket. “Time is short. Make your choice.”

Sarah turned resolutely to face the Goblin King, stepping out from behind her parents. She straightened stiffly to her full height, behaving as regally as if she were a queen. She took a deep steadying breath and gave the Goblin King her reply.

“I will accompany you to the Goblin Kingdom and consent to your demands. However, I must have your word that when I go with you, you will not harm my family or the village in any way. If I agree to keep to my end of the bargain, you must agree to keep yours. Will you swear to me that you will keep your word?”

The Goblin King swept into a graceful bow.

“I swear it, Lady Sarah.”

He straightened up and held out his hand once more.

“Come.”

“Now?” asked Sarah, a hint of uncertainty straying into her voice.

“Of course,” said the Goblin King roguishly, “It is further than you think to the Goblin Kingdom, and we have to get to know each other better if we are to spend an eternity together.”

Lord Fabian let out a low growl of outrage, and Sarah turned quickly, imploring her father with a pleading look to not try to fight any more with the Goblin King. She was doing her best to hide her fear behind a mask of bravery, but failed when she saw the look in her father’s eyes. He was scared, and that frightened Sarah more than any Goblin King ever could.

Lady Emeline threw her arm around Sarah, squishing Aubrey between the two of them in her earnestness to hug her daughter.

Lord Fabian joined the group hug, and they stood there for a few moments, the last time their family would be complete.

“Goodbye,” Sarah whispered, a few tears escaping from her closed eyes. Lady Emeline smiled sadly and wiped them away, and then stoked Sarah’s auburn hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

Sarah sighed and urged her feet to carry her to her fate. She turned slowly to face the Goblin King, and strode forward with far more courage in her decisive steps than lay in her heart.

Sarah was not fully aware how imposing the Goblin King’s presence was until she drew nearer to him. She felt very small and somewhat fragile in comparison. Courage. She must be brave. For her parents. For Aubrey.

Sarah delicately ignored the Goblin King’s outstretched hand. Sarah was perversely pleased at how the Goblin King’s indulgent smirk dropped a few degrees at her impudence. She was letting him decide her future, but she would be damned if she did not try to resist him at every opportunity.

The Goblin King dropped his hand, and instead closed the gap between Sarah and him, and laid it lightly on the small of her back. Sarah jumped. She refrained from giving the Goblin King a foul glare.

Sarah did not have to worry about that however, for her father was giving the Goblin King a murderous enough look that would have killed any lesser man.

The assorted goblins flanked the Goblin King and Sarah, like a motley honor guard. As the procession moved forward, the humans in the hall parted swiftly, watching silently as the aftermath of the Guillemin curse was manifested in front of their own eyes. Sarah glanced once more at her parents and her baby brother as she and the Goblin King passed by. They walked on steadily through the great hall and out of the large wooden doors that punctuated the far end of the room, disappearing into the dark night.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOUR

Once Upon A Time

“There’s every sign that

‘Once upon a time’

Is starting here and now…”

-“Angels Arise” from Jim Steinman and Michael Kunze’s musical “Dance of the Vampires”

When Sarah thought back on that fateful night, she was never quite sure how their strange little party got from the Guillemin castle to the Goblin Kingdom. It was as though she was enchanted to forget, or perhaps it was just the stress of that evening’s events that drove most of the details of the from her mind.

They had maintained their steady walking pace as they left the great hall and the courtyard of the keep, the goblins keeping their steady march until they were out of sight of the castle, making their way through the apple orchard. Then, the goblins broke rank a little bit, acting a little more wild and feral than they had in the great hall.

They picked up the pace as they neared the dark wood, and Sarah experienced her first pangs of doubt. A thought flashed unbidden through her mind. Could she possibly run away from the Goblin King and all of the goblins once they entered the woods? Surely it would not be too hard to lose them in the leafy darkness. She could stay her fate for just a little longer, and make a bit of hell for the Goblin King. Goodness knows she was certainly terrified of her fate.

However, just as Sarah was starting to mentally plan out how she would accomplish such a feat, the Goblin King laid his hand on her shoulder, possessive and corporeal, as though he had been able to read her mind and was reminding her of her decision. Binding, inescapable, eternal. That was the nature of her current state and her state for the foreseeable future. Damn him. Sarah tried to repress a shudder that was a mixture of distaste and fear.

The Goblin King did not speak for most of the journey, save for giving sharp directions to his goblins or warning Sarah that she was about to step into a puddle or whatnot.

She remembered looking surreptitiously up at the Goblin King at one point during their journey, and she could see that he had his jaw clenched in some unreadable emotion. It could not be nerves. The Goblin King was far too old and far too proud to be susceptible to something as trivially human as nerves. Sarah had looked away quickly before she could think on it any further, as the Goblin King had suddenly became aware that she was looking at him.

They arrived in a clearing in the wood after travelling for a long while, and the Goblin King gave the order for a short rest from their tireless march.

The Goblin King studied Sarah for a moment before he reached for her throat. Sarah flinched, but he merely lifted the white satin ribbon from beneath the collar of her gown with a single gloved finger, revealing the dangling iron amulet to his prying eyes.

“Clearly you have been talking to someone who knows their fae lore well.” He murmured, his tone inflectionless.

“Yes,” said Sarah, a little shakily. Was he angry? Why should he be? She had the right to defend herself. “An old Romani woman gave it to me after she read my future.”

“Hmm,” replied the Goblin King noncommittally, letting the ribbon slip from the end of his gloved finger. The amulet landed with a small thump on Sarah’s collarbone. The Goblin King finally looked away from Sarah, surveying the goblins that were littered around the clearing, wreaking varying degrees of mayhem on anything and everything that they could lay their hands on.

Sarah shivered involuntarily. She suddenly realized that she had forgotten her cloak at home. Well, her old home now. A lump formed in Sarah’s throat at the thought. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to keep her emotions controlled by physical force. The Goblin King suddenly draped his heavy black cloak over her shoulders before he walked away just as suddenly to talk to some of his goblins. Sarah stared after him in shock before wrapping the still-warm cloak gratefully around herself. She would certainly hate the Goblin King forever, and being warm made it easier to focus on her hate and to distract her from her fear.

Sarah would always think of the Goblin King as a vile, malevolent force, and no trifling acts of chivalry would persuade her otherwise. No being who had callously inflicted so much pain over countless generations of families could ever be kind or good-hearted.

Sarah was still a little shocked that she had been taken instead of Aubrey. She had always thought that she would be completely spared of the curse’s ramifications because up until recently, she was an only child. Sarah consoled herself that this strangely fortunate turn of events had at least spared Aubrey, even if her own freedom had been the price. Ironic, really, that her ancestor had initiated the centuries of Guillemin loss out of a desire for freedom, which had been provided so graciously by the Goblin King, and now Sarah was experiencing the antithesis of this, at the hands of the very same Goblin King. Sarah clutched her amulet. She was extremely grateful that she had it with her. At least Sarah could fight back. She was clever and even brave at times, and she would do her damndest to retaliate against the Goblin King every chance she got.

The group started on once more, and the deeper they ventured into the forest, the closer the trees grew together, getting so close that at one point that they had to walk in a single-file line, Jareth in the lead, followed by Sarah. Behind Sarah, a long procession of goblins followed, crashing through the undergrowth with gleeful abandon. The Goblin King, of course, walked silently through his domain. Sarah stumbled along, unable to see very clearly in the gloom. Her feet were starting to hurt, and she was getting very tired. Surely it was drawing close the midnight by now. It was hard to tell through the inky blackness of the trees. She cursed the Goblin King. (This was becoming quite a habit of hers.) He did not seem to tire, nor did he appear have any trouble navigating through the woods. Even the cold air of the fall night did not seem to plague him. It was unfair.

Every now and then, Sarah could have sworn that she saw a great, lumbering shape moving dimly in the thicket of trees, silent as a shadow. Whether they were stalking their prey or paying homage to the lord of their wood, Sarah did not know. She just hoped that whatever was out there lurking in the wood would stay hidden away until she had left. Funny how in the past few hours, Sarah had gone from fearing the Goblin King above all of the other horrors in the world, to being thankful that she was traversing through the wood under his protection. Life often dealt strange turns like that.

The Goblin King’s cloak was too large for Sarah, and it was dragging on the ground, catching on the thick underbrush. Also, Sarah could have sworn that some of the smaller goblins would hop onto the part of the cloak that was trailing along on the ground every now and again, catching a ride. Every time Sarah swiveled around to check, there was no goblin there. However, she did occasionally catch sight of a goblin dashing deeper into the line of the goblin troop, and every now and then, a shrill giggle met her ears. She let out a huff of quiet exasperation.

And yet, they continued tirelessly on, Sarah growing even more tired with every step they took. Maybe the Goblin King did not intend to take her to his castle, maybe he just wanted to walk around and around in circles through the forest all night until Sarah passed out from sleep deprivation. Then he could just leave her to be a snack for some creature of the forest. Ah yes, that would be nice right about now, thought Sarah sluggishly, tripping on what seemed to be the thousandth tree root in the past half hour. The goblins that followed behind her sniggered at her clumsiness. Sarah did not find it in herself to care. She was too damn tired. It was hard enough to keep her eyes open, let alone trying to scold a bunch of wild goblins in front of their liege. That would probably not go over well, especially in her current state.

Sarah drifted into a sort of daze, as though she was half awake and half asleep. Her brain slowed down to a sluggish trickle of thought, only concentrating on moving her feet and not falling over. She did not bother to look around her, only gazing unseeingly at the Goblin King’s armored back. Suddenly, the Goblin King stopped, making Sarah bump forcefully into him. Sarah felt a few goblins bump against her legs. It took Sarah a few groggy moments to realize what had happened. Once it had made it through her brain that she was up close and personal with the Goblin King, Sarah quickly pushed herself away.

The Goblin King glanced over his shoulder at Sarah, a perfectly-arched eyebrow raised in a look akin to surprise.

Sarah muttered a hasty and incomprehensible apology and returned to sulking, her temper building. She was tired from walking what seemed like all damn night. She was tired of being scared. She was angry at the curse. She was angry with the Goblin King for acting on his curse. She was angry at fate for dealing her such a terrible future. She was angry with herself for being so damn noble and self-sacrificing. She was just plain angry.

They were standing in front of a large stone that was reminiscent of a wall, vines and moss growing haphazardly over its surface. The Goblin King swept away some vines and fallen leaves off of the face of the boulder to reveal some carved runes in some archaic language that Sarah could not read. It looked similar to the alphabet that Sarah knew, and yet it was strange and altered into incomprehensibility.

The Goblin King removed a glove and placed a bare, pale hand on the runes and said a few, clearly accented lines of some old language, presumably the same language that was written on the stone. The stone then started to gleam in the darkness, a pale, silvery light emitting from the engraved words. Suddenly, Sarah heard what sounded like a low rumble that seemed to be coming from the large stone in front of them. The Goblin King took a few steps back and a doorway appeared in the rock, quite large enough for a person to pass through. The Goblin King then stepped through the hole in the stone as though nothing strange or magical had happened.

She hesitated before passing through the doorway in the rock. Some of the goblins behind her got impatient and pushed at her knees to make her move or just walked around her and through the passage way. This was it, the point of no return. Up until now she could have conceivably run away from the Goblin King and escaped fate for just a bit longer. This was clearly some gate between the two worlds; Sarah’s world, and the Goblin King’s world. The world of the familiar and the world of the unfamiliar. The world of normalcy and the world of magic.

Sarah tried to tell herself that it would be an adventure, and that it would not be so bad as the stories made it out to be. Unfortunately, lying did not work half so well if you were trying to lie to yourself.

Sarah took a deep breath and stepped through the passage and into a clearing, where sat a glossy black carriage drawn by a pair of stately and handsome hippogriffs. Sarah was taken aback at seeing yet more magical beings. She would have to get used to the strange and unusual especially since she was going to be the Goblin…no, Sarah would not think of that. Not yet. There was still a bit of hope left that Sarah would be able to convince the Goblin King otherwise or be able to trick him in some manner. Just enough hope to hold on to.

Sarah looked around the clearing and realized that it was not just a clearing, but rather the beginning of a path or a road, just wide enough for the carriage to pass between the shadowy foliage. Sarah stepped out onto the road and looked up, glad that she could clearly see the stars instead of more dark leaves. Sarah jumped as she heard the rumbling sound from a few moments earlier and watched mutely as the doorway in the boulder disappeared, her escape route closing behind her. Her heart gave a little twinge as she thought of her family who now lay on the other side of that impenetrable door. What were they doing right now? Were they thinking of her? A small part of Sarah hoped that they were. A quiet sob escaped from her throat, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She must not show weakness. It was what the Goblin King expected, and she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten to her. She drew in a deep, steadying breath and calmed herself. She was incredibly tired and this made her quite prone to emotional swings. She had to remember that she was in the presence of the Goblin King, and she needed control of her full facilities when it came to the likes of him. She was already in a terrible situation; she did not need to make it worse by making the fae king angry.

The Goblin King ignored Sarah’s distress and waved his hand dismissively at his goblin horde and said something quietly in some foreign tongue, and the goblins suddenly dispersed, melting away into the underbrush as quietly as shadows, quite a contrast to their boisterous, noisy movements from earlier.

The Goblin King watched wordlessly as his minions scampered away into the dark, save for one brutish creature, which hopped up onto the driver’s seat up on top of the carriage, and picked up the reigns. The Goblin King watched the goblin dispassionately and tugged his leather glove absentmindedly back onto his hand. He trod purposefully over to the carriage, and patted one of the hippogriffs, stoking its long white feathers. The Goblin King then turned and beckoned to Sarah as he wordlessly opened the door to the carriage.

Sarah stood stock still, not moving from where she stood. It took her a few moments to realize what exactly was going on, and then she glared at the Goblin King and folded her arms defiantly.

The Goblin King rolled his eyes. Leaving the door to the carriage hanging open, he began to stride over to where Sarah stood, intending to just pick her up and stick her in the carriage and be done with her rebellious nonsense. It was late and though he did not seem it, he was excruciatingly tired.

A flicker of alarm lit Sarah’s eyes as the Goblin King approached, and she unfolded her arms and took a few steps back. The Goblin King stopped a few steps in front of her and folded his arms. He could be just as stubborn as she. She had no idea what she was dealing with. He was fae! He was older than she could comprehend, and he would exist long past the time when the forest grew into extinction and the stones of her old home crumbled into dust. Who was she to deny a king?

Sarah took another step back, balking at the dark look that had clouded the Goblin King’s face. She gathered up the remaining scraps of her valor and continued to glower at him insolently. She would not give in easily, not if it meant that she would give the Goblin King back just a little of the aggravation he had caused countless generations of her family.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked, folding her arms once more, mimicking his pose.

The Goblin King sighed exasperatedly and massaged his brow. His head was beginning to hurt. Perhaps it was a mistake to take this girl. A young baby would be far easier to manage than she was at this moment. Far less talking, at least. He wondered vaguely for a moment if he could go back to the Guillemin castle and demand the babe instead. No, this scheme was larger than he, and he could not change it now. Too much depended upon it.

“To my kingdom, where else? Now come.” He answered tersely and swung his arm back, gesturing to the waiting carriage.

“But, did we not just pass into your kingdom? Through that door in the stone, I mean.” Sarah was stalling. She desperately did not want to be stuck in that small carriage with the Goblin King for any length of time. She did not know if her courage would hold out for that long.

“No, we did not. That is merely a deterrent for humans from passing this far into the wood. My kingdom is still a few hours’ journey from here. Is that everything you would like to know? Satisfied?”

A testy edge crept into the Goblin King’s voice, and he began to drum his gloved fingers on his arm, clearly impatient for Sarah to obey. For the first time that night, the Goblin King looked weary.

Sarah smiled inwardly for a few moments, reveling in the fact that she had gotten under the Goblin King’s skin. Ha! En grade, Goblin King!

“And may I remind you that if you do not wish to keep your end of the bargain, I shall be no longer contractually obligated to keep mine, ergo everything and everyone you know and love will be subject to my wrath, et cetera, et cetera and et cetera.”

And touché. Damn.

Sarah’s delight dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

“Damn you,” muttered Sarah bitterly, stalking past the Goblin King, who seemed to have found the snide smile that Sarah had lost. She made her way across the clearing towards the carriage, hesitating for a split second as one of the hippogriffs began to snort and paw at the ground, before throwing back her shoulders and moving onward. She clambered into the carriage and sat petulantly down on one of the cushioned seats, staring out the window, trying her best to ignore the Goblin King as he also entered the carriage, far more gracefully than Sarah, calling for the goblin driver to go. Instead of sitting on the seat opposite hers, he sat next to Sarah as the carriage lurched into motion, making her jump with surprise. She scowled at him balefully for a moment, before awkwardly standing up and turning to sit on the other seat. She did not dare to look at him as she sat down, instead electing to resume her study of the woods that were now moving past her outside the window.

The Goblin King began to howl with laughter. He leaned back in his seat and clutched his stomach at the force of his gaiety. It took a long while for his merriment to subside, but it eventually did, and he studied Sarah with an odd look akin to delight, as though he were seeing her clearly for the first time. He had only known her for a few hours, after all. Sarah decided to amend her former statement, deciding that, perhaps it was not pride, but maybe grudging admiration. It would not do to look favorably upon your new acquisition’s unruly rebellion to your every action. That would not be a move befitting the king of the goblins.

“Are you going to continually oppose me until the end of time?” queried the Goblin King snarkily, extending his arm over the back of the seat he was regally perched upon. “If you are, please be so courteous as to inform me immediately, as I am afraid I shall get rather tired of it before too long and I will need to know so I can make arrangements. Perhaps I could trade you for another, quieter, less recalcitrant girl. One who would be less of a hassle to break in, perchance? It would not do to have a disobedient Goblin Queen.” He smiled, and revealed his sharp teeth.

“I am afraid that I will always oppose you, no matter what, your highness.” Replied Sarah regally, gathering her pride around her like an ermine mantle. “You should have done your research before you picked me. Not a very smart move on your part. I have no qualms about stymieing your every wish or desire.”

“Such a pity,” murmured the Goblin King, still looking at Sarah, with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Sarah and the Goblin King both fell silent, Sarah returned to staring resolutely out the curtained window of the carriage, while the Goblin King continued to stare unwaveringly at Sarah.

Sarah tried to ignore the Goblin King, but it seemed as though he were trying on purpose to annoy her. At least he was not trying to frighten her. It seemed as though it was sometimes easier to be brave when you were angry. Or rather, it was easier to be intractable.

“What do you want?” asked Sarah, unnerved enough by the Goblin King’s gaze that she broke the tense silence.

The Goblin King gave a low chuckle. “Oh, all the delicious answers I could give,” he mused, half to himself.

Something in Sarah snapped. She was tired, she was angry, and she had been through quite enough to be getting along with, Goblin King or no Goblin King. A counter-attack sprung into Sarah’s mind, and before she could properly think of the consequences or of the kind of reaction such a maneuver would elicit from the Goblin King, Sarah quickly removed the Goblin King’s cloak from her shoulders, balled it up and threw it as forcefully as she could at his smug face. Of course, he caught it easily before it could do so much as ruffle his hair. He laughed again, tossing the cloak aside.

“Why couldn’t you have just left me alone!” cried Sarah, her fatigue bringing on an acute onset of extreme emotion.

“Oh, because this is so thrilling,” replied the Goblin King lazily, crossing his legs with a regal, easy grace, “Sitting around in a drafty old castle and ordering about goblins gets to be quite repetitive after a few centuries, even punctuated with the years when I get to steal a child. They blend into one another. I will most certainly not forget this theft, oh no. I was afraid that you were going to come along quietly, but no, you did not disappoint. I have a feeling life will never be dull with you around, Sarah.”

Sarah balled up her fists. It was nigh impossible to kill a fae if you were a human, was it not? It was as the Goblin King said: “Such a pity.” She felt quite murderous at that moment.

“What?” asked the Goblin King, clearly still amused by this turn of events, “No pithy response? No valiant speech from our heroine? I am disappointed. I would not have thought that you would have run out of words so soon.”

“I have plenty of words, Goblin King,” said Sarah testily, staring determinedly out of the window at the blackness beyond, “I just too damn tired to string them all together to form a coherent sentence. It is not worth it right now. I will not waste my energy on entertaining you tonight. It is not as though I will never have another chance to spar verbally with you. We can go at this until the end of time, if you like. I would have no qualms about that.”

“Wonderful,” replied the Goblin King enthusiastically, leaning forward in his seat. “I look forward to an eternity with you, my dear. It shall alleviate the boredom oh so nicely.”

He moved so swiftly and smoothly that Sarah did not quite realize that he had moved to sit next to her once more until he had lazily draped his arm over the back of the seat, his fingertips lightly brushing her shoulder. Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, and was about to smack him or move to the other seat again, when a thought flashed into her mind. She quickly reached up and untied the white ribbon around her neck, on which hung the iron amulet that Baba Tshilaba had given her ages ago when she had read Sarah’s future. She thrust it towards the Goblin King, who recoiled instinctively.

“Get back!” she growled, white ribbon gasped tightly in her fist, the iron amulet swinging wildly beneath it from its sudden movement and the rocking of the carriage.

“I do not think that you should wish to threaten me in such a way, Sarah,” said the Goblin King coldly, backing away slowly into the other seat once more. “It is most unwise.”

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Sarah’s neck stood to attention as the crackle of magic filled the small carriage. Sarah plowed on, heedless to the danger that she had suddenly wrought, ignoring the murderous look that had settled on the Goblin King’s visage.

“HA!” Sarah laughed, high and mercilessly. She was drunk on her own tenuously held power. “I think I do, Goblin King, I really do. I have the power now and I am not afraid of exploiting it! Too long have you terrorized my family and me! I have spent the past twenty years of my life fearing you and your curse. Not knowing how or when you would come was probably the worst part, apart from when you actually deigned to show up. The uncertainty of it all, you have no idea… I am sure you expected a girl who was frightened of you who would be easy to bend to your every whim, but you picked the wrong girl. I have foreknowledge into my future. I have been apprised of you and your weaknesses. I can fight back.”

She thrust the iron towards the Goblin King once more, intending to try to incapacitate him and then escape from the carriage. Would that work, could she make her way through the wood, gain allies, bring the Goblin King down with the assistance with his very own subjects? It only had to touch his bare skin…

The Goblin King closed his gloved fingers around her wrist in a vice like grasp, forcing it and the amulet she held away from his person. He let out a hiss of anger and they grappled clumsily for a moment in the small carriage, Sarah trying in vain to overpower the Goblin King. Wrenching her wrist away from his grasp also proved to be futile. The Goblin King, tired from the evening’s events and perhaps, a little nervous of the wildly swinging piece of cold iron, decided to bring their scuffle to an end. He forced Sarah backwards and pinned her to her seat, her wrists still trapped in his were now effectively immobilized against the wall of the carriage, the amulet still dangling from one of Sarah’s clenched fists.

“Do not ever try that again,” ordered the Goblin King, forcing the words out from behind clenched teeth. “I have indulged your little temper tantrums up until now, but no longer. Do not be so petty as to think that you could possibly overpower me.”

The Goblin King stared at her angrily for a moment, but then his expression smoothly changed to devilish pleasure as the air crackled with magic. It felt like something was slithering over her immobilized wrists, and Sarah looked at them panicked, but there was nothing there other than the Goblin King’s hands. She looked with wide eyes at the Goblin King, who was still smirking at her, his grin growing as he took in her panicked look. He gracefully let go of her wrists and settled back into his seat. Sarah attempted to regain control of her wrists, but she was unable to. She tugged at them in vain, fear and frustration mingling into a wild frenzy. Her mind buzzed with a thousand thoughts, quite a few of them in terrified condemnation of magic, the fae, and curses.

“I am glad that see that you have given up this charade of politeness, Goblin King. I am not a guest, but a prisoner, and what does a prisoner deserve other than to be restrained.” Sarah said in an attempt at bravado, her voice a little higher than she would have liked. She was still unnerved by the display of magic, as insignificantly small as it was. Any magic at all was to be treated with extreme caution, trepidation, and a healthy dose of fear.

“You and I both, my dear. I think we see each other clearly now for the first time. How refreshing it is, not to have to play games and pretend at playing nice. I am glad that we were able to clarify how we each stand in our little arrangement,” drawled the Goblin King,

Sarah snorted. “How splendid,” she replied scathingly, fear making way for anger, “Now if you would please, release me at once. I think we can both see that you have demonstrated quite enough magic to be getting along with.” The carriage went over a bump in the road, and the satin ribbon that she held clenched in an immobilized fist slipped and fell into her lap. Sarah winced as the jerky movement of the carriage wrenched her shoulders. “Any time now would be lovely,” said Sarah as she cringed, trying to adjust in her seat so she would not be jostled so badly the next time the carriage went over a lump on the path.

The Goblin King made a splendid show of mock contemplation.

“I think not.”

“Bastard.” Sarah hissed, giving the Goblin King a deadly glare that would have made any other mere mortal quail helplessly in his boots.

“Yes, yes,” said the Goblin King dismissively, ignoring Sarah’s furious duress. “I am sure we all know how you feel about me. No need to get tetchy. You must allow me to enjoy my moment of triumph, my dear. It is not every day that I steal myself a Goblin Queen instead of a child, and it is especially momentous that this future Goblin Queen of mine is so feisty. It has been so very long since someone has dared to talk back to me so.” He seemed lost in thought for a moment, but then he began to speak once more. “We are well matched, you and I, save for the inalienable fact that I am far more powerful than you, seeing as I am fae and you are not. You would do well to remember that in the future. It will make this so much easier, and I should think that you will find yourself at the receiving end of my anger far less often than if you continually try to overpower me.”

“How kind of you to inform me of this,” replied Sarah in a sickly sweet voice that half-heartedly attempted to honey coat the malice that lay beneath her words, “I should have known that I was to act like the damsel in distress, how silly of me to think otherwise. Now will you release me?”

“All in good time, love. Patience is a virtue that must be learned as it seems you are sadly lacking it.”

The Goblin King thought for a moment before languidly leaning forward to scoop up the necklace that had fallen into Sarah’s lap, careful not to touch the cold iron. Though his hands were gloved, the Goblin King could not pretend that he was not a bit wary of the metal. There were too many stories of those unlucky fae who had been subdued or even overcome by the thrice-damned influence of cold hard iron, and more than a few painful and uneasy memories of his own encounters with the substance.

“Lean forward,” said the Goblin King, holding out the necklace carefully by the ends of the white satin ribbon.

Sarah looked at him with more than a little distrust in her features.

“For goodness’ sake, you act like I’m going to choke you or something,” intoned the Goblin exasperatedly, throwing one hand up into the air in annoyance.

“Well,” replied Sarah offhandedly, “You are the Goblin King, after all. You have made it perfectly clear that I am to fear and loathe you.”

The Goblin King snorted, and gave her a level stare. Sarah sighed and leaned forward slightly.

The Goblin King brushed Sarah’s hair aside, the sensation sending a chill shiver down her spine. Sarah made a face. The Goblin King tied the white ribbon without comment, but did not back away once he was done.

He began to speak in a low voice, and the sound of magic crackled in the air once more, making Sarah tense up in anticipation of some new horror that was going to be inflicted upon her.

However, the Goblin King did not seem to be paying attention to her, not directly anyways, for his gaze had settled on the iron amulet that lay in the hollow of her throat. Sarah felt the amulet grow warm for a moment, before it returned rapidly to its heavy coolness once more.

A small smile lifted the corners of the Goblin King’s face as the magic flowed from his being, and he caught Sarah’s eyes and gave her the barest suggestion of a wink.

The Goblin King then tapped the iron amulet experimentally with the tip of one finger, the slightest bit of trepidation in his action. When nothing happened, he pulled one of his leather gloves off to try with his bare hand. He hesitated a fraction of an inch from the amulet before giving it a swift touch. His grin grew wider, and he placed his bare finger on the amulet once more, this time holding it there for several seconds. He let out a sharp bark of laughter.

Damn him. Thought Sarah, a little panicked. Her only good defense against the Goblin King was effectively neutralized. Why had Baba Tshilaba not warned her that the Goblin King could do that, or had she not known? Either way, this was indeed quite a bad turn of events for Sarah. Damn, damn, damn.

“I have never tried that before,” mused the Goblin King jovially, still enamored with his success, “Now what else was I going to do? Oh yes…”

The Goblin King then turned his attention to Sarah’s hands, and Sarah suddenly felt that invisible force that had been immobilizing her slither once more off of her wrists, freeing them. The Goblin King nodded once to Sarah and sat back in his seat. As he sat, still glowing from the outcome of his efforts, he flexed his bare fingers, looking at them with a pleased expression before tugging his leather glove on once more.

The Goblin King and Sarah lapsed into an uneasy silence. The air around them still thrummed with the aftereffects of the Goblin King’s anger and magic. They remained quiet for a long time, both looking away from the other, Sarah in a show of determined strength of will, and the Goblin King because of his own mental contemplation of his newest magical feat. The carriage rocked gently around them as it propelled them through the dark night to the Goblin Kingdom.

Sarah yawned. After a few more moments she yawned again. She could hardly contain them, try though she might to hide them. Her yawns did not go unnoticed. The Goblin King looked at her sharply, expecting yet another fight.

“Would you like the cloak back? I may be a bastard and a home wrecker and all that, but I would never dream of denying a young lady of her beauty sleep.” There were still traces of his magnificently expansive anger beneath his carefully chosen words.

“No thank you,” replied Sarah stiffly, gathering her pride around herself as a mantle instead. “I have no plans of sleeping, especially in your presence. I have heard far too many stories about the fae, and now I have stumbled into a fairy tale story of my own.”

“I am hurt,” said the Goblin King, placing a hand lightly over his heart, “Do you not trust me?” A wicked light gleamed in his eyes.

“I regret to inform you that I do not trust you, nor, I am afraid to say, will I ever trust you. You had better get used to your hurt feelings, Goblin King. I will show you just the same about of pity that you have shown me, and that is to say: absolutely none at all.”

“Very well,” said the Goblin King, a little of the humor draining from his voice as he spoke, “You would do well to remember this moment for future reference. However much it may pain you to do so, there may come a time when you ask me to show pity, and I will take this predilection of yours into account. You had best learn now that not everything is as it seems to be in my kingdom. Human logic will not be beneficial to you here.”

“I have already asked for your pity once this night, your highness, and you decided to refuse my request. I have no doubts that you will always refuse me thusly.” Sarah said coolly, feeling a second wind of energy coming on from her emotions. That or she was growing steadily more delusional and she just thought that she was saying clever things. They had better get to the Goblin Kingdom soon, or else Sarah would dig herself even deeper into the Goblin King’s bad graces. Perhaps she should stop while she was ahead before she said something that she would regret later. Perhaps she should have done that a long time ago.

The Goblin King merely let out a frustrated sigh at her audacious statement, crossed his arms, and looked resolutely out his window, away from Sarah. This seemed to be a recurring theme in their carriage ride.

Ha! Sarah reveled in her successful battle to silence the Goblin King. I can parry your every verbal thrust with ease! Nothing more to say, milord? No scathing comments or lightly veiled threats? What a pity. Now you see I am just as clever as you. I refuse to be cast as the damsel in distress in opposition to your dastardly villain. You have taken me away from everything and everyone I know and love, and that makes me stronger than you know. This hereditary curse will stop with me, make no mistake. Once you are through with me, Goblin King, you will be battered, broken, and beaten. My will is as strong as yours. I will bring you and your kingdom down from the inside, just you wait and see, I shall do it.

Sarah sat, thinking happily of all the ways she could make the Goblin King regret every thing he had ever done to her family, making plan after plan of how she was going to accomplish such a feat.

Soon, however, her thoughts began to drift off into incoherence, as she was lulled into a trance by the steady rocking of the carriage. Once or twice, Sarah caught herself closing her eyes, but jerked them open when she realized what she was doing. She must not sleep. She did not trust the Goblin King.

She could not quite explain it, but it felt as though she were being lured into sleep by some incorporeal force, and she vaguely wondered if this was the Goblin King’s doing. Of course it must be, who else would or could accomplish such a thing. Sarah tried to stir herself into alertness, but it did not work, in fact, it seemed to make her lethargy worsen. She blinked a few times, and slowly raised one leaden arm to rub at her eyes.

The Goblin King began to hum quietly then, carefully averting his eyes from Sarah’s accusing looks. Sarah shook her head, as though she was trying to shake the sound from her ears. She blinked more slowly, her eyelids growing heavier with fatigue.

Sarah knew she had lost the battle when the Goblin King’s humming turned into a low song, the air growing thick with the scent of magic once more. Sarah sighed heavily, trying to concede herself to defeat.

The last thing Sarah remembered was peeking her eyes open to look blearily at the Goblin King, who had reached across to drape his cloak over her once more. The heavy warmth felt nice. Damn you, Goblin King, Sarah thought, her mind hazy with the effects of the magic. Sarah instinctively clutched the cloak closer and let her eyes drift shut once more, her mind slowing to a low buzz as she succumbed to a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIVE

A Cloak of Folly

“Let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy!

For he is very wise, and weighs all things to a nicety

in the scales of his malice.

But the only measure he knows is desire, desire for power;

And so he judges all hearts.

Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it,

that having the Ring, we make seek to destroy it.

If we seek this, we shall put him out of his reckoning.

-Gandalf, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”

The pale yellow sunlight streamed through the tall mullioned windows, bathing Sarah in a warm glow. She snuggled beneath the warm covers, thinking hazily that she should try to sleep some more. Her mother had not come to wake her, which was rare. She was not usually allowed to sleep so late into the day. Her father always scolded her lightly whenever she overslept, telling her that she had missed the best part of the day, that the day was already half over with by the time she rolled from bed.

Sarah sighed and pulled the covers up higher, tucking them beneath her chin, fully intending to sleep for as long as she could. She could not remember why, but she was so dreadfully tired. What had she been doing last night? It had tired her out.

She dozed for a while longer, drifting lazily in and out of wakefulness. After her desire for sleep had been sated, Sarah began to try to encourage herself to get out of bed.

She yawned and stretched, cracking open one eyelid so as to not be blinded by the brilliant light that permeated the room. She closed her eye again, trying to will herself to open them and get out of bed, never mind how comfortable she was at the moment.

Her eyes flashed open, blinking rapidly at the bright sunlight. She was not at home.

The pale yellow stone walls were quite a bit larger and more roughly hewn that the warm grey stone bricks that made up the Guillemin castle. She struggled to sit up, fighting against the heavy bed coverings. She was still wearing her dress from last night, which was a rumpled mess. How on earth did she get here, and where exactly was ‘here?’

A knock sounded suddenly on the heavily carved oak door to the room, and Sarah jumped, turning to look inquisitively at the door, bewildered and a bit apprehensive.

Her memories all came back to her in a flash as the person stepped through the door and into the room.

The unexpected visitor; the revelation of his true nature; the reminder of the curse; Sarah’s choice; her journey through the wood; and her confrontations with the Goblin King during the carriage ride last night.

Sarah’s hand flew to her throat, touching the amulet, her one protection. Then, with a sinking feeling, Sarah remembered that the Goblin King had decided to neutralize the iron’s effects last night, effectively eliminating her one solid defense against fae-kind.

The Goblin King strode through the door, as bold as brass, smiling brilliantly at Sarah’s bewildered expression. He watched delightedly as the confused expression slid quickly from Sarah’s face, quickly replaced by shock and horror, which quickly settled on unbridled wrath. He leaned up against the doorframe and crossed his arms, content to watch her splutter and gather up her discombobulated memories from a safe distance. Sarah stared at him at the memories clicked into place slowly, one by one, and he waved his fingers at her.

“Yes, ‘tis I, the dreaded Goblin King, Keeper of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Dark Wood,

Protector of the Realm, et cetera, et cetera and et cetera. I stole you away last night, remember?”

Sarah angrily flung a pillow at him, which landed with a soft plop a few feet to the left of the Goblin King.

“That was…quite ferocious, I will admit. I am properly terrified right now,” said the Goblin King in a droll voice. The bastard did not even have the good grace to pretend to flinch.

Sarah grumbled dispassionately and burrowed her head beneath her remaining pillows. A muffled voice emanated from beneath the fluffy pile, determined and perhaps a little bit pleading.

“You are not real, this is just a dream, this cannot possibly be real…”

“A bit slow this morning, eh?” called the Goblin King from his perch in the doorway, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Where am I? What happened last night?” growled Sarah as more memories clunked into place, deciding to unbury her head from the mound of pillows.

“You fell asleep last night in the carriage, poor dear,” said the Goblin King in a tone that Sarah thought was supposed to be innocence, were it not for the fact that it was the Goblin King who was uttering the words. Instead, his words sounded diabolically mischievous, just like every other thing he ever did or said.

“And of course you did nothing to help that along, did you?” asked Sarah sarcastically, raising an eyebrow of her own. The Goblin King shrugged in an expansive, blasé movement. Sarah narrowed her eyes as she correctly interpreted the Goblin King’s nonchalance.

The Goblin King’s humorous visage grew a little more serious. “I could not have you knowing where exactly my kingdom is. It has been a closely guarded secret ere you were born and it shall remain so long after you are dead. There are other reasons as well, but seeing as I am king of this castle, I do not have to share them with you.”

“Why can I not know where this castle is?” asked Sarah, truly curious, “If any human happened to find your castle, you have an army of goblins and unfathomable magical capabilities. It would be a simple thing for you to take care of them, no problem.” She snapped her fingers, demonstrating how easy she thought it would be.

“I am touched that you think so highly of my prowess, but as I said before, I cannot tell you my raisons d'être. That is for me to know and for you to figure out on your own, if you are clever enough.” The Goblin King raised an eyebrow mockingly, as if he doubted that Sarah would be able to puzzle out his incredibly vague riddle. “Now if you would be so kind as to make yourself presentable, we shall go downstairs for lunch. There is a washbasin over there, and a change of clothes, if you wish. I shall wait for you outside.” He bent over in a sort of half-bow, and then exited the room as suddenly as he had entered.

Sarah watched as the door swung shut with a click, and waited a few moments, listening to the Goblin King’s retreating footsteps before detangling herself from the covers to crawl out of bed. Sarah realized that she was still partially wrapped up in the Goblin King’s cloak, and she recoiled slightly. She vaguely remembered the Goblin King draping it over her just before she was magically put to sleep. She wrestled with the cloak for a moment, which was tangled up in her skirts and in the bedclothes, but after a few more moments, she was freed of the piece of black wool. She threw the cloak derisively on the floor, and crawled out of bed, taking care to tread over it several times as the got ready. She smelled like him now.

Sarah walked over to the washbasin and splashed some water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror, assessing the damage. Her auburn hair was a wild mess, elf-knots tangled liberally through her riotous mane. There were great dark circles under her eyes, and she appeared to be paler than normal. Sarah poked at the dark, bruise-like spots under her eyes and sighed. She washed her face and did her best to tame her hair, raking through the mess with her fingers. Sarah walked over to the chair over which a dress had been carefully laid, and she gave a little laugh. It was pretty enough, but the style of the dress was woefully antiquated. What’s more, Sarah would be hard pressed to get into the dress by herself. She would most certainly not be asking the Goblin King for help lacing up a dress. If only her mother, always regarded as quite the expert on the latest court fashions, could see this dress, she would die of laughter.

A pang stole through Sarah’s heart at the thought of her family, she quickly pushed the thought away, trying to avoid breaking down. She failed, as memories of her parents’ and her brother’s faces swam into her mind, blurring her vision as silent tears traced wet paths down her cheeks. Sarah gripped the sides of the small table the washbasin sat on and tried to steady herself as a few tears dropped from her cheeks and landed with a soft plink in the water of the washbasin. Sarah wiped her eyes unceremoniously with the back of her hand and looked up once more into the mirror, laughing harshly as she saw her reflection. Now, in addition to having black circles under her eyes, she now had tear-stained eyes. She looked quite fit to be having lunch with the Goblin King, that was for sure.

Sarah splashed her face with water once more, trying to alleviate the worst of her problems, brushed back her long hair, and snorted again at the clothes that had been laid out. She tried smoothing out the worst of the wrinkles that had settled into the dress she was wearing, and gave up after none budged. This was the best that the Goblin King was going to get: a rumpled, weepy girl who looked as though she had been without sleep for about a week straight. It was his fault, so he had better have the good grace not to complain.

Sarah gathered up all of the valor that she still possessed, and strode regally to the door, opening it and descending down the stairs. She met the Goblin King about half-way down the staircase. He was sitting on a step, one leg stretched out across it while his other was bent to support his elbow, a gloved hand propping up his chin. He seemed to be lost in thought, but looked up when he heard Sarah approaching, and stood, brushing the non-existent dust off of his pristine clothes. Sarah felt quite like the Ugly Duckling at the moment, in her unkempt and tearstained state. It was just not fair. Her one consolation was that she was standing a few steps higher than the Goblin King, thereby erasing some of the power that he had over her from just his height. It gave her the little boost of confidence that she desperately needed at the moment.

“Are you ready?” asked the Goblin King, proffering an arm.

The gesture reminded Sarah irresistibly of his attempt at the same civility last evening, and she ignored it just as she had last night. Was it really only last night? It seemed like that happened ages ago.

The Goblin King’s pleasant façade darkened just a bit, and he suddenly reached out a hand and grabbed Sarah’s hand, pressing it firmly into the crook of his arm and holding it there. He looked at her challengingly as Sarah struggled to free her hand, and she stared back just as rebelliously.

“Sarah…” said the Goblin King warningly, trailing off.

Sarah exhaled contemptuously and gave in. She would rather walk down the steps of her own free will instead of being carried down over the Goblin King’s shoulder, kicking and screaming. You win this fight, Goblin King.

They made their way silently down the rest of the stairs, which ended in a sort of foyer, off which other staircases stemmed, except for one side, which extended into a hallway. Everything in the castle had a distinct air of foreignness to it, with more than a few hints at their magical origin. It was clear that the Goblin King had lived in the castle for a long time for it bore the mark of having held the same occupant for some long stretch of time. The décor was a mishmash of styles Sarah recognized, from the present to the past, and styles that Sarah, try though she might, could not place. It was as though the Goblin King was a giant magpie, collecting all sorts of shiny and interesting things from a myriad of cultures throughout time and space and storing them neatly in his castle.

They moved wordlessly throughout the halls, turning this way and that, until Sarah was quite convinced that they were lost. Or, at least, she was hopelessly lost. She would most certainly be unable to find her way back to the room where she had slept the night before.

After a few more minutes of corridors and passageways, they passed through a set of ornate double doors into what was certainly the great hall. Torches lined both sides of the long hall, and on the far side, opposite of the doors, the wall was devoted entirely to an intricately designed stained glass window, spanning from floor to ceiling.

A long table ran the length of the hall, populated with high-backed wooden chairs. Two places had been set at the far end of the table, and a mass of heavily laden dishes crowded that end of the table. Sarah’s stomach grumbled loudly, and the Goblin King glanced down at her, amusement lifting the corners of his mouth. Sarah felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment. She had not realized how hungry she was until she saw the spread that was laid out before her.

Sarah decided that she was too hungry to fight the Goblin King when he pulled out her chair for her. She would resist him some other time when she was not quite so hungry.

They ate quietly. Sarah was too engrossed in filling her empty belly to pay much attention to conversation, and obviously the Goblin King had other things on his mind right now than polite small talk.

After Sarah had been eating for a few minutes, she suddenly remembered an old story about goblins and their food. It was said that if you happened to stray into the fairy land, you must never eat or drink anything offered to you, lest you be trapped in the magical realm forevermore.

She looked down guiltily at her half empty plate. She was already damned to be the Goblin Queen due to the curse. Now she was certainly never going to escape the Goblin King, if the old wives tales about goblin food were true. Besides, who knew if this counted, as it was the Goblin King’s food, not the goblins’ food? Or perhaps it was twice as incriminating as it was the goblins’ monarch that had provided the food. Sarah became lost in thought, trying to reason out all of the ramifications of eating goblin food.

The Goblin King noticed that Sarah had stopped eating, watching with amusement as her thought process was played out plainly on her face. He waited to see if she was going to say anything.

Sarah decided that since she had already imbibed copious amounts of goblin food in the past few minutes without any ill affects, she would just go ahead and finish eating. She was under a curse, and anyways, what did it matter if she just piled another inconvenience on top of the first? She resumed eating, and after a few more moments of silent contemplation, so did the Goblin King.

Later, once both Sarah and the Goblin King had eaten their fill, the Goblin King stood, and suggested that he take Sarah on a little tour around the castle and a bit of the grounds, and perhaps they would go to the Goblin City as well. Sarah resigned herself once more to being led around arm in arm by the Goblin King, deciding that this was one battle she would just have to concede defeat.

They strolled aimlessly through the large complex, the Goblin King pointing out architectural focal points or explaining the long-winded story behind some painting of a battle or magical monarch. Sarah listened half heartedly, murmuring the appropriate response every now and then, catching snippets here and there of what the Goblin King was saying. Most of her brainpower was dedicated to trying to remember the layout of the castle, and attempting to concoct escape schemes. Surely there was some loophole in the curse that would allow her to escape unscathed and keep her family from being tormented by the Goblin King’s wrath. There had to be something. Some fae were careful to make sure that no loopholes or escapes were left for their curses, their advanced age and superior intellect closing every gap and smoothing out every kink.

Some fae like the Goblin King, however, would revel in the thrill of leaving a loophole to test and tease the recipients of their curse. It would give them something to taunt their victims about, other than the curse itself, and it would be a perfect opportunity for ever more mischief. Surely the Goblin King would be among those fae, he would delight in flaunting the opportunity of escape in front of Sarah’s nose. He would think that he had hidden it carefully and made sure that it would be so precise and constrained that it would be nigh impossible to find or act upon. Sarah must unearth the loophole and use it to earn her freedom and the freedom of her family. She would do all that she could to try to break this curse.

Sarah brought her mind back to the excursion through the Goblin King’s castle, as the Goblin King was leading her through some new hallways, and down a set of stairs Sarah did not remember seeing before. The Goblin King opened the door with a flourish. The bright light that streamed in through the opening temporarily blinded Sarah as they stepped through the doorway. They moved out onto a sort of terrace that overlooked the palace property.

They were underground. When Sarah’s eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she amended her statement. They were not quite underground, not really. They seemed to be inside a mountain whose top had been removed to let in copious amounts of sunlight, and whose insides had been hollowed out. The more Sarah looked, the more it seemed as though the palace had been carved from the insides of the mountain in one large piece. It was a little disconcerting. How long had it taken to achieve such a feat? Or perhaps, had it been encouraged to develop this way by magic? Either way, Sarah felt her heart sink. How would she be able to find her way out of a mountain? It just was not fair. Fate seemed to be continually conspiring against her lately.

She felt, rather than saw, the Goblin King’s eyes fall on her, taking in her dismayed expression with some pleasure.

“Surprise” he said, a hint of amusement coloring his tone.

Sarah did not deign to respond, still thinking furiously about all the escape plans she now had to discard, and wondering how the hell she could revise them to account for this huge hitch in her plots.

The Goblin King placed her hand in the crook of his arm once more and continued the tour. This time, Sarah was listening raptly to every word he uttered, ready to pick up on any hints he dropped or anything that she could use to her advantage.

They walked to the edge of the terrace and looked over the edge, down towards the palace grounds far below. There were gardens, orchards, fountains, walkways, and things that Sarah could not see from her perch. There was also what looked like a wooded area at the edge of the grounds, spreading out into the gloomy edges of the vast cavern. It was so strange. It did not seem possible that the light that warmed Sarah’s skin and clearly lit a great part of the cavern could come from just the hole at the top of the mountain, but there it was, clear as day in front of her. What on earth could she expect, she was in a place of magic.Magic was also probably the catalyst that allowed the garden to be filled with all sorts of flora and fauna that could not have existed in the gloom otherwise. It made her head ache.

The Goblin King pointed to the far end of the cavern that disappeared into the gloom. There were tiny pinpricks of light that illuminated something that Sarah could not quite make out.

“The Goblin City lies in that direction, through a series of rock tunnels and caverns,” said the Goblin King, clearly enjoying the fact that he had someone to show around and exhibit his expansive domain to.

“Let me guess, to get out, you have to pass through the Goblin City?” asked Sarah dully, not really expecting her query to be answered.

“Perhaps,” demurred the Goblin King, with an elegant shrug of his shoulders. He looked at Sarah, studying her intently, “So, what do you think of my kingdom thus far, Sarah?”

“Well,” she replied, looking out over the cavern, “It is a kingdom, I suppose.” The Goblin King let out a sharp bark of laughter at her response.

“Would you like to know to how escape?” the Goblin King asked in a deceptively casual voice, laughing jovially at the keenly shocked expression that suddenly overcame Sarah’s features.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIX

Blessed With My Curse

"So I bless you with my curse,

And encourage your endeavor.

You’ll be better when you’re worse.

You must die to live forever.

I will show you the depths of the night,

We can never go wrong.

Together we can take it

To the end of the line,

My eyes are like a shadow on you…

And since I know all your dreams,

I understand what you need.

And when I call you,

You must go where I lead.

Your dreams are so hungry,

It’s time now to feed.”

-“Gott ist Tot” (“Original Sin”) from Jim Steinman’s musical “Tanz der Vampire”

Sarah merely stared at the Goblin King for a few moments, trying in vain to gather her suddenly scattered thoughts. No words would spring to her lips. Was this just her mind playing tricks on her? Had the Goblin King really said what she thought he had?

“I-I…what?” asked Sarah, utterly confused at this bizarre turn of events.

“I merely wanted to know if you would like to learn how to escape?” asked the Goblin King, his innocent look not quite reaching his eyes, which were full of mischief, and naturally, a craftiness that was inherent in all fae.

They made their way down from the terrace, descending into the garden. They walked along the dappled paths until they found a place to sit and talk, a carved stone bench which sat next to a glassy pond. Sarah sat down without comment, still trying to untangle her thoughts. Why was everything so much more confusing around the Goblin King?

“I thought the whole point of this curse was to take me away from my home, my family, and everything that I have ever known, and keep me here forever. Had a sudden change of heart, Goblin King? Arguing forever no longer holds its appeal?”

The Goblin King snorted derisively. “That would not be very sporting, would it? It is ‘not fair’ as you would say. There are always caveats to such things. If there were not, one could not get up to such delightful mischief. Do you wish to know how to escape me? ‘Say your right words.” He smiled impishly at his own words.

“Yes, but…” Sarah remained unconvinced. Surely this was some kind of cruel trick that the Goblin King was employing to unbalance her and give him yet more power over her.

“Do you not remember what I said, how I worded the curse? You say you know the story, but it seems as though you do not know it at all. It is your hereditary curse.” The Goblin King spoke in a mock-heavy voice, seeming as though this was very trying for him, when in fact, he delighted even more in knowing far more than Sarah. Such was the advantage of being an eons-old fae monarch. How could a simple human possibly hope to match him?

Sarah, in return, glared at the Goblin King. She wanted him to get to the meat of the matter: what it would take for her to escape. He clearly enjoyed dragging this out as much as possible and delighted in mocking her mercilessly at every step.

The Goblin King continued in his torment, as blasé as a fae could possibly be when talking about a several hundred-year-old curse that he had cast in a fit of resentful rage. Especially since it was a curse that concerned the future of the young woman standing in front of him.

“Let me remind you: ‘And yet, after your grandchildren are dead, and yea after their grandchildren are dead as well, I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter. I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer. For all eternity, your descendants will curse your name,’ et cetera, et cetera and et cetera. I shall test you. I would not want to take just anyone as my Goblin Queen. My Goblin Queen must be my equal, worthy of my affections, and steadfast. I had thought I had met my equal in your ancestor. I had never met her prior to our fateful night, but I had watched her, and against my better judgment, I began to grow very fond of her. She was headstrong and steadfast, much as you are, and she was not afraid of facing the unknown. I should have recognized that when she tried to wish away her sibling that she was cruel. and unfit to be my consort. It was a hard thing for me to realize that she was not my equal, she was far from that, she was as all humans are down at the core: selfish and unkind. It was a mistake to grant her the power to summon me. It is not funny how things are always so much clearer after you have done them? How things that seemed to be the right choice at the time are quite often the wrong one afterwards? Fate is fickle like that…”

The Goblin King fell deep into thought, and his countenance seemed to be a little bit remorseful. Sarah was a little shocked that the Goblin King was telling her such things. It was as if the carefully mischievous façade that he had fashioned had fallen and revealed the true fae beneath it. She could not even find it in herself to rile up her emotions to defend humankind. Some part of her knew deep down that his assessment was right. She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He was so alien, and his radical changes of emotion and way of seeing things were so foreign to her. He had seen things that she could neither comprehend nor imagine, and he had lived and loved so fiercely. She began to recognize just a little of what it was like to be fae. To have seen and done so much, and to have the power to inflict great change would be a great and terrible responsibility. It seemed both a blessing and a curse. What would you live for when you lived for so long, and with few who could challenge you physically, magically, or mentally?

The Goblin King looked sharply at her, his face darkening as he beheld her sympathetic expression. He stood sharply, towering above Sarah, who sat stock still on the bench, a little shocked at the Goblin King’s sudden emotional upheaval.

“Do not presume to pity me, human.” His voice was suddenly cold. “I am telling you what you should know to brave the trials and tribulations that you shall soon face. If I speak more freely than I should, it is because I have been without somewhat intelligent companionship for a long while, and I want you to understand my position. I want you to know why and how I selected and why I chose to act as I did. You cannot impose the thought and morals of humans upon me for I am not human, nor have I ever been, similar though we may look.”

Sarah sat stiffly, uncomfortable with this sudden change in the Goblin King’s demeanor. She was loath to admit it, but she had been thinking some of those very things. It was so hard to accept that Goblin King was real, though he stood before her very eyes. She had thought of him for so long as fantasy, as a thing of the past, that she could not grip the veracity of his existence.

The Goblin King started to pace steady circles around the bench where he and Sarah had settled, his hands grasped behind his back. He continued to speak.

“To win back your freedom, you must run solve Labyrinth. I will take you far from here, to the borders of my kingdom. You shall be further away from your old home than you are at the present. Even if you were near to your home, you would not be able to go back through the stone passage to your world. Only I can open the way. You shall have to find your way through the wood to my Labyrinth, pass through the Goblin City, and make your way here, back to my castle in three days time to earn your freedom. If you fail to complete this task, your fate will remain unchanged and you shall stay here forevermore ruling as Goblin Queen. If you should successfully run the Labyrinth in the allotted time, pass unscathed through the Goblin City, and reach my castle in time, I shall return you to your world, and your family shall be safe from the curse.”

“Additionally, as I know that this has probably already popped in to that pretty little head of yours, no, there is no way that you can deliberately fail. Try to run away or cheat me in some way, and I shall visit your family in recompense. Who knows what I might do to them? I am, after all, the Goblin King, and am capable of unspeakable revenge.” He arched and eyebrow at Sarah, as if daring her to protest this caveat.

“You need not take this path, however, it is your choice. It certainly will not be an easy journey, not in the slightest. Your hardships will be many and your hope will be all but extinguished. The chances of you returning victoriously from this expedition are slim at best.”

Sarah said nothing. What was the Goblin King playing at? He offered her a chance at escape so freely, and yet now he was trying to dissuade her from choosing this path. What was his ulterior motive?

“Why take all the trouble when there is so little chance of reward?” asked the Goblin King silkily, pacing slowly around the bench where Sarah sat, mentally weighing her options. “You know in your heart that either way will lead inexorably to me. You cannot possibly hope to outwit me and my Labyrinth. Fate binds us together, you and I.”

“Are you trying to dissuade me from running the Labyrinth, Goblin King? What is it that you are trying to achieve?” asked Sarah cautiously. She did not know the rules of the Goblin King’s game, and yet she found that she had been thrust into the game never the less.

“I am merely pointing out the obvious, my dear, and that you have little chance of success. Why not just accept your inevitable fate, Sarah?” He stopped behind her, set his hands lightly on her shoulders and bent down to say his next words. “Turn back Sarah, turn back before it’s too late.” His breath tickled her ear.

“Never.” Sarah’s mouth set into a hard line, determined to oppose the Goblin King, no matter what it took.

“Never is an awfully long time, Sarah. Can you say for certain that your thoughts will never ever change on the matter? If so, I envy you for knowing your future so well. It must be simultaneously a greatly advantageous gift and a heavy burden. I think that this is not the case, however. I think that you are just saying this to displease me. I congratulate you on your success at this.”

“If I win, will the curse be broken forever? Will you never again steal Guillemin children?” asked Sarah suddenly, a small ray of hope lighting her thoughts. She could end the misery of the Guillemin dynasty for all time and save her own descendants from having to live through the same pain that the ancestral Guillemin had. She could right the wrongs of so many years ago and escape the Goblin King in the same fell swoop. It was her only hope.

“Yes, the curse will be fulfilled if you win.” The Goblin King seemed quite sure that Sarah would not and could never solve his Labyrinth. It unnerved her. What lay within the walls of the Labyrinth that was so terrible that Sarah would be unable to complete this task? There must be some way that she could win.

“Then it is no choice. I must run the Labyrinth. If there is any chance, any small chance at all that I can end your horrible curse, I must do it!” Sarah cried out passionately, turning to face the Goblin King, who returned her look with a strange cast to his face.

“Oh, Sarah,” mused the Goblin King humorlessly, straightening up and resuming his slow circuit around the bench. “Always the martyr, are we? How tiring that must be. Even so, it seems as though you revel in playing the part! Do you not wish to be able to take the easy path through life every now and again? Give the hard decisions to another and chose to live in blissful ignorance?”

“I could think of nothing else that would be more repugnant,” said Sarah contemptuously, standing and raising her chin proudly, “I will be the one who shapes my own destiny, fate be damned. I will run the Labyrinth and defeat you for once and for all. I will rid my family of your foul influence and win my freedom come hell or high water. I shall do it, and you will be bereft of both victims and a Goblin Queen. No longer shall this curse haunt my steps. For my freedom and for the freedom of my family line, I shall prevail. And you, Goblin King, there this nothing that you can do to stop me. I am stronger than you think, and even all the horrors in your Labyrinth could not dissuade me from accomplishing this.” Sarah’s face felt hot from the intensity of her words. She could not back down, not now that there was even the smallest chance of earning so much in one fell swoop. She could not let the Goblin King win. She would not allow him the vengeful triumph of besting her and her family once more.

“Are you quite sure about that? You seem so certain of your success. I wonder…” He stopped for a moment to look at Sarah appraisingly before continuing. “What if you cannot finish the Labyrinth, what if you lose heart or get hopelessly off course or…” the Goblin King stopped suddenly, and a cruel smile played across his features. “I should just let you find out, shall I? No need spoiling the surprise unnecessarily. It would be ungentlemanly of me.”

Sarah snorted in disgust. Not only should she try her damndest to win to free herself and her family, but Sarah was also certain that if she had to spend an eternity with the Goblin King, she would end up killing him. She imagined striking the smug look off of his face, and she adopted a pernicious grin of her own, mirroring the Goblin King’s smile. Interacting with the Goblin King on a daily basis would be stressful on the best of days, and tediously deadly on the worst.

“When I solve the Labyrinth and pass through the Goblin City, where in the castle am I supposed to go to win?”

“If you make your way through,” corrected the Goblin King impishly, trying to get a rise out of Sarah.

“When I most certainly solve your Labyrinth and raze your Goblin City with ease and arrive at the castle to defeat you once and for all.” Sarah emphasized, trying and failing to control her temper. Sarah did not want to argue with the Goblin King even more, but she could not help it.

The Goblin King laughed and smiled indulgently at Sarah.

“Fine, when you vanquish all your obstacles and arrive here at the palace three days hence, you must find your way to me. How about the throne room?”

“Fantastic,” said Sarah without enthusiasm, “And will I be shown where the throne room is or will I have to find it myself?”

“I think you can already guess the answer to that question, hmm?” said the Goblin King simply, feigning innocence. It was infuriating the way he acted like, well, a mischievous, beguiling fae.

Sarah gritted her teeth and fought back against the stream of angry words that rose to her throat. It was as though the Goblin King was put on this earth for the sole purpose of tormenting her and trying her patience. It was unfair. That was fate, in a nutshell. Unfair.

“I presume that there are more rules to this game of yours,” said Sarah in a dangerously sweet voice, trying to put the Goblin King off of his game, even just a little. She succeeded, reveling in her victory as the spiteful grin on the Goblin King’s face diminished just a shade to a look of malignant mirth. She was quickly learning how to fight back against the Goblin King, and he had best beware, lest he end up losing to her human prowess. He had warned her about not underestimating his fae nature; he had best take his own advice and not neglect to take heed of her humanity.

“Indeed there are,” replied the Goblin King placidly, taking a seat once more on the stone bench. He lightly patted the empty space next to him on the bench, indicating that Sarah should sit down once more. Tentatively, Sarah sat down as well.

“As I am sure you have noticed, things are not always what they seem in this place. The same goes for my Labyrinth. Forget everything you know about the human world, as it will not help you there. Firstly, do not try to cheat the Labyrinth or its inhabitants. Their logic and reasoning is vastly different from yours, and you will most likely end up digging yourself into deeper trouble if you try to apply your standards to a situation involving a Labyrinth-dweller. The Labyrinth has a sort of consciousness of its own, and it will not be kind to you if it perceives that you are trying to make your way through in a deceptive manner. Secondly, sometimes the way forward is also the way back. It is best if I leave that little bit of advice at that. Thirdly, do not stray from the path. I cannot guarantee that all my subjects are a kind a I.” He ignored Sarah as she made a small sound of skepticism and continued to lay out the rules.

“Do not try to mark your way or leave a trail. It will not prove useful, nor shall it be permitted. The Labyrinth has a way of turning you around, marks or no marks. The marks you leave may not be there when you look again, or they may be changed. Fourthly, some ways you tread will be only one way. Be wary of this, and make your directional choices wisely.”

“And lastly, do not die. It would be most inconvenient, and I can dare say that you would not like it terribly much.”

He grinned at her and cocked his head to the side inquisitively. “Would you still like to try to solve my labyrinth?”

“Sounds like a piece of cake,” said Sarah bluntly, throwing back her shoulders in an attempt to radiate confidence and nonchalance. “Is that the best that you have got?”

The Goblin King laughed extensively. “Oh Sarah, what bravado you have! I almost want to deny you the chance of running the Labyrinth just so I do not risk losing you. What fun you are! I cannot wait to say ‘I told you so,’ when I come to collect you from the vast incomprehensibility of the Labyrinth three days hence. It shall be wonderful having you as a companion. How young and naïve you are. How very human. So full of willful ignorance.” He grinned at her. “You know nothing.”

“I guess that I will have to learn, then,” said Sarah, still keeping up her air of haughty confidence.

The Goblin King said nothing, unconvinced, and merely nodded his head once in acknowledgment of her declaration.

“Is there anything there in the Labyrinth that would seek to harm me?

“No, not unless you make it angry or annoyed,” said the Goblin King, looking pointedly at Sarah.

“Wonderful. So, ‘yes,’ essentially?” said Sarah sarcastically, rubbing her brow in consternation.

“Essentially,” answered the Goblin King, without much mirth.

“Are you in control of everything that happens in the Labyrinth, or do you merely just influence it as a sort of warden? Does everything in there follow your rule?” Sarah suddenly felt a little frightened. She had not really counted on there being conscious beings in the Labyrinth, other than the occasional small furry animal or song bird. Now that she knew that there would be other magical entities in there with her, she began to doubt her own valor. “Can anything get in the Labyrinth that is not supposed to be there? What kind of creatures will there be? Will I be able to defend myself if the need presents itself?” Sarah had begun to babble, her nervousness breaking down her brave façade brick by brick.

“Having second thoughts, are we?” asked the Goblin King, peering down at Sarah with a curious expression.

“Not a chance. I merely want to have all the advantages I can for my journey. Know everything that there is to know about my enemy. Gain the tactical advantage,” replied Sarah in a slightly strained voice. She had aimed to sound blasé, but her bravado somehow got lost as it passed the lump in her throat.

“I cannot tell you exactly what you shall find in my Labyrinth,” replied the Goblin King, “but I can assure you that I know everything that happens in my Labyrinth. There is no reason to be afraid for your life, for the most part.”

“For the most part?” asked Sarah a little uneasily. She should probably just stop asking questions and assume the worst. It seemed as though she would have to bring a weapon into the Labyrinth with her. Would the Goblin King give her one? Sarah was not so sure. As helpful as he was being, Sarah was sure that there was much that the Goblin King was neglecting to say. He would not give her such an advantage that was for sure. As he had said, things were not what they seemed in this place. He wanted to win just as much as she.

“Spoilers,” teased the Goblin King, his teeth glinting with a wicked smile. “I cannot have you knowing everything before you have even began. It would be vastly unfair to this poor old Goblin King. Why not leave the rest to chance? You will find out soon enough.”

Sarah gritted her teeth. She would be glad to start her adventure through the Labyrinth, if only to escape from the Goblin King for a few precious days. She had to win. If she was annoyed by his presence after less than twenty four hours, then she would most certainly be unable to spend an eternity with him.

Another critically important question popped into Sarah’s head. Hopefully the Goblin King would deign to answer it without any snark.

“Do I get any supplies for my journey, or shall I have to make do with the clothes on my back?”

“Of course,” said the Goblin King easily, as if she should have known that he would provide such items for her, “I am not so cruel as that.”

“I should hope not,” replied Sarah, trying to refrain from rolling her eyes. It was becoming a bad habit of hers.

“Is that everything you need to know? Have I sated your thirst for knowledge? I can think of nothing else that you should need to know. You are starting your journey quite well equipped, much more well equipped than others who have attempted to solve my Labyrinth. Do not take that for granted.”

By then, the shadows that had been steadily creeping across the landscape as the sun passed in its slow circuit through the sky had reached the bench, the Goblin King and Sarah sitting in semi-darkness.

The Goblin King seemed aware of his surroundings for the first time since they sat down. He looked curiously up at the small patch of sky visible through the mountaintop, and seemed to let out a little sigh. If it was a sigh of relief or regret, Sarah did not know. The Goblin King was so mercurial that it was hard to keep up with his fae moods. It was tiring at best.

The Goblin King stood, holding out his hand to assist Sarah to her feet, tucking her hand in the crook of his arm as he had been doing all afternoon.

“I did not realize how late it had gotten. Time seems to have eluded me this afternoon. It is past time for us to go back to the castle. Dinner is to be served in not too long, and I should think that you would like some time to refresh yourself before then.”

Sarah said nothing, letting the Goblin King lead her back up the marble steps to the castle. She concentrated once more on remembering the paths they took through the castle, trying to mentally map its layout so that once she (hopefully) solved the Labyrinth, and journeyed through the Goblin City, she would be able to find her way through the castle. It would not do if she were able to find her way to the castle and then be unable to navigate the corridors of the castle to the Goblin King. She peered into every dark doorway they passed, hoping to find the throne room. She would take any and all assistance she could get, and knowing how to find the throne room would be greatly advantageous. Unfortunately, she was unable to discern much of the shadowy rooms. Perhaps later she could look around and find the throne room and find an entrance to the castle from there.

They made their way back up to the room where Sarah had found herself that morning, and the Goblin King left her there, bowing slightly and saying a few words.

“I have arranged for a tub and hot water to be brought up so that you may refresh yourself before dinner if you wish. There is also a fresh change of clothes as well. I shall be back to fetch you in an hour so that we may go to dinner.” He turned and left.

Sarah stared blankly after him. How did he arrange all that? He had not spoken to any servants or talked to anyone other than Sarah since this morning. She shook her head and pushed the door open to her room. Lo and behold, a large copper tub sat in the room, filled with steaming water.

Once more, Sarah wondered how the Goblin King arranged for this, and then gave up, deciding that the Goblin King was an enigma that she did not wish to disentangle. She had more pressing puzzles to solve. She did not have the time to unriddle such a man.

Sarah was tempted to defy the Goblin King’s wishes, fast becoming a favorite pastime of hers, and going to dinner just as she was, dirty, rumpled and bedraggled. The steaming copper tub caught her eye, however, and she chalked up another victory to the Goblin King. It would be nice to wash off the dirt and grime of the past twenty-four hours and to put on fresh clothes.

Some time later, after the bath water was quite cold. Sarah decided to get out of the tub and get dressed for dinner. Had she not spent quite enough time with the Goblin King already?

Put on her underclothes and a robe that she found, leaving the dress until later. She eyed the dress warily. It was different than the one that had been there this morning. It was just as old fashioned as the one before, but it was clearly an evening gown, and it would be just as difficult to lace up as the old one.

To Sarah’s dismay, her old, mud-spattered clothes had disappeared.  Sarah growled, reluctantly chalking up another victory to the Goblin King, bastard that he was.

Where the washbasin had sat previously this morning there now sat a vanity table and a mirror, an assortment of pretty things littering the top.

Sarah sat down in front of the mirror and picked up a hairbrush and began to untangle her hair. It behaved much more now that it was clean. A selection of pretty combs and hair ornaments were spread out in a dish and Sarah selected a pretty silver one. She swept her damp hair up in the clip, trying in vain to tame the curling tendrils of hair that escaped.

Sarah turned reluctantly to the dress. It was pretty, a silk taffeta in dark plum, sprinkled with seed pearls. The bodice left much to be desired in Sarah’s opinion, cut a bit too low for her taste. She silently cursed the Goblin King. He knew full well what he was doing, damn him.

Some time later, after much cursing and fussing, Sarah managed to lace up the back of the dress.

Sarah did not know how much time had passed since the Goblin King had left, nor did she much care. A brilliant idea suddenly popped into her head. She turned and left the room, making her way down the stairs awkwardly, not quite used to wearing dressed with such a large skirt. She grinned to herself as she made her way lightly down the last few steps and walked down the long hallway. Not only would she be provoking the Goblin King and disregarding his wishes, but now she would have some time to find the throne room. She only hoped that it would be enough time.

Sarah wandered in and out of rooms, carefully keeping track of where she was in the castle, adding to her mental map. While exploring in one dark room, she tripped on something in the blackness and landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor. Sarah almost cursed aloud, but she stopped herself, and managed to get upright after a bit of a struggle.

Sarah huffed in frustration at her own clumsiness, and then froze as she was brushing off her skirts. She heard voices drawing nearer in the hallway, and she hastened to hide in the shadows behind the open door to the hall. She listened hard over the thumping of her heart as the voices grew louder, trying to breathe as quietly as she could.

She caught snatches of the conversation as it drifted in through the door.

“…his majesty won’t like it. We’ve got to stay the girl as much as we possibly can…”

“…perhaps make the order to fortify the outer wall of the city tonight, just in case…”

“…no way she could get as far as the city…”

“…impossible…”

“…she must lose. His majesty decreed it…”

Goblins! She had not seen any goblins since the night before. She had thought that the castle had been conspicuously free of any goblins this morning, but it had not registered until just now. She listened hard as their voices grew quieter, and waited for a long time in the dark, giving them ample time to move away from there so that she could move on with her expedition to find the throne room.

She moved cautiously out from behind the door and stepped out into the candle-lit hallway.

Suddenly, something grabbed her arm. Sarah spun wildly to strike out at whatever held her, a panicked shriek caught in her throat.

The Goblin King.

He looked at her for a moment, and it seemed as though he was torn between laughing and yelling.

“Ah, uh, hello,” said Sarah awkwardly, wishing that the Goblin King would let go of her arm and say something. Anything at the present would do.

“May I ask what it is that you are doing, exactly?” he asked calmly, releasing her arm and folding his own over his chest. One set of fingers drummed out a silent tune on his upper arm. He was once again in his black amour and looking quite formidable.

“Uh, exploring?” said Sarah uncertainly, grasping her hands behind her back in an attempt to create a look of contrite apology.

“Whatever happened to waiting for me to come and escort you to dinner?” asked the Goblin King placidly.

Sarah thought frantically, trying to come up with something other than the truth to tell the Goblin King.

“I was…bored. Yes, I was bored, and I decided to take a walk.” Sarah said, a little triumphantly, pleased that she was able to come up with something that could pass for the truth.

“In a dark room?” The Goblin King raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the dark doorway behind her.

“…I tripped?” Sarah’s story was rapidly falling apart at the seams.

“Hmm…” said the Goblin King, unconvinced.

“I will not let you treat me like a prisoner!” Sarah decided to get angry in a futile attempt to distract the Goblin King from following his current train of thought any further. “I will go where I please, when I please, and you cannot stop me from doing so.”

“I see.”

The Goblin King was unimpressed with her tantrum.

“Do you know what I think?” he asked, taking a step towards Sarah.

“No…” Sarah trailed off, trying to take a subtle step to the side to avoid being trapped by the Goblin King.

“You were looking for the throne room, were you not?” He took another step forward, and then another.

Sarah abandoned subtlety and stepped hastily until she was standing in the middle of the wide hall, staring balefully at the Goblin King, her fists clenched. One hand flew up to her throat to where her amulet usually sat. Damn it! She had forgotten to put it back on after her bath, not that it would do much good against the Goblin King after he had worked his vile magic on it.

“I know you were, Sarah. I know everything that goes on in my kingdom.”

Sarah merely pursed her lips and crossed her arms, mirroring the Goblin King’s stance from earlier.

The Goblin King looked appraisingly at her, as if he were seeing her properly for the first time.

“That is a lovely color on you, you know.” The Goblin King switched subjects abruptly, throwing Sarah off for a moment.

Sarah flushed angrily, and glared even more intensely at the Goblin King. Flattery would go nowhere, especially from him.

The Goblin King sighed. It was too late to switch this girl for another, was it not? What’s done is done. It would be an adventure to tame her wild manners.

He held out a hand. “Come, let’s go to dinner. Hopefully it is not cold by now.” He looked pointedly at her.

Sarah stood where she was. “I am not hungry.”

The Goblin King grew visibly irritated.

“It was not a request.”

“I said I am not hungry,” repeated Sarah stubbornly, refusing to give in.

“How about we strike a bargain then,” drawled the Goblin King sweetly, drawing a few steps closer to Sarah and stopping easily when he was a few feet away from her. “You come with me and eat dinner like a good little girl, and I in return, shall show you the throne room. How does that sound?”

“I go to dinner, and then you will show me how to get to the throne room?”

The Goblin King nodded and repeated his words.

“I will show you the throne room.”

Ha! And the Goblin King thought that he was winning this battle of wills. Chalk up two tally marks for Sarah.

“Very well,” said Sarah regally, nodding her head in acquiescence. “I accept the terms of your bargain, Goblin King.”

“Fantastic,” said the Goblin King, holding out his hand once more.

They went to supper, which passed without much fuss, save for the moment when a goblin nearly tipped over a tureen of steaming soup. Sarah had almost laughed, the look on the goblin’s face was so comical. After dinner, Sarah and the Goblin King sat in silence, each sipping a glass of wine, trying to act naturally in the wake of the forced calm. After Sarah had finished her glass of wine, she spoke, unable to wait any longer.

“I have upheld my end of the bargain, Goblin King, and now it is time for you to fulfill yours. Show me to the throne room.”

“As you wish,” said the Goblin King, a testy note to his voice, “Though saying ‘please’ would have been so much more polite.” Faster than Sarah’s eyes could follow, he moved over to her side, and grabbed her wrist. The scent of magic permeated the air, and by the time Sarah opened her eyes, they were in what was presumably the throne room.

“You said you would show me the way!” cried Sarah, tearing her wrist from the Goblin King’s grasp and settling her hands on her hips, glaring ferociously at the Goblin King. “You are a cheat!” She swayed unsteadily on her feet, disoriented from their sudden travel. Magic. Sarah would never get used to it, just as she would never get used to the infernal cockiness of the Goblin King.

“On the contrary,” replied the Goblin King calmly, “I upheld my end of the deal word for word. I said that I would show you the throne room, my dear. I never said that I would show you the way.” He smiled impishly at her, his delight growing as he watched as Sarah’s face contorted with fury. “’Say your right words,’” the Goblin King quoted at Sarah, in a tone that was quite close to a singsong voice.

Sarah decided that this was her breaking point. To avoid doing (or, at least, attempting to do) bodily injury to the Goblin King, she turned her back and strode furiously to the double doors that presumably led to a hallway where she could both escape from the Goblin King’s presence and find her own way around the castle. She tugged on a large brass handle to open the door, and it would not budge, even a little. She tugged harder and gave up, swearing madly under her breath. Of course. She was in the Goblin King’s domain, and everything had to be played out according to his twisted rules. She refrained from kicking the door in anger. It would not do to have a broken foot when you were trying to solve an unsolvable Labyrinth. No sense in making an impossible task even more unreasonable.

“Well look at this! Now you are the one trying to cheat!” laughed the Goblin King, his mirth infuriating Sarah even more than she would have thought possible. By the time she had spun around to hiss angry words at him, the Goblin King had strode to the other end of the hall and settled gracefully upon his throne. Fantastic. Sarah was going to have to deal with a royal prima donna. She stomped her way up the length of the throne room, prepping herself for yet another argument where she would be livid and the Goblin King would be gleeful.

She swept into a mocking curtsey. “Well pardon me, your majesty, for trying to equip myself with every tool I can for my journey. If you had not already noticed, I am rather fond of the idea of leaving this castle and never having to deal with you ever again!”

He laughed. “Oh, please. Sarah, you have more than enough clues to be getting along with. Any more hints and I should just lead you through the labyrinthine wilderness myself! You forget that words have power here, my dear, and every citizen of my kingdom will use your words against you if the chance presents itself. Take heed to choose your right words.

“Come, it is getting late, and I have yet to provide you with the supplies that I promised you.”

“How can I be sure that you will give me supplies that will be useful to me and not frivolous and kitschy? As you said, words have power, and I can trust you no further than I can throw you. How do I know that you did not word your previous statement in such a way that the ‘supplies’ you speak of are, I do not know, a ration of kumquats and a floral bonnet? ” Sarah was beginning to enjoy pushing the Goblin King’s proverbial buttons.

“Sarah,” the Goblin King sighed, visibly restraining himself from rolling his eyes. “Quit acting like a child. I have half a mind to refuse you such generosity, but seeing as I am a gentle, courteous host and monarch, I shall grant you bountiful supplies that shall be most useful and appreciated during your journey.”

He got up gracefully from his throne, descended from the dais, and walked over to where Sarah stood. It took all the self-restraint Sarah possessed to refrain from sticking her tongue out at him. She grimaced instead, and said nothing.

He closed his gloved fingers around her wrist once again, and after a bit more magic, they found themselves in a sort of supply room.

Sarah was disoriented by the sudden change of environment once more. She was uncomfortable with magic before, but now she decided that she despised it. The way the Goblin King was able to command it so effortlessly was frightening. Sarah would never admit that aloud, however, for fear of inflating the Goblin King’s already dangerously-overinflated pride.

The Goblin King ignored Sarah, and leaned up against the wall. Sarah shook herself out of her reverie and moved forward, inspecting the items on the walls, trying to decide what to take.

She found a pack that would be serviceable and set it on a table, returning to the walls to find necessities to fill it. She found a wineskin, a short knife, and a long woolen cloak. She folded up the cloak and stuffed it in the bottom of the pack. She grabbed some apples from a box on the wall and put them in the pack on top of the cloak, adding a few loaves of bread, adding the wine skin and the knife.

The Goblin King merely watched, his eyes following her as she moved around the room, picking out this and that and adding it to the pack.

“You do realize that you will be gone for only three days. If I did not know any better, I would say that you are packing enough to sustain you for a journey longer than that through the Labyrinth. Not still thinking of running away, are we? It is impossible. You know what will happen if you try,” the Goblin King drawled, crossing his arms is if to emphasize his statement.

“Of course I know, since you were so kind as to spell it out your ruthlessness to me so plainly earlier today. I am not so stupid as to try. I would merely rather be over prepared than under prepared. I have come to the conclusion that you are not a man to be underestimated, and so I must do everything in my power to be prepared. You should be proud. You warned me not to judge your kingdom and its inhabitants by my standards and perceptions. I am taking that to heart.”

“A wise decision,” said the Goblin King, watching as Sarah returned to the shelves, picking up a few candles and a tinderbox. He frowned a little as Sarah struggled to close the pack. “Are you certain that you are going to be able to lift that? What is the use of being over prepared if you cannot move from the excessive weight of your pack? Clearly you have not thought this plan of yours through very well.”

“I am stronger than I look, Goblin King. Do not fret too much. Your part in this tale will end soon. In fact, come three days time, you will be bereft of one prisoner and countless future Guillemin children.”

“Aah, what a pity,” said the Goblin King, smiling, “You seem to be laboring under the delusion that this will be a successful journey for you. All right, I’ll indulge you in this, just this once.” He adopted a fake sorrowful look that did not quite hide the mocking tone in his voice. “Yes, I shall be quite inconsolable when you go home. I so longed for someone to tease and torment for so long…” He trailed off, grinning at Sarah, unable to keep himself from smiling for too long.

Sarah glared at him, hefting her pack onto her shoulder. She glanced around the room, and finding the door she walked out of the room, intending on going to bed. It was late and she had had quite enough arguing for the day.

With a soft sigh, the Goblin King pushed himself off the wall and followed a few steps behind Sarah, making sure that she did not attempt to stray off the approved path and try to find the throne room once more.

Sarah gritted her teeth and walked with her head held high. Just wait, Goblin King. You may be laughing now, but I shall have the last laugh. The time for that cannot come soon enough. Enjoy it while you still can, for it will be over sooner than you think.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SEVEN

To Walk into Mordor

“ One does not simply walk into Mordor.

Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs.

There is an evil there that does not sleep.

The great eye is ever watchful.

It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust.

The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.

Not with ten thousand men could you do this.

It is folly.”

-Boromir, son of Denethor II, from the movie adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Sarah did not sleep well that night, even though she kept telling herself that she desperately needed the sleep so that she would be able to face the trials ahead. However, her mind kept buzzing incessantly. It flitted from thought to thought; from her family, to the Labyrinth, to her old life, to her miserable pack, to the Goblin King. She could not stay it’s incessant droning and she resigned herself to the fact that she would be unable to sleep for very long.

Sarah eventually rolled out of bed and pulled a blanket from the many that covered her bed and wrapped it around herself. She walked quietly over to the window and looked out over the moon-drenched lands of the Goblin King. She angled her head up and saw the moon shining brightly through the opening in the mountaintop. It was still a bit surreal to Sarah that she was here in the Goblin King’s kingdom. She sat down on the window ledge and just stared out at the landscape, letting her thoughts flow organically from one to the next, conceding defeat. Sleep would elude her tonight. She got off of the windowsill and grabbed her pack, retuning to the window, and she commenced to organize her pack and reorganize it, in an attempt to keep her hands as busy as her mind.

It was quite late, or rather, quite early in the morning, when Sarah finally succumbed to sleep.

****

Sarah was silent as the carriage rolled down the road, watching the trees pass suddenly by the window, their colorful boughs brightening in the pale early morning light.

The Goblin King sat across from her, his arms crossed, his look one of brooding. He did not seem as overjoyed as he should be, nor had he teased her about her practical attire or lack of defiant retorts.

After another hour or two of bumping along in the carriage, they finally reached their destination. Sarah looked out the window, but it looked the same as any other part of the wood by the road, but clearly it was important if they were stopping.

The Goblin King climbed out of the carriage, and Sarah clambered out after him, awkwardly hefting her pack onto her shoulders as she exited the carriage. The Goblin King was standing up by the driver’s box, speaking to the surly goblin who sat there, and after a few words, the goblin nodded wordlessly and flicked the reigns, sending the carriage hurtling down the dusty road once more.

Sarah watched the departing carriage with a mixture of curiosity and dread.

“Why…you are not coming with me, are you? I thought that I had to do this by myself?” Sarah’s voice betrayed her; it was quivery with more than a bit of nervousness. Why would he come with? Would that not defeat the whole purpose of the trial if he were there to lead me along the whole way?

“I will show you the way to the Labyrinth, but not after you pass through the doors. After that, you shall be all on your own.”

“But how will you get back to the castle?”

“Why do you think I want to go back to the castle?” queried the Goblin King, turning to face Sarah, cocking his head inquisitively.

Sarah blanched. So he was intending to somehow interfere with her journey! She knew it. The Goblin King would not let such a delicious opportunity to pester Sarah slip through his fingers so easily. It was not his style. Damn it. Why could he not just let her try by herself?

The Goblin King laughed at the intense play of emotions on Sarah’s face as she thought through his words.

“I shall return to the castle with magic, of course. How often you seem to forget that I am fae, and therefore a magical being. Ah, Sarah, you are far too easy to provoke. I do not know how I shall survive the next few days without you. Life will be exceedingly dull, that is for sure.” He turned from her and started walking into the dark woods, gesturing for her to follow.

“You had better get used to it,” Sarah grumbled, adjusting the straps of the pack and following the Goblin King.

They walked wordlessly for some time, following some invisible path that Sarah could not discern, but that the Goblin King was quite familiar with.

It was not very long until the terrain changed, and Sarah began to huff and puff a bit as they ascended the hill, the straps of the pack digging into her shoulders. Perhaps the Goblin King was right. Maybe she should not have packed so much. At least she would not want for supplies, even if it came at the cost of a sore back and shoulders.

After what seemed like an unbearably long time to Sarah, the ground thankfully leveled out, and the trees thinned a bit as they walked towards what seemed to be a pair of large wooden doors set into a stone wall that was nearly invisible behind a thick blanket of vines and moss.

Sarah’s heart sped up, this must be the entrance to the Labyrinth. She was about to begin her journey that would spell out not only her fate, but also the fate of her future descendants. As the reality of this burden settled heavily on Sarah’s heart, the Goblin King stopped in front of the doors and turned to Sarah, waiting for her to draw nearer to the doors.

She drew nearer, passing the Goblin King and walking right up in front of the heavy wooden doors.

“How do I get in?” Sarah did not turn around to ask this. She was studying the intricately cut carvings that ornamented the wooden doors.

“I thought that the doors would make obvious,” drawled the Goblin King, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Sarah gave the Goblin King an exceptionally dirty look.

“Obviously, Goblin King, but how do I open the doors?” replied Sarah sarcastically, refraining from rolling her eyes at him.

“You must ask the correct question.”

Her first test, the first of many in her journey through the Labyrinth, if the mannerisms and mentality of the Goblin King was anything to go by.

“Can you show me how to open the doors, please?” asked Sarah, thinking hard while trying to inject as much sweetness into her tone as she could possibly muster at the moment.

“No,” said the Goblin King tersely, crossing his arms. Sarah had the feeling that the Goblin King was enjoying himself immensely.

“Let me guess, it is going to be useless to ask you anything from here on out, is it not?” Fumed Sarah, turning to glare at the Goblin King.

“On the contrary, I shall be most obliging indeed if you ask me the correct questions,” said the Goblin King, smiling slightly.

“How do I get into the Labyrinth?” asked Sarah pleadingly, hoping that the answer to this obstacle would not cost her more time than was absolutely necessary.

“Ah,” said the Goblin King, pleased, “Now you are learning how to play by the rules of my game. You know, you only have to call, Sarah, and I shall answer.”

And with that, the doors swung open heavily, skeleton leaves falling from the crevices around the door as they moved. Sarah spun around at the sudden sound, watching as the doors arced open on their rusted hinges. A pale swirling mist emanated through the opened doors, spilling swiftly on the ground, creeping steadily towards Sarah’s feet. Sarah had an uncanny feeling that magic would be in abundance in the Labyrinth, wild and untamed. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She also belatedly lamented not bringing a bigger knife.

Sarah peered into the shadowy gloom. It looked as though it was just a wall separating one part of the wood from another, but when Sarah looked again, the trees through the door grew in more or less a straight line past either side of the door. The trees had grown so gnarled and intertwined that they formed an impenetrable wall, forcing Sarah to either turn and walk either left or right when she walked through the doors. Sarah glanced a little hesitantly at the Goblin King, unsure if this was the signal that she was to begin her journey through the Labyrinth, or if he had other things to tell her.

“So,” said the Goblin King, coming to stand beside Sarah, his fair hair moving restlessly in the early morning breeze, “What do you think of my Labyrinth? Still certain that you are willing to undertake the journey?”

Sarah surveyed the woods around her, thinking about how long they were in the carriage, and mentally tabulating how far they probably were from the castle.

“It is not that far,” she said defiantly, looking coolly through the doors of the wall, trying to decide if she would go left or right. One way could possibly spell certain failure. It would not surprise Sarah that the Goblin King would encourage his Labyrinth to grow in such a way that only one path would lead to victory. Psychological torture was certainly the Goblin King’s style.

“It’s further than you think, Sarah, and time is short,” replied the Goblin King, bending down to talk close to her ear.

Sarah flinched away and looked a little doubtfully at the wooded trails through the Labyrinth doors. It was not that she was having second doubts, but Sarah quickly had to reevaluate her preconceived notions of what the Labyrinth would be like.

“You have three days time to solve my Labyrinth, Sarah, and if you do not solve it by sunset on the third day, I shall have won our bargain and you shall me mine to keep forever. Your freedom and the freedom of your future kin hang in the balance.

Do you accept this challenge?” The Goblin King was in full fae monarch form; all traces of mischief and humor wiped clean from his face.

“Yes,” said Sarah, determination written plainly on her features.

“Very well,” said the Goblin King, “then let the games begin.”

“Right,” said Sarah, resolutely, turning to face the Labyrinth, “I shall see you in three days time, Goblin King, when I will be storming your castle and winning back my freedom and the freedom of my family. Do not try to worry yourself too much in my absence. You shall get used to it.”

“You are quite mistaken, my dear, you shall see me soon enough.” The Goblin King’s smile was coy. Clearly he was planning some mischief already, though she had not even set one foot into the Labyrinth. It was unfair!

“Wait, what? What do you mean?” squeaked Sarah, flustered by the little bit of information the Goblin King had so suddenly dumped on her.

The Goblin King only laughed at her frantic questions and strode away into the woods, leaving Sarah alone at the entrance to the Labyrinth, yelling yet more questions after him.

Sarah stared at the wood where the Goblin King had disappeared, incredulous, frightened, curious, and irritated.

She turned slowly to face the doors to the Labyrinth. Her future was to be decided here and now. Fate and destiny converged upon this moment. It was the beginning of everything.

Sarah sighed, trying to lighten the heavy mood that had settled over her like a heavy woolen blanket.

“Well, feet,” she said, feeling both silly and a bit comforted at talking aloud to herself, “Let us start out on our dance with destiny.”

Sarah breathed deeply and walked the few steps through the doors to the Labyrinth and stopped, looking both to the left and to the right. Both ways looked quite similar, neither way indicating that it would be the correct way to go. Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, trying to decide the way to go, and then turned to the right.

Sarah had not taken more than a few dozen steps when the doors to the Labyrinth swung shut with a shuddering boom. Sarah hurried back to the doors and pushed. The doors did not budge an inch. Sarah pushed harder, and realized with a sinking feeling that she was stuck in the Labyrinth with no way out, and no certainty of her solving it, much less solving it in the allotted three days. The thought of her time restrictions spurred Sarah on, and she adjusted her pack and began to walk, her boots making almost no noise as she padded along the leaf-strewn ground.

Sarah walked on and on, meeting no turns or twists in the path, there was only the vine covered stone wall to her left, and the close-knit trees to her right. At about midday, Sarah stopped to take a break, her feet already aching and her stomach growling for food.

Sarah angrily kicked at the stone wall, and swung her pack at the hedge of trees, intending to vent some of her frustration, and instead found herself toppling over through the trees. These trees were in fact not trees at all, but vines and plants, which covered a passage through the unending line of trees. She landed with a grunt on the ground, covered in dirt, dead leaves, and vines. Sarah lay on the ground for a moment, trying to catch her breath and attempting to calm her racing heart. The Goblin King had warned her that things were not as they seemed in the Labyrinth, and here Sarah found a perfect example of his words, a turn in the Labyrinth disguised as a part of the wall.

With a sigh, Sarah scrambled to her feet, brushing off her traveling dress, and attempting to dislodge leaves and twigs from her long braid. She refrained from kicking her pack. It was in some way due to her pack that she was able to find this passageway, as silly as that sounded. Sarah hefted her pack into place and surveyed her environment, mindful that she had just made quite a bit of noise crashing through the brush, and some creatures might be drawn to her out of sheer curiosity. She saw several pathways around her, each leading in a different direction, and all made out of the same close-knit trees. Sarah was wishing that she had thought to bring more candles, as the canopy of leaves above her head was quite thick. If it were this gloomy at midday, she would be walking in the dark in just a few hours time, despite the fact that the sun would still be up in the sky.

Sarah picked a path at random and continued to walk, hoping that she was heading in the right direction. The Goblin King would be expecting her to try to logic her way out of the Labyrinth, and so she decided to do the exact opposite of that, just choosing at random, letting fate decide her path and hopefully lead her to the Goblin King’s castle.

It was eerily quiet as Sarah made her way down the twisting and turning paths, the only sound was that of her boots softly padding on the leaf-strewn ground. She would have thought that there would have at least been some birds singing in the treetops, but so far, Sarah had not seen or heard one. It made her incredibly nervous, as if such things were forbidden in the Labyrinth, or as if some other, greater predator had frightened them all away. Sarah fervently hoped for the former, lamenting for the second time in a few hours the small size of her knife. The Goblin King had promised that nothing would hurt her without provocation, and yet, could she really trust him? Did the Goblin King have honor? Did he have any conceivable notion of what human honor was? Perhaps the view of fae honor was far different than that of the type of honor that Sarah was accustomed to. She could only hope that honor was universal for all beings in this world, magical or not. She clutched at the amulet at her throat, belatedly wishing that she had asked the Goblin King to remove his spell from her little protection. He probably would not have done it. It would go against his modus operandi of tormenting and opposing Sarah at each and every turn. Perhaps the spell was only so that Sarah would be unable to use it only against the Goblin King. Sarah fervently wished that this was the case. It would be fantastic to have another tool to use against the magical beings that dwelled in the Labyrinth, though Sarah had yet to see any thus far, especially since her means of defense were few. However, it was early in her journey, as of yet.

At some point in the afternoon, Sarah stopped to rest her feet, sitting on the ground and leaning up against the wall of trees. She dug in her pack and pulled out a ruby red apple and ate it slowly, savoring the sweet fruit as she tried to figure out the direction in which she was traveling in comparison to that where she had started. It was hard to tell. The sun was blocked out by the thick canopy of the labyrinthine trees, which let in threads of sunlight that allowed Sarah to see in a sort of twilight gloom though the sun would be high in the sky at this time of day.

After she had finished her apple, Sarah got to her feet with a groan. They were already sore, and she had hardly begun the journey. As she resumed walking, she wondered what the Goblin King was doing at this moment. Probably reveling prematurely in his success. Ha! She would show him. She imagined the look of surprise and incredulity that would grace the Goblin King’s face when she barged through the doors of his throne room in a few days time, victorious and unscathed. Sarah smiled at this daydream, vowing to not lose hope or courage while in the Labyrinth. So much was hanging on this test.

Sarah had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not immediately notice something strange that was revealed after she took a turn in the Labyrinth, something that was both curious and altogether bizarre that was in the path ahead of her.

When Sarah first looked at them, she thought that they were leaves that were falling from the treetops, swirling and twirling their way down to decorate the Labyrinth floor. However, the leaves seemed to be borne aloft be a breeze, which was non-existent in the Labyrinth, where the air was quite still. Sarah crept cautiously forward, painfully aware that nothing was as it seemed in the Labyrinth, and that this may be her first example of this when it came to living things.

They were not leaves at all, but creatures that looked vaguely like tiny humanoids with leaf-like wings. Some fluttered carelessly about in the air or sat on the branches of the trees nearby. Their wings matched the colors of the leaves in the canopy above, a spectrum of golds and reds and oranges intermingled with a few browns and greens. They stopped moving when they saw her approach, hovering nervously in the dappled shadow of some of the trees, trying to judge if she was a threat or not. Sarah slowly lifted her hands in what she hoped would be interpreted as a placating, peaceful gesture, trying to move as little as possible. After a few moments of contemplation, the pixies began to fly cautiously towards Sarah, some darting back nervously when they got to be too near to her.

One brave pixie with brilliant red wings resembling oak leaves flew close to Sarah’s face, inquisitively examining Sarah as curiously as she was inspecting it.

“Well, hello there,” said Sarah quietly, smiling at the small creature, desperately hoping that it was friendly and not malevolent. She was in the Labyrinth. She must be especially on her guard.

It bared its miniscule pointy teeth at her in what Sarah hoped was a good smile, and it called to some of its companions in tiny squeaks and chirping sounds. Many flew over to their companion, equally curious about the strange new mortal before them. They chattered to one another, seeming to come to some sort of agreement, and the pixie with the red oak leaf wings gestured to her, trying to lead her forward, the other pixies swirling past her, gesturing as well. Sarah followed them curiously, smiling a little as a few landed on her shoulders or in the folds of her dress. She felt their tiny hands tug at her braid and reverently touch the white satin ribbon around her throat, incessantly curious. She held a hand up, and a pixie settled in the palm of her hand, squeaking happily up at her.

The pixies led her forward, navigating the twists and the turns of the Labyrinth with an assured confidence. She gloated mentally. The Goblin King had doubted that she would make it through his Labyrinth. Now his own subjects were showing her the right way! She could not wait to share that little bit of information with him when she had won.

Sarah suddenly felt a tugging at the satin ribbon around her throat, and she put a hand up to try to figure out what was going on.

“What are you guys doing?” she asked, though she did not know if they understood her.

All of a sudden, several things happened in a quick succession of events. The ribbon slipped from her throat, the pendant sliding off the ribbon and landing in the dust at her feet. The pixies that had untied the ribbon flew off, cackling while the ribbon danced behind them as they sped off to alight on a tree branch far above Sarah’s head.

Sarah bent down and picked up the pendant from the ground, annoyed at their mischief. She did not have time for this!

“Give that back, please. I need that ribbon.” Sarah tried to sound stern without letting any hint of anger enter her voice. She did not know what the pixies were trying to accomplish, and she did not want to make them angry. Her vision of her standing triumphantly before the cowering Goblin King faded instantly from her mind, a measure of uncertainty marring her confidence. Things were not always what they seemed in this place. Beware.

They chattered at her, mimicking her tone. The pixies that had decided to land on her all took off, joining the cloud of pixies that had started to swarm around her in bizarre elliptical orbits and uneven loop-de-loops, flying in patterns too complex for the human eye to follow.

They fluttered around her, taunting and teasing her with the ribbon, making sure that it was always out of her reach. Sarah gnashed her teeth angrily, jumping and swatting at the pixies, trying to catch the fiend with her ribbon.

Sarah saw her chance as one brute flew too close and she grabbed the ribbon swiftly as it fluttered by behind the brute, managing to shake the creature off. The pixies swarmed up, buzzing angrily as they circled around her, zipping quickly through the cool air.

Sarah did the only thing that she thought would be applicable in this situation. She turned tail and ran madly in the opposite direction, unfortunately pursed by a hoard of angry pixies.

She felt something sharp pierce her hand, and she looked down, seeing a pixie sink it’s sharp teeth into her skin, trying to make her let go of the ribbon. Sarah grabbed the vile thing with her other hand and threw it aside, trying to remember which way she had came before she had been lead astray by the damned pixies. She dashed around corners, slipping on the dead leaves that covered the Labyrinth floor, tree branches lashing out at her face and dragging at her clothes and hair. Sarah moved swiftly, choosing paths at random, turning down a particularly dark one in desperation.

It was a dead end. Sarah swore and turned to swat at the pixies that converged on her, the creatures biting and shrieking shrilly at her. She felt the cold iron amulet prick the skin of her palm, and she remembered that she had scooped it up when it fell on the ground. She prayed that it would be effective against the pixies. She was depending upon the hope that the Goblin King had not removed all of its abilities with his little stunt a few nights ago.

Swatting at the pixies while trying to ignore the sharp sting of their teeth, she grabbed wildly at them, trying to catch one. After a few fruitless tries, she finally succeeded in trapping one in her fist, the pixie’s tiny wings crumpled in her hand, its head protruding from the top of her fist. She held the amulet to the creature’s throat, and she spoke.

“Leave me alone, or you shall see the extent of my power!” She bit back cries of pain as the pixies continued to bite her, ignoring her words. “So be it! I warned you!”

Angrily, Sarah touched the iron to the pixie’s skin and it slumped in her hand in a dead faint with a squeal. Sarah grinned wickedly and tossed the pixie to the side, grabbing another, repeating the process. It only took a few more pixies rendered comatose by the cold iron pendant before the rest of the hoard figured out what was going on. They stopped biting her and retreated a few feet, some pixies swooping down to pick up their fallen comrades, squeaking angrily at her. Sarah glared at them with equal disdain.

“Leave me alone. Now!” She brandished the iron at the pixies and they recoiled, chirping madly at her, seeming as though they might resume their hostilities. They suddenly swarmed off, carrying those who could not fly, berating Sarah shrilly as they retreated. Sarah watched them disappear into the treetops, blending in to the dense foliage. She did not dare to move for several minutes, making sure that they really had left her alone.

Sarah slumped to the ground, her legs finally giving out. Shakily, she threaded the iron amulet back onto the white ribbon, and tied it once more around her throat. She leaned up against a tree, trying to ignore the stinging pain inflicted by the pixies’ bites. She cursed her ancestor for bringing the wrath of the fae down upon her family, and she cursed the pixies for provoking her and for leading her astray and for attacking her. Most of all, however, she cursed the Goblin King for interfering in her life, and for giving her this task that she could not refuse. It was unfair. It was in all certainty going to get much, much worse.

****

It was nearing evening when Sarah decided to put on her cloak and pull her lantern out from her pack, lighting it with her flint so that she no longer had to peer uselessly through the gathering gloom. Sarah had not noticed when she packed her bag last night, but the cloak that she had found was the Goblin King’s. The very same one that he had had her use the night he took her from her home. Sarah almost tossed the cloak away in disgust when she had realized this, but instead kept it, practicality winning out over her pride. Besides, by the time she was done running the Labyrinth, the cloak would most likely be mud-splattered and tattered. Hopefully. Serves the Goblin King right for giving her his cloak once more.

Sarah was not watching where she was going, too intent on opening the shutters of the lantern wider, which of course did not want to cooperate. This was when Sarah encountered yet another unpleasant stumbling block in her journey.

Sarah turned a corner and froze as a strange sound met her ears. It sounded like a thick clopping noise and the resonance of something large moving in her direction. There was nowhere to hide, and not enough time to pull out her little knife. Why had she not removed it from her pack earlier? Sarah and the beast stared at one another as they met on the path, each freezing in their steps.

The thing was large, with the body of a bull, with the torso and head of a strange looking man that stood at the juncture of two paths in front of her. There were two great horns that sprouted from the curls that topped the beast’s head.

The thing let out a sound like an angry grunt. Sarah’s heart was beating so loud and fast that she was certain that the thing could hear it.

Sarah had found a Minotaur of the Labyrinth.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER EIGHT

Wither Then?

“The Road goes ever on and on,

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow if I can,

Pursuing it with weary feet,

Until it joins some larger way,

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then?

I cannot say.”

-Bilbo Baggins, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien

Sarah froze, unable to move, her mind slowing down to a sluggish pace, unable to think or do anything due to her sudden shock.

“How did you get in here?” the Minotaur said, his voice low and rumbling, clearly rusty from a lack of speaking on a regular basis. Sarah was a little taken aback. She had not expected encountering anything in the Labyrinth that would be intelligent enough to talk to. She was irresistibly reminded of the Goblin King’s advice that he had given her the day previously:

“As I am sure you have noticed, things are not always what they seem in this place. The same goes for my Labyrinth. Forget everything you know about the human world, as it will not help you there. Firstly, do not try to cheat the Labyrinth or its inhabitants. Their logic and reasoning is vastly different from yours, and you will most likely end up digging yourself into deeper trouble if you try to apply your standards to a situation involving a Labyrinth-dweller. The Labyrinth has a sort of consciousness of its own, and it will not be kind to you if it perceives that you are trying to make your way through in a deceptive manner. Secondly, sometimes the way forward is also the way back. It is best if I leave that little bit of advice at that. Thirdly, do not stray from the path. I cannot guarantee that all my subjects are a kind a I.”

Sarah thought quickly, trying to choose her right words.

“I am to solve the Labyrinth for my freedom and the freedom of my family. My family has been under a curse placed by the Goblin King for hundreds of years. The Goblin King has tasked me with this and granted me entrance to the Labyrinth.”

“So, we finally have a Runner. It has been a great many years since the Labyrinth has seen one. May I ask your name, Runner?” said the Minotaur in a guttural voice that was deeply reminiscent of distant thunder.

“Sarah. Sarah Guillemin,” Sarah squeaked. It was one thing to be brave when attacked by a swarm of pixies that were no larger than your finger. It was quite another matter indeed when you were faced with a beast who stood twice as tall as you, who could most certainly crush you in a matter of moments, or who most likely possessed incredible strength and speed.

“Ah, another from Guillemin dynasty. I am the Minotaur. I have been tasked with protecting the Labyrinth from those who seek to harm it or its inhabitants. Why is the King letting you run the Labyrinth? How are you different from every other Guillemin?”

“I assume you know the terms of the curse,” asked Sarah, her courage growing little by little.

“I was told long ago, but please refresh my memory. Is there more to it than just the sacrifice of second-born children?” the Minotaur queried, with regal politeness.

“There was an addendum to the curse,” replied Sarah. She began to quote the words of the curse.

“And yet, after your grandchildren are dead, and yea after their grandchildren are dead as well, I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter.

I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer. For all eternity, your descendants will curse your name and detest you for what you have done. Your actions tonight have single-handedly destroyed the future of your dynasty.”

Sarah paused for breath.

“I am that girl. My mother bore a son little more than a year ago, and I lived in constant agony since my little brother was born, waiting for the time that the Goblin King would have me sacrifice Aubrey to him. When the Goblin King finally appeared, however, I found that I was to be the sacrifice in my brother’s stead. If I do not complete the Labyrinth, and find the Goblin King in his castle beyond the Goblin City in three days time, I will have to stay with him forever, and my future kin will still be subject to his curse. If I am able to complete the tasks he has set for me, I shall earn my freedom and be allowed to return home, and the curse will be broken.”

“That is quite the tale,” commented the Minotaur, nodding his great horned head at Sarah. “I understand now. I had not realized that the candidate for the Goblin Queen had been chosen.”

“Yes,” said Sarah hesitantly, uncertain of what to do now. Was she allowed to pass? Could she just leave? Was there something more that she must do, or was there something that he must tell her? Being in the Labyrinth made Sarah’s head hurt. “Is that everything that you need to know? May I pass? I only have three days to complete my journey, and the first is drawing to an end. I am certain that I still have a long ways to go, and I cannot waste any time.”

“I shall let you pass, Runner, if you are able to answer my riddles. I can tell you that one of the paths I guard now lead you in the right direction, while the other leads you in a direction that you most certainly do not want to tread. If you are able to solve my riddles, I shall show you which path is the correct one and I will allow you to pass by me unscathed. If you are unable to solve my riddles, I will not of course tell you the correct path, and I will alert the denizens of the Labyrinth to your presence, and mark you out as a threat to them.” The Minotaur was implacably calm as he said this, as if testing mortals was something that he did on a daily basis in his spare time. The Minotaur continued to speak.

“There is another option, and that is turning around right now and returning the way you came. However, I can tell you that this option will lead you even further from the Goblin King’s castle. Which option do you chose, Sarah Guillemin?”

Sarah thought hard. She was reasonably clever at solving riddles, all due to riddles being one of her father’s favorite pastimes. If she solved the Minotaur’s puzzles, she would be one step closer to her goal. If not...well, best not think about that just now. She had made her decision.

“I choose to solve your riddles, Minotaur,” replied Sarah confidently, trying to put on a brave front.

“Are you so certain that you shall solve them, Runner? I have been the guardian of the Labyrinth for quite some time, and I have had much time to hone my craft.” He sighed at Sarah’s determined expression.  “Ah well. The inherent self-assurance of mortals is quite interesting. Very well, let us begin. I have five riddles for you to solve. Take your time and think upon each one carefully before you speak. You shall have only a single chance to guess the answer to each riddle.”

The Minotaur thought quietly for a moment, before speaking the first riddle.

“The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?”

This was easy. It was an old riddle that Sarah was quite familiar with, and she answered quickly, smiling.

“Footsteps,” Sarah said. She had taken many of those today, and she had many more yet to take.

“Very good,” replied the Minotaur calmly, “Now, here is the next one. What is something that you keep after giving it to someone else?”

This one was a little harder, and Sarah had to think for a few moments, muttering to herself before she found the answer.

“Your word,” she said, her confidence growing. Two riddles down, three to go. She would be on her way again in no time!

“Correct. Now listen carefully. There were four brothers in this world that were born together. The first runs and runs and yet never wearies. The second eats and eats, and yet never can sate his voracious appetite. The third drinks constantly and is always thirsty. The fourth sings many a song that is never good. What are they?”

Sarah’s heart sank. This was much more complex than the other two riddles. She was silent for a few minutes, trying to decipher the puzzle. She asked the Minotaur to repeat the riddle, and he obliged, saying it again in his slow voice. Sarah thought a bit more before the answer came to her.

“Oh, I know! The four elements! The first brother is water, the second is fire, the third brother is earth, and the fourth is wind.”

The Minotaur nodded, and asked the fourth riddle.

“I never was, am always to be. No one has ever seen me, nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.”

Sarah was stumped. She paced back and forth in the pathway, agitated. She repeated the riddle over and over in her head and attempted to reason it out. Something no one has ever seen but gives people confidence? Hope, perhaps? But that did not fit the first part, something that ‘never was, am always to be’. Sarah’s cocky assurance melted away, and she began to feel the first real pangs of fear. She did not want to be sent down the wrong path, to be lead further and further away from her destination, nor did she want to become the target to every vile and vicious being that inhabited the Labyrinth. The Minotaur merely watched her pace in frustration, silent and implacable. He did not venture to offer her a hint, nor did he show any signs of annoyance at her inability to answer the question in a timely manner. He merely watched, as was his job for many, many years.

Suddenly, the answer presented itself to Sarah, and she chided herself on not seeing the answer sooner.

“It is ‘tomorrow’. The answer is ‘tomorrow’!” Sarah sighed a sigh of relief when the Minotaur nodded. Four riddles accurately solved, one final one left, and then she could continue on her way.

“Yes, that is correct. Now listen carefully, for here is the final riddle. When one does not know what it is, then it is something, but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing.”

Sarah looked blankly at the Minotaur, her mind working furiously. If you do not know it, it is something, but if you do, it is nothing? What on earth could that be? The Minotaur correctly interpreted her confused look and repeated the riddle again, then lapsing into silence once more, the tacit guardian of the Labyrinth.

Sarah began to pace once more, speaking very quietly under her breath to herself, careful to not speak loud enough for the Minotaur to hear and think that it was her answer.

How on earth could she answer this riddle, it was impossible! It was not fair! The riddle was so convoluted and nonsensical that it the answer must be something truly banal and obvious. A riddle like this…oh! Sarah’s heart jumped, and she gasped aloud. She knew the answer! It was sitting there, plain as day before her face! So simple and yet so clever!

“The final answer,” said Sarah, brimming with pride, “is ‘a riddle.’”

“Indeed it is,” rumbled the Minotaur, something close to a smile passing across his face. “You have answered every single one of my riddles correctly. I congratulate you on this. The correct path is here.” The Minotaur gestured to the path on the left. However, the Minotaur did not step aside, but instead continued to speak. “If I may give you some advice, Runner, I would bid you to be wary of sleeping in the Labyrinth. I can see that the night draws ever closer. If you must sleep, take the precautions to ensure that you are protected and may escape easily at a moment’s notice. I can promise you that I will not mark you as a threat to the creatures of the Labyrinth, but this does not mean that they will not be curious and seek you out anyways. I urge you to be ever vigilant and to not take things for granted in here. The inhabitants are capable of both kindness and cruelty and they think in a way that is different from mortals such as yourself.”

The Minotaur stepped aside and gestured for Sarah to pass.

“I wish thee luck, Sarah Guillemin, Runner of the Labyrinth. I hope that you find what you seek here, and that you accomplish what it is that you want in your heart. Farewell.”

“Thank you, Minotaur,” said Sarah graciously, giving the Minotaur a kind of half curtsey. “Thank you for letting me take the right path, and thank you for your words of advice. They are greatly appreciated, and I shall take care to heed them carefully.”

She passed the Minotaur and continued down the path, which was quite dark. The sun had set while Sarah and the Minotaur had engaged in their battle of wits, and the air had grown colder. Sarah shivered and wrapped her cloak closer around her, holding the little lantern out before her as she walked. Or rather, Sarah wrapped the Goblin King’s cloak around herself. She rolled her eyes at the thought of the Goblin King’s misplaced chivalry or joke or whatever this was supposed to be.

After a while, Sarah could walk no further, and she set about looking for somewhere suitable to sleep. She did not want to sleep in some dead end, for sleeping there would make it far to easy to be trapped there. She needed to sleep at a crossroads where many paths met, and hopefully where she could perhaps climb up in a tree to sleep. Sarah walked on and on, following the twisting and turning paths, trying to find the best spot to sleep before her lantern went out. The candle had burnt down into a stub, and would not stay lit for much longer.

Finally, Sarah found a spot where five paths met. She ventured a little ways down a few of them to make sure that they were not all dead ends so that she could have several escape routes if need be. Returning to the crossroads, Sarah dropped her pack heavily to the ground and sat down next to it, pulling out a loaf of bread to eat. She had not realized how bone-achingly tired she was until she sat down. It took all of Sarah’s willpower not to fall asleep before deciding where she was going to safely sleep. As her candle began to sputter, she held it aloft, trying and failing to find a way to climb up into the trees to spend the night. The candle extinguished itself as Sarah was peering at the treetops, and she had to concede defeat, unable to see anything but darkness. Sarah sat on the ground once more and pulled her pack towards her and laid her head on it, trying to find the most comfortable spot. She wrapped the cloak tighter around herself and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally slipped into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER NINE

Den Erlk önig

“Siehst, Vater, du den Erlk önig nicht?”

(“Father, do you not see the Elf King?”)

-Line and translation from the poem “Der Erlk önig”by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Sarah awoke quite early the next morning, groaning as a beam of sunlight found her face, making her shut her eyes tighter and roll over on the hard ground, trying to avoid the invasive glow. She gave up as she rolled onto a rock, which lay under her hip, making Sarah groan in frustration and pain. It was best that she awoke early, tired though she may be. She was hopelessly lost in the Labyrinth, and had no inclination of how close she may be to the castle. She should have asked the Minotaur last night, but she was not sure if it would have answered her. That might have angered it since it could be considered cheating.

Sarah stood up and stretched, trying to relieve all of her aching muscles. She had not enjoyed sleeping on the ground, but there had been no alternative. At least she had been so exhausted that she had not slept fitfully. That was some small comfort.

She ate an apple and drank from her wineskin as she took stock of what she had in her pack, making sure to pull out her small knife and sticking it in her pocket so that it may be readily available. She should have done that before she had even entered the Labyrinth, but she had been too preoccupied with other thoughts at the time, and it had simply slipped her mind.

Sarah stared at the paths before her, trying to decide which one to take. She attempted to peer through the branches of the trees high above her, trying to make out the position of the sun. Suddenly, a thought struck Sarah. What if directions did not matter in the Labyrinth? If she was trying to head to the south east, where she calculated where the Goblin King’s castle was, what if in the Labyrinth, that meant that she was going in the wrong direction? Things were so strange and convoluted in the Labyrinth, that such a thing would not surprise her. Would not the Goblin King expect those in the Labyrinth to use the sun as a compass, and in recompense make it so the orientation of the sun in the sky had nothing to do with the direction that you traveled in the Labyrinth? Sarah was not even sure if the Goblin King was capable of such a feat, but it seemed quite likely, given his status as a royal fae and his untamable ego.

Sarah sighed and decided to let fate choose her way. She pulled her knife from her pocket, closed her eyes and spun in a quick circle, giving the knife a little toss during her spin. She opened her eyes and saw her knife lying in the middle of one of the paths. Sarah decided to take that as a sign. She stuffed her cloak in her pack once more and hefted the bag to her shoulders, walked forward to scoop up her knife, and started walking down the path.

It was nearly midday by Sarah’s estimation, though it could have easily been earlier or later than her guess. Perhaps the Goblin King had toyed with that too and it was not midday. Maybe twice the number of hours had passed since she had started walking. She would not put it past the Goblin King to pull such a trick. Sarah cursed and continued on, knocking tree limbs and sticks out of her way, trying to relieve her sour mood.

Just when Sarah thought that things could not get any worse, fate decided to prove her wrong, as fate was wont to do.

Sarah suddenly felt the ground underneath her feet give way, and she fell down, down into darkness, landing with a muffled thump on a pile of something soft and crispy, knocking the wind out of her.

“Ow,” groaned Sarah, laying still, trying to catch her breath. She gingerly felt the things that she was laying on, and Sarah discovered that she had fallen into a large pile of fallen leaves. Wincing, Sarah sat up, rubbing her neck, and peered up at the tiny pinprick of light far above her, the hole through which she had so suddenly fallen.

“Oh, that is just not fair,” said Sarah aloud, half speaking to herself, and half speaking to whatever spirit of fate or destiny that had dealt her such rotten luck, “It’s almost as if you do not want me to have a pleasant journey.”

She clambered clumsily from the large pile of leaves, and slung her pack to the ground, digging around in the near-darkness for her lantern and flint. Once it was lit, Sarah raised her lantern high, trying to figure out where she was.

She had fallen into what appeared to be a large underground cavern, complete with dripping stalactites and imposing stalagmites. She could not see the far ends of the cavern, and Sarah hoped beyond hope that there was some kind of exit or ladder or something at the other end of the cavern that would get her back on track, and back to making her way to the Goblin King’s castle.

Sarah walked cautiously forward, hyperaware to every little thing, jumping at the sound of water dripping from the stalactites onto the stone floor below. Sarah laughed weakly at her frayed nerves. She was being silly, was she not? Just because it was dark and clammy down here did not mean that she needed to be on her guard, did it? On one hand, she could be overreacting. On the other, however, she could be showing a bit of self-preservation that was greatly needed in these sort of circumstances. Was it not common in stories that the most vile and viscous creatures lived in the darkness underground? Though many things were quite different between her world and the world of the Goblin King, she was sure that this would be one thing that they would have in common, if the Goblin King had any sense at all. He did seem to have a flair for the glitzy and dramatic, and unleashing some terrible beast down here in the blackness would be quite his style.

Sarah walked forward for a few minutes, not seeming to make any headway in crossing to the far side of the cavern. However, just as Sarah was going to try to travel in a different direction to see if that might get her somewhere, something great and black loomed in the darkness. Sarah froze, hardly daring to take in a breath, her heart thumping madly in her breast. Sarah stood deathly still for several long minutes, trying to loose the attention of whatever stood before her. It did not move, and Sarah began to doubt that it was something living that stood before her. She could not hear any noise of anything other than her own breathing and the steady plinking of water.

Sarah’s eye suddenly caught a glimpse of something glinting in the blackness. It looked as though something was reflecting back the light from her lantern. Sarah cautiously swung her lantern in a small arc, and the light followed, mirroring Sarah’s movements. It was not a creature that stood before her, but a doorway! It was a doorway into another room, and there was something in there that was reflecting light back at her. Perhaps it was a ladder or something that could get her out of the cave!

Sarah gingerly walked forward, relieved to see that the reflection of her lantern was growing larger and larger. She had reached the entrance to another section of the cavern, wherein sat many gleaming objects, each one reflected the lantern light back at her, nearly blinding her with its brightness.

Sarah curiously drew closer to the mysterious objects, reaching out a pale hand to touch whatever they were. Her fingertips met a cool, smooth surface, and she moved her lantern forward to inspect the thing more closely. It was a large mirror, made out of a slab of some kind of mineral or stone. Sarah picked at a piece with her fingernail that looked as if it was flaking off of the larger piece, and inspected it more closely. It was mica, though Sarah had never seen slabs of mica so large or so perfectly reflective as these were. The room was full of the slabs, which stuck vertically out of the ground in an upright manner. The reflections cast by the mirrors were strange, as Sarah could both see herself clearly but also see sort of through the slabs, due to the half-translucent nature of the mica. It was eerie, being able to see yourself reflected, and also see yourself reflected once more in the mica that was behind your mirror.

Sarah wandered deeper into the room, fascinated. The slabs of mica were larger and more closely spaced together the deeper she went into the room, becoming like a sort of mirrored maze.

After wandering for quite some time, the novelty of the mica wore off, and Sarah determined that it would probably be best to turn around and go back to the cavern where she had started, and try to find a way out from there, since the room of mirrors was clearly not leading her anywhere.

Sarah turned around to walk back to the first cavern, and found herself staring at a slab of mica. Sarah jumped, startled by both her sudden reflection and also the appearance of the wall of mica. She had just walked through right there, had she not? How was there suddenly a mirror there now? Sarah turned back around, facing deeper into the room of mica, and her heart sank. The slabs had moved again, without Sarah noticing. Reflective walls of the mineral extended solidly out before her, just as the walls of trees in the Labyrinth above did. Sarah glanced behind her back, and found that the way back to the original cavern was still blocked, just as she had suspected it would still be. The only way she could move was forward.

She was trapped in an underground Labyrinth of mirrors.

****

The Goblin King was gloating. Not that this was a new thing for him to do lately, but the occasions for him to do so were so rare and in between, that each time he was able to savor the emotion, the Goblin King did so with a relish that was almost sinful.

Being a Goblin King with extraordinary magical prowess was quite useful when influencing the goings on in a magnificently huge and complex Labyrinth from several leagues away. Well, sometimes it was leagues away. Distance did not really have much meaning in the Goblin King’s realm.

Of course the Goblin King had known every single thing that had been going on in his Labyrinth since Sarah had set foot in it a day ago. What self-respecting monarch would not keep close tabs on the person who would be either his greatest triumph or his most bitter downfall? (Or perhaps both?)

The Goblin King could not change the Labyrinth at will, but rather, he could influence the consciousness of the Labyrinth to move in a direction or to create obstacles that were in the spirit of his own design. He and the Labyrinth were irrevocably connected, forever and always. It was part of the package of being the Goblin King. He was all seeing and all knowing, and in possession of great and terrible power. He was close to being a god as someone confined to the mortal coil could possibly be.

The Goblin King constantly had a plan, and everything always went according to that plan. That was just how things were done in his kingdom. He always got what ever he wanted in the end.

Watching Sarah struggle through his domain had given the Goblin King a vicious sense of vicarious pleasure. He had not openly laughed, no, he was not so cruel as that, but he had grinned wickedly quite often as he watched what befell his sometimes adversary. He had taken to calling Sarah that in his mind, for that was what she was at the moment, his adversary, the one who could either break or fulfill his curse.

The Goblin King was not quite so confident as he had seemed when taunting Sarah a few days earlier. Yes, he could control the Labyrinth somewhat, and of course he had dominance over the creatures in his kingdom, but that did not equal a sure success. Too many variables were as of yet untamed, the most essential of them was Sarah herself. Humans, inferior though they were to the fae in many respects, were quite good at surprising a person. In the darkest of times, they could find such incredible strength of mind and courage of soul that even a fae such as the Goblin King had to respect such determination. He had not expected Sarah to be a shrinking violet once she was in the Labyrinth, no, he would not have selected her to be his queen if that were the case, but he had not expected her to abandon her beloved human logic so quickly in favor of letting destiny run its course. It was most un-human of her and quite clever indeed. Sarah was learning the rules of his game at such astounding pace that the Goblin King could not help but feel impressed and just a little bit proud of his future companion.

The Goblin King smiled and leaned back on his throne. Things had been going far too pleasantly for Sarah today, far too pleasantly indeed. It was high time for him to throw a wrench into the works. After all, it was his job, was it not? fae and mischievous were practically synonymous, and seeing as he was fae royalty, he had a solemn duty to be at least twice as mischievous as the rest of the fae. Sarah had grown far too comfortable with the Labyrinth as it was, and she was beginning to gain the upper hand, which was most unsatisfactory, in the Goblin King’s most humble opinion. It was time to unsettle her, to remind her of where she was. Time to turn the world upside down. The Goblin King laughed for the first time. Let’s face it. He was cruel, and nothing could be done about that. No one could change him from being this way. It was in his nature, it was a part of who he was.

He had thrown his heroine into the dark pit and blocked her way of escape. Now to make things a bit more interesting…

****

The candle flickered in the lantern, and Sarah balked. The light could not go out! All would be lost if it did, for Sarah did not know if she would be able to light it again once she was in the inky darkness. She still had her pack, thankfully, but she had not thought to check that everything had stayed in it or had survived after her fall. Sarah bit back a curse. The top of her pack was open. Surely something had fallen out. Sarah hoped that it was something unnecessary, though virtually everything that she had packed had been of the upmost importance.

Sarah was on edge. Something was toying with her, and she knew not what or whom it was that had altered her way. It was even more unnerving to catch glimpses of things moving out of the corner of your eye, only to turn wildly to see that it was just your own reflection that caused your panic. If Sarah had been on the edge before, now she had plunged over the edge of the precipice and was careening uncontrollably to the base of the cliff with no way to slow down or stop.

Sarah walked, following the straight planes of the path set before her, dreading what would be waiting for her at the end of her route.

Sarah happened to catch a glimpse of her reflection in one of the mirrors and actually looked at herself closely for the first time. Sarah groaned, disheartened. She was thoroughly covered with scratches and a healthy coating of earth. The scratches were presumably the work of those damned pixies that had attacked her, and the dirt probably from sleeping on the ground last night. Her once nicely braided hair was now more loose than bound, and a diverse assortment of leaves, twigs, and things that Sarah did not wish to identify were sticking out of it. She looked as though she was some wild forest woman. Sarah grumbled and started to pick the things out of her hair, keeping up a steady stream of swearing and muttering. She was more upset about being grubby and grimy than she probably would have been under any normal circumstances. Perhaps this was just a sure sign that Sarah was going crazy. The Labyrinth had broken her and she was just insane, that was the only possible explanation.

Sarah laughed at herself, bemused as to why she was so distressed about her looks. Who would see her here? She certainly did not care about how she appeared to the Goblin King, and she doubted that any creature in the Labyrinth would mind her looks either. She was being utterly silly. After she had rid her hair of all of the detritus that had resided there, Sarah braided her hair once more and then tried to brush off most of the dirt on her clothes. She appraised herself once more in the reflective mica. She was still dirty, but at least now she looked a little more like her regular self, which gave her a bit of sorely needed courage, and restored a bit of her ragged pride. Lifting her chin proudly, Sarah walked on, proving to herself and whomever or whatever may be watching that she was not bothered by the Labyrinth, that she was and would remain calm, cool, and collected. She would solve this cruel task set forth by the Goblin King, and she would do so with aplomb and with her dignity intact.

After what seemed like an age, Sarah came to a fork in the endless line of mica mirrors, and her suspicion was confirmed. She was indeed in a Labyrinth of mirrors, her sole source of light was a failing lantern, and she may or may not have lost some of her much needed things. She had no idea how she could get back up to the surface, if this subterranean passage would lead her the same way as the Labyrinth above, or if she was right now moving further and further away from her goal.

She suddenly knew who was responsible for this. This situation had him written all over it.

It was not fair.

Sarah gnashed her teeth and continued forward, trying to forget all sense of direction and to just let instinct guide her along through the clammy shadows. Her reflection stared back at her from all sides, distorted and refracted strangely by the naturally formed mirrors. The reflections made her jumpy. Several times, Sarah would catch movement out of the corner of her eye, only to whirl around and find that it was her own reflection that had spooked her.

The air grew colder as Sarah strode on, and she shivered violently, the damp air adding to the chill. She decided that now would be as good a time as any to stop and take a rest, and to put on her cloak. She sank tiredly to the floor. Sarah had not realized just how exhausted she was.

Sarah sat quietly, wrapped up tightly in the cloak, grateful for its warmth. After moving for so long, it was nice to sit still and rest.

All of a sudden, Sarah’s heart stopped, the blood in her veins running cold. Something was moving in the corner of her eye, something that could not possibly be moving right now, that should not be moving. Sarah did not dare to turn to face the direction of the movement, unwilling to acknowledge its existence.

Sarah’s reflection was moving of its own free will.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TEN

Blood Under the Bridge

“Well all right, no stars tonight.

The moon must hide,

Can’t bear to see my face.

So many moons have passed,

So many suns gone down,

Too much blood under the bridge,

Too many worlds turned upside down.

And when I grasped for life

I always killed the things

 for which I yearned.

I wish to be a flame

 and reduce to ashes,

But I have never burned.

I long to fly in freedom,

And yet,

 these chains keep dragging me down.

I want to be an angel

Or the devil himself,

But I am nothing but a creature

Longing for the things I can’t have.”

-“Confessions of a Vampire” from Jim Steinman’s musical “Tanz der Vampire.”

He had not meant to fall for her.

It was not something that he was proud of, nor could he explain how it had happened in the first place. It just was. He had shown weakness that he could not tolerate, and he had been justly punished.

He had not been in love with her, that much was clear from the very start, but she had been a sort of obsession of his, her poised dignity and defiant spirit were attractive to him, and had drawn him in irresistibly like a moth to the flame.

He could not remember her name, it had been hundreds and hundreds of uncountable years since he had spoken it last, but he remembered her face with perfect precision.

He remembered all of their faces, incidentally, but hers especially.

She and Sarah looked much alike. The Goblin King had been taken aback when he first saw Sarah’s face, for it was so similar to that of her infamous ancestor. He supposed it was one of the Guillemin traits, the dark hair and viridian eyes, along with the headstrong nature and incorrigible disposition for rebellion. However, the two of them could not be more different in terms of character and heart.

The Goblin King had grown lonely. He was not proud of this, and would never admit to it, even if his life were at stake. He remembered the night when his goblins were called forth by a desperate young woman, who had wanted his goblins to take away her younger sibling, but who had lost her courage and fled with her baby brother before the deed could be accomplished. He had watched inquisitively, his curiosity piqued by this strange young woman. She seemed as though she were not completely human, as though she had the blood of the fae in her. She walked with an airy grace and acted with a proud dignity that bordered on cruel. In that moment, he was lost. Fate was playing a cruel trick on him, and he had no control.

It had been a mistake to bestow fae magic upon her. The Goblin King had not meant to do so, it had just happened. True, it was a trifling amount, but it had been enough to corrupt her and encourage her to call upon the goblins a second time to give up her brother. This time, though, the Goblin King decided in a fit of madness to go to the young woman, to try to take her as well.

He did not know until he was face to face with her, the extent of damage his magic had wrought on the girl. The proud dignity that had walked on the fringes of cruelty had disintegrated into outright conceited malice, the charm of her human quirks had soured, seeming more like the typical banality, human ignorance, and apathy. Even so, the Goblin King still offered her everything, and she rejected him.

It had not been the solely the rejection from the Guillemin girl that had made him curse the entire family line. It was also his own anger towards himself for falling so low, for becoming so weak as to think that he was in love with her. As if he could love her, a mere human.

He felt anger the likes of which he had never felt before. It guided his hand, making him lash out blindly and change the course of the future, making him act as humans expected fae to act, with unimaginable cruelty and terrible wrath. He forged his curse thusly, taking inspiration from his rejection to supplement his curse with an addendum. He would have a Goblin Queen, and the young woman would provide one for him, come what may. He watched at the young woman’s face convulsed with horror and pain.

He felt triumphant. He felt vindicated. He felt guilty.

No, he must not allow himself to debase himself with such petty human emotions. He was not human, but fae, and was above such things. He was incapable of human emotions. He was incapable of making mistakes or erring in any way. He was as near to being a god as any being on this earth could be. He had incomprehensible power and unfathomable knowledge, the likes of which no human could ever hope to conceive.

Perhaps he had always been fated to cast that curse, or perhaps he really truly had changed the course of destiny with his rash actions. He had been a fool to fall victim to such a cruel thing as love.

Perhaps he was damned. It was not the first time he had wondered such a thing.

He watched as the young woman grew into an adult and marry a handsome young man who loved her. He could not deny feeling viciously vindictive when he saw that the young woman did not love the young man in return, for who could ever look at a mortal man the same after being offered the world and then some by the king of the goblins?

The Goblin King knew when her first child was born, and he knew without even sparing a minute of thought to debate the possibilities of the young woman’s actions, that she would do everything in her power to not have a second child, so that she would not activate the curse that she had brought about by her selfish actions.

Of course, the Goblin King did everything in his considerably more magnificent and influential power to ensure that she would have another child. He could not have her live life without experiencing the ramifications of her foolishly selfish actions. That was just not how things were done in the Goblin King’s realm.

He took the child before it had reached its first birthday, not allowing the young woman the courtesy of knowing her child for very long, nor allowing her to steep in her paranoia for too long. The Goblin King did not have the patience for it. He needed to bring unto her a swift reminder of her folly and to provide a memorable start to what was certain to be a long career of personally destroying her family line.

After her, he took the children whenever it pleased him to do so, sometimes after only a year, sometimes after nearly a decade. He did not want to become predictable in his cruel terror, for that would be unseemly and unbefitting of the king of the goblins. After many years, the terror and heartache that he wrought no longer caused him any discomfort or moral quandaries. It hardened his mind and soul. Most importantly, it hardened his heart. His heart had been weak once, and he would never allow it do make the same error. He would never make the mistake to love again.

He must choose his Goblin Queen from among the ranks of the firstborn Guillemin daughters, and he must pick the one for whom it will cause the most pain and heartache. Most of them had been dull and disgustingly human, and he had not hesitated to steal their younger siblings away from them, the siblings that they had offered to him so freely. They were all too aware of the caveat to the curse, for it was still so relatively new. The Goblin King watched with a vindictive satisfaction at the looks of relief on the girls’ faces as they handed over their siblings. He was disgusted that they would feel relief at such a moment. They would never be worthy of the title Goblin Queen.

The pleasure he took in acting upon the curse was almost savage.  Although in hindsight, it was as much a curse on him as it was on the Guillemin family. The two factions were bound so tightly together, that neither could live without fear or thought of the other. It was a strange relationship, and the oddity of it was not lost on the Goblin King.

And so, the Goblin King waited patiently, taking children when the time came for it. He grew ever more detached from his emotions, thinking himself stronger for his lack of such troublesome things. Time passed as it always had, and the Goblin King lapsed into a disillusioned boredom.

It had been many years since the Goblin King had been able to lay claim on a Guillemin child, and he was ill-tempered because of this. The Guillemin family had begun to forget about him, something that he was ill-used to. No one forgot the Goblin King.

Then, one day, he noticed her.

It was as though something inside his head changed, and he began to think like his mischievous self again. Something about her roused him from his perpetual ennui and brought about some of his old spark.

The first thing the Goblin King perceived about Sarah was her hair, which was the same shade as her eponymous predecessor. He had been taken aback for a few moments, thinking that he was seeing an exact replica of the girl from so many years ago. On closer inspection, Sarah was a little taller than the girl had been, and her figure not quite so thin as her ancestor’s had been. Her face was different too, the curves softer, the planes of her cheeks smooth and rosy, not angular and elfin as her forbearer’s visage had been. She was graceful and proud, though her pride was not marred by cruelty, but transformed by love and honor.

He had watched her from afar, until one day, he dared to use a bit of magic to lure her into the wood so that he may see her up close.

She had not seen him, but he had most certainly seen her, and he could not help but be intrigued by her.

Her younger brother had just been born, and she had fled the castle in a guilt-stricken grief, trying to escape from all of the turbulent emotions that were welling up inside of her. The Goblin King sent out his tendrils of magic to her as she collected leaves in the family orchard, enticing her and drawing her into the woods.

He noticed the iron amulet around her throat, and he frowned. Someone who knew of the old tales had surely given her that. No one else could know of the fae weakness to iron.

A twig snapped in the wood close to Sarah, and she jumped, her hand flying to the necklace at her throat. Ah, so she knew of its power. That would prove to be problematic. He must find some way to dull its power against him. It would not do to let a human have the upper hand against him. It was just not done.

The Goblin King returned to his castle not long after, brooding over the girl for quite some time. She was almost exactly similar to her forbearer in appearance, but there was some quality about her that made him pay attention to her more so than any other Guillemin. Was it merely her beauty that enchanted him, or was it her casual acceptance of the magical, from her bold intrusion into the forest to the amulet that rested at the base of her throat. She was one who would not balk at the strange or mysterious. She would not be a wilting flower, afraid of anything out of the ordinary, no, she would be curious and headstrong, capable of defending herself against external foes, and clever enough to understand the subtleties and intricacies of magic. In short, she possessed the qualities of a Goblin Queen.

The Goblin King made up his mind almost instantaneously.

It was time to pay a visit to the Guillemin family.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Into the Darkness

“Deep into that darkness,

 peering,

long I stood

wondering,

fearing,

doubting,

dreaming dreams no mortal

ever dared to dream before.”

-Line from the story “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Sarah jumped to her feet and spun around, frantically looking for what had moved behind her. The only thing she could see were more mirrors and her own scared reflection staring back at her. Sarah pressed a hand over her violently trembling heart, trying to steady it. It felt as though it was about to jump out of her chest.

Just as Sarah was managing to calm down, she caught something moving in her peripheral vision, and she turned wildly once more, and once more she just met her own reflection. Sarah laughed shakily. She was being unreasonably jumpy. The disjoined reflections cast by the mica mirrors were causing her to go just a tiny bit insane, her heart beating in a terrific overdrive. She would have a heart attack from all of the paranoia she was experiencing before she had ever made it to the end of this damnable mirror maze.

Sarah’s mood darkened, her paranoia sweeping over her once more. Whatever had moved had done so noiselessly, and that unnerved Sarah even more. What creature could move so quietly and so swiftly without being noticed? Surely it did not mean to harm her, for it would have done so long ago, would it not? Why toy with her?

Sarah gathered up her frayed nerves and walked on, listening hard and casting surreptitious looks about, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that was stalking her.

She was ready the next time she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye, and she whipped her head around to catch a glimpse of what it was. As Sarah had learned a few days ago, things were not what they seemed in the Labyrinth, and that the normal earthly rules of science and fact did not work quite the same in the Goblin King’s realm. You would think that Sarah would be accustomed to the strange and bizarre after spending time in the Labyrinth, and yet every new thing that she encountered seemed to disarm and alarm her to no end.

It was only her reflection that stared back at her, this much was true, but at the same time, it was not her reflection. It could not be. Sarah could not understand how this was possible. As Sarah stared at herself in the reflective mica, her mirror image moved, though Sarah was standing stock-still. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to make sure that she was not just hallucinating and watched in horror as the mirror Sarah grinned wickedly at her and waved her hand.

Sarah blanched and took a few harried steps backward, colliding with the mirror behind her. This…this was impossible! All of Sarah’s reflected selves stared smugly at her distress.

“Y-you are not real!” cried Sarah wildly, trying to convince herself as much as her reflections. “What are you?”

The Sarah doppelgangers laughed in an eerily disembodied voice that sent shivers racing down Sarah’s spine. Sarah was utterly terrified. Either this was some kind of horrific joke, or she was going to have to reevaluate her worldview once more since entering the Labyrinth. Sarah then did what any sane person would do when faced with something unexplainable and terrifying: she ran.

The funny thing about your reflection, however, is that so long as you stand near a reflective surface, it will be there too. Never the less, Sarah ran, trying in vain to distance herself from this strange new labyrinthine phenomenon. Unfortunately for Sarah, she ran into a dead end. She had nowhere to go.

“You are trapped,” said the ghoulish doppelgangers, the mirror Sarah’s voice soft and beguiling. Sarah was unnerved to hear her own voice come from a mouth that was not her own. “There is no way out…you are trapped…all is lost…”

“Who are you?” asked the real Sarah, clearly panicked, “What are you? What do you want with me?”

“Why, we are you,” sighed the doppelgangers knowingly, a few of the ghostly voices chuckling at Sarah’s terrified confusion, “We are you.”

“How on earth can you be me?” challenged Sarah, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. “What are you?”

“We are but your reflection, Sarah. We are the truth, we are your past, your present and your future, we are what you aspire to be and will never be, we are you.”

“But-but you cannot be! What kind of cruel trick is this? I ask you again, what do you want?”

“Merely to reflect. That is what we do. We are you, after all, and neither of us can exist without the other.”

“Why are you so determined to run the Labyrinth?” her reflection taunted in a low hiss, though its face was the picture of innocence. “Why not just give up? No one misses you, not even your parents. They have your brother now, the prodigal son. They have forgotten all about you. Why not fulfill your part in this curse?”

“Why are you saying this?” asked Sarah, her temper flaring. Though Sarah would not admit it, not even to herself, some part of her reflection’s words had touched upon some of Sarah’s more private thoughts, fears, and her unspoken desires. What sort of dark magic was this? How could it possibly know such things?

“Why not become the queen?” Her reflection stared knowingly at Sarah, watching as she took in her reflection’s seductive proposition.

“Power, respect, adventure; everything that you have ever wished for and more shall be yours. Give up, Sarah. Give in. You will never find your way from these caverns. Even if you did, you would never find your way through the Labyrinth, it is folly. Are you not tired? Do you not wish for someone else to make the decisions for you? Do you not want more from your quaint mortal life?”

It looked as though someone was walking closer to Sarah, for there was a second reflection drawing nearer and nearer. Sarah spun around, trying to see who was coming, but no one was there, save for Sarah and her reflections.

The shadowy figure resolved itself into someone who made Sarah’s blood run cold and set her anger aflame in one swift glance.

The Goblin King.

Sarah looked wildly about once more, but he was not there, at least not physically, and yet his reflection was there, standing beside hers.

It was quite eerie, seeing the reflection of someone who was not there. Sarah was a little relieved that the Goblin King was not there, as whenever the Goblin King showed up in Sarah’s life, he had the knack of complicating things, and things were quite complicated enough as they were without the Goblin King’s presence.

“My, my, Sarah, you have come far,” said the doppelganger Goblin King, both his expression and his tone both haughty. “Not far enough, I am afraid. There is still quite a long ways to go as of yet.”

“Give up,” repeated Sarah’s mirror image, who looked up at the Goblin King and smiled. The mirror Sarah reached out and touched the doppelganger Goblin King on the arm.

“Stop that!” said Sarah angrily, clenching her fists. She was beyond distressed at what she was seeing and hearing. “Quit saying that! I would never do that! I cannot give up! I will not!”

“Oh, but you will, Sarah,” said the reflection of the Goblin King in a smooth tone, “You must. You must fulfill the curse.”

“NO!” Sarah screamed, clutching her head in frustration. Her shout echoed in the clammy caves, dissipating into the darkness. She turned to run back up the passage from whence she had come before, but froze as a steady clicking noise met her ears.

A figure, real and corporeal, drew closer, the light from Sarah’s lantern slowly illuminating the person.

“Aah, what have we here?” said the Goblin King, stepping forward into the lantern light.

Sarah did the only thing that she was capable of at the moment in her extreme duress. She mutely stared at the Goblin King, her brain sluggishly trying to catch up with the erratic pace of current events.

“Thinking of going somewhere?” asked the Goblin King, flashing his distinct brazen grin at her. Sarah glanced to the mica mirrors, and saw that the doppelganger reflections of she and the Goblin King had vanished and had been replaced by normal, everyday reflections. Sarah’s heart dropped as she realized that her exit was blocked by the fae. By the look on the Goblin King’s face, Sarah knew that this was a deliberate move by him to hem her in.

“Let me pass, Goblin King.” Sarah was pleased of how coolly proud and inflectionless she had been able to sound after having a shock such as this. Damn him…

“Had enough fun yet, Sarah? Are you not tired of my Labyrinth?”

“Hardly. I have only gotten started, you know. What, have you grown tired of waiting for me to come and destroy your curse?” Sarah quipped.

“I am tired of waiting for you to give up,” replied the Goblin King, with equal aplomb.

“I can solve your Labyrinth with no problems, Goblin King,” said Sarah, her temper rising.

“And yet you have managed to get yourself into this situation.” He gestured at the labyrinth of mirrors that surrounded them.

“And I am sure that you had absolutely nothing to do with me getting stuck down here, did you?” asked Sarah sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips, staring at the Goblin King accusingly.

“What other job does a king of the goblins have but to meddle?” shrugged the Goblin King, trying for a look of innocence and failing miserably.

“How about lifting horrific curses that one placed on a family generations ago? How about finding a Goblin Queen based on the merits of love and attraction and integrity instead of stealing a girl and forcing her to take the role? How about leaving me alone?” Sarah finished heavily, her breath coming in short gasps from the aftermath of her impassioned speech.

“I seemed to have touched a nerve.” The Goblin King could not help but let a note of glee enter his carefully structured demeanor.

Sarah ignored him, trying to see if she could somehow get around him so that she could continue on her way. Maybe she could distract him or hit him or something so that she could get back down the passage of mirrors. The Goblin King noticed her calculating looks and understood immediately what she was thinking.

“Would you like to get back aboveground?” he asked casually, folding his arms across his chest and cocking his head.

“Are you trying to help me?” asked Sarah, instantly suspicious. Accepting help from the Goblin King was akin to accepting help from the devil himself. There was always a caveat, always a great and terrible price to pay. “If you are, this is not how you help a person. One typically helps people by doing good deeds and not expecting anything in return. You, on the other hand, try to help people by tossing them underground and making them get even more lost than they were already and by intimidating them!”

“I intimidate you?” said the Goblin King in a strangely curious voice, which was predictably tarnished by a veneer of smug satisfaction.

Sarah flushed. She needed to be more careful of what she said. “Do not try to change the subject.”

“Hmmm…” apparently Sarah’s words had given the Goblin King something to think about, and this made Sarah very nervous. She continued speaking, trying vainly to distract the Goblin King from her verbal blunder.

“What is your ulterior motive? You cannot simply want to help me. Not only does that go against your woefully tarnished character, but that would also mean that you would be helping me to defeat you! It makes no sense. You make no sense!” Sarah was quite passionate now, words flowing from her mouth with reckless abandon. Sarah was not censoring herself as she usually did when talking to the Goblin King. She had forgotten all his warnings, and that would be her downfall.

“Of course, I am trying to help, Sarah,” said the Goblin King placidly, flicking a speck of dirt from his pristine armor. “Do you not remember how utterly generous I am? Has it only taken a few days in my Labyrinth for you to forget about me? How disheartening.”

“I wish,” spat Sarah vehemently.

The Goblin King took a few steps forward, hemming Sarah back even further against the dead end of the mirrored maze. Sarah scowled at the Goblin King as she hastily took a few furtive steps backwards in retreat.

“Yes, precious, what do you wish? I am ever so fond of wishes, as you know,” his voice was low and edged with an air of danger that made Sarah instantly regret her words. She was so stupid! In her anger she had forgotten all of the strange rules of the Labyrinth. Words have power here. Did her ancestor not start all of this insanity from a mere wish she made to the Goblin King?

“Nothing. I do not wish anything,” said Sarah hastily, trying to take another surreptitious step away from the Goblin King. Her back hit the cool mica wall behind her. Damn. She straightened her spine and tried to gather her scattered bravado. “I merely wanted to express how I would have liked none of this to happen, and for you to have never invaded my life like a plague.”

“Pity,” replied the Goblin King, retreating a step or two away from Sarah. “You are quite sure that you do not want to give up now? I would most certainly not begrudge you if you did, my dear.”

“Quite certain,” replied Sarah succinctly, “Now, if you will excuse me, I must be getting on. I have a Labyrinth to solve and a Goblin King to thwart.

“Another Goblin King? Dear me, Sarah, it is almost as if you are trying to make me jealous,” drawled the Goblin King, placing a gloved hand over his heart in mock display of hurt feelings.

Sarah merely snorted and ignored the Goblin King’s japes, trying to focus on getting away and getting back on track.

The Goblin King, of course, had other ideas.

“Turn back, Sarah,” he said, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder, “Turn back before it is too late.”

“Never,” fumed Sarah, jerking her shoulder from the Goblin King’s grasp. She was tired of being bullied and intimidated. She was going to solve the Labyrinth, and nothing the Goblin King could do or say would change her mind, ever.

The Goblin King chuckled, his laugh high and terrible.

“You are no match for me, Sarah.”

“I am stronger than you think, Goblin King. Have you never heard any of the tales where the villain underestimates the hero? I will give you a hint as to how that turns out for the wicked kings: the hero always wins.” Sarah was drunk on her own bravado, not caring that she was walking the thin line between bravery and stupidity.

“You forget that you are not in a typical fairytale, Sarah. This is my domain, and everything goes according to my rules. I would not be so unrelentingly certain about your chances of success.”

“Ha,” replied Sarah, letting out a sharp bark of humorless laughter, “That is what the villain always says.”

“Are you quite so sure that I am the villain, Sarah?” asked the Goblin King quietly, a hard edge to his voice.

“How can I ever believe anything that you say?” spat Sarah vehemently, “When everything that you have ever done has been to destroy my life in some way or to manipulate or trick me?

“What other choice do you have, Sarah, but to trust me?”

“I do not have to trust you, Goblin King, only beat you at your own game. Now, if you will excuse me…” Sarah attempted to brush by the Goblin King. Quicker than Sarah could see, he had grabbed her upper arm to stop her.

Sarah growled at him. “Don’t touch me. Let me go!”

“I am not finished with you,” he replied, some of his breezy indifference marred by a touch of anger and annoyance.

“I think you are, actually. At least, I am through with you. Let me pass.”

“No,” said the Goblin King evenly, speaking as though to a spoiled child. “Even if I did, my dear, you would not escape from here.” He gestured at the mirrored maze. “I presume that you have noticed that there is a distinct lack of doors down here.”

Sarah could not take it any longer. She knew what the Goblin King was attempting to do; he was wasting more of her precious time by encouraging her to argue with him, thus deterring her from solving the Labyrinth! That bastard! She should have realized this earlier, but the Goblin King was far too adept at manipulating her emotions to work against her in his favor. It was time for her to finally do something about that, and to get as far away from the destructive influence of the Goblin King as she possibly could.

In one quick motion, Sarah slung the heavy metal lantern that was in her hand in a great arc and brought it down hard on the mica slab that blocked her way. It shattered spectacularly, extinguishing the lantern and throwing the cavern into total darkness.

As Sarah scrambled through the rent in the wall that she had created, she vaguely heard the Goblin King speak, though the blood pumping in her ears and the general din that she had caused made it impossible to hear exactly what it was that he said.

Sarah scrambled away in the darkness, stumbling and tripping in her haste, tearing her clothes and bloodying her hands from the rough stones that littered the ground. She groaned as she heard her pack rip and felt it lighten even more as things spilled out of it. Sarah did not dare to go back to grope for them in the darkness. She must get away. Suddenly a peal of mirth broke the air, and Sarah jumped. It sounded as though the Goblin King was close behind her. She frantically increased her pace.

The maniacal laughter of the Goblin King dogged her footsteps as she hastened away, hoping beyond hope that the he was not following her. After a while, Sarah noticed that the floor had begun to slope upwards as she made her way blindly in the darkness, and she wished fervently that this meant that she was making her way out of this hell hole and back to the Labyrinth above.

Sarah suddenly thought that she saw a light before her and that the way ahead was growing lighter. She prayed that it was the way out and not just another one of the Goblin King’s tricks.

Sarah emerged from the cave, bruised and bloodied, her half-empty pack dangling from one arm and her eyes wild from a thrilling combination of fear, excitement and anger. Unfortunately for Sarah, she was not alone. It was also quite unfortunate for Sarah that it was not merely the Goblin King who stood before her.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWELVE

Worst Places

“You and I, Sam, are still stuck

 in the worst places of the story,

and it is all too likely

that someone will say at this point:

‘Shut the book now, dad;

We don’t want to read anymore.’”

-Frodo from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”

It would seem that the cave from which Sarah had only just escaped was actually someone’s home. Well, make that several someones, several very large, and at that moment, startled and irritated someones.

Cave trolls.

Sarah stood dumbstruck for several seconds, blinking in the late-afternoon twilight, her mind sluggishly catching up to her present situation.

Sarah then did what she had come to think of fondly as her “labyrinthine tactic of defense.” She ran like hell.

The trolls, just as stunned as Sarah at her sudden arrival as she was at the presence of they, followed quickly after her, their stomachs suddenly craving the flesh of a human rather than the deer that they had been cooking on the spit.

There was one small ray of sunshine in Sarah’s escape from the caves, and that was since she had lost quite a bit of the contents of her pack, it was substantially lighter, thus Sarah could run just a bit faster, tired and bruised though she was.

Sarah managed, though some sheer amount of insane divine luck, to keep ahead of the cave trolls, who huffed and grunted behind her, occasionally reaching out a great, knobbly hand to try and catch her. She darted quickly through the twisting bends and pathways of the Labyrinth, trying to focus on staying ahead of the trolls while at the same time trying to formulate a plan to either evade or defeat them. She could not go on running like this for forever, and Sarah was certain that the trolls’ endurance in this chase would unfortunately last longer than her own.

If there was one time in Sarah’s life that a sudden appearance from the Goblin King would not go amiss, this was certainly it. Instead, he had chosen to appear minutes earlier with the childish intent of pissing her off and to make vague threatening hints that she should give up on her quest for freedom. It was just not fair.

As Sarah turned a sharp corner, she saw something that made her skid to a stop. A dead end. It had been only a matter of time before she would run into such an obstacle. Her luck had finally run out.

Sarah turned to the advancing trolls and threw thoughts about wildly, trying to figure out how she could fend them off. Surely they would not be affected by her amulet? It had worked on both the Goblin King and the pixies, it was true, but Sarah was not so sure that it would be a sure-fire defense for all of the beings in the Labyrinth. The Minotaur had not seemed to be perturbed by it. Perhaps it only worked on things that annoyed Sarah, prime among those things resided the Goblin King.

Unfortunately for Sarah, the amulet did not work on the trolls, nor did any of her empty threats of disembowelment or beheadings. No sooner than Sarah had thought of trying to run once again, one of the trolls caught hold of her backpack and laughed at her indignant protestations and flailing limbs as she tried to disentangle herself from her pack. The trolls, their supper now caught, proceeded to walk back through the Labyrinth, dragging a disgruntled and furiously plotting Sarah along behind them.

The troll that had been dragging Sarah along finally stopped, and tossed her bodily into a dark cavern, where she landed on a pile of something hard with a crash. It then rolled a large rock over the entrance to the cavern, effectively trapping Sarah inside. She groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing her head and trying to ignore her protesting muscles. She had certainly acquired new bruises, and new scrapes as well. She supposed that the trolls wanted to tenderize their meat a bit before serving it up.

Sarah searched around with her hands, unable to see anything in the inky blackness of the cavern. She picked up one of the things that she had landed on and ran her hands over it, trying to figure out what it was.

It was a candlestick.

Sarah almost laughed. What was something so mundane as a candlestick doing in a troll’s cave? It was heavy and seemed to be ornately carved. It must have been made from some precious material, otherwise why would the trolls keep it?

Sarah picked up more objects, running her fingers lightly over each object to try to divine its nature; a large, heavy battle helm; a small, strangely-proportioned statuette; an unwieldy goblet that felt as though it was encrusted with gemstones.

Heavy coins slipped through her fingers, tinkling to the stone floor below with a melodious cacophony of sound.

She had landed in the troll’s treasure horde! How strange to think that creatures so brutish and dim-witted as trolls could or would amass such a collection of precious goods. It did not seem to fit Sarah’s new worldview very well, not unlike most of the things that she had encountered thus far in the Labyrinth.

Perhaps there was something here that could help her! Maybe there were weapons or something that would enable her to escape her seemingly inevitable fate of being the trolls’ dinner.

Sarah stumbled around in the darkness, trying to feel the ground with her feet before she took each step, attempting to avoid falling any more than was necessary. Her hands groped blindly in the darkness before her, occasionally brushing against some bit of troll treasure or slab or stone.

Suddenly, Sarah thought she glimpsed a thread of light that wove through the darkness before her. Perhaps it was her imagination, trying to give her what she so desperately wanted and needed at that moment, or perhaps it was Sarah’s luck, returning to her at last.

In her haste, Sarah accidentally knocked over a pile of the trolls’ hoard, and it clashed and clanged noisily to the ground, making Sarah trip many times in her careless hurry to discern what was emitting the faint light before her.

Sarah walked forward until her fingers grazed something soft. She took a few steps closer and realized that it was a heavy bit of fabric, through which a shard of light could clearly be seen. It seemed to be covering something large and bulky. Sarah took in a deep breath, hesitating for a brief moment, and then pulled on the heavy drapery. It slid smoothly from the cage, crumpling to the floor with a soft sigh.

Sarah was blinded by the sudden light and threw her hands up in front of her face, shielding it from the brilliant light. She blinked rapidly, trying to make her eyes grow accustomed to the dazzling glow.

It was several minutes before Sarah was able to raise her head to look at the thing that she had uncovered, the thing whose light was quite similar in brightness to the sun at midday. It was at once unnerving and fascinating.

Sarah could not believe her eyes. She rubbed them, and then stared once more at the luminescent thing.

It was a bird. It was similar in size and appearance to that of a peacock, but instead of a plumage of blue and green, this bird’s coloring was gold and red and orange, and it was emitting the brilliant light that had blinded Sarah. It was also on fire, the flickering feathers of flame casting strange shadows on the cavern walls. It was in a gilded cage, which was wrought from spindles of twisting gold and set with moonstones.

The firebird quirked its head when it saw that Sarah was staring at it, and it emitted a soft, sad chirp.

Time and time again Sarah was told that the Labyrinth possessed things that were worlds apart from those that she was used to in her mundane world, and time and time again, Sarah was constantly startled and awed at the differentness of the Labyrinth’s beings. Sarah could not comprehend this. It was a bird that was on fire and yet somehow still alive. Magic…

Sarah spared a glance to survey her surroundings. She had been correct that she had been thrown into the Troll’s treasure hoard. It stretched out in all directions, filling every nook and cranny of the cavern, twinkling in the light cast by the firebird.

“I don’t suppose that you know of a way out of here?” Sarah asked the firebird glumly, surveying her surroundings once more with a sigh of despair.

She walked around the caged bird, finding the latch to the cage and opening it. Sarah took a quick step back as the bird joyfully flew from the cage, alighting on a pile of golden relics, stretching its wings for the first time in who knows how long.

Why exactly would the trolls keep a firebird in their hoard? Despite its rarity and beautiful appearance, it emitted a light that was essentially the same to that which was emitted by the sun, their mortal enemy? Why keep something that could essentially kill you? (Or, in the case of the trolls, turn you into grey, unyielding stone.)

Sarah suddenly realized that she was now in possession of her way out. She had a bird that shined with the light of the sun. Now she only had to get out of the caves.  Sarah looked around for something to help her now that she had some light.  Her eyes fell upon a sword glinting among the rubble of treasure, and she dug it out, marveling at its beauty.  Hopefully it would be as deadly as it was beautiful.

It was much easier to make her way to the mouth of the cave now that she had the light of the firebird, which had perched itself imperiously on her arm, looking at her with a cool indifference now that it had been released from its prison. Once they had reached the mouth of the cave, Sarah tried to push as hard as she could to move the rock that was blocking the entrance, but it would not budge. She tried using a sword to pry open the door as well, but to no avail. Suddenly the firebird took off from Sarah’s shoulder, buffeting her with its wings. Sarah spun quickly, watching as the firebird flew back into the cave and down another path. Sarah quickly tried to follow the bird, stumbling and knocking over piles of troll treasure as she did so. The bird lead her to a path that wormed upward and but ultimately lead to a dead end in a low tunnel which forced Sarah to stoop down as the end was so low. Sarah sighed and moved to turn around to go back to the cavern’s entrance, but stopped when the firebird chirped at her, flapping its wings to get her attention.

Sarah looked to where the firebird was perched, close to the low ceiling. It pulled at a root that protruded down from the ceiling, which was not stone, but actually dirt. Sarah lifted a hand to touch it, and felt the damp earth beneath her fingertips. The firebird had lead her to a way out. Sarah unsheathed her sword and jabbed it upwards though the earthen ceiling of the tunnel. Chunks of dirt and roots fell on Sarah’s head, but she did not stop her assault on the ceiling. After a few more thrusts, the a great pile of dirt above her head fell and revealed the night sky above through an opening big enough for Sarah to clamber out of.

Sarah smiled and tried to brush as much dirt out of her hair and clothes as she could before sheathing her sword and hoisting herself through the hole.

Just as Sarah was celebrating her success, a large hand grabbed at her, and she tripped, trying to roll away from her attacker.

Of course, her wonderfully escapable tunnel would lead her right into the middle of the troll’s camp, who had regained their senses after being startled at seeing their dinner pop up from a hole in the ground.

Sarah tried to draw her sword as the trolls drew near again, but was unable to from her position sprawled on the earthen ground.

Suddenly, the firebird emerged from the hole, and the trolls looked over at the sudden appearance of so much light and howled.

Then, all was silence.

Sarah lifted her head up and stared up at the troll above her, trying to see what it was that silenced it.

It was made of stone.

Sarah straightened up hesitantly, holding her sword valiantly out before her, trying to discern if the trolls really were stone.

The firebird landed on one of the petrified trolls and quirked its head at Sarah. After a few moments, Sarah lowered her blade and crept forward, peering at the stone beings.

She gathered her courage and rapped on one stone troll with the flat of her blade, which made a sort of pinging noise as it hit the stone.

Solid rock. Sarah let out a little sigh of relief and proceeded to rap on the rest of the trolls, just to make absolutely sure that they were now immobile and inanimate. Sarah had to admit that if it were not for the sheer dumb luck that had insisted on sticking to her periodically throughout her journey through the Labyrinth, she would certainly have not made it this far through the Labyrinth, and she would most certainly not be alive to tell the tale hence. Perhaps fate was beginning to take pity on her after all the cruel twists it had thrown at her as of late.

The firebird watched her curiously, cocking its head at her and cooing softly, beating its wings once to grab Sarah’s attention. Once it did, the bird flew from the circle of stone trolls and alighted on a tree branch a dozen or so feet into the tree line. It cooed at Sarah once more in what Sarah thought was a sign for her to follow it. Even though they had been comrades in their escape from the trolls, Sarah was hesitant to follow the firebird. This was the Labyrinth, after all, and things were not always what they seemed in this place. Something could be your friend one minute and then turn around and lead you to certain doom the next. Trying to understand the twists of logic and deceptive subtleties of the Labyrinth was like trying to build a foundation on ever-shifting sands. It could not be done, no matter how hard you try, you will always fail.

So, would Sarah take a chance and trust a voiceless creature that had allied itself to her in their escape, or would she take the more practical path and run the hell away, distrusting everything and everyone associated with the Labyrinth from now on and solve it using her own wits and logic?

The bird cooed once more, confused as to why Sarah was taking such a long time in following it.

Sarah stared at the firebird, trying to discern its motives and allegiance. Was it good or was it evil? Did it want to truly help her or did it want to lead her around and around in circles until her time was all but spent and all hope of claiming her freedom was gone?

Perhaps the bird owed Sarah for freeing it. It had been trapped and presumably unable to extricate itself from the troll’s horde until Sarah had stumbled in and opened the door to its cage. Perhaps it wanted to return the favor. Sarah had done the firebird a good deed and now it wanted to help Sarah out in thanks.

With a sigh, Sarah belted her pilfered sword to her side and, resigning herself to the worst, traipsed after the bird into the wood, treading once more down the familiar leafy paths of the Labyrinth.

Sarah followed the bird, who flew to another branch and inclined its head at her, clearly indicating that she should follow where it lead her. Sarah followed without any reservations or sense of hesitation. She felt as though she could trust her aviary companion, so Sarah followed the firebird. It lead her through the twisting paths of the Labyrinth, not hesitating at any point as if it knew where it was leading her.

For a while Sarah walked after the bird, trying to ignore her aching muscles and her rumbling stomach. She had lost everything when the trolls had cornered her. Sarah took stock of her possessions: cloak, sword, iron amulet, bird made of fire. Clearly Sarah had everything she needed to solve an unsolvable Labyrinth with just over one day left. No food, no water, no other means of survival. At least she had a light source: her trusty firebird friend, who was currently leading her somewhere unknown in the dead of night in a vengeful and implacable Labyrinth.

Suddenly, Sarah tripped, almost falling flat on her face on the forest floor. She had hit something with the toe of her boot while she had been deep in thought not paying attention to the path ahead.

Sarah swore and jerked her head around to see what it was that had tripped her. It was a brick, half-embedded in the ground, poking up an inch or so up out of the dirt and the leaves. Why on earth would there be a brick there?

The firebird flew to Sarah and landed on the ground close to her head, making Sarah jump at the sudden intrusion. Now that the bird was closer, the light it cast revealed similar bricks stacked up neatly between some of the trees. The trees seemed to be spaced quite a bit further apart than she had remembered, now that Sarah thought about it. Before, she could hardly see where one tree ended and the next began and now she could see other paths and trees between the trunks.

Sarah looked at the path ahead and spotted more bricks embedded in the forest floor which seemed to grow in density at the path went on.

Sarah twisted her head to look at the firebird on her shoulder, who looked back at her.

“I have no idea where you are leading me and what your plan is, but you had better stay close so I can see where I am going. If this turns out to be some trick, so help me, I will cheerfully roast your feathery butt.”

The bird blinked once and faced forward once more, and Sarah started walking again, careful this time of the bricks that were scattered in the forest floor.

Sarah did not know for how long she had been walking, but she suddenly realized that the brick to dirt ratio had quite reversed, and that she was now walking more so on bricks than on dirt. The tree to brick ratio had also changed, tall walls of brick had erected themselves between the tree trunks, with fewer and fewer trees interrupting the yellow bricks as Sarah walked along. Before long, the dirt was completely covered with bricks, and the trees had vanished, letting Sarah gaze at the starry sky above, the waxy moon casting a shining light down to the bricks below, washing everything in a pale light.

Sarah took this change of scenery as a good sign. She was out of the wilderness and into something that rang of civilization. Surely that meant that she was heading into the right direction and that she was getting closer to the Goblin King’s castle.

The firebird suddenly flew from her shoulder, the air displaced by its wings ruffling Sarah’s hair. It darted around a corner, its light growing dimmer as it flew further and further from Sarah, who cried out in protest and ran to keep up with the bird, who navigated through the labyrinthine masonry with a keen precision.

Suddenly the bird stopped, and Sarah skidded to a halt, doubling over and gasped for breath. When she had recovered, Sarah straightened to take in her surroundings. The firebird had lead her into a sort of courtyard made of the same yellow brick that surrounded her. It was empty, save for a tall statue that towered over her on a pedestal in the center of the circular courtyard.

Sarah stared at the statue for a few moments before recognizing who it was.

“This is what you wanted me to see?” Sarah asked the bird skeptically, who had perched on Sarah’s shoulder once more, its ephemerally fiery feathers flickering against her cheek as though they were no more than wisps of silk. “A statue of the Goblin King? You do realize that this is quite possibly the last thing on earth that I want to see right now, apart from the real thing. I was hoping more for a magical doorway out of here or some kind of aid…”

The firebird suddenly took off from her shoulder and flew away, disappearing from sight over the brick walls of the Labyrinth.

Sarah grumbled and cursed herself for following something blindly without knowing its intentions. Now she did not know where she was (not that she did before) in the middle of the night, with a statue of her foe glaring down at her, almost seeming as though it were gloating in triumph.

Click, click, click.

Suddenly, a steady clicking noise met Sarah’s ears, and she felt her heart go into overdrive. Damn! Someone was drawing near. It was him!

Click, click, click.

There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. Sarah was quite literally trapped like a mouse in a maze. She had mere moments to prepare herself and to try to figure out what to do.

In lieu of any better plan, Sarah drew her sword. It was that or try to climb over the towering walls of the Labyrinth, which was quite impossible as the bricks fit tightly together with no gaps or ledges to grasp upon. She steeled herself, holding her sword at the ready, mentally prepping herself for yet another confrontation.

Whatever Sarah had been expecting, this was most certainly not it. It should have been the Goblin King who entered the courtyard, smirking in his signature dastardly smile and gloating flamboyantly.

An elegantly dressed woman stepped forward, the firebird on her arm, and a golden circlet upon her brow. Her cloak was dark, and the gown she wore was a dusky mauve, the fine make of her garments indicating to Sarah this woman’s high status. Gossamer wings fluttered on her back, emitting a soft ethereal glow. Sarah felt quite self-conscious of her bedraggled hair and of her torn and soiled clothes. How silly and human she must look in comparison to this regally glamorous woman.

Sarah stood dumbstruck for a few moments before lowering her sword a few inches.

The woman took in Sarah’s startled expression and raised her hands gracefully in a placating gesture.

“I mean you no harm, child.”

Her voice was soft, and yet it made Sarah’s spine tingle. It was an old voice, though the woman looked ageless. She was clearly not human, and clearly, she was to be respected and treated with dignity if Sarah wished to remain unscathed. Magic and those who could use magic were not to be trifled with.

“Who are you?” asked Sarah, her voice containing more bravado than her heart. “What is it you want?”

“I have come to thank you. My beloved pet tells me that you rescued him from his imprisonment in the hoard of some cave trolls.” She gestured to the firebird who rested happily on her crooked arm.

“I did,” said Sarah cautiously, trying to get a feel for what was going on. Just when she thought that the Labyrinth could throw no more strange things at her, it decided to prove her wrong just as suddenly.

“I thank you for that. I have missed my friend greatly since his disappearance, and I have long searched for him.” The woman took a few more steps towards Sarah, who in return slowly dropped her arm so that the point of her sword touched the bricks at her feet.

“I am Mab, Queen of the faeries. I have come to help you in return for the deed that you have done for me, however unknowingly it was performed. And who are you?”

“I am Sarah Guillemin, majesty,” Sarah dropped into a curtsey, half-impressed with herself at the grace with which she performed this. “I am running the Labyrinth to win back my freedom from the Goblin King, and to win the freedom of my future kin from his curse which he placed on my family hundreds of years ago.”

“Ah yes,” said Queen Mab softly, placing a slim finger under Sarah’s chin to gently lift it to the light cast by the firebird and the full moon. “I can see your resemblance to her. I know of your family quite well, Sarah Guillemin. Very few in these lands do not know of the tale, and fewer still do not know of you. The future Queen of the Goblins.”

“I will not be Queen of the Goblins,” replied Sarah, a hint of venom in her voice. “I shall win my freedom and return home.  I will not fail to beat the Goblin King.”

“You suit one another, the Goblin King and you,” said Queen Mab, with a hint of a smile. “Both so headstrong and stubborn. I would not be so sure of your success, Sarah. Do not presume that the Goblin King is doing all this out of malice. There are subtleties and undercurrents of emotion here that you are as of yet not aware of. Jareth is quite determined to prevail, and he has just as much riding on this deal as you, if not more.”

Sarah was quiet for a few moments before something that Queen Mab had said permeated her haze of thoughts, striking her as odd.

“Jareth?” she queried, looking at the fairy queen, “The Goblin King?”

“Jareth, King of the Goblins, defender of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Dark Wood, et cetera, et cetera, and et cetera,” said Queen Mab dismissively, waving a graceful hand. “He has many names and titles, and Jareth is one of them.”

“Oh,” replied Sarah, glancing behind her at the statue that the firebird had lead her to, “I suppose he would.”

“Indeed,” said Queen Mab, leveling her imperious stare on Sarah. “You know so little of this world, and yet, here you are in the thick of it, opposing yourself against one of this world’s most powerful beings. You must be either very brave or very stupid.”

“I know of this world,” said Sarah hotly, her cheeks flaming at Queen Mab’s jab, “I have lived my whole life hearing stories and…”

Queen Mab cut her off.

“Yes, you have heard stories. Unfortunately, it seems that rather often stories are quite different from the truth. I meant you no offence. I merely wanted to illustrate the difference between knowing something through stories and knowing through the truth,” said Queen Mab, not unkindly.

Suddenly, Queen Mab’s firebird uttered a few chirps and flapped its wings once or twice. The Queen looked curiously at the bird for a few moments before reaching up and plucking one of the brilliant feathers from the firebird’s plumage.

“My firebird wishes you to have this as a token of our gratitude,” said Queen Mab, handing Sarah the fiery feather. It glowed with the same bright light that the firebird emanated. “It will always light your way. It will never dim, nor can it ever go out.”

“Thank you,” replied Sarah, taking the feather reverently, holding it carefully by her fingertips. Though she was new to the ways of the Labyrinth, she was quite sure that this was a rare and kingly gift, and that she should be quite honored and was incredibly lucky to have received such a gift, “I shall treasure it. Thank you.”

“And now in show of my gratitude Sarah, Runner of the Labyrinth, I give you this compass. It is, of course, no ordinary compass. This compass shall help you on your journey through the Labyrinth. Though you have come far, you have far yet to go. This compass shall help you to keep on track, though it will not be able to keep you from danger’s way. Danger will lie in the path you must take, and you must bear it the best you can. I wish you luck. Godspeed.”

Queen Mab nodded once at Sarah and turned, walking gracefully out of the courtyard, her firebird perched regally on her arm, disappearing into the darkness just as suddenly as she had appeared.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Staring into the Abyss

“Whoever battles monsters

should take care not to become a monster too,

for if you stare too long into the Abyss,

the Abyss also stares into you.”

-“Beyond Good and Evil” by Frederich Nietzsche

Sarah was full of energy now, and decided to forsake sleep for the time being. How could she when she was so close to achieving her goal? Though the night was no longer young, the moon was bright and the firebird’s feather allowed her to see in the darkness with ease.

She would continue on. She had an irreplaceable aid now: her compass from the Queen of the faeries. She was galvanized with hope. Though Sarah was loath to admit it, in her heart of hearts, Sarah had been just a little doubtful of her ability to solve the Labyrinth and defeat the Goblin King.

Sarah studied her compass, the needle of which quivered and spun around to point out of the courtyard.

Sarah looked over her shoulder at the statue of the Goblin King.

“You had best be prepared, Goblin King,” said Sarah coyly, a smile spreading across her face, “I am coming.”

Sarah watched the needle swing to and fro and she made her way through the Labyrinth, following its directions. The feather from the firebird was extraordinarily bright, lighting Sarah’s way with ease as the traversed down the brick corridors.

Sarah, overjoyed and over-confident with her newly acquired tools, forgot one of the most important things that Queen Mab had told her. Though the compass may point Sarah in the right direction, it would not warn her of danger in her path. Unfortunately for Sarah, the jaws of the trap had snapped shut around her before she had even been aware of any danger at all.

Sarah had been traveling for some time before the path in front of Sarah diverged, tracing around the edges of a shimmering reflecting pool.

Sarah suddenly became aware of just how hungry and thirsty she was. It had been some time since she had last eaten or drank anything, and the trolls had taken the last of her supplies. Sarah clutched her stomach as it rumbled. Her mouth felt as though she had sand in it.

Her thirst increased. Sarah knelt down by the small pool and tucked her firebird feather carefully into the ribbon at the end of her disheveled braid. Ignoring the niggling voice that poked at her mind, she reached down to the glassy pool with a cupped palm and drew forth some water, sending ripples dancing across the glassy surface to disturb the still water as she lifted her cupped palm to her lips. The water was cool and sweet, and Sarah dipped her hand into the pool several more times, trying to appease her thirst.

Sarah sat on the damp ground next to the pool, her fatigue catching up to her at last. Sarah yawned heavily as her eyelids drooped. She needed to find somewhere else to rest for the night, somewhere that was not quite so exposed. The now-still pool was surely frequented by other creatures, and she did not want to meet any unawares. However, Sarah’s limbs did not seem to want to obey her as she sunk slowly to the ground, her body betraying her mind.

It would not hurt if I closed my eyes for a few minutes, thought Sarah distractedly, struggling to think clearly through the haze that seemed to be fogging her mind. Surely nothing will happen if I just rest here for a little while…regain my strength…

As Sarah lay her head on the ground, she found that her sight was level with the reflecting pool. As her eyes fluttered shut, Sarah hazily noticed that something was once more disturbing the stillness of the pool as it rose forth from the glassy water.

*****

It seemed as if Sarah had only shut her eyes for a few seconds before she opened them again. Lifting her head slightly, she blearily took in her surroundings. It seemed that she was no longer by the reflecting pool. In fact, she seemed to be nowhere at all.

Sarah propped herself up on an elbow and took a second to look, her mind a little more alert.

It was very grey and misty all around Sarah. It seemed like it was still nighttime, but the grey of the sky was indistinguishable from the grey of the ground she lay upon.

Sarah got clumsily to her feet and brushed herself off distractedly, belatedly noticing that her sword, compass, and cloak were missing. Sarah peered through the dull grey air, trying to distinguish anything that could provide her with a clue as to where she was and how she could get back on track.

Sarah took a few steps in one direction, looked around, and saw naught but the same heavy grayness that shrouded everything from her view.

She tried this several times, moving in different directions and trying to peer through the haze, but to no avail.

Exasperatedly, Sarah walked back to the original spot where she had found herself when she awoke, and sat down on the bench with a sulky huff of frustration. Belatedly, her mind vaguely wondered where the bench had come from. It had not been there before, had it? Surely Sarah would have noticed that though all the swirling gloom.

Sarah sulked for a few moments before a sound caught her ear, and she snapped her head around in the direction of the sound, her eyes wide, like a deer that had head the snapping of a twig under a predator’s velvety paw.

Sarah’s eyes dimly perceived a dark shape moving forward through the grayness, causing the mist to swirl and undulate in its wake.

Sarah quickly stood and cast about wildly for something that she could use to defend herself, finally registering the absence of her sword and other belongings. Something was not right here…

There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. She was utterly defenseless, and in some strange place that she could not quite understand.

Sarah, against her own better judgment, stood her ground, deciding to face whatever was drawing nearer, instead of running like she should. Her time to solve the Labyrinth was drawing to a close, and she needed answers and knowledge, neither of which could be attained by running away. The time for running had long since passed.

Sarah readied her wits as the figure walked forward through the mist. She narrowed her eyes to try to discern who or what her adversary could be.

Suddenly, as if some incorporeal wind had rent them asunder, the mists parted and a dark shape stood before Sarah, startling her so much that she fell backwards, landing harshly on the hard ground.

It was a man who had parted the mists, coming to a stop a few feet from Sarah, his hands resting easily at his sides in a nonthreatening gesture. His long dark hair spilled over his broad shoulders. He wore simply cut clothes of pale silk and dark boots. He was at once the most beautiful and terrifying man that Sarah had beheld, though she could not possibly explain how or why she had come to this conclusion. She had the uneasy feeling that though this person looked human, the being standing before her was certainly not. Things were not always what they seemed in this place.

Neither Sarah nor the man spoke for a few moments. It was as if the frightened rabbit and the sly fox were calculating the odds of the rabbit’s escape. Finally, the man broke the silence and moved forward a few steps, dipping into a graceful bow.

“Forgive me dearie,” he said, his voice low and smooth, “It was not my intention to startle you.”

Sarah was startled out of her thoughts and took a few seconds to recollect herself before blurting out a response.

“Who are you?” asked Sarah bluntly, wisely deciding against asking

‘What are you?’ If the Goblin King was any standard to go by, magical beings were proud and quick to anger.

The man before her laughed, the sound like the rippling water of a river; smooth and clear on the surface, but murky and laced with undetectable undercurrents below.

“Suffice it to say, I am a denizen of the Labyrinth,” he replied, nodding his head at Sarah in a sort of half-bow. “If you require a name, alas, that I cannot provide, as it has been many a year since I last used it, and I am afraid that I have quite forgotten it. May I be so bold as to ask your name?” The creature replied smoothly, taking a few more steps forward and extending a hand to help Sarah up from where she had fallen to the ground.

Sarah hesitated before taking his hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Sarah was past ignoring all of the warning bells that sounded in her mind, and the uncomfortable shivers that raced down her spine. She had unknowingly thrown herself into the trap without the slightest pretense of a struggle. Sarah had been entranced without even realizing that such a thing was possible.

“Thank you,” Sarah replied, feeling a little dazed. What was wrong with her? She should be on her guard! Things were not always what they seemed in this place, and she knew better than to trust this man implicitly. Sarah realized that she still did not know where she was, nor did she know where her few remaining belongings had gone. She needed to get back to the path and resume her journey, not be charmed by some strange man in the mist. She shook her head slightly as if to try to clear the fog that had been affecting her ability to think clearly.

She was not the kind of girl who was smitten by one look from a handsome man, so why was she so now? It made no sense, especially given the circumstances…

“Your name?” asked the man, easily cutting through Sarah’s stream of consciousness.

Sarah blinked stupidly for a moment, looking at the man as if she did not see him clearly. Her name? What was her name?

“Ah…Sarah…Sarah Guillemin.” She bobbed a curtsey out of habit.

“Sarah,” repeated the creature, lingering on the ‘s’ in her name, drawing out the letter with a lazy grace. He smiled.

“Yes,” said Sarah, uncomfortably self-conscious at how silly she sounded right now, “That is indeed my name. I’m sorry this is all just so very strange. I do not know where I am right now, and I need to be going…I must solve the Labyrinth you know…”

Sarah trailed off, realizing that what she was saying must be gibberish to the person before her. What was wrong with her? Her mind seemed to be wandering off in every direction, and there was no filter between her stream of consciousness and her mouth. It was as if she were trying to herd cats.  It was impossible.

“I thought that you might be him,” confided Sarah conspiratorially, glancing around at the mist that surrounded them as if someone else was listening in.

“Him?” asked the man quizzically, quirking an eyebrow at Sarah’s comment.

“You know, him,” giggled Sarah, feeling a bit light-headed. She felt almost drunk. She had hardly any control over herself. She needed to get away from this man immediately, something was not right with him, and she had a funny feeling that it was about to get worse. “You know,” continued Sarah, gesturing as if to try to illustrate her point. “The king. The Guardian of the Labyrinth, Protector of the whatever. He of many titles, none of which mean terribly much. You know, tall. Blonde. Wears an awful lot of armor. Has delusions of grandeur and an annoyingly persistent ability to bear a grudge over many a century. The thorn in my side and the fae who turned my world upside down with just a few cruel words. The Goblin King.”

“Ah.”

The man seemed a bit nonplussed at Sarah’s little poetical tirade.

“You remind me of him,” said Sarah, mentally leaping past all of the warning signs that flooded her mind and instead dived deep into the pool of insanity.

“Do I now?

“Mhmm.” Sarah stared at the man, as if not really seeing him, mentally cataloging the similarities.

“Is that good or bad?” The man leaned forward a bit, staring intensely at Sarah.

Sarah was taken aback slightly, startled from her preoccupation of studying the man. Which was it? “I…I do not know,” she finally replied.

“Would you like to find out?” asked the man silkily, walking slowly towards Sarah, who was rooted to the spot, her mind churning along at a sluggish pace.

Sarah watched him approach, as if studying a cat stalking after a mouse.

Before he could get more than an arms length from her, a sensible thought of self-preservation finally clunked into place in her brain, and she hastily took a few steps back.

“I should go,” said Sarah, turning slightly as if trying to see the way out of the mist and back to the Labyrinth proper. Why was she here? What had she been doing before?

“Why?” The man closed the distance between them and gently laid a hand on her arm.

“Hmm?” Sarah could think of nothing but the man’s hand resting on her arm. He was touching her…

“Why?” The man quietly asked once more, a smile playing around the corners of his lips. He slid Sarah’s hand deftly into the crook of his arm.

“Why what?” Sarah asked, confused. Had he asked her a question? She could not remember.

The man finally let the smile he had been restraining spread freely over his features. He grinned wolfishly at Sarah, who smiled back, pleased that she had made the man happy.

“Nothing.” He replied, innocently.

Sarah allowed herself to be led through the mists by this strange man, this man who seemed at once so familiar and so foreign to Sarah, but whom she instinctively trusted. It was so odd…

“What was I doing here?” asked Sarah light-headedly, her arm linked securely in the arm of the man beside her.

“You were on a journey,” replied the man, looking down at Sarah as if she were a lamb and he the wolf.

“What kind of a journey? I cannot seem to recall…how odd…” Sarah shook her head confusedly, the thoughts slipping like water through her fingers.

“You were on a journey to bring down a kingdom.”

“Was I? How thrilling! I expect I was making a right mess of it, was I?”

“You were actually doing quite well, all things considered,” admitted the man, “That was, however, until you met me.”

“Why is that?” Sarah looked confusedly up at the beautiful man, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, his brow furrowing at a memory that was clearly unpleasant.

“Because, my dear, the Goblin King and I have a score to settle, and unless I am very much mistaken, the Goblin King wants you very much. Very much indeed.” The man laughed, as if sharing in his own private joke.

“Why would the Goblin King want me?” asked Sarah a little nervously, quite taken aback by the turn of conversation, “I’m nobody…just…just Sarah.”

“Why indeed…” mused the man, looking at Sarah once more as if he was looking into her soul.  Sarah shivered.

Sarah thought for a moment before speaking slowly, trying to piece together a puzzle for which she only had a handful of pieces.

“Does he love me?” She spoke plainly, her bluntness amusing the man beside her.

“Of that, I am not sure.

“Surely he must if he is going to such lengths to acquire my affections. Was that what my journey was? To get to him?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“Funny,” said Sarah, “you think that I would remember a man who loved me. Do I love him?”

The man laughed, clearly enjoying Sarah’s loss of memory. She was so candidly truthful and unwaveringly perceptive.

“I think that you feel very strongly about the Goblin King, my dear Sarah, but I cannot say that love is one of the emotions that is featured among your feelings towards him.”

“I must,” argued Sarah, slipping her arm out of the man’s grasp. She turned towards him and looked up into his face, “Why else would I go on a journey to him?”

“Forget him,” said the man, stepping closer to Sarah, the mists swirling dreamily as he moved, “Stay here, with me, Sarah. Forget about the Goblin King.”

“But…he loves me,” objected Sarah, taking a step back from the man.

“What could the Goblin King possibly offer you that I could not give you tenfold? He is weak compared to the likes of I. He is but a king. I am so much more.

“He took everything away from you. Why should you feel beholden to him? It is not very fair, is it? Why give him the satisfaction of running his little Labyrinth, why not defy him and refuse his expectations. You do not need to depend upon his whim to win your freedom. Strike out on your own and win it yourself. I know of ways for you to become even more powerful than he, ways that he has never even dreamed of.”

The man laughed as if sharing in his own private joke.

“But I digress. Why do we waste time talking of the Goblin King. He means naught to you.”

Sarah nodded vaguely, drunk on the fantasies that this man was spinning for her, unaware of the dangers that she was toying with.

“Forget him,” whispered the man, drawing the dazed Sarah into his arms, “Think no more of the Goblin King…”

Sarah stared up at the man, his influence washing over her. Suddenly, she blinked rapidly, clearing some of the daze that had clouded her mind.

“What are you?” She asked, still inquisitive. “You say you are more than a goblin king. You cannot possibly be a man, then. What are you?”

“You should have asked before,” he said, smiling wickedly, “Forewarned is forearmed, after all.”

Sarah did not say anything, waiting for the answer.

“I am an incubus, my dear.”

“Oh, is that good?” Sarah queried. She was trying to piece together the thoughts in her brain, but as soon as she had connected some piece of evidence, she forgot some other memory. It was incredibly frustrating.

“For some. It depends on how you look at it.”

“Mmm,” said Sarah noncommittally. The name niggled at her brain, though she could not place it. She thought that she had heard of incubi before…

“Stay here, where time can never touch you. Here you can never age, never die. Here you can attain a power more great and terrible than any before you. All shall kneel before you; love you and despair.”

He began to pace around her in languid circles, his eyes fixed intensely on her face, weaving his intoxicating spell around her once more.

“You were meant for more than just a normal life, Sarah Guillemin,” he intoned, his voice hypnotic, “How could you ever go back to the life you knew before, after you have seen and done so much here in the magical realm…who could ever choose to go back to a normal life?”

“Stay here,” Sarah jumped as he whispered in hear ear, “Stay here with me, Sarah…”

Sarah blinked slowly, her mind moving at a lethargic pace.

What purpose would it serve to return to a normal life now that she’d seen all of the magical and wonderful things that this world held? What waited for her at home besides a dull life of duty and boredom?

“But…” said Sarah slowly, her tongue leaden, “What about my family? I would miss them so much. I already do…”

“Them?” scoffed the beautiful man, his eyes alight with a fiery passion, “Why grieve for a family who threw you to the wolves, to the unknown? Why do you think that they did not put up a fight when you were taken away? Why has no attempt been made to come and find you, to rescue you?”

“Because…because the Goblin King forbade it,” said Sarah, a hint of uncertainty sneaking into her voice.

The man threw back his head and laughed heartily.

“Of course not,” he said spitefully, “that pompous king has no more power over them than a rabbit does a hungry fox, no, can you not guess the reason why? It is quite plain, my dear.”

Sarah looked at him, bewildered, and shook her head.

“Why, my dear, it is because your parents have all they need now, they finally have an heir, a son. Why would they care for you any longer? What importance can an old, unmarried daughter have? You were no longer needed.”

Sarah took a step backwards, horrified. “Why would you say such things?” she cried, one hand flying up to clutch at her suddenly aching heart, “Why spew such lies?”

“Because they are no lies, precious,” simpered the man, moving forward to circle Sarah’s shoulders in his comforting embrace. “Did you not see the signs? The joyful relief that was plain on their faces once your brother was born? Their callous disregard for your attentions and words? It will be so much simpler for them now that they no longer have to try to marry you off,” he said, “One less burden now that they have their golden child.”

“YOU LIE!” screamed Sarah, tearing herself away from the man, frightened at the intensity of her own emotions, and the gut feeling of the truthfulness of the incubus’ words.

“Would that I could, precious, to spare you such pain,” he crooked a finger at her and turned to focus on a shallow stone basin that was perched atop a stone pedestal. One moment it was just mist, the next, corporeal objects. What else lay hidden in the swirling grayness?

“You do not believe me, and yet, here I can show you the truth.”

Sarah stepped forward cautiously, eyeing the basin warily. As Sarah walked closer to the man’s side, she saw that the stone basin was full of water, smooth and as sill as glass.

“I have the ability of crying, among other things,” said the incubus, gesturing a hand to the basin, which suddenly began to ripple as an image formed in its watery depths.

“Your family,” he said, following Sarah’s gaze to the water, upon whose surface was the images of her family, happy and safe, her father and mother smiling and playing with a cheerful Aubrey, no hint of despair or worry for their daughter visible on their faces. “See, they have already forgotten you,” the incubus murmured, pity staining his tone.

“No…” Sarah whispered, unable to believe her eyes, and yet, there was her family, happier and better off without her. No daughter, no curse, no worrying about a vengeful Goblin King, no burden of a daughter past her prime, a daughter whom no one wanted…

“Why feel such sadness for so vile and hateful a family? Why not be glad that you are rid of the burdens and duties they could force upon you? Now you can live free, to live as you please.”

Sarah said nothing, her heart hardening, trying to rid her mind of the cheerful childhood memories of her family. They are all lies, she thought, every single one of them. They never wanted me, they wanted a son, a strong, healthy son to carry on the line of Guillemins, but never me. They only kept me because there was no better alternative. I hate them…

The incubus smiled wickedly as he watched the play of emotions dart across Sarah’s face. He began to circle her once more, pacing like a tiger whose quarry was nearly within reach.

“Forget them, Sarah, forget them all…”

“Yes, they are nothing to me now,” replied Sarah dully, “they never really wanted me, never.”

“Such a pity, dearie,” crooned the incubus softly, stroking Sarah’s hair, “Poor lamb…why not stay here with me?”

Sarah looked at the incubus sharply, her expression both quizzical and surprised.

“Why not stay there you are wanted, where you are desired? Stay here with me, and I will make you a queen among queens. All who cross your gaze shall love you at once and stand in despair of your awesome might.”

“A queen,” Sarah breathed, her traitorous family quite forgotten.

“My queen,” said the incubus, stepping forward to envelop Sarah is his embrace, “be my queen, Sarah. I could not possibly love another as much as I love you. I have watched you throughout your journey through the Labyrinth, and I find myself quite incandescently enraptured with you.”

Sarah could hardly draw breath, her heart was thumping quite fast now, and her head was spinning. This ethereally beautiful creature loved her? Out of all of the women on the earth, he chose her!

“My love,” he said huskily, running his hands lightly up and down her arms, drawing forth a flurry of goose bumps in their wake, “What do you say to my proposition?”

Sarah leaned her head back to look up at him. He was quite close now, looking down at her intently, his eyes lidded. “What could I possibly say?” Sarah said, a tad desperately.

“Say you’ll stay here with me, forever,” he replied, resting a hand on her lower back, drawing her body flush with his. Sarah felt her cheeks redden. She should not be allowing such things; she did not know this man…

“My dearest Sarah,” he said silkily as his other hand drifted up to cup her chin, tilting her head upwards once more, “Say you’ll stay here with me, my love,” his head began to descend, his eyes fixed on Sarah’s lips. Sarah’s eyes fluttered shut, and she raised her lips to meet his.

“Stay…” the man murmured. He had her trapped.

Suddenly, Sarah was wrenched bodily from the incubus’s grip as something grabbed her roughly by the shoulder.

Sarah sat bold upright, gasping for air. She was in the Labyrinth she knew, back by the same reflecting pool as before, where she had apparently fallen asleep.

Before Sarah could catch her breath, a vile shriek tore through the still air, emanating from the pool. A foul creature had risen from the water, its beady eyes narrowed malevolently in her direction. Sarah tried to draw her sword from its scabbard, but she did not have the time to raise it to defend herself.

All of a sudden, something white streaked through the air towards the creature, tearing at it with sharp talons. It was a white owl. It tore at the incubus, giving Sarah the much-needed time to fumble with her sword. She ripped it from its sheath and thrust it towards the foul creature in the pool, where it met its mark with a sickening sound. The thing in the pool let out an ear-rending cry as it clutched at the sword that was sunk into its breast. Sarah pulled out her weapon and threw herself backwards, away from the pool and the monster within.

The thing sunk slowly back into the water with a piteous howl, staining the water red. Sarah remained still for several moments, bloodied sword still clutched in a shaking hand.

With a soft cry, Sarah dropped the blade and hugged her knees to her chest, trying to stop her uncontrollable shaking. She had almost been lost in the vile nightmare world of that creature. How easily it had ensnared her mind…

Suddenly, the owl that had protected her flew down to alight upon the ground a meter or so from Sarah’s feet. It cocked its head curiously at her.

Sarah smiled weakly at the bird.

“Thank you,” she said softly, nodding her head at the owl.

In return, the owl hooted once and took off, flying up into the night air, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

Sarah rose shakily to her feet, gathered her new belongings, and set off quickly, tying to get as far away from the dark pool as she possibly could.

Two days gone.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Eternal Dance of Love and Death

“A simple young girl is all you ought to be,

Yet all of me is crumbling.

Just an ordinary human girl,

Yet you make me shiver.

Now I can’t take this life,

I want the life of living love.

I’m stepping forward to claim this forbidden love.

I will pursue you forever until I win your love.

Wherever you go, I will follow you,

The eternal dance of Love and Death.”

-Translation of “Ai to Shi No Rondo-Watashi dake ni Reprise” (Dance of Love and Death-I Belong to Me Reprise) from the Takarazuka Revue’s musical “Elisabeth: Ai to Shi no Rondo” by Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze

Jareth could not sleep, tired though he was. His mind ground steadily on, thoughts flashing rapidly through his head. They left him with no time to rest.

What on earth had he just done? What possessed him to go and help her? She would have failed had he not gone to help her, she would have been his! What madness drove him to such tasks?

Jealousy, said a knowing voice in his mind, you saw what was going on in her nightmare, you saw how she reacted to another, to one who was not you…you could not stand to see her in the arms of another man, to see her willingly give herself…

How could it be that he had fallen into this trap once more? How was it that he had fallen in love with a mortal once again? It was strange, but this love seemed to be different from the blind infatuation that had struck him so many years ago, the infatuation that had lead to the Guillemin family being cursed.

This time, it was different.

This time, he was prepared, he was forewarned.

It had not spared him from falling for Sarah all the same.

Jareth had not expected to feel such emotions for the girl. When he had decided on taking Sarah, he had merely wished to remind the Guillemin family who it was they should respect and fear. It had been so long since he had been able to take a child, and he feared that he was falling into the realm of myth and legend, which would just not do. He needed to give them a fresh reminder of his power and his control over the humans’ lives. Jareth had not planned on the headstrong and stubborn young woman that he had found in Sarah. He was rather hoping for a wilting flower, a girl who would have been an easy capture, who would have never dreamt of rebellion or running away, of defying him so vehemently. In retrospect, it was better that it had been Sarah whom he had taken. It was quite a bit more fun to constantly rile Sarah up and awake her passions than to have a woman who was constantly terrified of him and trembled in his presence, though he had perversely enjoyed reducing Sarah to such a state when they first met. The Goblin King realized that he had come to be quite fond of Sarah’s spunk.

He loved her.

They were quite suited to one another, the Goblin King and Sarah. It was almost as if she possessed the same spark, the same fiery passions and stubborn convictions that made Jareth so well suited to being king of the goblins.

It was almost as if Sarah was meant to be the queen of the goblins in some sort of preordained fate.

Jareth crossed over to the open window and lounged lazily on the windowsill, staring out into the darkness. He thought back suddenly on his rash actions earlier in the night. Jareth groaned and passed a hand over his face, rubbing his aching temples, in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain that had settled there. Why had he gone to her?

Jareth had naturally been keenly interested in the affairs going on in the Labyrinth earlier that night, and his interest had turned to annoyance when Queen Mab had revealed his name. This did not, however, entice him to go flying off to the Labyrinth. The Fairy Queen held little love for Jareth, and he did not want to have to deal with her while he was in the middle of his quest to keep Sarah. Queen Mab was a prickly creature at best, and she did not like his habit of collecting humans in the way that he did. She was more of a traditionalist than Jareth, and she liked seeing things done in the right way. She had never quite approved of Jareth’s taste for the flamboyant and his desire for drama. That was most likely why she had interfered with his game and given Sarah the compass and the feather. Just as Jareth liked riling up Sarah, the Fairy Queen’s keenest pleasure was achieved whenever she could inconvenience the Goblin King or throw off his plans in any way. It was just his luck that she would suddenly take an interest in his affairs when so much was at stake.

For all the Fairy Queen’s gifts, however, they could not save Sarah from her greatest disadvantage whilst traveling in the Labyrinth: being human. If it were not for that, she would have never fallen for the incubus’s spell. The creature must have gone mad with excitement when it had discovered the presence of a human so near after going so long without human prey. Sarah never had the slightest chance of escape.

If he was so keen on making Sarah his, however, why did he go and save her from the clutches of the incubus? She would have lost and would have been unable to fulfill her end of the bargain, and therefore be his for all time. Why give her yet another chance to escape?

It could not have been simply the jealousy of seeing her bend willingly to the will of the incubus, not, there had to be some other mitigating factor at work here, something that had niggled at his mind and sent him on his rescue mission.

Was it that he had become so fond of Sarah that he cared for her wants and wishes more than he desired her? Did Jareth think, somewhere in his mind, that it would be better to have Sarah at home and happy than to keep her here and have her miserable and hating him for the rest of her life? Jareth was not quite sure which was the case.

The old Jareth would have never thought of a human’s desires before his own. He took what was rightfully his and never had such moral qualms over doing so. Jareth was losing his nerve. He was the Goblin King. He was cruel and unyielding. Had he not taken Sarah to remind the humans of this?

He must not save Sarah again. He must not allow himself to be so weak. He was the Goblin King, and it was not in his nature to bend his knee so readily to a pretty face. He was the master of the land, and therefore, the will of the land and its peoples bent to him. Sarah would be his, no matter what dangers she found herself in next, he would not be the one to save her if it meant that she would escape him once more. She was tearing her way through his Labyrinth quite easily enough without any of his help.

In taking Sarah, Jareth had unwittingly found his equal. They complimented one another so perfectly, and yet butted heads all the same. She did not shrink from him nor did she wilt like a helpless princess in a fairy tale. She stood her ground against him and threw his words back at him, defying him at every turn. She was strong, confident and clever. She was passionate, proud, and rebellious. In short, she was everything that a Goblin Queen should be, and everything that Jareth had wanted in a partner.

How had that happened? Why had fate given him the one thing that he wanted and yet plagued him with the moral quandary of whether or not to keep her? What cruel trick was this?

He loved her, against his better judgment and against his own will, and yet, if he kept her, she would be keenly unhappy, and he knew that he could never live with himself if he let her go. Could he do the right thing? Could he let her win? Jareth was not so sure that he could be so generous as to let Sarah win without a fight.

Jareth furrowed his brow, and he unconsciously clenched his fist. No, she was his. He had been fooled once before by a passing infatuation, and he was quite sure that what he felt for Sarah was very much permanent. She would be his just as certainly as he was hers. Fate was at play here, and it could not be undermined.

Jareth shielded his eyes as rays of the rising sun struck his eyes. Morning. He surveyed his domain from his perch on the windowsill as the light brightened the colors of the landscape and brought them into sharper focus. His musings had gone on too long. He had sorely needed rest and now he had wasted the night away thinking of Sarah. It was the last day of this farce. There were mere hours left until either Sarah would be his or until she would win back her freedom. Today was the day. At sunset, they would decide their fates, come what may.

Perhaps it was time for him to stop trying to act like the hero and to truly become the villain that he was said to be. Perhaps it was time to level the playing field as it were, to behave as a goblin king should. He needed to have a back-up plan should Sarah actually make her way to the castle.

Jareth smiled wickedly to himself as the solution presented itself, and he set about preparing for his journey.

It was time to visit the Guillemin family once more.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Empire of Dust and Ashes

“And so it came to pass

that the players took their final places,

making ready the events that were to come.

The madman sat in his empire of dust and ashes,

Little knowing the glory he would achieve,

While his savior looked upon the wilderness,

In hope of changing his inevitable fate.

Far away, the idiots and fools dreamt of a shining new future,

A future now doomed never to happen.

As the earth rolled onwards into the night,

The people of that world did sleep,

And shiver,

Somehow knowing that dawn would bring only one thing…

The final day!”

-Rassilon, From the Doctor Who Series Four special “End of Time”

When Sarah awoke that morning, she was quite sure that she was even more tired than she was before she had slept. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up as the sun tipped over the top of the Labyrinth walls.

“Come on feet,” Sarah said to herself, willing herself to action, “last day to run the Labyrinth, and it seems as though I’ve hardly made any headway. Time grows short.”

As Sarah walked along the stone paths of the Labyrinth, the sun rose steadily, eventually peeking over the tops of the stone walls that surrounded her.

Suddenly, the air around Sarah began to shimmer and Sarah belatedly realized that she was under the influence of some sort of magic. Before she could do so much as open her mouth to protest, there was a flash of light, and Sarah felt the ground beneath her feet move.

Sarah blinked and took in her new surroundings. Her heart stopped. Unless she was very much mistaken, it looked as though she was back at the beginning of the Labyrinth. She was standing next to the giant wooden doors that she had passed through just two days ago. What on earth had just happened? What kind of vile trick was this?

“Good morning, Sarah.”

Sarah shrieked and whirled around and found herself looking at the person whom she wanted to see the very least at that moment.

The Goblin King.

“What-what did you do?” Sarah cried, balling her fists and advancing on the smirking Goblin King. “You-you…you cheat!” She was wild with anger, her composure quite shattered. She had expected the Goblin King to fight for his right to keep her, but this; this was nothing short of a dishonorable trick.

“What I must,” he said, waving a hand dismissively through the air.

“Have you no concept of honor or morals?” asked Sarah bitingly, trying and failing to resist giving into the urge of trying to physically maim her tormentor. She drew her sword, and swung it at him.

He knocked her blade aside with the back of his gloved hand, dismissing her just as easily as if she were a bothersome fly.

Before Sarah could swing her arms up to try to slash at him once more, the Goblin King quickly wrenched the blade from her hands and turned it on her, settling the point of the blade neatly at the base of Sarah’s throat, just above the breastbone.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, where are your manners?” he said disapprovingly, as if he were disciplining a naughty child.

“I might ask the same of you,” replied Sarah, trying to calm herself. She made mistakes when she let her wits be overthrown by her passions. Time was short, and she could not afford to let herself be led into further trouble by the Goblin King’s taunting. Best to keep a level head.

“Why, I am only doing what is best for you, dear Sarah,” said the Goblin King in a show of faux concern.

“And who are you to decide what is best for me, Goblin King?” asked Sarah acidly, staring daggers at the source of all of her frustrations. She knocked aside her blade, echoing the actions of the Goblin King from earlier.

“You are mine, Sarah, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that today ends in my favor, even if that includes bending a few rules. I have warned you not to defy me, and I shall remind you of my warnings now. This is my Labyrinth, and it obeys me. My will is law here, and everything will go according to how I want it to go.”

Jareth smiled at Sarah, who clenched her teeth, willing herself to stay silent. He inspected her blade, lifting to up to test the balance and to look at how it was honed. His eyes flicked up to look at Sarah.

“You have not the slightest chance. Give up now and I shall forgive you for all of your defiant rebellion.”

“Never.”

“Pity. I guess that I will have to try to persuade you further.” He looked pensively at Sarah’s sword once more and spoke, affecting an offhanded tone. “I wonder how your beloved baby brother is doing right now. I think that a trip to the Labyrinth might do him some good. His sister is being awfully disobedient and I think that he needs to see an example of what happens when one defies the Goblin King.”

He looked up at Sarah, and grinned wickedly at her, watching as the blood drained from her face, her anger replaced with horror at his implied suggestion.

“I hate you.”

“That does not matter. I will have an eternity to change your mind once you fail to reach my castle tonight.”

“That’s what you think,” said Sarah disparagingly.

The Goblin King laughed. “Enough chatter, run along, my dear. You know it is further than you think, and only mere hours remain until you are truly mine forever. Good luck.”

Laughing some more, the Goblin King tossed Sarah’s sword down in the dirt at her feet and then disappeared, leaving Sarah alone at the beginning of the Labyrinth, more angry and disheartened than she was the first time she had made her way through those doors.

Sarah screamed in frustration and beat her fists against the wooden doors of the Labyrinth.

She spun around, leaning on the doors as she sank to the earthen ground, burying her head in her hands. The little hope she had when she had woken this morning had fled as surely as it had come. How on earth was she supposed to find her way though the Labyrinth once more and get to the castle of the Goblin King before sunset when it took her so long before? It was an impossible task.

Sighing, Sarah lifted her head and wiped away her angry tears.

It would do her no good to sulk. She had little time as it was, and quite a bit of ground to cover in that time.

Sarah rose to her feet, sweeping her sword up out of the dust as she rose. Had anyone been watching Sarah at that moment, she would have struck the watcher as the epitome of the downtrodden heroine: her clothes rent, her spirits crushed, her possessions few, and her burdens many. Sarah had learnt a great many things since walking through the doors of the Labyrinth, and not all of them pleasant, but she had grown as a person nonetheless. She could not-nay-she would not give up. She would not give the Goblin King the pleasure of an easy victory. If she was to lose to such a being as the Goblin King, Sarah would be sure to make such a end that would be worthy of her own convictions. She would not allow her soul to be lost in the Labyrinth along with her body.

As the sun rose, it cast beams of light down through the boughs of the trees that made up the walls of the section of the Labyrinth at the entrance. Sarah reached for her compass. She was lucky that the Goblin King did not know of her gift from Queen Mab. It would make her second journey through the Labyrinth easier.

Sarah watched as the needle spun round and pointed to the left. Sarah frowned. When she had entered the Labyrinth two days prior, she had traveled to the right. Had she been wrong to choose that way? The compass was pointing steadily to the left, leaving Sarah with no doubt of the direction it wanted her to travel. Should she take the chance and follow Queen Mab’s compass? True, it had lead her in the right direction before, but it had also lead her indiscriminately into the clutches of the incubus.

She had to make a decision immediately; she had no time to waste. Steeling herself, Sarah walked quickly to the left, letting the compass lead the way for her.

She followed the compass for some time without incident, trying to keep up a quick and steady pace. However, after an hour or so, Sarah stopped suddenly, confusion washing over her. The needle of her compass had suddenly started to spin around in a frantic circle.

Sarah spun around in a circle, mimicking the movement of the compass needle, looking around for her path.

The Labyrinth around her looked just as same as the rest of the Labyrinth that she had passed through. Surely that was not what the compass meant by spinning in a circle? There must be something else that the compass meant by spinning in a circle…but what?

In her determination to follow the direction of the compass needle, Sarah somehow tripped and landed sprawled in the dust. Growling, Sarah was about to push herself to her feet when she noticed what her feet had probably tripped on. There was an iron ring sticking out of the dust.

Suddenly, Sarah understood what the compass had meant by spinning in a circle. It did not have the capability to point down.

Sarah grasped onto the ring and wrenched it upwards, displacing earth and rock as she lifted the trap door that she had stood upon not moments before.

Sarah laughed humorlessly as the gaping hole in the earth opened up before her, her mind thinking back to the last time she had ventured underground in the Labyrinth. All in all, it had not been a very pleasant experience. Stone steps lead down into the darkness.

Glancing at the compass once more, Sarah watched as the needle spun, groaning as her conclusion was confirmed. Drawing forth both her firebird feather and her sword, Sarah stepped down into the darkness, the feather lighting her way and her sword assuaging her fears.

Down, down, down, Sarah walked, seeing naught but stone, soil and tree roots. She walked in endless circles as the staircase wound further down into the depths of the earth, the compass needle spinning slowly with her progress.

After what had seemed to be an hour, Sarah finally made her way to the bottom of the long stair, the air far cooler than it had been on the surface of the Labyrinth.

Sarah tucked the firebird feather behind her ear and pulled the tattered remnants of the Goblin King’s cloak securely around her shoulders and hefted her sword more securely in her hands.

Sarah strode though the cavern, tearing apart the darkness with the light from her feather. The part of the underground Labyrinth that Sarah was traversing was quite unlike her previous excursion into the earth. Instead of a maze mimicking the one above the earth over her head, she walked down a single neatly hewn stone tunnel, which bore a high ceiling. The earth below her feet was quite dry and was relatively even and free of obstructions. It was a little too perfect. The neat order of it all made Sarah quite nervous. After a few days in the wild uncertainty of the Labyrinth, such normalcy was now deemed alien in her eyes. Surely this boded ill for her journey.

Sarah pulled out her compass once more and looked at it. The needle pointed resolutely down the long tunnel, steady and unwavering. Sarah tamped down her fears and continued on, picking up her pace to a steady jog. She could not see the end of the long tunnel, and since she could see no other pathways leading off of the main tunnel.  She had but one way to go.

She continued on in this manner for a while, stopping every now and then to slow her pace and to catch her breath. The stone walls around her had not changed, nor had the end of the tunnel grown any closer.

As Sarah jogged along, the air around her grew perceptibly colder, and Sarah could not suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. She felt as though she was no longer alone.

Sarah stopped in her track and spun around to face the path she had just traversed, hand on the hilt of her weapon, ready to attack anything or anyone that meant her ill. However, no phantasms, monsters, or Goblin Kings drew forth from the shadows. She was seemingly alone.

Sarah pushed her fears away with some difficulty and started to move again, this time moving a bit quicker, running through the tunnel instead of jogging.

She was able to forget about the strange sensation that she had felt after a bit, instead concentrating on keeping up her rapid pace.

Something in the tunnel before her changed, and Sarah narrowed her eyes in an attempt to discern who or what she was running towards. Whatever it was, Sarah must not shirk or show any fear. There was no longer any time for fear. Sarah picked up the pace, deciding to face her foe directly, rather than prolong their meeting. However, Sarah’s fears were unfounded, as the foe that she was preparing for was revealed to be nothing but a doorway, a great stone arch that stretched to the ceiling of the cavern, ornately carved with glyphic runes and a text that Sarah was unable to read. Peering through the opening revealed a large, circular room, dotted with strange blue lights that seemed to ebb in and out of existence. Sarah steeled herself for the worst and stepped through the doorway, once again feeling the sudden chill and the sensation that she was not alone.

Ssssaarrrahhh…

Heart beating madly, Sarah ripped her sword from its sheath and prepared to meet whatever new horrors the Labyrinth had in stock for her.

Ssssssssssssaaaaarahhhhh…

“Who is there?” Sarah called, brandishing her sword. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Something was incredibly wrong here. It was as though a thousand different voices hissed her name, calling out to her through time immemorial.

Sssarahhh…

“Stop it!” Sarah cried, cringing back from the unwelcome sound. “Who are you? What do you want?” She nearly dropped her sword out of fear and exhaustion, her nerves fraying at an alarming rate. The orbs of blue light added to Sarah’s distress. Was it just her imagination, or were the orbs reacting to the mysterious voices that were whispering out to Sarah?

Guillllleminnn….

“How do you know my name?” Sarah asked wildly, looking around for the source of the voices, but to no avail. “Show yourself!”

Suddenly, one of the blue lights to Sarah’s left flared brighter, swelling larger and larger, blossoming into the shape of what appeared to be a human. Sarah took a few startled steps backwards, nearly stumbling clumsily over her feet and falling to the ground. The action of the one orb seemed to trigger the rest of the spheres into movement. Human forms unfurled around Sarah, still infused with the shining blue glow of the orbs that they once were. She was surrounded.

Sarah looked at the figure before her, and her heart stuttered and she nearly lost all her courage. The human figure that she was staring at was somehow strangely familiar, as if a remnant from a half-forgotten dream. It could not be…it was simply not possible…

The ghostly figure of a young woman stood before Sarah. It was plain that she would be uncannily similar in looks to Sarah were she not a shade of the past. Sarah could only stare in shock and astonishment.

Sarah…

The figure spoke, though her lips never moved. It was as though the voice came from all around Sarah, permeating the air and drifting in towards her from all sides. Sarah shivered once more.

“Yes, I am Sarah,” she replied, trying to keep a level tone to her voice. There was no use to panicking now. She was surrounded and she did not know what these things could do. It was best to try to talk her way though this situation.

I-I have forgotten my name, the creature breathed, her ethereally glowing hair floating gently in some inhuman breeze, but I have not forgotten who I am. You know me.

It was not a question, and Sarah trembled slightly at the hollow sound of the spirit’s voice.

“Yes, I-I believe that I do,” Sarah replied, slowly sheathing her sword. What good would tempered steel do against beings of light and mist?

I am she who started all this, the shade said, I am the Guillemin who denied the hand of the Goblin King.

“You…” faltered Sarah, unable to form any words. What could she say? She had thought as a youth of the harsh words she would say to her ancestor if they could ever meet, to scold her of her horrific lapse in judgment, to warn her of the implications of her actions, but now when she was actually in a situation where she could repeat her rants, words failed her. It was one thing to curse the air, quite another to berate another conscious being for mistakes long past. Sarah knew without quite knowing that her ancestor was fully aware of what her actions lead to and that the burden of such knowledge did not come lightly. It was a moot point.

Yes, the young woman said. She looked around her at the other human shades that dotted the room and gestured with a ghostly hand. And these are the people whose lives I turned upside down because of my foolish words on that night. The lost Guillemins.

Sarah looked around her at her ancestors, a little taken aback at the number of ghostly forms that permeated the room. It was hard to physically quantify generations of stolen children when merely looking at a family tree. Seeing them there, in that room, their glowing forms illuminating and filling the space, it struck Sarah just how much the Goblin King had taken away. Not only children, but lives as well, potential futures that were in an instant doomed to never be, a thousand million possibilities of human existence that were extinguished in one hasty act, journeys that began and ended with the petty whim of the Goblin King.

It was unfair.

“But how are you here?” asked Sarah, “Did the Goblin King do this to you?”

Yes and no, said the young woman, We are the remnants of those who were taken by the Goblin King. Though I myself was not taken, the curse of the Goblin King ensured that my shadow would be locked here forever so that I may know the folly of my ways, though I knew what havoc I had engendered as soon as the words left my lips on that night so long ago. We are souls. Unlike other souls, we cannot pass on after death. We are human, from the human realm. Because we are now in the faerie realm, the magical realm, our souls are not permitted to move on. It is against nature. And so, we are trapped here, though not by the design of the Goblin King. He took our bodies, his world kept our souls. I do not think that this was his intent, though he certainly knows that this has happened as a result of his actions. His own follies…

Sarah’s ancestor trailed off, as if aware of the irony of her words.

Sarah’s blood ran cold. She had thought that it was impossible to hate the Goblin King any more than she did after what he did to her and her family. She should have known that there would always be something more that the Goblin King could or would do that would make her hate him even more. She had thought that he was capable of at least a modicum of human emotion and decency of morals, but she was incredibly wrong on that matter. He was a monster; a villain of the foulest kind. How could anyone possess the necessary cruelty and lack of empathy to keep lost souls trapped in the magical realm forever, doomed to never find peace? Surely one’s spirit would be so black and tainted that any action one made to keep lost souls would damn it forever. He knew of their suffering, and yet he did nothing.

“How can I free you?” asked Sarah, “How can I help your souls to move on? It is not just that you are to be stuck here forever!”

No, replied the spirit, It is not, but that is how it is.

“But it’s not fair! Tell me, how do I free you? How can I let your souls be free to return to our world?” Sarah cried out, trying to shake the lethargy off of the souls of her ancestors.

The word came in all around Sarah, assaulting her with a barrage of emotional tones. Some said it sadly; some said it with anger, and others with a surety that such a thing would be all but impossible. Sarah’s head swam with the influx of tones. Beating the Goblin King to win her own freedom was one thing. Beating the Goblin King against all odds and probabilities of fate to win her freedom and the freedom of all of her ancestors forever tormented by the curse of the repugnant fae was quite another. The heavy mantle of expectation and doubt settled over Sarah, burdening her with uncertainty of her own success and the painful knowledge of what would happen if she should fail.

“I will,” Sarah said, half-trying to convince herself of her hopeful probability of success. She looked around at her ancestors, the ancestors whose fates had somehow intersected with hers.

I know you will, said her ancestor, nodding solemnly at Sarah. Now listen closely, Sarah, time is short and even though you are very close now, you still have a very long ways to go. I shall tell you how. Continue along the tunnel, Sarah, said the spectral young woman, pointing across to the other side of the cavern, walk 300 paces and then stop and turn to your left. Walk straight towards the wall. You must not balk at this. You will find yourself at the end of a long, narrow tunnel. Follow this tunnel and you will come out at the outskirts of the Goblin City.

Her ancestor looked at her queerly for a moment, as if she wanted to say more, but it passed, and she merely replaced it once more with her mask of severe despondency.

Her ancestor did not think that Sarah could do it! Sarah’s heart fluttered painfully at this realization. For the first time, Sarah contemplated the possibility of losing, of failing to complete the Labyrinth on time. It ate at Sarah and broke down her securely-built defenses. Doubt crept into her mind, tainting it with its dark touch. She looked hopelessly at her ancestor, hoping for some other bits of wisdom, some secret with which she could surely defeat the Goblin King.

Unfortunately, the spirit merely said Good luck, and began to shift, turning into the ethereal orb once more, her audience with Sarah now over.

And with that, Sarah strode across the chamber and continued directly down the tunnel, counting her paces as soon as she passed through the archway. She did not dare to look around her as she crossed the room. She did not think that she could bear to stand the looks of her ancestors, all of whose futures now rested heavily on her shoulders.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The Conscience of the King

“The play’s the thing,

wherein lies the

conscience of the king.”

-Hamlet, Act 2, scene ii by William Shakespeare

Sarah stepped cautiously of the narrow stone tunnel, unwilling to catch the eye of any stray goblin that might be passing by. She had spent a few hours down in the tunnels beneath the Labyrinth, and her time to reach the Goblin King’s castle was drawing very short. Sarah pulled out her compass to reorient herself. The needle spun around once briefly before stopping, quivering slightly in the after effects of its sudden stop.

Drawing the hood of what little was left of the Goblin King’s cloak over herself; Sarah bent her head and started to make her way in the direction the compass needle pointed, one hand resting delicately on the hilt of her sheathed sword.

The caverns she walked through were large, though not as large as the one that held the Goblin King’s castle. There was no natural light in here, save for the spindly threads of light that forced their way through the deep cracks in the stone ceiling high above her head. The Goblin City was immense, and looked as though centuries upon centuries of buildings had been erected on one another, creating a mish-mash of architectural styles and forms. It was at once discombobulated and orderly, much like the Labyrinth that preceded it.

Sarah tried her best to skirt the city, preferring to slip from shadow to shadow rather than risk getting lost in the maze of streets and corridors that made up the city of the goblins. She must not raise the alarm.

It seemed as though luck had finally decided to favor Sarah that day that was until she nearly stepped onto a goblin that had been lurking in the shadows of the city.

The goblin let out a hiss and jumped up to his feet, prepared to meet his foe. Sarah and the goblin stared at one another for a few moments, neither daring to move. Suddenly, the goblin dashed off in the direction of the city, shouting something that sounded not unlike a warning call. As soon as the goblin had dashed past her, Sarah began to run, forsaking the safety of the shadows and instead running out in the open where the ground was more level and her path clearer. Before Sarah could take more than a dozen steps, there was a clanging of a bell, and a clamor of sound began to rise from the Goblin City as its inhabitants prepared themselves for attack. Sarah cursed and began to sprint, her cloak whipped furiously in her wake, and her sheathed sword thumping a steady beat against her thigh as she ran.

The clanging of the bells of the Goblin City gave way to bleating horns. Sarah whipped her head around, looking behind her to see if she could see any goblins emerging from the depths of the city. None were forthcoming, and this made Sarah nervous. She tried to peer thorough the dim light ahead of her to see if she could see a host amassing, but she was unable to see much.

Sarah pulled out her compass again to check if she was moving in the right direction. Sarah looked up as she skidded around a particularly large stalagmite that was squarely in her way, and her heart sank. There, not thirty yards in front of her stood a respectably-sized host of goblins, all armed to the teeth with bony plate mail and lethal looking devices that were surely designed for nothing but torture.

The goblins stood in front of what looked like a large metal gate, which was currently drawn open.

Sarah slid to a stop and contemplated the host in front of her. She was quite obviously outnumbered and hopelessly outgunned. Did the goblins really mean her harm, or was this yet another trick by the Goblin King, designed with the intent of frightening her off and to delay her further?

“Goblins!” Sarah cried out, trying to bolster up what little was left of her courage, “What is the matter? May I pass?”

There was a outbreak of noise as the goblins began to discuss Sarah’s words with one another, which eventually died down when one particularly nasty looking goblin spoke back.

“You may not pass, Lady Sarah. His highness the Goblin King has decreed that you are not to be allowed to reach his castle.”

“Do you mean me harm? Is that why you have amassed an army?” Sarah called back, one hand gripping the hilt of her sword. She did not draw it, however, unwilling to provoke the ire of the band of goblins unless it was absolutely necessary.

The goblins conferred with one another once more before one called out.

“His majesty says you are not to be harmed, only that we needs must ensure that you do not pass through to his castle.”

“Excellent,” Sarah muttered under her breath. Then, she charged, running full-tilt towards the goblins, who were taken aback by her sudden attack. A few of the more battle-worn goblins recovered first, and proceeded to lower the heavy portcullis which sank steadily, closing off the end of the tunnel. If Sarah was unable to make it through…

Sarah put on a burst of speed, running straight at a group of goblins who stood in her way, but quickly dove to either side of her, not wanting to be run over by the girl who was clearly mad enough to take a goblin horde head on. As she hurtled over the goblins, she wrenched an iron pike from one of the smaller goblin’s grip.

Sarah dove under the descending portcullis, which crashed shut just moments after she had made it through. Sarah quickly rolled to her feet and ran over to the large chain that snaked up into the rock above her head and quickly threaded the iron pike through a few of the chain links, effectually disabling the gate for long enough for Sarah to get a head start on the goblins.

Sarah turned and ran, ignoring the angry shouts of the trapped goblins behind her. A horn sounded once more, and Sarah knew that the goblins were probably dispersing to bypass their disabled portcullis through the numerous secret passageways that inevitably dotted the caves.

A dot of light appeared at the end of the cave that Sarah was hurtling down, growing larger and larger as she ran.

Sarah was momentarily blinded by the sunlight that assaulted her eyes when she exited the cave. Rubbing her eyes, Sarah tried to regain her sight, blinking rapidly as her eyes grew accustomed to the light.

There, on the other side of the large cavern sat a sight that made Sarah’s heart thump faster: the castle of the Goblin King. She was so close now!

Grinning, Sarah set off through the trees, heading directly for what was to be the end of her very long and very tiring long journey.

*****

Jareth paced restlessly in his throne room, his hands clasped behind his back and his brow furrowed from an intense onslaught of thought.

She had found the source of his greatest shame. She had stumbled across the room of souls. He had not meant to send her down that path. She should have never found the door in the ground. Why had she not gone down the passage way to the right as she had done before? What had possessed her to turn left? Why did she take that chance? Jareth knew that it had been a dirty trick to pull, but she had been so close to exiting the Labyrinth, and he could not bear the thought of her defeating him. That was, of course, before he had decided to tip the scales even more in his favor. But still, she should not have been able to access that room. His wards had proven to be no obstacle at all for her. She had passed through them as a hand sweeps away cobwebs.

Jareth stalked up to the dais and sat heavily upon his throne, clutching his head in his gloved hands.

The Goblin King had not realized the implications of stealing humans and keeping them in the magical realm when he had placed his curse. As the first few stolen Guillemin children began to grow old and die, Jareth had noticed something that he had not intended. Just as their physical bodies had been trapped in his kingdom, so were their immortal souls, prevented from moving on after death because they could not find their way back to the human realm.

Jareth had felt the first slight twinge of remorse when he had discovered this, immediately trying to find a solution to this problem, pouring over any and every tome that touched on the subject, and consulting with the wisest and most clever minds in the realm. However, it was to no avail. As the years went by and the souls of the deceased Guillemin children began to accumulate, the Goblin King had come to the realization that the curse had inadvertently bound their souls as well. Jareth had not allowed himself to feel guilt over this fact. He hardened his heart and strengthened his resolve, not letting the affairs of petty humans affect him. It was their punishment for being born a Guillemin. Fate had been indiscriminately cruel to both sides.

And just then, to make matters even worse, a goblin guard stumbled into the throne room not moments ago to warn him that the girl had suddenly arrived in the Goblin City and was currently defeating its defenses with ease. She would reach his castle in a matter of minutes. He had not intended for Sarah to reach this far, and yet, perhaps it would be for the best.  He had prepared for every outcome.

She thought that she would defeat him by merely reaching his castle and finding him in the throne room.

Jareth let out a harsh laugh, letting his guilt and misgivings slip away, replacing them with his familiar mask of cruelty and pride. There was a rush of magic and the Goblin King was suddenly attired in his intimidating goblin amour, the black metal polished to a high sheen.

Little did she know: she had lost the game long ago.

*****

Sarah stumbled as she ran through the sparsely forested land that surrounded the Goblin King’s castle. She could see the turrets of the castle glinting in the late afternoon sun, the banners waving merrily in the breeze.

She was so close…

It was odd that the goblins did not offer her more resistance. It was strange too that while the Labyrinth was a mire of tricks and defenses for the Goblin King, the grounds surrounding the castle were not protected at all. Perhaps the Goblin King did not ever have anyone make their way out of the Labyrinth? Something was not right here. It was far too easy.

Before Sarah could mull over the matter too much, she broke through the tree line, gasping for breath. She slowed from her sprint and looked up at the castle that loomed high above her. Her ordeal was nearly over.

Sarah walked up to the staircase that lead to the front steps and paused to unsheathe her sword, unbuckling the scabbard and letting it fall to the ground. The sword had not been much of a defense against the Goblin King this morning, but Sarah felt safer with it. It was one of the few things that she could use to defend herself against the Goblin King, other than her mind and her words.

Sarah took a deep breath and began to ascend the stairs, her heart thumping in time with her footsteps.

Up, up, up, she climbed, until Sarah stood before the great wooden doors of the castle. Sarah leaned forward and pushed against one of the doors, which creaked open. Sarah was taken aback. Why had the Goblin King not bolted the door? What was going on? He could not have given up so easily; it was against his character.

Sarah looked at her compass as she entered the foyer, and started down the hall in the direction that the compass pointed, trusting it to lead her to the throne room. Though she had been there before, Sarah had unfortunately not been privy to its location due to the scheming tricks of the Goblin King. However, Sarah remembered the look of the doors, ornately carved out of mahogany with great brass handles in the shape of an owl in flight. Sarah followed the compass as it lead her through the castle, through hallways and doors and up and down a multitude of staircases.

Sarah turned the corner and ran down a short hallway that was floored with marble dark as ebony. She stopped short as she recognized the set of doors that marked the end of the passageway. Large, carved from mahogany, with brassy handles in the shape of an owl with wings outstretched.

Gripping her sword tighter, Sarah stepped as noiselessly as she could up to the door and took a deep breath as she grasped the handle.

The door swung open noiselessly at Sarah’s touch.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Games We’ve Played ‘til Now

“Past the point of no return,

No backward glances.

The games we’ve played ‘til now

Are at an end.

Past all thought of ‘if’ or ‘when,’

No use resisting.

Abandon all thought

And let the dream descend.

We’re past the point

Of no return.”

-“Point of No Return” from the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

The silence of the hall was broken by the steady clicking of Sarah’s boots as she strode down the length of the hall.

The Goblin King lounged on his throne, garbed in his intimidating black armor, seeming as though he was completely unsurprised to see Sarah standing before him, bedraggled and dirty.

“I see that you were able to find your way through my Labyrinth, not withstanding your little detour this morning. What a strange thing to do on your last day through my Labyrinth.” He smiled at Sarah, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Seeing as it was you who decided that I was to start all over again from the beginning, the strange decision to do so can hardly be attributed to me, Goblin King.”

“Oh, I have missed this!” said the Goblin King joyously, nearly clapping his hands in his obvious glee, “This was always my most favorite part of the story. The brave, downtrodden heroine vigorously defies the villainous fae king with open disdain and much verbal bravado. Please, educate me on how wicked and evil I am and how what I have done is wrong. This seems to be our lot in life, is it not my dear; to be continually on opposite sides of the playing board.”

“And what a good lot it is,” replied Sarah acidly, stopping just a few meters in front of the handful of steps that lead up to the throne.

“Come now, that is no way to start our time together, Sarah. After all, we shall be seeing each other for quite a long time. Forever, as a matter of fact. We must learn to be civil to one another.”

“You are very much mistaken in that, Goblin King. I have won. Your Labyrinth has been beaten and my family and I shall no longer be subject to your whims. You have been defeated. There shall be no ‘forever’ between you and I, other than our mutual antagonistic views of the other and the memories of what horrific nonsense has occurred in the past few days.”

“Are you quite certain about that? I would not be so confident, if I were you.” The Goblin King rose fluidly from the throne, his black cloak swirling around his ankles as he did so.

“What are you talking about?” asked Sarah, a note of uncertainty creeping into her voice. Was there something that she had forgotten to do? Had she not completed the Labyrinth after all? What was the Goblin King going on about?

Sarah suddenly heard the soft, wailing cry of a child. Her heart froze mid-beat. It was not possible. She looked almost pleadingly at the Goblin King, as if wanting to have him confirm that her suspicions were false.

“I had not foreseen your inexplicable luck when traversing my Labyrinth,” replied the Goblin King softly, ignoring Sarah’s frantic looks.

“Luck? What kind of luck would you call getting harassed by pixies or ensured by a incubus or kidnapped by trolls?” Sarah was all but screaming at the Goblin King.

“You know nothing of my Labyrinth, Sarah. You only saw but a fraction of what it contains, a mere sampling, if you will, of its creatures and its horrors and its mysteries. Yes, the fates favored you and took you under their wing. Any other human would not have done half so well as you.” The Goblin King looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to decide his next words carefully. “Dare I say I am a bit perversely proud at your success at my little game? I am not so proud as to be disappointed at your accomplishments, but as you know, I am quite fond of winning, and your luck with my Labyrinth was throwing a wrench into my plans. I needed something to even the odds, as it were.”

There was another cry. This time Sarah was able to get a general location from where the noise came. It was then that Sarah noticed how strangely the Goblin King’s cloak was draped over one shoulder, and how his obscured arm seemed to be oddly positioned beneath it. It was almost as if he held something. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

“No,” the word came out in a strange mixture of distress, anger and sadness. “You—you cannot have…”

The Goblin King shifted his cloak to reveal a baby nestled in the crook of his arm. Aubrey.

Sarah was stunned into silence for a few moments by the unabashed gall of the Goblin King.

“You cheated,” Sarah said, in a sort of strange, strangled tone, staring unbelievingly at the Goblin King. She was trying to stop herself from launching herself at the Goblin King to get back her brother. Just when she thought that she had outsmarted the Goblin King, Sarah found herself hopelessly outmatched. He was always just a few steps ahead of her.

“As I said, I like to think of it as evening the odds. You did well in my Labyrinth, yes, but you had much help. You talk so often of fairness. By comparison, you are as much of a cheat as I am.”

“Be that as it may, I only received help from others when they offered it willingly. I did not go back on my word, unlike some. You keep changing the rules of the game, quite unfairly, I might add.”

“It is my game, after all,” said the Goblin King delightedly, smirking at the angry look that dominated Sarah’s face.

Sarah squared her shoulders and looked defiantly at the Goblin King.

“Give me the child.”

“Now why would I do that?” He looked at Sarah calculatingly, leaning forward slightly. “What would you give me in return? Everything has a price, you know.”

"I will strike no more bargains with you, Goblin King. Give me my brother."

"You know that I cannot do that." The Goblin King straightened up, looking quite impassable.

"Why not? Why do you continue to antagonize me? I do not understand you at all. Everything you do or say can be twisted in every which way, and mean half a dozen different things. Why give me the choice to run your Labyrinth for my freedom if you were going to take my brother to force my hand either way? Why me?"

The last two words were more than just a plea for answers, those few words held the emotion of all of the despair, frustration, anger, terror, wonderment and heartache that Sarah had experienced in her short life, all due to the actions of the Goblin King.

“Why indeed. I have asked myself that very question many times over the last few years. It is perhaps that I find you a kindred spirit, and that I see the world as you do. I have found myself growing to be very fond of you, in my own way. I have watched you more often than you know, and I have seen your struggles and your triumphs, wishing vainly that I could share in them. But how could I? I, the source of all of your discontentment? The monster that stalks in the shadows? The honorless beast? The fae king so foreign and incalculable?” His voice was soft, and he absent-mindedly stroked Aubrey’s pale downy hair. “Perhaps I chose you because I am lonely, as are you.”

The Goblin King turned and sat back down upon his throne, cradling Aubrey in the crook of his arm, looking almost tenderly at the child, letting his words sink into Sarah’s mind. He suddenly broke the silence, as though he could not hold back his words any longer, the stiff and formal mask of the Goblin King broken to reveal the wild and untamed fae beneath.

“Tell me Sarah, do you not tire of playing the wide-eyed heroine with such lofty morals?” He leveled a look at Sarah that would have made any lesser heroine quake in her mud-caked boots. But not Sarah.

“Just as much as you tire have playing the villain.”

“Touché.”

The Goblin King did not seem particularly pleased at admitting such to Sarah’s words, but as the pleasantries had been dispensed with long ago, Sarah did not much care. She surged forward, unable to stop the barrage of words that tumbled from her lips.

“And what a villain you are, Goblin King. Bravo. You curse generations upon generations of a family, and because of what? A girl refused you. A mere human girl, of no great importance or wealth. A girl whom you had just met. What stupid vanity. Because of your hurt pride you decided to abduct hundreds of children, ripping them from the breasts of their mothers, destroying countless homes, rending holes in the Guillemin lineage. What mighty villainy. And yet you accuse me of cheating for the sake of ending this reign of terror. Forgive me Goblin King, but this strikes me as childishly ironic. A bit like the pot calling the kettle black, if you will.”

Sarah breathed deeply, trying to catch her breath after her furious declaration. She hardly allowed herself time to regain it before launching into speech once more.

“You were lonely? Don’t make me laugh Goblin King. What of the children you stole? What of their loneliness? A loneliness brought on by your actions? What a hypocrite. You became a monster because you were lonely. You abandoned all morals and reasonable thought in the pursuit of lessening your loneliness and engendered more loneliness than your own. As you said, Goblin King, a beast has no honor.”

The Goblin King was silent for a few moments, processing Sarah’s words. Sarah continued on.

“I trusted you, Goblin King. I trusted you to keep up your end of the bargain. I should not have done so, but I did. Of course, like all fae, you cheated. And why? Because of some strange affection that you seem to feel for me? It is more likely that you just want me to entertain you, to distract you from being lonely? If you were to truly care for me, why make me stay here with tricks and deceit after the lure of a possible escape?”

The Goblin King paused before speaking, as though he did not want to divulge his words, as if them cost him some of his dignity.

“Have I not been exceedingly generous up until now? You feared that one day I would come and take your brother, yet I took you instead. You spoke of my cruelty and yet I spared you from countless horrors within my Labyrinth. You were lost and alone, I allowed you to be aided and put back on to the right path. Everything that you have wanted I have done. I have done it solely for you. Is that not generous?”

“I never asked for any of it!” cried Sarah, startling Aubrey into wailing once more. If she had been frightened before at the prospect of spending an eternity with the Goblin King, it was nothing now compared to the fact that the Goblin King had somehow inexplicably fallen in love with her. That made him all the more dangerous. Trying to win out of chauvinistic pride was one thing, but to win to keep that which he loved?

Sarah tried to hide her sudden trembling. She looked at her brother with a heartrending expression.

“What is it that you would want in return for Aubrey? Clearly this is your trick to keep me here. Would you like me to offer myself up as your captive in return for my brother’s safe return home, despite the fact that I defeated you and your Labyrinth? Perhaps my ancestor was wise to snub you, in spite of the consequences that followed. You are a child, you play with a toy, you use it and abuse it, and then after you have set the toy aside and forgotten about it for a while, leaving it battered and broken, are surprised to find it gone later. You say you love me, well, what kind of love is this? My family will not be your playthings, to amuse you when you are bored and then tossed aside when you no longer have use for them, for me! I will not be your toy. I will not allow it.”

“Won't you?”

A wicked grin spread over the Goblin King’s face as he turned, depositing the squalling Aubrey on the pile of cushions on his throne. Spinning quickly, he looked at Sarah, never breaking eye contact as he descended the steps of the dais, stalking towards her.

“I find that I rather like your brother. He is not half so damned stubborn as you are, he is quite a bit quieter, and he does not think it necessary to defy me at every turn in the conversation. I have grown rather attached to him in the short time that I have had him.”

“Don’t you dare think that you can keep him, Goblin King,” Sarah said, trying in vain to think of a way to bypass the Goblin King and get to Aubrey. He was far too clever and fae for that. He would stop her before she had even taken a few steps, damn him.

“Does that mean that I get to keep you instead?”

Sarah growled at him, not deigning to give him a response.

The Goblin King sighed, as if he were quite put out by her disapproval of his words.

“Alas, you are right. I cannot keep him. He is more of my...insurance. My guarantee that I shall get the ending that I want. I have grown quite fond of you Sarah Guillemin, and I cannot bear to think of what my life would be like without you here with me in the fae realm. It would be quieter, for certain, and no one would be constantly defying me, but I cannot seem to be able to let you go, despite my loss of quiet and patriarchal control. You are mine until the world falls down. It would be better for you if you accepted that now and stopped this charade of ours.”

Sarah was quiet for a few moments, as if mulling something over in her mind. Finally, she spoke.

“I solved your Labyrinth and won, Jareth.”

The Goblin King’s head snapped up, looking daggers at Sarah. She had spoken his name aloud. Names held power, and that power was not so easily relinquished by those who had clung to it and possessed it for so long. She should not know his name.

The Goblin King swiftly hid his displeasure beneath a mask of insolent indifference.

“How is it that you came across that name?”

“The Labyrinth saw fit to give it to me,” she replied, crossing her arms.

The Goblin King laughed humourlessly and looked snidely at Sarah.

“The Labyrinth is mine and it abides solely by my will. The Labyrinth did not give it to you. Who did?”

“Give me the child, Jareth,” Sarah replied stubbornly, refusing to let the Goblin King distract her from her objective.

The Goblin King ground his teeth, holding back a snarl. He seemed to struggle with himself for a few moments before rising swiftly to his feet, glaring at Sarah all the while.

“Very well, here is the child.”  The Goblin King stalked up the stairs of the dais, lifting Aubrey gently from the cushions of the throne and carried him down once more to stand before Sarah. The Goblin King proffered Aubrey. Sarah warily took a few steps towards the Goblin King, her deep-seated mistrust for the fae warning her to be wary. However, the Goblin King merely handed Aubrey to Sarah and clasped his hands behind his back while Sarah made a hasty retreat with her brother. Once she had gained a few feet of space from the Goblin King, she set about inspecting Aubrey, looking for any sign that he had been harmed or mistreated in any way by the Goblin King.

“Peace, my dear girl. I did not harm him. What would I have gained by doing so? I merely took him to even the odds, as I said before. Now, you have your brother, now it is time for you to keep up your end of the bargain.”

Sarah panicked.

“What bargain?” She tried vainly to keep her voice steady.

“I gave you your brother’s freedom in exchange for yours, my dear. I thought that we were quite plain about that.”

“I promised no such thing!” said Sarah, trying ineffectively to calm the wailing Aubrey.

“You say you are not a fae? Nay, I think that you are quite fae indeed. Trickery and lies come naturally to those such as we. The Labyrinth did not teach you that, I can quite assure you. Very well, go on. You have my full and undivided attention. Do not think that our little encounter is over quite yet. You and I still have a score to settle. About your promise…” The Goblin King smiled at Sarah with a look that was at once benign and vengeful.

“I promised you nothing, Goblin King!”

Sarah clutched Aubrey to her breast with one hand while fumbling with the filthy and frayed ribbon that tied the iron amulet around her neck. Once she had it free, she wrapped it around Aubrey’s tiny wrist. The Goblin King watched her with a strange look on his face, looking almost as though he was feeling a mix of pity and envy for Sarah and Aubrey. This was of course masked almost immediately by his normally blasé Goblin King demeanor. He laughed coldly.

“That amulet holds little to no power over me. It does not work, Sarah.”

“What little power it still holds, I give to Aubrey. I am no longer scared of you Goblin King. Little power you say? Then it is enough. It will protect him even still.”

The Goblin King glowered at Sarah; his impish delight all but vanished at this point.

“Sarah, don’t defy me.”

Sarah laughed, her mirth bordering on the maniacal.

“Why not Goblin King? Have I not been doing so ever since you decided to change my life for me? Why fix that which is not broken?”

“You will not leave this place, Sarah. I can assure you of that. You will stay here forever.”

“I will do whatever I damn well please, Goblin King!”

“Do you not see what you have done, Sarah? By defeating my Labyrinth, you have proven yourself worthy.”

“Worthy of what, dare I ask?”

“Why, worthy of being the Goblin Queen, of course.”

“No!” cried Sarah, losing what little remained of her self-control, “I beat your Labyrinth! I am now free of you! Forever!”

“Your bargain that you just made for your brother proves quite otherwise. All of this,” he gestured his arms in the air, “This was your test. Do you not remember my curse? ‘I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter. I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer.’ The Labyrinth was your test. I must say, you passed it quite splendidly, despite a few minor hiccoughs.”

“No.”

The Goblin King drew himself up, glowering at Sarah.

“Are you rejecting me?

“Why on earth would I ever choose to stay here with you? I have made it quite plain that you have made my life a living nightmare!”

“Think again Sarah. Your life would be dull and monotonous without me to liven things up every now and again. Where would you be right now if it were not for me? Living in some dreary castle as an old man’s wife, dutifully obedient and demure, with all thoughts of valor and adventure quite lost in the trickling monotony of every day existence? At least I have added some spice to your life. I have shown you things more fantastic and wondrous that even your overabundant imagination could have dreamt up. I have marked you out as quite a the singularly extraordinary girl, proving to yourself and to others that you are capable of facing great deeds with courage and solving a plethora of enigmas with single-minded wit and cleverness. Is that not generous?” He spun a crystal and began to twist it through his fingers, spinning it faster and faster, making Sarah a bit dizzy as she tried to follow its progress.

Sarah was quiet, unsure of how to respond. The words clunked into place eventually in her brain, and she spoke, hesitating as she did so.

“I won Jareth. I am leaving,” she clumsily raised her sword while still clutching Aubrey, “You cannot stop me. I am going home. Our story is now finished.”

“Stop! Wait. Do you not see, Sarah? Look at what I am offering up to you: your dreams!” He proffered the crystal in his hand, the tone of his voice verging on desperation.

“What do you know of my dreams, Jareth?”

“More than you would care to admit, Sarah.”

Sarah flushed, her cheeks growing a bit pinker than they should have been in the presence of the Goblin King.

“You presume too much, Goblin King. Now, it is long since I should have left. Goodbye.” Sarah began to turn away from the Goblin King, only to stop at the sound of his voice.

“Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave!”

Sarah stood where she was, half-turned away from the Goblin King. She was standing quite still. The Goblin King continued on, holding nothing back. It was his last chance, as well as hers.

“I ask so little of you. Just rule with me, and you can have everything your heart has ever desired.”

“You know what I want, Jareth.”  Sarah did not turn as she spoke, not trusting herself to look at the Goblin King.

He smirked at Sarah and spoke quietly.

“Oh, how you turn my world, you precious thing.”

He looked at Sarah, her steely resolve plain on her face. He sighed sadly.

“Sarah, I love you. Please.”

Sarah closed her eyes. Despite everything that the Goblin King had said and done, how could some small piece of her heart somehow still manage to feel pity for the Goblin King? She could scarcely imagine how centuries of loneliness and self-loathing would affect her. The Goblin King deserved a great many terrible things, but most of all, perhaps he deserved just a bit of pity. She could never forgive him for what he had done, but she could now see why he had done what he had done, even if he had become a villain in the process.

“I can’t. Don’t you see that I can’t?”

“I know.”

Sarah squared her shoulders. She needed to finish this. She could not bear to hear any more of this. She could not refuse the Goblin King for much longer, though she knew that she must. Empathy and pity were dangerous weapons against a heroine’s resolve. Finally, she spoke.

“Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great…”

Sarah paused to draw in a breath. It was past the point of no return, too far to turn back now. She turned and took a step forward, staring intently at the Goblin King, who stared just as intensely back at her.

“You have no power over me!”

The Goblin King closed his eyes, letting the crystal roll from his fingertips. It dropped to the floor, clicking down the dais steps and rolling towards Sarah’s feet. It bumped delicately against the toe of Sarah’s boot.

Smoke began to fill the room, swirling around Sarah and Aubrey. Sarah felt herself slipping away, and looked up quickly once more at the Goblin King, whose eyes flicked up to meet hers one last time. Then Sarah and Aubrey disappeared from the throne room, leaving the Goblin King alone, staring wretchedly at the spot where Sarah had stood moments before.

And with that, Sarah had finally defeated the Goblin King.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN

Threads of an Old Life

“How do you pick up the

threads on an old life?

How do you go on, when in your heart,

you begin to understand;

there is no going back?

There are some things

 that time cannot mend.

Some hurts that go too deep…

that have taken hold.”

-Frodo, from the movie adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”

Sarah was not immediately sure of her surroundings once the fog had cleared. It was as though she had woken from a long, strange dream, once where things from the dream still seemed quite real even after you were awake. However, in Sarah’s case, it had not been a dream.

She was standing at the edge of a familiar wood, bordered by an orchard whose trees were bright with multicolored foliage.

Beyond the orchard, the silhouette of a familiar building loomed, outlined by the rays of the setting sun. She was home.

Sarah would never quite forget the looks that she received when she walked into the great hall of her home as she carried Aubrey, looking as though she had been to hell and back, regally meeting every once the stunned and amazed looks that she received from the people that stared at her.

Her mother had let out a half-strangled scream at the sight of her children, dashing forward to embrace them tightly. Lord Fabian had staggered in his attempt to rise, clutching desperately to the back of a chair, as if he could not stand on his own.

Sarah fended off the questions of Lady Emeline as best she could. It was too soon to speak of her journeys. For Sarah, they were much too fresh, and there were some things that she would need to ponder alone, especially some of the words spoken by a certain Goblin King.

Her father regained his strength and wordlessly pulled his family into his embrace. The Guillemins were whole once more.

A few days later, Sarah retold her story to her mother and father, safely ensconced in the homey warmth of their library. She told them all about her stay with the Goblin King and their bargain. They looked at her with a strange mixture of terror and pride as she spoke of her journey through the Labyrinth, of her trials and tribulations, and of her final meeting with the Goblin King. Sarah could not bring herself to repeat everything that he had said, though she could still not understand why.

Lord and Lady Guillemin cursed the Goblin King and called him all sorts of vile things, but Sarah was strangely silent when it came to besmirching the name of the Goblin King, though goodness knows she had not refrained from doing so before. Her journey through the Labyrinth had changed her, and Sarah was not quite sure as of yet whether it would be for better or for worse in the end.

This did not go unnoticed by her parents, but they chose to keep their reservations to themselves, thinking and hoping just a bit that Sarah was still shaken up from her ordeal.

And so, life began anew in the Guillemin home, falling into many of the old routines and habits that they had before the Goblin King had interfered in their lives.

However, Sarah found that she did not find the same pleasure in things that she had before her journey through the fae kingdom. She could not quite put her finger on it, but she was certain that she was irrevocably changed. She could not go back to the way things were before her journey, and unexpectedly, nor did she want to. She was different now. She had seen and done so many things that no one else could scarcely comprehend. She had been made an oddity through circumstance and through her own choices. No one else in her world had seen or done the things that she had seen and done. How could they know what she was feeling?

She was back to living on the fringes of the magical world after having been immersed so deeply in the magical world for what seemed to be so long. It seemed strange not to have to worry about constant magical interference or strange creatures or…him.

It was a while before Sarah began to act like her old self again. That is all it was, however, an act. Those who did not know Sarah very well thought that she had handled her journey quite well and that she was lucky to have come through it unscathed. To friends and other acquaintances, it seemed to them like she was back to the old Sarah, but they had their reservations about her condition for some time. Her mother and father seemed to observe Sarah’s emotional healing with patient determination, hoping against hope that the old Sarah would return to replace her maudlin counterpart. It seemed as though Sarah’s cheery façade had fooled everyone, even her parents. However, whenever Sarah left the room or glanced away, her parents looked at her sadly, knowing that the Sarah that had left to battle the Goblin King was not quite the same Sarah that had returned home.

Sarah was unsure of many things in her life, but the one thing that she was quite sure of was that she could never quite go back to the way things were before the Goblin King had decided to intrude upon her life.  She sealed away the artifacts from her journey: the sword she had taken from the trolls’ horde, the magical compass Queen Mab had given to her, her feather from the firebird.  The tattered remains of the Goblin King’s cloak.  She could not bear to constantly remind herself of what had happened.

She had come far, too far to go back, in fact. It had been several months since she had emerged from the forest, carrying her baby brother and looking as though she had been through hell and back, and in some ways, she had been, though not in the ways people would expect.

At this point in Sarah’s life, she was very much content to remain as far away from magic and the supernatural as she possibly could. Perhaps one day in the not too distant future, she would once more awaken her fancy for adventure and fantasy. For the time being however, Sarah needed to ponder on her adventure and the Goblin King, and what it all meant, and what she discovered about herself in the process.  Things were indeed not what they seemed to be in that place, and that was fair. Sarah herself was not what she seemed.  Not anymore.

There are some things that you cannot do without it affecting your life in some quite substantial ways, and meeting and defeating the Goblin King is prime among them.

Chapter Text

EPILOGUE

Humans Say

“What is the meaning

 of this old song

that tells of the times

when my heart was on fire?

Angels call it joy.

Devils call it pain.

Humans say: it must be love.

I don’t know how it happened

When it doesn’t exist within,

But it’s true:

I loved her.”

-Translation of “Prolog Tod” (“Death’s Prologue”) from “Elisabeth das Musical” by Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze

The irony of the situation was not lost on Jareth. His words, his very own words had backfired against him, betrayed his heart in the cruelest of ways.  Fate was not always on the Goblin King’s side as it once was.

‘I shall spare the second-born child in favor for the first-born daughter. I shall test her, and if I deem her worthy of my affection, my heart, and kingdom, I will take her to be my queen, and it shall cause her more heartbreak and woe than it would have ever caused you had you chosen to accept my most generous offer.’

Jareth growled and shoved the memory aside, the wounds still too fresh and deep.

He clutched at his heart, trying to abate the deep ache that had settled in his chest like disease, eating away at him, body and soul, until there was nothing left to feast on.

By letting Sarah go, Jareth had unintentionally brought upon himself the heartbreak and woe that he had foretold in his curse of the Guillemin family. The fates were cruel in the dispensation of their gifts and their punishments. He had not intended to fall in love. It had not been part of his brilliant scheme to further annoy the Guillemin family. Sarah had changed him in some way, had inflamed his mind, and awoken his senses.

He had to. He could not have kept her in good conscience, though goodness knows he wanted to, so desperately! It would have destroyed Sarah, ruined her so utterly and completely.

If you truly love someone, you will let them go.

He still watched her from afar, watched her try to re-accustom herself to her old life. She was not fit for the human world; she had seen and done too much. He had tried to warn her about the differences between the two worlds, but she had not heeded his warnings. Perhaps it was for the best that she find out for herself. Sarah was not one for listening to his words.

Jareth smiled gently to himself as he thought of Sarah’s impulsive desire to defy him, even if it meant doing herself a disservice.  They were so alike in so many ways. 

Perhaps that was their downfall.

And their saving grace.

And so, he could wait, hoping that his and Sarah’s paths would cross once again, and that he would have a second chance to prove himself, where he could win her heart of his own accord, and not by force of circumstance.

In any case, the Goblin King was quite fond of second chances.

*****

Sarah always seemed to know when he was watching her, after it all. She would be walking in the orchard or alone in the library when she would suddenly become aware of a white owl perched high in the branches of the nearby wood, or balanced on the windowsill, watching her intently. In some ways, she felt pity for the Goblin King, who did not know what it was to love, and yet desired it so fiercely.

Perhaps one day, the Goblin King and she would meet again, and who knew, perhaps this time, Sarah would choose not to defy the Goblin King.

After all, it is said that sometimes, the way forward was also the way back.