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Goblin Maiden
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#1
Old 07-23-2009, 05:30 AM

It is America's Industrial Revolution, during the 1800s. Many lower-class people make their livings by working in city factories that manufacture goods such as textiles and machine parts. However, both living and working conditions in the cities are nothing short of atrocious. An entire family may have to live in a single room; sanitation is next to unheard of; there are no laws against child labor; and factory workers are often viewed as not human beings, but "working hands."

For one living in an era such as this, where the main concern of the lower-class is putting food on the table day by day, it is difficult to hold on to dreams of a better life, of far-away fairy tale worlds. But one girl has managed to keep dreaming of just those very things all of her life, earning her the unknown attention of one Goblin King. But will his fixation on her turn out to be a gift... or a curse?

---


She had always been a lovely girl, even as a child covered in grime and sweat from working in the factory from dawn til dusk. He had many tricks up his sleeve, and mastery of illusion was one of them; small wonder that he was able to see the true sweetness of her face and the light in her eyes when all that most humans could see was just another sweat-shop kid. Hmmm, humans. How had he ever gotten involved with them in the first place? True, as Goblin King one of his duties was to gather in the unwanted of that particular race, turn them into something wanted if nobody tried to claim them. But other than that, there was not much to do in his kingdom. So he turned to another world, one where his presence would be undetected, and completely disbelieved in if it ever came out. The world of the humans.

Her sweetness, her dreamings, her desire to believe were what drew him to her when she was not yet out of childhood. He had watched her, a sort of uncle-like affection growing for her over the years. He had not been able to gift her with ponies and dolls and whatever else little girls wanted that favorite uncles were supposed to provide; that would have been to obvious, too out of place in the hovel where she lived with her parents and two sisters. So he had done what little he could, taking it one step at a time. He cajoled a small bunch of brightly colored flowers to sprout just outside the door of her home, where she could see them every time she left and entered. A mother cat chanced to raise her litter of kittens in the alleyway she passed on her way to and from work every day, and allowed her to come near enough to stroke one small, furry head.

And for the occasion her seventeenth birthday, in the guise of the baker's boy, he slipped an extra bun into her bag when she came shopping, tipping her a wink that implied "This is between us" before turning away.

Indeed, it was a greater secret than she would probably ever suspect. Inside the bun was just a smidgen of Fae food... just enough to connect her to the world of the Fae. Specifically, his Goblin Kingdom. He knew she would save the bun for herself, savoring the small act of human kindness that it represented. And when she bit into it and swallowed...

She would be that much closer to him, and he to her.

Emma Corrin
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#2
Old 07-23-2009, 07:43 AM

Dawn sighed as she woke up on the morning of June 21st, the day after her seventeenth birthday. Aside from spending what little time she did with her family, the only thing wonderful about her birthday was the baker's boy in the market who gave her a sweet bun while she had been shopping after work, getting what little food they could afford with her family's wages.

Spending the day of her birthday with her sisters in a clothing sweatshop under the harsh, cruel gaze of her employer, Christopher Lewton, was not the way Dawn had wished to spend her birthday. However, the small things were what mattered, and if her working on her birthday meant keep her family from going hungry, then by all means she would do it. When her shift finally ended at four o'clock in the afternoon, Dawn sent her sisters home to see their parents before they had to leave for the night-shift at the factories. In the meantime, Dawn went into the market to buy that weeks groceries from the small stalls that lined the streets, and to purchase a small flower or two from the homeless children who were far worse off than she was.

On her usual visits to the market, Dawn was pushed around and stepped on, not a hint of kindness towards a young poor girl such as herself. However, on this particular day, when she stopped off at the bakery to purchase what little bread she could afford, she was surprised by an act of kindness that gave her more hope within the world.

After she had bought a half a loaf of bread from the baker and begun to leave, the baker's boy slipped a sweet bun into her basket with a wink. Smiling her thanks, knowing he would get into trouble if the baker were to find out, Dawn left the shop and spent the last of her money on vegetables.

When Dawn got home, after making her sisters dinner, she ate the small sweet bun in her room as she poured over a novel, the taste of honey and wheat filling her senses as she chewed the delectable bread. It was a rare occasion for Dawn to experience such a feeling. Not just the wonderful flavors on her tongue, but the pure act of kindness shown to her by the baker's son. For despite the possibility of him getting punished for giving food away that would earn them money, he risked it to give her one small morsel that he hoped would help to fill her stomach that evening.

Finishing her novel, Dawn sat by the window of their cramped apartment and looked up at the moon, partially hidden by the dark smoke of the factories. Her thoughts roamed to the novel she had been reading - a fairytale of far off places, fae magic, dragons, and princes in disguise. Envisioning herself into her daydreams, Dawn couldn't help but feel that this was the perfect end to such a wretched birthday as she drifted off to sleep, her head laying gently upon her arms as they rested upon the window ledge.

As she woke up, she stretched her arms up over her head and massaged her neck. 'How could I have fallen asleep there? I guess I was more tired than i thought..'

Getting up from the floor, Dawn stumbled to the kitchen and sleepily began making a plate of eggs and toast for she and her siblings to share that morning for breakfast before work. Getting her sisters out of bed and ready for work, Dawn sent about getting herself ready while her sisters ate the most of the meal she had prepared.

While Mary and Ariena had left for work, Dawn ate her small breakfast, letting her mind drift back into the thoughts she had been having before bed the previous night, before making her way out of the house with their small lunch in hand.

'Perhaps my wishes will come true and today will be better than the last,' she mused hopefully to herself as she hummed an old Irish tune she heard while petting the small cats in the alley on the way to work. It still amazed her that such darling creatures survived on those streets without getting dirty and going hungry. She assumed they must have a middle-class owner who allowed them to run around during the day.

Dawn didn't mind, however, for she had visited them on her way to and from work every day since she found the mother giving birth on her way home from work. With the help of Dawn and her younger sister Mary, all of the kittens had a safe delivery and were cleaned up as best they could. Over the year and a half she'd been looking after the cats in that alley, Dawn had come to name each of them and love them all dearly.

The mother she had named Moonshine, for she had small bits of white upon her forehead, yet a dark grey color filled the rest of her coat. The eldest kitten, a small miniature replica of his mother, she named Starlight, the small grey kitten with white paws and white specks on it's back was named Freckles, the black kitten with the white nose was named Midnight, and the youngest kitten, who was spotted with white, grey, and black, was named Marlin. How her sister Mary had come up with Marlin, Dawn will never know, for she was only five years old at the time and could hardly read. However, Dawn was proud that her imagination had trickled down to her sisters, even if it was only in a small, hardly noticeable dosage.

Leaving the small cats behind, Dawn continued on her way to work, getting ignored and shoved around in the streets as she walked. Ignoring them, determined they wouldn't ruin her morning, Dawn walked into the clothing shop through the back entrance. Moving down to the basement, she went to her station and began to work. Unfortunately, Mr. Lewton decided today to release his temper upon the staff, specifically her youngest sister Mary.

Mary hadn't even done anything wrong, to be perfectly honest. All she had done was accidentally trip and bump into Mr. Lewton on her way up to hand in a finished product. This earned her a slap across the face, rude name calling, and being shoved out of the way, falling to the ground with a loud thud. While the rest of the staff just sat there and continued their work, even Ariena, Dawn refused to take it sitting down. Standing up, Dawn rushed to her sister, took the garment, and threw it the two feet to the finished table. Picking up her sister and holding her, trying to calm the tears that had begun to pour from her eyes, Dawn let into Mr. Lewton.

"How dare you take out your anger on an innocent child! She's just a small girl for God's sake! Is it her fault if she stumbled a bit? She apologized, and how do you forgive her? By striking her and shoving her to the ground? You're a cruel and heartless man, Mr. Lewton, preying on an innocent child like this just because she is of Italian decent!"

Mr. Lewton, a bit taken aback by her outburst, not having been talked to like that from an employee, much less an immigrant employee, before in his entire twenty-four years. Not having words to respond, he simply backhanded Dawn across the face, forcing her to lean on the nearby table with her free hand to keep from falling to the floor. Unfortunately for Dawn, her outburst would leave quite the bruise upon her cheekbone and the possible loss of her job. However, she believed it was worth it to stand up for her younger sister.

Last edited by Emma Corrin; 07-23-2009 at 03:50 PM..

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#3
Old 07-23-2009, 05:18 PM

He could not help but grin as he saw her rush to her younger sister's defense. Such spirit that girl had! Yet another reason he had been drawn to her; and the years had not diminished her inner fire one whit. Idly, he tapped his favored riding crop against his booted foot as he gazed into the spherical crystal he held in his other hand. Waiting for the scene in the crystal to continue to unfold.

He frowned as Lewton backhanded her across the face, sending her stumbling back into a nearby table. How true it was that men who could not use words instead used force. Unfortunately, it was not the first time that she had suffered such a blow. Then again, nor would it be the last. However, he was not the kind of king to stand idly by when one of his favored was being treated ill. Leaning his face close to the crystal, he blew gently upon its surface.

As one, the windows of the factory--normally kept closed despite the often stifling air within--were flung open by an invisible force. However, invisible did not mean intangible. All within the factory could feel the furious wind whirling around the large room, disturbing work and flurrying hair. Especially the hair on one particular head.

The wind descended upon Lewton--and his prized head of hair, which he was often seen to be stroking with a self-satisfied expression on his face, was carried away upon the gale. It whirled around the factory room, with the howling Lewton chasing after it and the workers either silently stupefied or openly laughing at his plight. At last, it settled upon one of the high light-fixtures that illuminated the factory so poorly.

The Goblin King lounged back in his throne, smirking as he viewed Lewton's vividly scarlet face staring up at the toupee that dangled almost mockingly from the light-fixture. How would the man who oversaw the factory, his bald head bared for all to see, handle that?

Emma Corrin
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#4
Old 07-23-2009, 06:27 PM

Dawn couldn't help but stare silently as Mr. Lewton's toupee flew around the room and landed upon the small light, her cheek already showing signs of a bruise and a bit of swelling.

Mary, her stifled giggles bringing happiness back to her once more as she watched the toupee scene, couldn't help but forget about what had happened to her only moments before. Dawn, however, did not forget and was too busy checking over her sister to make sure she was alright to pay much attention once the wind had stopped blowing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lewton covered his bare scalp with his hands and screamed for quiet, ordering a ladder to be found and brought to him. Once the ladder was fetched, Mr. Lewton ordered one of the women to climb up and fetch his toupee.

The toupee back upon his head, the hair in complete disarray and his face still scarlet, Mr. Lewton stormed back over to Dawn, having forgotten about the outburst completely, and ordered her and her sister back to work before storming to his office to fix his toupee.

Her mouth slightly agape, Dawn set her sister down, who immediately went back to sewing buttons. With a slight shake of her head, Dawn went back to her chair and sat down. Simply staring at the sewing in front of her, Dawn couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Those windows hadn't been opened in years, they could never have opened without something to pry them. Not only that, but the wind was so strong, and it seemed to only focus on Mr. Lewton. Was she crazy? Or was something wrong with this picture?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized this wasn't her first strange occurrence. For starters, the flowers in front of her door, they never wilted! They remained bright and vibrant all spring, summer, and fall. Flowers don't bloom anywhere on her street except for in front of her small one-room house. Perhaps she really was going crazy. How could there be anything special about her.

'Though I must admit, it would be nice to have a Fairy Godmother like Cinderella.. Perhaps then I could marry someone rich and make a lot of money to get my family out of squalor, not to mention finally afford to return to Italy and paint like I've always dreamed.. Italy.. painting.. nothing could be closer to heaven,' she thought absently until the woman sitting beside her nudged her and motioned for her to begin working once more.

Blushing and chiding herself for letting herself get so carried away during work hours, Dawn went back to work and did her best to forget about the growing pain in her cheek.

Last edited by Emma Corrin; 07-27-2009 at 10:16 PM.. Reason: forgot to italicize her thought xD;

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#5
Old 07-27-2009, 08:26 PM

He smiled slightly as he saw her staring at her work, but not actually seeing it. He knew that she was ruminating over what had just occurred. Clever little thing that she was, she would not let it pass without a thought, unlike the other girls and women that she worked with. He did not particularly care about this, but there was one small problem: she held the desire, but not the belief. And belief was everything. It opened all sorts of doors. It would open even more for her, if she would just begin to believe.

Cleverness paired with the Fae food now coursing through her veins were what allowed her this heightened sense of something being... out of place. He stood, placing the crystal down on the seat of his throne, and began to stride about the small, yet homely (at least to him) throne room. His legs needed stretching, and his mind needed clearing. But he knew that he could never fully banish that girl from his thoughts; no, she had slowly but surely pervaded all his waking (and even sleeping) hours. She was like a drug to him, what kept him moving, what kept him despairing. For even as he desired to truly be in her presence, free of all disguise and deception, and she desired the same (even if she, with her pesky disbelief, did not know it), she was possessing of one annoyingly mortal aspect.

Common sense.

He himself could afford to be brash, could afford to take risks every now and then. And because he could, he did. She, on the other hand, was fully aware of her mortality, and even worse, the mortality of those around her. Not one to be absorbed with herself and her dreams, no; it was something that he found to be both endearing and frustrating at the same time. Even as she held her dreams close, she held those around her even closer. And in doing so, she drove yet another wedge between her and the Goblin King.

Emma Corrin
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#6
Old 07-28-2009, 01:24 AM

As her shift came to a close and she and her sisters packed up for the day, Dawn was called into Mr. Lewton's office.

"Now look here, missy, you can keep your job even after that little stunt you pulled earlier, one of which I have not forgotten. However, I will not let it go unpunished. You are to work an extra shift tonight as well as your usual shift tomorrow. No sleeping on the job. You fall asleep and you're fired, is that understood?"

"B-"

"Do not make me repeat myself young lady. There are plenty of other tramps looking or a job out there on the streets, I can easily replace you. Now, I'm sure you and your family barely get by as it is, do you really want your family losing your much needed income?"

Sighing, Dawn shook her head, "No, sir. I shall stay."

"Good, now get back to work!"

"Yes, sir," Dawn said simply before exiting his office. Sighing as she walked over to Ariena, Dawn explained the situation and put Ariena in charge of getting Mary home safely and fixing a small sandwich for dinner, she didn't want them cooking without her there.

When the girls had left for home, Dawn went back to her table and began working once more, shooting glares at Mr. Lewton's office door every so often while she worked. 'If only he weren't the boss here.. If only we could get rid of him or he'd go away.. maybe things would be different..,' she mused to herself.

"If only one could be that lucky," she whispered aloud as she worked, hoping to finish early and earn a small break to get at least a few minutes of sleep.

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#7
Old 07-28-2009, 02:52 AM

He frowned as, thanks to his crystal, he listened to Lewton's outburst and Dawn's reply. No amount of toupee-swiping would be able to make up for THIS--that girl having to work even harder than she did already, with not even a momentary reprieve.

He kicked a goblin that was playing a dice game near his feet. "Get up, you lazy little bum," he ordered, a contemptuous expression on his face. "Go to the mortal world, to this factory--" he showed the goblin the building through the crystal. "--and take some work off of that girl's hands. Make sure that nobody sees you; you know what will happen to you if someone does."

The goblin, small and brown with a scrub of dark blue hair on his head, gulped loudly. He was no stranger to his king's wrath, and he knew how strongly it could blaze before it finally burned out. He would definitely be careful in the mortal world. "Yes, Jareth!" The goblin squeaked, preparing himself for the jump between worlds.

"That's KING Jareth to you, scamp!" The Goblin King shouted as the goblin blinked out of sight.

Sinking back onto his throne with a gusty sigh, he managed to catch the girl's whispered words through the crystal in his hand. Instantly, a smirk was back on his face. Though reading thoughts was not on his extensive list of talents, he'd bet his left ear that he knew what she was thinking; not-so-pleasant thoughts of her boss's sacking, or worse.

"But you are that lucky, my dear," he crooned to the girl's unhearing image in the crystal. "If only you would let yourself believe it... The things I could do for you. The punishments I could heap on Mr. Lewton, the feasts I could throw for you and your family! If only you would believe," he lamented.

If only she would believe in him.

With thoughts of what COULD be playing within his head, he concentrated once more on the girl within the crystal, and the goblin who would be her hopefully unknown aid this night.

Emma Corrin
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#8
Old 07-28-2009, 04:16 AM

Dawn sighed as the hours passed by, her work seeming never ending. Pausing in her work to rub the sleep from her eyes, Dawn noticed something blue out of the corner of her eyes. Quickly looking over in that direction, there was nothing but a woman in a green dress working. Shaking her head, fearing that sleep was getting to her and making her hallucinate, Dawn went back to her pile of work, which seemed to have gotten just a tad smaller.

'Curiouser and curiouser.. Strange things are happening today... First, Lewton's toupee, then my not getting fired and everyone seeming to have forgotten the incident, then I saw something blue that was there and then disappeared, and just now I could have sworn I had three more shirts to sew, but they're missing..'

Sighing, Dawn let everything slide and went on with her work, believing that it was all simply sleep taking over her her imagination and causing hallucinations. As she worked though, her thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the blue blur she saw out of the corner of her eye.


Pausing in her work, Dawn let thoughts consume her - thoughts of 'Perhaps.. perhaps it wasn't my imagination.. Perhaps something was there... But what could be that tiny and move so quickly unnoticed?'. She continued to wonder as she quickly began her work once more upon noticing Mr. Lewton begin to peek through the curtains at the workers to make sure they were all working and not slacking.

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#9
Old 07-31-2009, 02:01 AM

Oh? What was this, then? The miserable little excuse for a goblin had been seen by the girl! The Goblin King was just about to shout into the goblin's mind, scare him half to hell and then summon him back to the throne room, when an idea hit.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that the goblin had been seen. Maybe this was just the first step towards the outcome of all his watching and all his encouragement and protection for all of these years.

Maybe she would start to believe.

With this thought firmly in mind, the Goblin King leaned closer to the crystal, scrutinizing the girl's every glance, every move, every breath. Yes, the goblin had taken two more shirts, in addition to the other three. He hadn't been seen that time, but the Goblin King knew that the girl would not miss their disappearance. Oh! There was a flash of that stupid blue hair. Had she seen it that time? Had she seen? It was almost as if the Goblin King was playing a childish game of "I spy..." but he neither knew this nor cared.

It was rather stuffy in that factory, he mused, since the workers had long since resealed the windows he'd blown open before. The faces of the women working alongside the girl were sheened with sweat. He did not dare try the same trick with the windows again, so he merely moved a finger, almost a caress, and watched as the girl's hair lifted slightly in a barely noticeable breeze. But perhaps she would notice.

The lighting above her work area was barely adequate, as always. Again, the caressing gesture, and the lamp ceased flickering sporadically and began to cast down a steady glow. Again, not much. But again, perhaps she would notice.

He wished she would notice. He wanted her to notice. She should have noticed all the things he'd done for her by now... the little blessings that he scattered throughout her days. The little things that, put all together, said everything that he longed to whisper in her ear, but could not. Because of that irritating Common Sense of hers.

"Throw it away," he murmured, gazing at her through the crystal. "You know you want to. Believe, just for a second. Let go of all your mortal preconceptions, girl. Just believe."

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#10
Old 07-31-2009, 02:14 AM

When Dawn returned to her seat after carrying a stack of shirts to the front table, Dawn noticed something was out of place. Everything seemed so strange.. She felt cooler, her light was brighter, and she could have sworn there were at least two more shirts there..

Looking under the table, Dawn searched for the missing shirts. Starting to lean back into her seat and resume her work, thinking once again that maybe she was losing her mind, she heard a soft scurry and saw a blur of blue. Quickly looking under the table, Dawn let out a gasp and jumped back as she saw the creature for just a moment before it ran off with two of her shirts. As the women around her stared at her, Dawn quickly apologized and blamed it on a spider. Leaning back over her work, Dawn's mind raced, 'No.. that couldn't.. no... they don't... do they? But how could a Goblin have gotten here?! And why is it helping me?! Why me... I'm nothing special.. why would the Goblins choose to help me? How could they even know I exist?'

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#11
Old 07-31-2009, 02:29 AM

Jareth let out a shout of triumph that caused all the goblins around him to start. He punted the nearest one across the room out of sheer jubilation and started up his own little jig.

She had seen it! She believed. He could not only see it on her face, but he could feel the shift in her mind and heart, thanks to the Fae food that she had earlier consumed. Now, it was only a matter of time. But until then, he could try...

"My special girl," he whispered, his breath momentarily fogging the surface of the crystal. Words meant for her ears alone. Whether she would choose to hear was up to her, but now that she had seen... Now that she BELIEVED...!

Anything was possible now! Anything! Particularly the one thing he wanted to happen. And the Goblin King always got what he wanted in the end, didn't he? So far, thanks to his trickery and cunning and wiles, that had always been the case.

"Everything I've done, I've done for her!" He caroled to the throne room at large. "She won't be able to disregard my existence after this!"

He snapped his fingers, and at once the goblin with the blue hair was at his feet. He picked the goblin up by the collar of his ragged shirt and held him up to eye-level, an almost feral grin on his face. The goblin cowered as best he could whilst being suspended in the air.

"Horseradish--"

"Hoppon, Your Majesty!" The goblin squeaked.

"Yes, whatever. How would you like a promotion?"

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#12
Old 07-31-2009, 03:15 AM

Dawn jumped, shoving the needle into her finger. Pulling it out and sucking her finger until it stopped bleeding, Dawn looked around for the voice she had heard. 'My special girl.... Who had said that? Was I dreaming? Could it have been the Goblin I had seen? Perhaps...'

Finishing the shirt she was working on, Dawn stood as she looked around, "I'll be right back, I need to use the lavatory."

In truth, Dawn needed no such thing. She simply wished to look around and try and find the Goblin once more.

However, on her way to search for the Goblin, Mr. Lewton came out of his office and saw Dawn out of her seat. "Just what do you think you're doing?!" he bellowed as he stormed over to her.

"G-going to the lavatory, Mr. Lewton," stammered Dawn as a blush crept into her cheeks and the entire factory gazed upon them.

"I think not, young lady. Get back to work!" he bellowed before turning her around and shoving her back towards her table.

Biting her tongue, knowing that she would lose her job if she said anything, Dawn simply glared ahead and went back to her table and began working on another shirt. 'Damn that man.. It's not the end of the world that I couldn't look for the Goblin, for I'm sure there will be other chances.. but to push me around like that simply because I'm Italian and he's American... It's completely wrong! I wish... I wish he were gone from here..'

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#13
Old 07-31-2009, 04:01 AM

Hoppon was now promoted (although his king didn't exactly know what the goblin had done in the first place), and happily running around telling every goblin that would listen. The Goblin King himself was not listening nor caring. He noticed the girl sucking blood from her finger and grinned. So she HAD heard him. Had detected something.

He smirked. The Fae food had kicked into full drive now, and he knew that the girl was burning with rage directed at Lewton. "Say it, girl," he murmured, more to himself than anyone. She might hear, she might not, and it didn't really matter to him. "Say it. It's not enough to think it. Words hold so much more power than mere thoughts..."

He continued to talk softly. He might have been the girl's conscious, egging her on. "Remember. Remember what he did to your beloved little sister? Remember his selfishness in not even going to get his ratty toupee himself; no, he ordered a worker to get it. Remember his harsh treatment of you, feel the pain in that bruise on your cheek (though I could heal it in an instant, I want to, if only you would seek me out to do it). Remember his constant derision of you, of your family's heritage.

"Oh, and remember that book of yours? That tattered red thing that your father brought home for you and that you haven't picked up in years. Try to remember. The title. The characters. What were they? More importantly... what did they do?"

The last was a mere breath, less than a whisper. He gauged her expression, the feelings that were building up inside of her. He knew that she was close to the breaking point.

It was only a matter of time. Hopefully only a matter of seconds. When she would call on the goblins... call on him...

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#14
Old 07-31-2009, 04:12 AM

Soft words filled Dawn's mind as she worked. Unsure of where they came from, and at this point, truly not caring, Dawn let the words consume her mind as her thoughts drifted to the book he voice had mentioned. The Labyrinth it was called. What was it it said about Goblins? To speak a wish and they would answer? For that was the gift of the Goblin King to his beloved human? But I'm not that beloved human... I couldn't be.. I'm so strange.. and poor... Girls such as those are meant to be princesses..'

"But I did see a Goblin.. I know I did..," she whispered softly to herself as she set her work down, "I wish that Goblin would come and take Mr. Lewton away from us this very minute.. perhaps then we could all get a well earned rest and he could be replaced by someone with less discriminatory views against us immigrants..."

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#15
Old 07-31-2009, 04:37 AM

"HAH!"

It was like clap of thunder, like a burst of lightning. It was triumphant and terrible all at once. And he knew it.

He stood before the girl, HIS girl, the girl he had chosen for his attentions. He was tall and looming in the dim lamp-light. The collar of his darkly extravagant cape framed his angular face like a clear-cut portrait, flowed down around his body like a shadow of mystery. The dark blouse and pants that he wore served to complete the picture to perfection. He was power. He was suspense.

He was a King.

"You finally made your wish, you finally BELIEVED, you precious thing," he purred to the girl. "And I have fulfilled it. Your Mister Lewton is currently sitting in an oubliette somewhere in my Labyrinth, and he will not be coming out for a long, long time."

All around them, the factory workers sat frozen. Not in fear or shock or awe--although he would have dearly loved to see such expressions on their faces, it would have been quite compromising for the girl. So he had stopped time, an easy thing for him to do. All except their time. It was just the two of them, existing only for each other.

He took a step towards her, then another, the grin never leaving his face. "What I have to wonder is why you took so long? You longed for such a thing to happen your whole life. A knight in shining armor (or a king in a flowing cape) to rescue you, your troubles being whisked away as if they never existed. And now I can finally do this for you."

He reached out a hand as if to touch her face. "As I have always wanted to."

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#16
Old 07-31-2009, 04:45 AM

Dawn blushed as she stammered, in complete awe by the man standing before her, "M-me? Why would someone as powerful as you, wish to help someone like me? I'm a nobody.. I'm not worth anything! How could you have noticed me and tried to help me above everyone? I don't understand.."

In truth, Dawn couldn't quite grasp the words he had spoken. The man before her was handsome, to say the least, and she was a nobody. A poor, lowly factory worker who had no importance in the world what so ever. She was simply someone for people to step on to say they've gotten ahead in the world, just as Mr. Lewton had always done to her.

Mr. Lewton. Dawn gasped as she stood, "Mr. Lewton! Oh no, what have I done! His family needs him! You must bring him back, sir, for his family cannot survive without him! I know what I said, but he can't stay forgotten forever.. What will become of his family?"

Dawn sighed as she began pacing in a one foot diameter in front of her chair, muttering her worries in Italian as she paced.

Last edited by Emma Corrin; 07-31-2009 at 06:55 PM.. Reason: wrote 'important' instead of 'importance'

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#17
Old 07-31-2009, 07:19 PM

"I am powerful, it is true." Either the Goblin King was boasting, or stating a fact... or both. "But nobody who earns my favor is a nobody. Who do you think you are, Dawn?" The name seemed to roll off his tongue like a sweet. "A lowly factory worker? The scum of the city? You might be that to those in this world, but... I am not, nor have I ever been, of this world." He threw out an arm, consequently throwing out his cape in a mighty flourish. "I see, Dawn--" again with the savoring of her name. "--that you are loving. You are thoughtful. You are a dreamer. Never have you given up on your dreams, even when everything that you have ever seen or heard has demanded that you do. How could I ignore such tenacious hope in the face of such reality?"

He was taller than her; he had to bend slightly to murmur in her ear. "But you and I both know that dreams are much more real than reality. Reality was not what was driving us both all this time... It was our dreams. Dreams of what once was, dreams of what could be. What still can be."

The smile that had been playing upon his lips all that time immediately vanished upon Dawn's concern for Lewton's family. "Those wretches? You know as well as I that they are as bad as their paternal bread-winner," he practically spat. "I should leave them to bankruptcy, to see their home and possessions taken away, to ultimately end up in the very spot where you have sat every day since you were old enough to work a sewing machine." He kicked over the chair in front of her worktable. "They have a lesson to learn, that their greed and wealth will ultimately earn them nothing. But... but," he sighed as if it were so VERY troublesome, "if you, with your fascinating and irritating generosity, wish for them to stay out of destitution, I will make sure that they are provided for and stay in their undeserved posts until death. That is, ONLY if you wish it."

He could not frown at this girl, but he was not smiling now as he looked at her pacing in front of him. It was so very typical of her to think about others before she ever thought of herself. Why had he expected this time to be any different? Even as he loomed so magnificently over her, she could not stop her pacing nor spouting her worries in her native tongue. He wanted to touch her shoulder, her face, to assure her that all would be well with her no matter what... But this had to be her decision.

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#18
Old 07-31-2009, 07:51 PM

Dawn sighed as she stopped her pacing and stood in front of the man before her, "I have made my decision. I could never wish my life upon another, poverty is not something I want anyone to experience. I wish for them to keep their position, and for Mr. Lewton to return to his family. Please, Goblin King, I beg you to return him. He may be wretched and vile to me and my family, not to mention every other immigrant in this city, but he is decent to his own family. I could never be happy, now matter what good fortunate was shone upon me, knowing that he is sitting in a oubliette wasting away and being forgotten, forcing his 'death' upon his family. So please, if it's all the same to you, I would like to take back what I said.. I said it out of anger and haste.. I did not think of the consequences of what would happen had he actually been taken away.. Please understand, and please forgive me.."

It was all Dawn could do to stand before the Goblin King and not flinch in fear. He looked so.. in command standing before her. She was intimidated, like she had never been before. Yet she loved the feeling of his gaze upon her, she felt important and worth the clothing she was wearing, as cheap as it was. For the first time in her life, she truly felt as if she were a human being, and not the mud upon Mr. Lewton's shoes. And as much as Dawn hated Mr. Lewton, she couldn't wish this fate upon him and his family. It would break her to do so.

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#19
Old 07-31-2009, 10:54 PM

The Goblin King gazed down at the girl, and slowly shook his head. "What's said is said," he told her gravely. "If you truly wish to take back your words and your deed of summoning my goblins to take Lewton away, you must undergo the challenge that every other mortal who makes a wish that they regret must face."

He turned and pointed one black-gloved finger towards the factory window directly in front of them. "There you see my Labyrinth, and my castle at its center."

And indeed, there it was. The golden-red sky with its darker clouds swirled above the massively constructed mazes within the maze.

The Goblin King turned back to his favored, who no longer stood within the stuffy, dimly lit factory amongst the workers frozen in time. Instead, she was mere feet behind him on a low hill with dead grass and trees. "You will have thirteen hours in which to make your way to the center of my Labryinth to my castle, which stands at the center of the Goblin City." He raised an arm to indicate an ornate and very out of place clock that hung from the barren branches of a nearby tree. "I myself will do everything within my power to thwart you along the way."

He folded his arms and gazed solemnly at the girl. "You still have one last chance to turn back, you know. I would advise you to take it. Forget about Lewton. Should you choose to return, you will have a new supervisor who will treat you much more fairly than that bald fool ever did. That is my guarantee."

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#20
Old 07-31-2009, 11:17 PM

"I'm sorry.. but I can't. As much as I'd like to, I couldn't live with myself if I kept this life upon another without trying to change it. Please forgive me, for I truly am grateful for your kindness all these years, for I assume from what you have said, that you are the one who has been kind to me all this time. However, I must go through this Labyrinth if that is the only way I am to free Mr. Lewton and bring him back to his family."

With a curtsy, Dawn looked up at the Goblin King with the determination of a set goal within the gleam of her eyes, "I will accept your challenge and travel to your Castle within the thirteen hours in order to save Mr. Lewton from a life of loneliness and save his family from mourning his supposed death."

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#21
Old 07-31-2009, 11:30 PM

He shook his head before beginning to fade out from the hill. In to his castle. He could have simply transported there within the blink of an eye, but he suspected that she would enjoy this little bit of "fantasy" theatrics.

Once fully back in his throne room, he turned his hand, a crystal coming up in his palm. The girl was there on the hill. "It begins now," he murmured, though he did not wish her to hear, and so she did not. "Why do you have to be so fair-minded, so stubborn? Traits to win any king's heart, it's true, but at this moment... You are simply driving a wedge between you and me."

He lowered the crystal from eye-level and rubbed his closed eyes, a very displeased expression on his majestic features. "This is NOT going according to how I planned it..." He muttered darkly. All around him, goblins laughed.

"SHUT UP!" He roared, bringing his fist down on the arm of his throne. Immediately, the goblins fell silent, cowering beneath his burning glare. "You think this is funny? You think, after years of watching over this girl and making sure she was provided for and kept clinging to her hopes and dreams, after having her refuse my offers and choose to put herself into danger for an oaf of a mortal who does not deserve even a shred of her kindness, someone she despises... You think all of this is FUNNY?"

"N-n-n-no," quavered a goblin. Another shook its head furiously, while yet another threw its arms over its head in fear when his king's glare fell upon him.

"I didn't think so," the Goblin King gritted out. Still, it was not like his good mood could be restored just like that. He reached down, picked up a goblin, and threw it across the room, through a door, and into the outer hall. He imagined that it was Lewton's bald head. Ignoring the goblin's screams, he gazed into his crystal once more. What was that girl up to?

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#22
Old 08-01-2009, 12:07 AM

Dawn sighed as she faced the Labyrinth. Standing at the bottom of the small hill, yet still towards the top of the large one over looking the vast Labyrinth, Dawn looked over the Labyrinth and gazed at the castle. It was grand and beautiful, to say the least, and her thoughts couldn't help but drift to what it must be like for the Goblins, and the Goblin King for that matter, to live within it's walls. Sighing, Dawn lifted her skirts a tad so that she could walk, her thin flats lightly pressing into the sand as she made her way down the hill to the Labyrinth walls. Looking around, Dawn couldn't find an entrance.

"Hmm.. Which way to search..," she mumbled to herself as she looked left, right, left, and then right again. Spinning around Dawn held out her pointer finger and stopped randomly. Wen she stopped, she was pointing to the right. "Guess I'll go right," she giggled to herself and she headed off in that direction, walking pass a small pond and hoping to find an entrance into the Labyrinth.

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#23
Old 08-01-2009, 03:35 AM

"Mistress, there is an intruder outside of the castle!"

"An intruder?"

"Yes, Mistress! A human!"

Javitha cursed and shot out of her throne. "It must be Jareth at work... Come, my ladies, we must see what this is about."

With that, the Queen of the Fairies spread her wings and darted out of the throne room of the castle she made in a hole in the Outer Wall, with her ladies-in-waiting and bodyguards following close behind her. Though they were diminutive things, able to fit in a human's palm (perish the thought of them actually sitting in one), that did not mean that they were to be underestimated. Javitha was as cunning as the Goblin King himself, and her bodyguards swift and quite capable of defending her.

The Queen of the Fairies flew along the Outer Wall to the Labyrinth with her entourage for a few minutes, until finally she spotted a large figure ahead.

"There, Mistress!" Cried Polythe, the fairy who had initiated the warning. "That's the human I was telling you about!"

"Good, Polythe. Guards," Javitha snapped at them to follow before flying up to the human's face herself.

"You may give your name and your reason for intruding on the Outer Wall to Her Highness, Queen of the Fairies, Javitha," bellowed a guardsman to the human.

"Did Jareth put you up to this?" Javitha spoke up herself, her face hard. "Are you on a quest to get to that fool's castle?"

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#24
Old 08-01-2009, 03:41 AM

"Jareth...." Dawn let the name roll off her tongue with a smile, "So that's his name.. Oh!"

With a low curtsy, Dawn bowed to the small faerie before her, "Yes, your majesty, I am trying to make my way to the castle to win the freedom of my employer. He may not deserve being rescued from the oubliette, but I could never forgive myself if I didn't try to help him out of his predicament. Do you know of a way into the Labyrinth? I've been walking a ways, and I can't seem to find a way in.. I only have about twelve hours left, so if you could please point me in the proper direction, I would be eternally grateful."

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#25
Old 08-01-2009, 06:42 PM

Javitha's eyes narrowed at the way the human girl spoke the Goblin King's name. What exactly had he done to endear himself to her, even while making her run the gauntlet that was the Labyrinth?

Well, at least this human knew her manners, and didn't squeal about how cute the Fairy Queen was, or ask for a wish or pixie dust or any other manner of stupid favors.

"Eternally grateful, hmm?" Javitha surveyed the human girl thoughtfully. "I'm sure you're not aware of what that means, here in the world of Underground. But I am eager to have you away from my castle, and so I shall give you a hint, in return for--"

"But Mistress, surely there's no need, when there's a door right in front of her!" Squeaked a handmaiden--who promptly quailed under the glare of her queen.

"In return for one of your tears," the queen continued on, more loudly and firmly than before. "The tears of humans are quite a valuable commodity in the Underground. With a single tear of yours, I can easily provide for my people for many more centuries. Only, before you say anything, there is something you must know. This tear can not simply be siphoned from your eye... It must be a true tear, a Heart's Tear, as we Underground folk are wont to call them. You must summon up a memory that will make you shed tears of true emotion--love, hate, sorrow, it matters not, for plain, emotionless tears are completely valueless."

The queen snapped her diminutive fingers, and instantly a lady-in-waiting was by her side, holding out a tiny crystal jar. "When you have shed a Heart's Tear, we can put it in this," the lady-in-waiting piped up helpfully.

"Remember, girl, a tear for a hint. Do you agree to my terms?" Javitha asked, a sternly regal look firmly in place on her features.

 



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