A very ominous storm seemed to creep closer and closer to the scene our young heroine was placed.
Well, hero actually.
Not that he noticed the storm of course.
He was far to wrapped up in his fantasies to care much.
-
Alfred F. Jones dashed nest to the river in one of his long white dresses.
Thank god no one was around today...
You see Alfred absolutely loved anything and everything fiction or fantasy, and his school was going to perform one of his favorite plays.
And, being the stage hog that he is, our hero tried out for the heroine of the play.
And nailed it better than any of the other girls every could.
Sighing, he stopped in front of a lamp post with a white owl perched on the top.
Not even caring to thin as to why an owl was hanging around in broad daylight, he began to recite his lines.
"Give me the child," He began strongly, "through dangers untold and hardships un-numbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city-" Thunder roared around him, "-to take back the child that you have stolen."
The owl tilted its head to the side, it had strange markings over it's eyes, they almost looked like eyebrows.
It was kind of hilarious.
But Alfred didn't break character.
"For my will is as strong as yours...and my kingdom is as great!"
More thunder clapped through the park.
The owl watched with curious eyes from atop it's post.
Alfred frowned and searched his head for the rest of the script, "My will is as strong as yours…my kingdom as great…" he mumbled, "Dammit! I can never freaking remember that line!" He yelled and reached into his dress to pull out the script.
Flipping it to the right page Alfred let a sigh escape him, "'You have no power over me.' Really, it's not that hard a line. Why do I always forget it? It's like, I have to or something." He shook his head in agitation.
Suddenly the clock in town went off.
Alfred froze, "Omigawd! I don't believe it Hana! It's seven o' clock!" He yelled to his little white dog that sat on the nearby porch.
"We're gonna be late! C'mon!" He patted his leg and the dog jumped up from his spot, following his master as he ran down the streets back home.
Alfred's iPod hummed in his ears quietly.
"No one can blame you
For walking away-"
The rain came down harder and harder as they got closer to home.
He could see his step mother waiting for him at the porch.
Crap. He thought and slowed to a stop in front of the steaming parental unit.
Feliks taped his foot angrily, brushing his hair behind his ears.
"Alfred-" He began, "You're like, totally an hour late!"
"I'm sorry! It's just-"
"Well don't stand out there in the rain! Like, get your butt in here!" He demanded.
Alfred sighed and took a step towards the door, patting his leg for Hana Tamago to follow.
"Oh em gee! Not the dog!" Feliks squealed.
"What? But its pouring out here!" Alfred protested.
"Like, totally don't even care! Into the garage! Please!"
Alfred huffed and shooed his dog away towards the garage door.
When the dog was settled, Alfred stormed inside, ripping the crown of flowers off his head.
"Alfred, you're, like, an hour late." Feliks sighed, following Alfred to the edge of the stairs.
"I said I was sorry!"
"Let me finish! Your father and I, like, hardly ever go out-"
"You go out every freaking weekend!" Alfred interrupted.
"-and I totally ask you to baby-sit only if it clashes with your plans!"
It was only then Alfred noticed his "step mother's" wardrobe.
Feliks was wearing a flapper dress.
"You're just too weird..." He mumbled, (not that he had room to talk either, wearing a dress himself and all...)
"And what do you know? You don't care what I plan! You don't even ask me anymore!" Alfred argued.
"Well you should totally tell me if you have a date! We could go out shopping and everything! I'd love it if you had a date, you should like, tons of dates are your age!" Feliks put a hand on his hip.
Alfred's glare turned colder.
"Not cool, man." He muttered and stomped towards the stairs.
Toris, Alfred's father and Feliks' husband, walked into the room, holding Alfred's baby brother Matthew.
"Ah, Alfred! You're home." Toris said with a relieved sigh. "We were so worried about you!"
"I can't do anything right, can I?!" Alfred screamed as he stomped up the stairs.
Feliks turned towards his husband with a pained look, "He treats me like a total wicked step mother all the time and stuff, its no fair." He said with a pout.
"I'll talk to him." Toris sighed and followed after his son with Matthew still in hand.
Alfred sat in his room, staring at the reflection on his vanity. (Yes, he had a vanity. All actors do!... Shut up.)
"Through dangers untold and hardships un-numbered," He mumbled and glanced at the lip stick in his hand.
He'd have to wear that in the play too...how much would his masculinity decline if he stayed in theatre?
He absolutely loved theatre though, so much that he didn't even care if he had to dress up as a woman to get the lead role! Men played women originally anyway! He told himself over again.
Giving the red tube a wary look he began to slowly inch it towards his lips. Great, Feliks was rubbing off on him.
Suddenly there was a knock at his door.
"Al, I need to talk to you." Toris' voice spoke from outside the wood.
Alfred sighed and shoved the tube of lipstick into his pocket.
"There's nothing to talk about." Alfred turned to look back at the door, "You better hurry or you're going to be late, dammit." He called.
"Language!" Toris warned, "Listen we really have to go right now, I'm putting Matthew to bed. We'll be back."
Alfred heard the foot steps leave his doorway with a pout.
"Ya' really wanted to talk to me, huh?" He whined and shot up from his chair, only to fall flat on his stomach on his bed, "Practically broke down the door!" He shouted, his voice muffled by his bed sheets.
Suddenly Alfred felt a disturbance in the force.
His head shot up to glance at his collection of (manly!) stuffed animals. One of them was missing…
"Lancelot!" He gasped and began to get up form his bed, but then a thought ran through his mind.
What the heck was wrong with him, really? Not only did he collect stuffed animals, but he went head and named them all after knights of the round table and anything else that had to do with these fairytale stories.
I'm American aren't I?! He thought with a confused look. It didn't matter right now, he just had to get Lancelot back.
He sot out of his room towards his parent's in a blur.
His baby brother stood in the middle of his crib crying. Lancelot lay on the floor, looking miserable.
"You brat!" Alfred shouted and snatched his bear back from the ground.
"K-Kuma...jirou!" Matthew sobbed and pointed to the small white bear in Alfred's arms.
"No! His name's Lancelot! I hate you!" Alfred screamed.
This only made Matthew's sobs grow louder.
Alfred threw his head to glance at the ceiling with a pleading look, "Someone save me! Take me away from this awful place!" He yelled dramatically. "...Hey that was pretty good."
Matthew held his arms out towards his brother, snot and tears running down his face.
Taking a seat on his parents bed, Alfred crossed his arms and glared at his younger brother.
"What do you want?! A story? Alright, once upon a time there was this poor American son with a baby Canadian brother, even though their dad was Lithuanian and the baby's mother was Polish! And the mean Polish step father insisted on being called the step mother and made the adorable American kid stay home with the baby!"
Matthew was quiet now, staring at Alfred with incredulous eyes.
"That's right!" Alfred spat and stood up from the bed to walk back over to the crib, kneeling in front of the child's face.
"And the baby was so spoiled and wanted everything for himself and the American was like…a slave or something!"
Suddenly, Alfred had one of his fantasies. "But..." He began quietly, "What no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the American, even though he was a limey, and he'd given her super cool powers!" Alfred turned on his heel and walked over to the mirror in his parent's wall.
Thunder roared from outside and lightning lit up the darkness outside the window.
"So one night, when the brat was being particularly cruel to him, he called on the goblins for help." He muttered to his reflection.
Alfred glanced at his brother from the mirror, "'Say your right words'" , the goblins said," He said, attempting to change his voice to a nasally whine, "And we'll take the brat to the Goblin City, and you'll be free!" Alfred said in triumphant, finally turning his whole body to face his brother again.
More thunder and lightening broke the silence.
"But the American knew that the King would keep the baby forever and turn it into a goblin, so the boy suffered in silence, cause he didn't want to be a jerk and give away his baby brother . But one night, everyone was being so mean to him, that he couldn't stand it."
Matthew chose this moment to begin his crying rage again.
Alfred sighed and pulled the baby out of his crib, bouncing the baby on his hip. "C'mon Matt, stobbit! I'll say 'em! I'll say the words!…No I mustn't, I mustn't say." He said theatrically.
He looked down at the baby with a thoughtful look. "I wish...I wish..."
Everything was quiet, like someone was waiting, just waiting for Alfred to continue.
"I can't take it! Goblin King Goblin King, where ever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!" He yelled.
Silence...
"Okay, that was the gayest thing I've ever said." Alfred thought with an irritated twitch.
Matthew's cries grew louder, "Jeez, Matthew stobbit! You're so annoying! I wish I did know what to say to make them take you away!"
Alfred let out a groan and laid his brother back down in his crib.
He opened the door, but before making his exit, he looked back to his brother with a glare. "I wish the goblins would take you away..." He mumbled and turned the light off with a click of the switch, "Right now." And with that final wish, walked out of the room.
Alfred wasn't even two steps away from the door when he noticed something.
Everything in the house was way too quiet.
Matthew had stopped crying immediately. That wasn't normal, was it?
Frowning, Alfred stalked back into the room. "Mathew?" He muttered in the darkness.
He went to flip the switch. Nothing happened. The power must have gone out.
"Matthew? Why aren't you crying?" He asked, his tone a little shaky.
It was way dark and creepy, plus it was storming, this was just like what happens in the horror movies!
Lightening lit up the room.
Alfred walked over to Matthew's crib and in a final act of courage, pulled his sheets up only to reveal absolutely nothing.
Matthew was gone.
Suddenly the storm was going crazy and it seemed like everything was moving around Alfred.
The door slammed, the bed springs whined, drawers opened and closed.
He turned every which way to catch a glimpse of what ever was doing this, but they were too fast.
They looked like little creatures...ugly little couldn't see straight, everything was moving.
Something was clawing at the porch's sliding door.
Talons scratched at the glass over and over again.
What the hell was going on?!
Suddenly the doors burst open and a single white owl flew in.
Alfred turned his head as if flew over him.
He watched it's shadow morph into something else...the figure of a man.
Alfred his head back up immediately.
A thin man in black stood with a smirk on his face, his cape brushing around him.
He seemed to glow.
The man turned his glance to Alfred, his smirk widening.
Alfred stood there, mesmerized.
In that moment, he knew exactly who this stranger was.
The Goblin King.
A/N: Hey! Alice here! Thanks so much for reading my brand new gonna-be-way-too-cool story! I freaking LOVE the Labyrinth, David Bowie/Jareth and everything else that has to do with the Labyrinth! So I hope you enjoyed it and didn't think I butchered the movie too much! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! THANKS AGAIN!