She didn't mind the falling of the rain on her flushed cheeks. In fact, it felt absolutely wonderful to her. The rain was always something she looked forward to. It's coolness and smoothness never ceased to amaze and captivate her in every way possible.
At that moment, her eyes were set on a particular location. The art museum that sat just a few feet away. In one hand sat a copy of one of her favorite books, The Labyrinth, and in the other was a small notepad/sketchbook that she kept on her person at all times. It contained everything from small insignificant drawings, to her many wild hopes and dreams.
Her clothes were sopping, wet and clingy, but it didn't really matter. Nobody ever judged in this museum. Everyone visiting was either completely insane, or plain weird. There was nothing the staff hadn't seen. Cosplayers? Check. Men pretending to be pregnant? Check. Weirdos such as herself who came weekly? Check.
She was nothing extraordinary when it came to the people inside. She didn't wear odd clothing or have strange looking eyes. Her usual attire consisted of a loose-fitting shirt with skinny jeans and converse.
On the outside she was nothing more than an average looking girl, but when you delved deep into the endless pit of her mind, you could find everything from the imaginable to the unimaginable. Her brain tended to focus on the impossible and the impossibly beautiful, despite that she knew for a fact that life was simply not fair.
She had come to accept that fact long ago when both of her parents kicked her out of the house after college and completely cut her off money wise. It was difficult at first, but some of her more generous relatives had been extremely helpful.
During her free-time was when she became exceptional. It was rare that you found her without the same book in her hands. The story never got old too! That was the greatest part. No matter how many time her eyes stared intensely at those beautiful pages, the story never stopped surprising, fascinating and ensnaring her.
Her footsteps were loud and squeaky on the tiled floor, yet no heads turned. Others were being way louder and were practically drowning out the sound completely.
The painting she was searching for was on the fifth floor, and it was almost never looked at. As far as she knew, nobody else even knew about it. It sat in a far corner surrounded by other pieces that were marginally more remarkable. She had found it one day while wandering the museum aimlessly. Her mind was reeling from being kicked out, and she had not been watching where her footsteps were leading her. In the end it felt as if the small landscape was practically dragging her to itself.
Yes, it was small, but Kiera hadn't really ever cared for large and loud things. What she really admired about it was it's detail and likeness to what she imagined the Labyrinth and Goblin City in her book looked like. She often found herself staring at it and thinking of how wonderful it could be to live in a world like that where nothing really ever made sense, and everything was practically magic. Of course, she realized how mean, horrible and ugly it had the capacity to be, but so did the human world. In fact, she repeatedly caught herself thinking aboveground was a much worse place to be living in.
Somedays she longed to say her right words and wish away her current life and trade it in for another in that world, but after those silly thoughts passed, she would scold herself and think that could only be possible if such things were real and the Goblin King cared for her just as he did the girl in the book.
That was unlikely. The girl in the book was highly interesting and lovely. Kiera hardly thought she was anything close to that, with her constantly knotted hair and plain and simple clothing choices. The Goblin King would merely glance at her and trap her in some sort of eternal nightmare. Or so she thought.
As she currently stood in front of the painting, she felt as if everything was spinning. Her stomach churned slightly and a ringing sound sat just at the back of her ears. This happened from time to time when she was really close to wishing everything away. The only difference with this specific occurrence was that she was far closer to actually doing it than any other time.
Everything had been such shit lately. She found her boyfriend cheating on her, and her grandmother, who had been financially supporting her when she needed it, passed away.
Too many of her nights were spent in bed with the book in hand and headphones in ears. The music and book sometimes comforted her, but not all the time. Other times would be spent in the bath crying hysterically, but she wouldn't tell anybody about that. It was far too embarrassing. Besides, people to talk to these days were scarce. They always wound up not caring, but she found herself not minding anymore. It began to be almost expected. People were shitty, and she knew it.
The paint on the canvas seemed to be blurring, and at that point in time, so did everything else in the room. Sweat ran down the side of her face, and shivers and trembles racked her body. Suddenly, her hand reached up and touched the bumpy face of the artwork. She knew she shouldn't, but something was practically screaming at her to steal it away and keep it forever where nobody would ever see it again except her. Of course, she didn't, but that didn't to change the fact that her feet did not move an inch from their spot. Her hand continued to caress the dried oil paint.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she whispered lovingly to the inanimate object that seemed as if it was actually listening and grasping every word she spoke. "I would take you home with me, but that would make me a criminal. I've never stolen anything either. I'm afraid I would be quite terrible. I might even drop you in a puddle, and I would hate for that to happen."
The words flowed out of her mouth without any thought as to who was listening or watching her. At that point, she doubted anybody would even care. Her words were far kinder than what most people would have said to such a painting. It was simple and beautiful, yet she doubted the people who walked these halls had such a taste. She was the only one.
With shaky hands, she set The Labyrinth on the ground beside her and sat down. She still gripped the notebook/sketchbook in her nimble fingers and quickly brought out a pencil and flipped to the next empty page in the forest green leather bound book.
Her hand movements were almost sloppy, but at that moment all she really cared about was getting a quick and simple sketch of it. She wanted to truly remember it and hold it in her hands at all times. Most times it seemed as if the painting itself gave her the strength to walk home again.
The world then began swimming. Her thoughts were jumbled like the rest of the room, and she was now lying on her back staring at the ceiling. Waves of acid crashed at the sides of her inner stomach and created bone chilling aches and pains that consumed her entire body. In that moment all she really wanted was relief, and she would do anything for it. With a large gulp of air, she reached her hands up to sky and shut her eyes closed almost uncomfortably.
Her voice was unwavering and precise.
"I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away." She paused thinking about her words. She then added, "Right now."
Wind and rain rushed in through open windows and beat down on her ivory colored skin. All the discomfort she originally felt completely left her system and left her feeling as light as a sheet of paper. Despite her sudden weightlessness, the heavy shower of water kept attacking her body relentlessly. It felt simply blissful.
Her eyes were still clamped shut, and she kept them as so. She couldn't bring herself to open them for fear of facing her reality. If the Goblin King was indeed standing before her, she would be taken away from everything.
There was no telling what he would do though. As she spent so much time dwelling on before, it was impossible for him to even harbor mild feelings of liking towards her, and that was if she was lucky.
Finally, her eyes slowly and unsurely blinked slightly open. At that point the only thing she could make out was a slight silhouette of a man. Her body was racked with a pleasuring shiver that had never plagued her before.
"Open your eyes, precious," he said with a silky smooth voice. Without giving it a thought, she complied shakily. There he stood, tall and proud. He was devilishly handsome and not at all like she imagined. Yeah, she had always loved those beautifully corrupted characters in books that everyone else usually despised, but she had thought him to be far less attractive. Shows what she knew…
"You… you actually came…" she breathed out, unbelieving. "I mean, I hoped you would, obviously, but I never expected you to be all tall, dark and handsome… wait scratch that. That sounded unthinkably awkward," Her words trailed off as she noticed an amused smirk sitting comfortably on his thin lips. Now that irked her. "I know I'm an odd human being and all, but, seriously, am I that droll?" She frowned up at him from her spot on the floor.
"To put it simply," he said with a comical lilt to his voice. "yes."
"What happens in these situations then?" she asked curiously. "I didn't wish anybody away but myself. There's nobody who would even try to run the labyrinth for me, so where exactly am I headed?" Her words were unsure and shy, but her insides were writhing with the thoughts of the possibilities. It was now his turn to frown.
"Well there is more than one option. I don't get many of your cases in the Underground, and if I'm being completely impartial, it's quite refreshing. You could run the labyrinth yourself in order to try and escape me, but from what I've observed, unlike the others before you, you actually want me to take you away." He paused momentarily to let her take in the first part of his soliloquy. "There is also the option of coming willingly with me to my castle for the rest of your life," He said with a smirk. To his surprise she stood and shook out her long honey colored hair. Her face was hard and serious now.
"Those are my only options?" Stern looking brown eyes gazed at him with a mix of curiosity and fear. A frown graced his lips again.
"Unfortunately, no. I could send you to a world of nightmares or dreams of your choosing. Anything that you could ever desire or fear would be there. Well, except maybe me."
He sucked in a short breath. "Of course, there is no guarantee that you would ever desire me, but why else would you wish your life away?"
"Look buddy," she began with a snarl. He was so unbelievably cocky, and it infuriated her. "I wished myself away because I'm selfish. I didn't want to deal with this godforsaken world anymore, so I thought that yours was the next best option. You obviously know that I've read the fucking book, and I know that your world is 'unfair', but so is aboveground. Humans. Suck." she seethed with a deep frown. He looked disheartened by this, and turned to face the window, so that he could look somewhere other than her.
"You must make your choice now," he said shortly. The frown refused to leave her unwrinkled face.
"For someone who seems to think that forever isn't that long, you're considerably impatient."
As she spoke, his body went rigid.
"I am a king. I have things to tend to. You are not the only mortal who has made a wish today, and I have graciously come to grant yours to you and you alone. You are my only concern, and I will give you all the time in the world as long as you wish me to. Now, decide, beloved, before I lose my temper."
Her body slumped back down to the ground where her belongings sat. The choices swirled around her head at record-breaking speeds. Initially she had thought that anything would've been better than where she currently stood, but now she held regrets. She didn't mean those words. At least, not really. Her emotions had gotten the best of her. That was all. She in no way harbored any feelings for the man who stood in front of her, despite what he seemed to think.
What really confused her was how kind he was being. He seemed to want her to come back to the castle and become his queen, and that thought befuddled her. What was he so interested in anyway? She was a plain mary-jane with a lackluster attitude towards her life and mediocre features, yet he seemed undeterred by these facts. He looked at her as if she was the most precious gem in the entirety of the universe. Now that was pleasing to her, but she would not let him get the best of her. With a heaving breath, she stood again.
"I am grateful for your generosity. I am," she declared quietly. His body turned to her with a slightly brightened expression on his face. This made her pause briefly, but she would not let his optimism keep her from doing what she thought was right for herself. "but I cannot willingly live in the underground." A cool breeze ran against her. "I choose to run the labyrinth. If I succeed in the allotted time given, you will return me here. If not, it is your choice what to do with me."
An ungentlemanly snort escaped his mouth, but it was quickly covered up with a stony expression.
"If that is what you choose, beloved, so it shall be. Just know now that I do not play fair. I will do anything to get what I desire, and I desire you, my queen." His voice sent shivers up her already tensed spine. "If you cannot complete the labyrinth in precisely thirteen hours, you will be sentenced to a life living in my castle as my companion."
As his final word escaped his mouth, strong and aggressive winds beat at them. Her belongings were left on the ground of the museum in a sad heap, but that mattered not. Her main concern now was making it through the labyrinth and regaining her freedom.