What No One Knew
Chapter One
"What no one knew was that the King of the Goblin's had fallen in love with the girl and had given her certain powers"
As the setting sun rose-tinted the evening sky, Sarah Williams made her way to her favorite park. Although many years had passed since her adventure in the Labyrinth, her evening ritual had not. This night was unusually beautiful, the scent of spring was wafting in the soft breeze and the temperature was warmer than was typical for this time of the year. Sarah walked contently in the expectant stillness of the night, her elegant knee-length white slip dress swayed and drifted of it's own accord subject to whims of the night air.
While this wasn't the park of her childhood, Sarah had favored it for it's many similarities. The romantic, gracefully arching bridge over the small lake, the ethereal water lilies, and the exquisite rose arbor that looked like it was tended by the fae themselves, all lent that quality of unreality that Sarah most admired. While passing these features she couldn't help but think of her time in the Labyrinth and of the fascinating but temperamental lord who ruled over it.
Moodily, she gazed at the surface of the tranquil lake, lost in thought. The cerulean hues lulled her in to a semi-hypnotic state and, as if the watery depths were a Hollywood "blue screen", scenes from her Labyrinthian journey played upon it. A hauntingly beautiful ballroom cast with the warm glow of legions of candles replayed it's image upon the lake's reflective surface. Ghostly masqueraders danced gaily but with a strange sense of purpose and a beautiful king played his game of cat and mouse. The exquisite tension of a kiss not yet given hung like a cloud of air perfumed by the richest, most exotic incense. Of all her remarkable experiences in the Underground this was definitely the most perplexing and contradictory, and the one she obsessed about most often.
It is difficult to say whether mere minutes or entire hours passed away as Sarah gazed in reverie, but the delicate rose shades in the sky slowly took their leave like graceful courtiers, replaced by deeper colors of rich purple and midnight blue. With this shift in color, there was a subtle, ancient stirring in the lake. A sigh of someone who is deeply in love escaped Sarah's lips and for reasons not even clear to her, she removed the delicate silver chain from around her neck, looked down at the ancient lunar symbol which was suspended upon it, and with great conviction she said "Make a wish Sarah." and ceremoniously sent the necklace to the depths of the mysterious lake. As it broke the surface, an inaudible humming sensation began. It was really more of a feeling than a sound, subtle enough to make her question if it was really there but discernable enough to break her spell of fascination. She glanced around looking for the source, thinking it had to be insects, maybe locusts creating the humming. Wasn't it too early in the year for locusts?
Full in the sky was the luminous moon, watching from her celestial bower and languorously dripping her silvery light upon the park and it's inhabitants, mortal or otherwise. When had the moon risen, Sarah abruptly asked herself? With her filmy white gown illuminated against the deep night sky, she suddenly felt very conscious of her solitude and vulnerability. Glancing back to the now glittering surface of the lake, she gasped. For a split second she could have sworn that she saw a lady's face beneath the water. Wow, she was really letting her imagination run away with her, like Karen always used to claim. Once again scrutinizing the lakes depths for answers, Sarah could find nothing. As she turned to head back home, she was arrested by the deep sound of drums.
Her heart caught in her throat. Sarah Williams was most definitely not alone…..