Because I Love You

When Adrienne Chamomile accepted her Jonathon's hand in marriage, she thought nothing could possibly make her happier. Here was the man of her dreams. Tall, handsome, powerful – and so very sweet, when he had been courting her.

That had been two years ago.

Within those two years, Adrienne had learned some very important things. The first of these was that some men, such as her husband, are only sweet until you marry them. The second was that no one saw what they didn't want to see. The third, that fighting back just made things worse.

If it had only been her, Adrienne would never found the strength. But a mother's love is beyond petty fears, and she loved her tiny son more than anything in the world. So one day, when her husband was away, she went to the nursery and picked up her baby. Closing her eyes and summoning all her love and belief to her, she uttered the words that her mother had taught her as a child:

"I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!"

Then she closed her eyes, and waited. Terrifying moments passed, and the He was there – the king of the goblins. She knew she should be frightened of him, standing there in midnight armor with his strange hair and piercing eyes, but to her, he was a savior.

"Give me the child." The Goblin King said, looking strangely amused. Adrienne hesitated a moment, drawing her son closer. "You've wished your baby away. Don't tell me you want to keep him now."

"No," Adrienne replied, and stepped closer to him, holding her son out. "Take good care of him; I love him."

"Take good care of him? Do you think me a babysitter here to watch your children? The babes I take are turned into goblins. "

"Yes. I know. And he'll be ugly and mischievous and stupid. But he won't be a monster."

"No?"

"Not like his father. And he won't be dead."

The Goblin King looked at her with something akin to understanding, and took the child from her arms. "You don't believe you could keep him safe and whole?"

"Your Majesty," she replied, curtsying slightly. "I don't believe I shall live that long." The Goblin King gazed at her steadily for another moment, and in the silence, the sounds of Adrienne's husband shouting at her came through the door. "Please, go." He nodded, and in an instant was gone.

Adrienne turned to the door just as her husband burst through, red-faced and ferocious. "Where's Junior?" he demanded. "Where's my son?"

"He's gone," Adrienne replied, with a slight smile. "The goblins took him away."