Disclaimer: Rape/non-con, underage, suicide, abuse and all that good stuff. You have been warned.

How long have I been standing here?

She was motionless as she stared out the window of her bedroom at the wide expanse of the Labyrinth and the prickling spikes of the land beyond rising up through the fog. Her thin white gown hung loosely around her ankles.

"Stand tall, pretty girl," he had hummed. "Stand tall and proud so everyone can see our victor, our heroine." He practically spat the last word.

A single drop of blood rolled down her inner thigh, followed by several more.

She had put on makeup, as he requested. She hadn't attempted to cover the bruise on her cheek or the cut on her lip. Instead, she had dabbed red lipstick on and around the cut and had thickly lined her eyes with kohl.

A long time ago, in a fit of anger, she had thrown her hairbrush at the vanity mirror. She hadn't been able to recognize herself. Gone was the plumpness and blush of youth and innocence. Her skin was pale and sickly, almost a greenish tinge. The eyes that stared back were dark and sunken in her gaunt face. The girl in the reflection terrified and enraged Sarah. Thankfully, now, she only had to process each detail piece by piece when she put on makeup for him. It worked out better this way.

She was facing away from him and she was crying. She hadn't meant to touch the crystal but as everything crashed down around her, as everything fell and she was so sure of her victory, she couldn't help but just reach out.

But she hadn't meant to touch. Only to see. What could he know about her dreams that she didn't?

"Curious cat," he had chided her when she had protested, when she had tried to explain herself.

"I only wanted..." a tear rolled down her cheek as he pressed a finger to her lips and shushed her gently. "Now, now."

He walked behind her and she heard him step up and settle on his throne.

The room was hot but she couldn't stop shivering. It was filled to the brim with goblins of all shapes and sizes. They were screeching and jeering and laughing.

She cried out as the chains on her wrists and ankles tightened in a loud, echoing clamor, prying her hands from her breasts and forcing her legs apart.

"Stand tall, pretty girl," he had hummed.

Her right hand absently reached up to settle on her swollen belly. She pressed down and felt it push back.

A single drop of blood rolled down her inner thigh, followed by several more. It had grown quiet, with an occasional whisper and snicker. She had only started getting her period last year and already it was betraying her body.

She whimpered and heard him chuckle softly from his throne.

"No longer a child, but a woman, stands before us here," he mockingly announced. She could feel his eyes on her. "She is the first and only human to have defeated me and my Labyrinth, can you believe it?" The throne room erupted deafeningly.

With her arms forcibly widespread, Sarah instinctively scrunched up her shoulders in an attempt to block out the noise.

Somehow it had quieted down again, probably by some gesture from the Goblin King.

"Well," she could practically hear him smiling."Almost, anyway. Until our Sarah decided that it wasn't enough." More jeers erupted as his voice rose. "She decided that she didn't just want to defeat the Labyrinth and wreak havoc among its citizens, she also decided to deceive its king." The room grew louder, deafening almost.

"No, it wasn't-" she shook her head and tearfully tried to protest but was drowned out.

"And so here she is." He was in front of her, suddenly, his arm outstretched." Here is our champion, in all her glory." His right palm settled on her tear stained cheek and he drew closer to her." Here are her dreams come to life: of becoming a queen, of living in a castle with a king and his most humble servants to tend to her Every. Waking. Need."

"Because," he smiled coldly, looking down into her eyes. "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Sarah shook her head, teetering in her chains. "N-no!"

"No?" he said it so softly, so gently.

"Not like this!" she cried out. "I never meant it like this!"

"Are you sure?"His thumb traced her lower lip and somehow, her resolve came back. Just for a moment, hope filled her once more and it was enough. She opened her mouth and bit down.

The Goblin King did not hesitate. He slapped her. Hard.

The chains clamored loudly as she swayed, sobbing, her feet just barely touching the floor. The throne room was in an uproar once more.

Sarah dragged the stool from her dressing table over to the window and sat down. Her back was aching terribly and her head throbbed. She watched the Labyrinth seethe with life and felt a sharp kick from within. She looked down and let out a long, shuddering breath that she didn't realize she was holding, shutting her eyes as memories of the past flooded the moment.

"I see you wish to make things more difficult for yourself," he said, his voice low, his eye brows arching. "Very well. As my lady wishes."

Sarah stood up and opened the window, feeling the breeze greet her. She breathed in the air, thick with magic.

She watched in horror as he began to slowly unlace his britches, his eyes watching her the entire time as his head tilted to the side. Was that a smile creeping on his face?

His voice rose as he walked behind her. "And now, mymost humble servants, behold."

She felt his hands on her waist and her breath caught in her throat.

"Your New Queen."

Sarah stood on the window sill, her white gown billowing around her body.

She shivered.

The chains had loosened and she had doubled over on all fours, crying and shaking. She felt her blood and the Goblin King's release ooze out of her and heard it fall onto the floor with a soft, sickening splatter.

The throne room was empty now and her chains fell away and disappeared. She exhaled slowly, trying to slow her breathing, and looked up to see him peering down at her.

He reached down to offer her a hand. She gripped it earnestly and let him pull her up and into his embrace. She relaxed and cried harder than she had since this entire ordeal had started and he let her, holding her gently, his breath a steady warmth on top of her head. When she started to calm down, sniffling, he slowly unwrapped his arms from around her. He smoothed her hair down and took her face in both of his hands, his thumbs tenderly wiping away the tears.

"This is only the beginning."

Her hair whipped around her face as she turned to see him standing in the doorway. He watched her, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Sarah," he sighed deeply. "This, again?"

She felt the wind whip around her body, almost pulling the gown off of her completely as she watched the window become smaller and smaller and hoping, against all odds, that this time, just this one time, he wouldn't come after her.