The Temp.

Chapter 1.

"...Your face is a mess rebel, rebel how could they know, hot tramp I love you so!"

The girl always sung with passion, he smirked as the young women moved around the tiny kitchen, wildly failing limbs, dark hair tossed about and a large smile painted on coral lips. A smile flickered across his face as he watched Sarah though his crystal,

'Soon my dear, very soon'

With barely a movement his fingers manipulated the crystal over his palm and with a flick of his wrist the crystal vanished. Hawk like eyes roved around his chaotic throne room, watching with little amusement when a goblin invited pain on itself by pulling a rooster's tail feather, and then in turn the rooster attacked the dim creature.

The Goblin King sighed and tapped his riding crop against his boot, soon he could rest, he planned it all out, even if the three dim witted 'friends' of his girl warned her, nothing could change what was occurring her fate was sealed.

A low laugh found its way out of the lips of the Goblin King, it became louder when he caught sight of his subjects shaking, nothing was good when the King laughed.

*****

Hoggle peered out of the mirror, he could feel Sarah's time slipping between his gnarled fingers, but he couldn't move to talk until his rat of a king stopped scrying on her, Hoggle twitched and looked away, feeling his cheeks flush at the sight of his friend, the dwarf couldn't understand what she found so attractive in that singer she was wailing along with, but he made a note- after several hours of listening to her preach the talents of the man- to never question her tastes, one thing Sarah had not lost in six years was her stubborn attitude.

Hoggle felt the essence of magic slip away from the girl, the King had stopped his peeping, taking that as a good thing Hoggle leapt out of the mirror.

*****

Sarah spun as she dipped a finger into the cookie dough, winking at her reflection in the window as the dough made its way into her mouth. Tonight was scrabble night, a night that was holy and sacred to Sarah, because this was the night she caught up with the gossip on the goblin city and forgot about her boring, uneventful life aboveground. Sarah jumped when she heard the whirling sound of her cassette player, with the bowl of cookie dough in hand she wandered over to the machine.

It was slightly smoking, her favourite mix tape was tied into knots in the evil thing, she tapped it lightly but when it spluttered and flung her tape at her face she settled on giving it a dumb look she sighed, Sarah had no gift with machines, if she touched them they usually broke, nothing that ran on electricity lived long around her and now her cassette player was dead, growling darkly she stalked away, setting her dough on the wooden counter.

She frowned as she looked around her small home, the shelves cluttered with book upon book, kitchen covered in flour and cooking devices -that Sarah swore could double as torture tools- and finally chipped wooden counters littered with papers ranging from bills to essays and now her dough. Sarah decided that it really needed a clean –no point in looking like the King's throne room- the cookie dough would be fine raw, baking wasn't one of her strong points, 'they would be thankful that I didn't even try' she mused dryly. Not to say that Sarah couldn't cook, because she could it was the fact that she just couldn't cook very well, when she said it was extra 'flavour' her brother had cried 'flavour? It's coal Sarah!'

After that she never cooked for Toby again –much to the boys relief- grabbing a broom from the pantry she made her way out to her sitting room, jumping and squealing at the sight of Hoggle.

The broom flew out of her hand smacking the creature in the head, her hands covered her mouth trying to stop herself from screaming bloody murder at the dwarf.

"Hoggle! What in the world are you doing?" she asked going to the fallen dwarf's side, helping him up and dusting off his vest.

Bushy brows shot up, and the blistered mouth answered,

"I have to warn you Sarah."
Sarah felt her own brows meet in confusion, moving her companion to the lounge she motioned for him to continue.

"Well you sees, I have to warn ya that, the rat he's coming for ya, now I don't know what the rat wants but it can't be good right? I means...he's been scryin' ya an' everything, buts don't worry ya pretty little head, Didymus and Ludo and me will be here and stop him." The dwarf gave himself a nod as if to tell himself they could stop the King.

Sarah had tried to follow the ranting dwarf but her mind had gotten stuck on the scrying issue, the Goblin King had been watching her, her eyes widened and she felt her cheeks bloom in a blush of anger, if he had been peeping on her in the shower it wouldn't be her that would need protection. A knobbly hand on her broke Sarah out of her metal anger, watery blue eyes looked up at her.

"It'll be fine Sarah nothings going to happen to ya."

Sarah smiled at Hoggle's concern, "Since you're already here you can have some of the dough."

"Just one question Sarah...when did ya start witchcraft?" Hoggle pointed at the broom on the floor, Sarah giggled at his look of distain.

Shaking her head Sarah laughed, "Hoggle, it's just a broom, nothing more."

She ushered Hoggle into the kitchen swiping the bowl off the cluttered counter as she when.

"Yous even sound like him ya know."

"Don't be silly Hoggle, now you sit here and eat, I still have to get some things from the store, I'll back before you know it." Silencing his protests with a tap on the nose, Sarah ran out of the house, clutching keys and flinging off the apron.

Hoggle sighed as he dipped his spoon into the thick dough, Sarah had no idea what mess she could have walked herself into, stuffing the spoon in his mouth the little man gave a grunt, she shouldn't of been that pretty, that could of been the problem, the King wanting her as his plaything, if the rat even tried to take her for that he would fight tooth and nail to save her.

"Not that, that isn't an interesting idea Higgle but she is hardly pretty." The mocking drawl made Hoggle jump, the spoon fell out of his mouth as he gave a snarl,

"Ya must be blind then, of course she is pretty!"

Wild blonde hair shook and the King's shoulders jumped in laughter, "No Sarah isn't pretty, she is beautiful, pretty is not an adequate description for my girl, and by the way Higgle what makes you think you can stop me even if I wanted her for that hmm?"

Hoggle stammered a reply but it was ignored by his King, Hoggle watch helplessly as the King looked around Sarah home, picking up objects to study.

The Goblin King's gaze fell upon Hoggle again, with a cruel curl of his lip the king vanished, mild dusting of glitter and stardust fell on Sarah's floor the sparkling flicks of magic losing their sheen mixing in with the dust on Sarah's floor. Hoggle sighed and banged his head on the counter, tonight was going to be a long night.

*****

Sarah watched as the sun set, dusting the clouds with its soft light, bathing the sky in a rosy glow. She wandered down the stone streets, enjoying the older side of the town she lived in, clutching the bag of treats to her chest, she made haste down the cobble road, she frowned at the sky as the rosy pinks melted into the darker hue of the night, it sun was setting too fast for her liking.

Closing her eyes for a brief second she let out a startled gasp at the sight before her eyes, the sky had turned black, stars shining and winking down at her, moon veiled by a small cloud, the shifting of night and day never happens like that, the fine hairs on the back of Sarah's neck stood on end, the nagging feeling of being hunted tore at her insides, before she could even register what her body was doing the girl broke into a run.

The rows of houses and their manicured gardens flickered past her, in her side vision she could see the flowers open and turn towards her, this only made her move faster, fog rolled in curling around her feet, she could swear that she felt ghostly hands graze her ankles, rain broke from the clouds overhead, the drops of water finding their way into her eyes, blurring her vision. Sarah tripped, treats spilling around her, she gathered the object shoving them with force into the bag, staggering to her feet she groaned "I hate Mondays I really do."

A dark chuckle stunned her, gluing her feet to the stone. Rain pelted her body, her eyes blinking rapidly to block out the water, she stood staring, a ghostly form seemed to be conjured of the mist of rain, under the harsh light of the ratty streetlamp, Sarah saw him, the Goblin King dressed as a mortal man, strange eyes glittering with something odd and the same mocking smirk splayed across his handsome features, his trench coat rolling like smoke in the wind.

A knot tied itself in her stomach as he made a fluid motion with his leather clad hands. A smooth crystal appeared in his right hand; with another chuckle he moved it towards her, in a sarcastic proposal like offering. She felt her eyes widen and her feet began to move, the slapping sound of her feet danced though the night with the laughter of the Goblin king.

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Authors notes:

The starting chapter to the story how is it? Short? I know, but I'll try to fix that issue! Tell me what you think might happen to lovely little Sarah, but I bet you won't be able to guess