Aristocratic features idly watched with amusement as the triplet crystal globes twirled in hands finely crafted, suitable for such stature. Silvery hair mirrored by the spheres fell to velvet-clothed shoulders and equally silvered eyes shone with bittersweet memory. One by one, the spheres were tossed away, and made small 'ticks' of contact to the stone below. The palace was long since abandoned, after Sarah had rid him of all his subjects. Yes, indeed, this was Jarreth the Goblin King. But what was he now? A man without power, a man with but an empty shell to rule, but that was all going to change very, very soon. For as luck would have it, a young Sorceress, powerful though inexperienced, was to be his next target -- Sarah's rival.
Aeryn sighed heavily and frowned, her features clearly defined by the soft candlelight. Rose petals lay dying on the altar cloth and her dagger gleamed with ritualistic intent in her hand. Flames reflected in the metal danced and twirled for her as the tip carved a symbol into a pair of red candles. Slowly, she drew the candles inch by inch together, and then used a stick of red chalk to draw a heart around the crimson twins. Whispering soft words, she kissed the dagger and placed it at the base of the heart before drawing it between the candles and to the meeting of the arches, which bound the heart's symmetry. With her solemn ceremony finished, she kept the spirits instead of banishing them. She needed this to work. So, with another heavy sigh, she knelt before her altar and closed her eyes before putting her hands together and whispering softly in rhymes, begging the Gods and Goddesses presiding over love to bring her closer to one who would be her one true. Hours passed and the candles' flames flickered then died out -- a testament that it would be done.
Jarreth smirked triumphantly to himself as he delicately stepped down the stones leading to his bedchambers in the tower. This Sorceress, young as she may be, was a definite asset to him. The Major Arcana that she had drawn gave proof of her power that lied just beneath the skin if only she were to search for it. Aeryn, such a lovely name; So much lovelier than Sarah, Jarreth thought to himself, and now, to lure her here…but how? He clicked his tongue in thought and paced about the main hall of the castle. The Goblin city had been destroyed and all the Goblins fled, but he would rule them once again. Sarah's liberation wouldn't go without reward, oh no, he would make sure that she got exactly what was coming to her. The emancipation of his Goblin slaves had also irked his ego to the point of temperament flaring and now he was going to let her know just how appreciative of her interference he was. Now, Sarah, it is my turn to destroy.
A wince of annoyance and a pillow over a head gave spark to the morning's light pouring in through the window. Aeryn growled to herself and hastily refastened the blinds to keep out the troublesome light of daybreak. Her mother was in the kitchen, humming some sort of old tune to herself as she prepared the midday meal, oblivious to last night's activities of deep meditation and prayer, scrying and spell crafting, witchery and invocation. True, her mother practiced the same, but never received the Major Arcana that Aeryn had once the cards were laid. Saturday afternoon, one o'clock and all is well. Aeryn grumbled mentally to herself and finally swung her feet over the side of the bed. Finding her black-and-silver fuzzy slippers with her toes, she pulled her robe on over her nightgown and shivered. Dammit, Mother, can't you just turn the damn heat on for once?! Aeryn cursed silently. She pulled a brush through her fine, dark hair and narrowed her blue eyes. Today…is going…to suck. She thought and sighed before pulling her hair back and securing it. Her light steps on the wooden stairs echoed through the remotely furnished great room of her large three-story house. Her mother turned from her diligent work at the stove and smiled. "Good morning." She said cheerfully. Aeryn growled and set her with a glare before raising her favorite finger and slumping onto the couch. Her mother smirked and shook her head before chuckling to herself. "Just like your father…" She said and went back to stirring. Aeryn growled in reply and crossed her arms over her chest, fixing her mother with another glare. She then raised herself off the plush cushions and made her way to the thermostat. The thermometer read 67 degrees Fahrenheit. She narrowed her eyes and glared in her mother's direction before turning it up to a nice 75 degrees. She sat back down on the couch and clicked the on button of the television remote control. After flipping through about 700 channels, she sighed and turned it off.
"Gods. Why?!" She grumbled to herself and slapped her forehead.
Her mother smirked in the kitchen.
"Troubles, Aeryn?" She asked.
Aeryn gave her another glare. "What do you think?" She snapped and grumbled as she wrapped a length of ribbon around her hand absentmindedly. Her mother smirked and rolled her eyes before shaking her head and sighing, "You know, you could try and play with some of the neighborhood kids instead of sitting around inside like every other Saturday." Aeryn frowned. "I don't play, Mother." She answered and began to ascend the stairs to go back into her bedroom. She looked about, bored and unsupervised, then her eyes settled on a strange book. The cover was black with gold lettering that reminded her of the old way of writing from the 1700's. It read 'The Labyrinth'. She curiously opened it and began reading. Before long, she'd read and absorbed every chapter as though it were holy. The grandfather clock's chiming in the hallway made her glance up to her own clock. 7:30 pm?! Yes, indeed. Her mother was already at work and her father had been dead ever since she could remember. She set the book down and frowned. She'd missed her favorite show. Ah well, there was always tomorrow. She found herself daydreaming then was snapped out of it by a soft voice by her ear. Aeryn… it whispered. She looked towards the book. The old, worn pages, brown and tattered with age, seemed to call to her. Once more she heard her name whispered though no one was in the room with her, or so she though, until a gloved hand touched her shoulder.
Jarreth smirked at the initial stiffen of her muscles, then a jump of surprise followed by a soft shriek from the girl. "Now, now, Aeryn! So frightened!" He chuckled to himself and slid his gloved hand to her chin. He turned her face to view her delicate features seemingly carved from pure ivory. Her beautiful blue eyes, crystalline though widened with surprise, met his instantly. She gasped and tore away from him, her robe opening slightly to reveal the thin silk beneath. He smirked to himself and stood, towering over her sitting form with his own lithe figure. "Don't be afraid, my child, I am not here to harm you." He said. She looked him up and down. "W-who are you?!" She stammered as she closed her robe over her body. He chuckled. "You do not know me, my dear? I'm insulted." He said with mock distaste. She shook her head and pressed her back against the wall, breathing hard with the adrenaline rush she'd just received. He chuckled again and sat back down on the bed beside her, smirking as she jumped away from him again. "Calm yourself, my dear, I am but a visitor. Have you no inkling as to who I am, child, or are you just naïve?" He continued. She shook her head then looked to the book, then back to him. He smirked and looked over at the book. "Ah, I see you've heard of my labyrinth. And how did you enjoy your travel through the land of your imagination? Was it pleasant?" He asked. Aeryn gulped and nodded. His smirk grew a bit more malicious with foul intent, but it went unnoticed by the girl. "Very good. I am Jarreth, as you already know. I have come to ask you for a favor." He said, his tone as smooth as glass. Aeryn leaned forward, interested now, her eyes searching his face for signs of deceit. "Go on." She said in a low tone, wishing desperately to get away from the normalcy of everyday life. He chuckled and held out a small crystalline sphere. "I want you to come with me to my palace. Sarah made nice work of it, and now I need your help to reclaim all that I have lost." He explained carefully. Aeryn frowned and looked up at him. "And what's in it for me?" She asked. Jarreth's smirk never wavered. "You see, my dear… if you help me, anything you want is yours." He answered. Aeryn's smirk grew menacing. "Anything?" She asked. Jarreth nodded in agreement. "Anything you want." He verified. Aeryn leaned forward a bit and set her gaze onto his. "This Sarah… she wouldn't happen to be of my age, would she?" She asked. Jarreth nodded. "Yes, I do believe so." He answered. Aeryn, knowing just who Sarah was and hating her with her entirety, smirked and took the crystal from his hand. "Deal."
