Title: The Goblin Market

Author: Hakumei

Warnings: Yaoi, mature themes, goblins, warnings subject to change depending on how I feel...

Pairings: 1+Sylvia (They're cousins), Solo+Sylvia, 2x1, 4+3

Summary: While walking throught the forest on their way to town, to aid his cousin to chose a wedding dress, Heero and Sylvia get lost and end up in the feared "Goblin Market" where Heero is tempted to taste the forbidden fruit. When he tastes it, he does not expect to have bartered for his very life with a mysterious fey-creature.

Author's Notes: The title of this story and the basic plot of it was borrowed from Christina Rossetti's narrative poem "Goblin Market," except that I have taken quite a few creative liberties with the poem. The poem itself has two sisters for the main characters, this is not the case in mine, they're cousins. Secondly, the goblins in my fic are not ugly creatures, they are just misunderstood by the humans and surrounding villagers. I'm playing on the fact humans fear what they do not understand and the goblins are in fact fairy-like creatures, some shapeshifters others different fey (as if I am going to go through a complete description of different fairies, that'd take too long.) So Enjoy! And Christina Rossetti, please don't roll in your grave.

And now, On to the tale...

Chapter 1

The wind blew softly through the green leaves of the trees, making a whooshing sound each time the leaves were stirred. The sun's golden beams gently peered through the treetops, touching two young travelers' skin like a gentle caress by a lover; warm, inviting, protective. A melodious laugh lilted through the air as a woman laughed at her partner. "Oh Heero1 You can be so silly sometimes. I sometimes wonder how I ended up having such a serious cousin like you!" the blonde woman said as she mildly scolded her cousin.

Heero narrowed his eyes, a slight crease forming at his brow as a strand of dark brown hair fell over his eyes, masking his frigid stare as he watched his cousin. Her gold-blonde hair had been tied up in the latest fashion as her pale blue eyes twinkled merrily with amusement as she palmed a hand over her blue skirts, smoothing them out as clutched a purse with the other hand. "Sylvia, I promised Solo I would safely bring you to and from the village as it was requested by you that I accompany you and help you chose your wedding gown for your wedding. These forests are dangerous..." Heero warned, his voice almost stern.

Sylvia rolled her eyes as she grabbed a hold of Heero's hand. "Heero, why are you always so serious? This is not usual behaviour for an eighteen-year old boy. The ones I know are usually so merry and gallivanting about. You were not always like this..." she said trailing off for a moment before speaking softly. "Your mother and father worry about you!" the blonde woman said before flinging her arms around her cousin. "You're supposed to be out there wooing and courting women, threatening their virtue," she said with a laugh before continuing, "not staying at home brooding."

Heero sighed inwardly at his cousin. This had been a current discussion he and his parents often argued about, but he just was not interested in the girls who gave him loving and hopeful glances. He just was not interested in them, plain and simple, and Sylvia knew this. She knew where his - interests - lay. They were not in Miss so-and-so, daughter of Mr. Big shot who knew a friend of a friend of his parents. No, he was more likely to be interested in the brother of that sister rather than the girl. He opted to ignore Sylvia's chastising of his nature and chose to listen to the sounds and harmony nature produced. He heard Sylvia sigh softly as the ground crumbled under heels as she turned away from him. With a defeated sigh and shoulders slightly hunched, Sylvia continued to walk down the path. "Come on Heero, we're going to be late, the seamstress must be waiting for us" the young woman informed as she spoke softly, her earlier state of happiness, humbled.

They had been walking through the forest for some time when Heero faintly heard the sound of bells chiming in an almost euphoric harmony. He hadn't noticed he had stopped to listen when he suddenly felt Sylvia gently tug at the sleeve of his shirt. "Heero? What is it?" she asked with worry in her voice.

Heero raised a hand to silence her as he heard the melody getting louder. "Do you hear it?"

Sylvia's nose pinched slightly as she strained to hear anything unusual, but the happy chirps of birds, the breeze, and the faint hum of the occasional fly was all that she could hear. "Hear what Heero? I don't hear anything at all," she said seriously.

"IT sounds like bells, no wait. It sounds more like chimes," Heero informed his confused cousin as she looked up at him with worry. He suddenly grabbed a hold of Sylvia's wrist and pulled her along towards the sound of the chimes, running through the grass. After a few minutes of running, they came close to a clearing, one where they would expect to find nothing but a meadow that they usually encountered when they went to the village. Instead there was row upon row of merchant stalls and in the distance Heero could see trailers that looked like gypsy wagons that were ornately decorated and painted in various different colours. Flashes of reds, greens, and blues could be seen around the merchants' stalls, as various people seemed to shop. Taking a closer inspection, Heero noticed that they weren't just people, there were some who looked liked half-beasts of different types of exotic animals that looked so beautiful, a poacher would stab an eye out to catch one. There were even winged people who sported anything from blue-tinted translucent wings to elegant gold-tipped feathered wings. The bright flashes of clothing could be seen on the sinfully beautiful creatures as the shopped but what caught Heero's attention was the merchants shouts of "Come buy, come buy!" as they shouted out the names of different exotic fruits. Heero felt his mouth widen as he stared at the myriad of strangely beautiful people. He distantly heard Sylvia's hushed "Oh my God," as she stared before he finally spoke.

"I can't believe it's real. Sylvia, we've found the Goblin Market!"

TBC...? Shall I continue? Does it suck? Sorry it was so short, I got homework to do, being in university sucks. Who should be reading a book for her essay? Not me...nope...not at all...