The Prophesy
The hem of her dress caught on a twig as she broke through the tree line, she looked down at the offending piece of wood. Leaning down with a frustrated growl she snatched the fabric from the twig's grasp. While she was leaned down she felt the cool metal of a blade slide up to her neck. Her breath hitched, she'd been caught unawares well before she planned for her presence to be known.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" A female voice snapped.
"I will only speak with the Goblin King himself."
"You will not pass into this kingdom unless I allow it to be so, now, who are you and what is your business in the Goblin Kingdom?"
"Maybe you didn't hear me very well, I will only speak to your King, you irritating buffoon. What I have to tell him is not for your low class, block head ears. Now, either take me to your King or get out of my way."
"I've never heard anyone call Sir Avery such names before and live to tell the tale." The two woman turned to the King's voice. "You may return to your post, Avery, I can take the intruder from here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When the armed woman left the traveler turned her attention to the fair haired monarch standing across from her.
"You knighted that arrogant snob?"
"Well, as the captain of my guards she is entitled to knighthood. What is your grudge against her?"
"She's my cousin...we've never seen eye to eye."
"I see...and what business does a seer have with me? I'm not a particular fan of your practices."
"I'm well aware of your indifference towards us which is why I had hoped to get to your castle before being detected. You tend to turn away those who announce their coming. However, I feel that you might want to hear about this, considering it has to do with the Labyrinth's Champion."
"Tell me."
Sarah rummaged through her closet with disinterest, she'd agreed to go on a date with her co-worker's friend's son just to get the woman to stop walking by her desk and making a pathetic squeaking sound before saying 'Know what that is? That's the sound of your eggs dying.' So what if she was twenty-seven and didn't have a husband or boyfriend, she just hadn't met the right person, yet. Grabbing a skin tight, black cocktail dress from its hanger she shimmied out of her robe and pulled the dress over her head. As she turned back into the room she was slammed into her wall by a dark haired man.
"Let me go! Let me go! HELP!"
The man's hand constricted around her throat cutting off any other words she might have spoken. Her own hands shoved at his chest before alternating to trying to remove the hand around her neck. Tears began to form in her eyes as the panic began to take control of her body, and just like that the man was pulled off her, and she fell to the floor.
Looking up she saw the Goblin King standing there, the body of the dark haired man lay to his left with a snapped neck. As normal thought began to return to her the first thing she could manage to think of was that she still had curlers in her hair. Her hands shot up and began ripping the plastic pieces from her locks. The amused look that crossed his face only made her blush in embarrassment.
"What's going on, and how are you here?"
"He was going to kill you, and as the Champion of the Labyrinth, I am bound to protect you. Now, you need to come with me, a snapped neck will not keep a vampire down long."
"I'm not going anywhere, this is my home!"
"Sarah, you are not safe in your home right now, I'm merely trying to keep you out of harm's way."
"Am I safe from you though?"
That made him pause, a small smirk forming on his lips. He walked over to where she was still crouched on her knees on the floor, helping her up he caged her against the wall, her eyes widening in surprise. His hands caressed her hair, pulling softly at the tendrils that curled gently around his fingers. He felt her shiver at his touch, his smirk growing at this. As he leaned in he watched her eyes flutter closed...
"Your life is safe with me as well, Sarah, anything else, well, we could say that's still on the table. Now, we really need to go before this one wakes up."
Her eyes flicked open and saw the amusement in his mismatched eyes, he held out a gloved hand to her. She eyed him critically, but when the dark haired man began to twitched she quickly took his hand. He pulled her tightly to him making her squeak in surprise, then, they were gone.
When they appeared back in his study the seer stood from her seat. "You got to her in time I see."
"Yes, and I might not have if you had continued to go unnoticed through my domain. Avery had good instincts to corner you."
"I could not have known the exact moment they would have gone after her regardless. Maybe you should put more faith in my order and stop turning us away."
"Careful, Seer, you are treading on thin ice with those words."
"Excuse me, but could someone explain to me what's going on. Why was I attacked in my home out of the blue?"
"You didn't tell her?"
"My apologies, I was busy pulling a vampire off her before he had a chance to kill her. Maybe, since you are the one who had this vision you should be the one to tell her." The King smirked as the Seer paled.
"Tell me what?"
"Um, well, to put it simply you are the deciding factor in the future of the Underground, and whether the control of the realms remains in the Seelie Court's hands, or if the Unseelie Court will take up the throne."
"That's simple? And just how did I get mixed up in this in the first place?"
"Well, there is a prophesy that speaks of a girl who would defeat the labyrinth and return to the Underground. Upon her return would hang the balance of power of the Underground. Should she bind herself to the King of the Seelie Court, the powers of light will hold control, if she chooses the path with the Unseelie King, then, the powers of darkness will take hold."
"Surely, I'm not the only girl to beat the labyrinth."
"You're the only person to ever beat the labyrinth. And from the looks of it the creatures of the Unseelie don't seem to have the full prophesy, only the part that you binding yourself to the Seelie King will allow them to remain in control and foil those who prefer the shadows. Because of this it seems they are trying to end your life."
"Well, that's just not fair!"
"You say that so often..."
"Shut up, fairy boy! I haven't done anything to these creatures to earn their hate."
The seer laughed at the sight before her, the Goblin King would have his hands full with this mortal. Standing from her seat she bowed to the King and announced her departure.
"I must take my leave, Your Majesty, Lady Sarah. I have played my part in the prophesy, the rest is up to you."
"You make it sound like you know how this is going to end."
"Lady Sarah, I'm a seer...a very good one at that too, I am fairly confident of how this will play out, but why spoil the fun of the journey?"
She bowed again, when she rose again she had a knowing smile on her lips she glanced between the mortal and the King. She turned and left the King's study without another word.
"What does she mean by binding myself to this Seelie King?"
"When one binds themselves to another of this world it is the equivalent of marriage in your world."
"Uh huh...and who is this King of the Seelie Court that I'm supposedly going to bind myself to?"
He smirked and pulled her to him before kissing her soundly. "Well, as I am the Seelie Court I am hoping that you'll choose me and not the darkness that comes with the Unseelie."