Sounds of rubble clattering down and screams of terror assaulted the surrounding area. A magnificent castle upon the hill was darkened by violent winds and shattering glass. Windows were blown out, chandeliers ripped out of the ceiling, doors yanked off of hinges. The throne room was the only room untouched by the destruction and inside of it were two people. Dust and wind surrounded a woman and a man who was prostrate on the ground.
"Avera please!" The cowering man pleaded with the furious woman before him. "It was only a joke!" As he pleaded with her, the green grass that flowed over the hills withered and died, the countryside becoming a desolate wasteland filled with sand and dead trees. As he pleaded with her, the woman's hands clenched into a fist as a crashing explosion rang out simultaneously, magic bursting from her fingertips and connecting to the surrounding destruction.
"I'll never forgive you for this!" Avera screeched, nothing aside from smoke and ash, stone flying around the castle and town on the hill able to be seen. Avera spoke again, shrieking more than speaking. "You dare try to trick me! Dishonorable cur! You attempted to convince me to gamble away my powerful relics again? For that, you will pay!" One glowing finger pointed at the man prostrate before her. "Never again shall you reign over a peaceful realm of the fae. Oh no. Meander is no longer yours." Trailing off, a malevolent smirk stretched across her face, her eyes narrowing. "Yes. From this moment forward, you shall be known as…The Goblin King." The angry sorceress reached down, snatching the pendant that symbolized his reign over Meander away from him, snapping the chain off of his neck.
"Goblins? Avera have pity on me!" The man countered. "I refuse to reign over goblins for the rest of my days! They don't listen and they are far too loud! Think of my people!" He pleaded, blonde hair whipping in the wind as his mismatched eyes met Avera's sharp green ones. The brunette sorceress before him brought the necklace she had taken from him and cracked it in half.
"I have thought about your people. Listen well Jareth." Avera commanded. "You shall never again be a carefree king of a peaceful kingdom. From this day forth, only the sound of the cries of your subjects turned goblins and wishes shall ring in your ears until you either break my curse or die." She tossed half of his pendant back at him, it landing in the dirt and debris in front of him. "There is only one way to break this curse. Find my descendant, match the amulets, convince them to assist you." Avera smirked, knowing just how hard it would be for one man to find her descendant let alone if the legend survived of just what she had done to him. "May the fates favor you Jareth. You have stolen from me for the last time."
"Wait! How will I know who the child is!" Jareth begged, getting up from the dirt with his amulet in hand. "You cannot leave me cursed like this without a hint!" Jareth clenched the pendant in his hand and growled, turning to see his beautiful palace changing. "I'll find them. You doubt my determination." He looked down at the amulet and then up again, rage in his eyes. "One way or another, I will restore my kingdom."
Smirking, Avera turned away from him, fading away as if whisked away by the wind herself. The colorful robes she wore were unmarred by the dust and dirt, spreading across the wind as she turned back. Her lips moved but no sound came from them, covered by the shrieks of people changing into goblins and the roar of the castle crumbling. Then, all sound was gone with the disappearance of Avera, leaving Jareth in the throne room of his ruined kingdom.
With a gasp, Kayleigh Connell sat up in bed. Her golden-brown locks fell around her face as she panted. "What the fuck did I just dream?" She asked herself, pushing her hair back and wiping the sweat from her brow. She flopped back against her pillows, Sighing, she raised her arms and looked at her hands. "So, the Goblin King is cursed?" She scoffed, wondering why the thoughts were still sticking around. "It was just a dream Kay. It's not real. I have gotta stop taking those sleeping pills."
A sudden tug in her soul made her sit up and look at a small jewelry box on her vanity. It had been passed down to her by her mother years ago when she was on her deathbed. She had told Kayleigh that it was important for her to keep the box with her, no matter what happened in her life after Rhiannon was gone. The box was her only link to her mother's family back in Ireland.
She got up from her bed, shivering from the cold wood touching her warm toes, and quickly retrieved the box before diving back under her covers. She was just about to open it when there was a quick knock and her door opened, causing Kayleigh to drop the box into her lap.