Chapter 3

Jareth turned and ran one hand through his hair, frustrated.

They'd tried nearly every tactic they could think of to try and win one of the few children wished away to him through the past year, but to no avail. Jareth knew, however, from sending Olwyn out to spy on this girl, that she did believe in their book. She practiced it daily, reciting the lines and acting out the scenes, even dressing up with costumes over her school clothes. The fact that she'd done this with many books and plays before didn't concern him- the only thing that interested him was that she believed.

She believed in the story, in the characters in it, she believed in him. And what she needed to see was a King, not just a desperate man trying to save himself and his wife.

Jareth walked over to his closet and started looking for something suitable to wear. As important as costumes were to the girl, he couldn't show up in sleeping pants with messy hair. He had to look the part of Goblin King, had to play the part for her. And it was going to be the performance of his life- literally.

As he rummaged through the closet, his mind went back to that ill-fated day. He knew now, that their only saving grace had been Eselda choosing to turn Olwyn into an owl. By changing her into an Aboveground bird, something not native to their world, she had combined their magics, and inadvertently made it possible for Olwyn to travel Above whenever she wished. Olwyn's curse could perhaps be their stroke of luck.

Since Jareth could only travel above when Called, he immediately set Olwyn to find as many potential girls and babies as possible. When they had all failed for one reason or another, and it had fallen down to this last girl, he had Olwyn set her sights there- trying to learn as much as possible about her. They had left her that book, and had studied her for nearly a month, watching her rehearse her stories as her belief in them grew.

Olwyn was sure she would Call on him tonight.

And it wouldn't be long now, Jareth knew.. They were down to the last day of their one year limit. If Eselda's magic was true, and he thought it was, one way or another, by the end of the night, this would all be over, whether the girl Called on him or not..

Looking past the many expensive and ornate items hanging neatly in rows, his hand snaked forward and seized a particular hanger off of the bar.

This would be perfect. Regal, and just a bit dark and threatening as well..

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Olwyn reappeared in a sky that was a dazzling blue, overcast in areas with gray- the promise of rain to come. She dipped her wings and dove low, skimming in across the treetops, and gently perched on a stone pillar in the center of a park.

No sooner than she had landed, a girl, dressed in a pale green dress with a flower circlet on her head, came running across the small footbridge in front of her.

"Give me the child," the girl said. She was attractive enough, Olwyn thought, dark haired with brown eyes. Very similar to herself, at least, before she was trapped in her current form.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, to take back the child that you have stolen…" the girl rattled on, unaware of the black eyes watching her from a few yards away.

"For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great."

Thunder rattled overhead, low and ominous.

"For my will is as strong as yours.. and my kingdom as great.." she trailed off quietly, her voice sounding a bit uncertain at the end.

"Damn." she said, and reached in the large sleeve of her dress, pulling out a small red book that Olwyn knew very well. Jareth had written it, had made several of them actually, and she herself had all but delivered it to the girl; conveniently stashing it near one of the paths she knew the girl liked to take on her way to the park.

"Oh, I can never remember that line," she murmured to herself as she flipped to that point in the book. "'You have no power over me,'" she sighed.

Thunder boomed again, louder, and Olwyn wondered if it was a storm caused by the magic they'd been pulling Aboveworld, or one of the genuine variety. No matter, either way it would run its course then disappear. She looked back over her shoulder in time to see the girl go running back down the path towards her house; a giant, shaggy gray and white dog in tow.

Olwyn sat, perched on the stone obelisk, as the rain poured down around her. She knew right where the girl was going, so it was of no use to slowly fly above her as the girl ran home. She would give her a few minutes, then go.

Her sharp ears heard a slight noise, rustling the damp grass under the pines. A small, gray field mouse scurried along the tree trunks, caught out in the rain and trying to get home to its' nest before it was completely soaked.

Well, we wouldn't want that, she thought, and dove, talons spread.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A few minutes later Olwyn landed in the branches of the oak tree outside Sarah's bedroom window. Though she could not hear what the girl was saying, she saw her roll her eyes and then go lay down on her bed. A door slam outside confirmed that the girl's parents were leaving, climbing into one of the large metal contraptions that must be their version of a carriage. The girl and her brother were now alone in the house.

Olwyn looked back up to the girl's window and saw her disappear down the hallway. Quickly flying around the house, she perched outside of the parent's bedroom window. The girl was by the crib, holding her crying brother and looking extremely annoyed.

"… so one night, when Baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help."

In some nearly forgotten corner of the castle, a sleeping nest of goblins stirred.
"Listen," one said.

Toby still cried, but Sarah continued on.

"'Say your right words,' the goblins said, 'and we'll take the baby to the Goblin City, and you will be free.'"

"Ahhhh.." the goblins, all awake, sighed collectively.

From outside, Olwyn watched, and waited. Where was Jareth? Would he come? The goblins were awake! She could sense it, even from this far away! When Olwyn saw the girl's lips form the words "goblin king," she quickly made up her mind, and launched herself from the tree, quickly flying away.

"I wish.." Sarah began.

"She's going to say it!" a goblin exclaimed.

By now, as much as Jareth had tried to keep it quiet, news of his and Olwyn's plight had spread through the kingdom.

"Say what?" one dopey goblin asked. Apparently news hadn't reached everyone.

"Shut up!" the others quickly hissed, straining to hear the girls' words.

"Sorry," Dopey replied, and was quickly answered by echoes of "shhh!" from the other goblins.

"You shut up," another said.

"Listen. She's going to say the words!" the first goblin replied.

Sarah held the child over her head.
"I can bear it no longer! Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!"

Toby kept crying. Thunder boomed outside and lightning lit the room as the storm outside worsened, but otherwise nothing happened.

"No.."

"That's not it." They all groaned and shook their heads. "Where'd she learn that rubbish? It doesn't even start with 'I wish.'"
All that excitement for nothing.

"Toby, stop it!" Rolling her eyes, Sarah brought him back down and sat him on her hip. "Oh, I wish I did know what to say to make the goblins take you away." She told him.

"'I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now.' That's not hard , is it?" The first goblin sighed, exasperated with the girl.

Sarah looked up, a distant expression on her face. Almost as if she'd heard the goblins.

"I wish.. I wish.." She looked down at Toby, crying.

"Did she say it?" Dopey interrupted, again.

"Shut up!" All the goblins replied. Dopey quickly covered his mouth.

Sarah looked at the still screaming Toby, perhaps realizing how childish the whole thing was- calling on some storybook goblin king to come take her brother- and quickly laid him down in the bed, and pulled the covers up to his chest. Let him keep screaming, she just wanted to be away from him. She walked to the doorway then turned back to him.

"I wish the goblins would come and take you away." She flicked the light switch off. "Right now."

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