Part 10

The next day Sarah was talking to Jessica who was just annoying her to no end.

"Well Sarah are you going to the dance with Chad?" Jessica asked.

"No I don't think we're very compatible." Sarah said.

"Well you can't go alone and it's this Friday. I did my best to fix you up and you like totally mess it up. Every girl loves Chad. You couldn't have put out like just a little?' Jessica said."

"He just wasn't for me Jess, anyway I have math club." Sarah said getting up.

"God you're such a geek. You really need to quit that club."

"Bye Jess." Sarah said walking out of the room.

Sarah went into the classroom where the math club was held after school on Mondays. There were three other members, all geeky males who were the outcasts of the school.

"Hi Sarah, I didn't think you would come back." Steven the one with the glasses said.

"Yeah. Shouldn't you be hanging out with Jessica D. and the glam girls." Tom the one in the suspenders and nasal voice said.

"I do have other things to do besides shop and file my nails you know. So what are we going to talk about today?" she said.

"Well we were just discussing our dates for the dance." Joey the pudgy one said.

"Or lack there of." Steven said.

"I guess I can take my sister again." Tom said.

"I guess you're going with Chad." Joey rolled his eyes.

"No he wasn't exactly my cup of tea." Sarah said.

"So the jock isn't our Sarah's type?" Joey said surprised.

"Nope."

"Good then you're free to go with one of us." he said jokingly.

"As if she'd ever." Tom said.

"No wait that's a great idea. But which one of you should I go with?" she wondered.

"I guess we could draw straws."

"Why can't we all just go together? I wasn't planning on staying out late anyway. Dad's bringing Toby for the weekend. Steve you just solved the Rubik's cube!" she exclaimed.

"I really like puzzles they're easy to solve." Steve said.

"Where were you last year when I ran that labyrinth?" Sarah said under her breath.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Nothing." she said.

Tuesday Sarah was sitting in the park relaxing after school when a man who she didn't notice sitting under the same tree as her spoke.

"It is a lovely afternoon. Isn't it?" he said smoothly.

"Yes it is, I didn't see you there."

"I can be very quiet." he said.

"Is that a book about folklore?" she pointed to his book.

"Yes and it is a shame how they do get things wrong. Is it a subject that interests you?"

"You have no idea." she said.

"You can say I'm an expert." he said.

"Oh are you a college student?" she asked.

"I am a student of the world."

"Oh well I'm Sarah."

"Victor Greidawl." he said.

"Are you from England?"

"I'm Welsh."

"There are lots of great stories from there."

"Ah yes and none so famous as that of Gwynn ap Nudd the king of the goblins and how he stole the fiancé of his rival Gwythyr fab Greidawl. It is where my surname derives, it's rather popular in my country."

"Yeah didn't king Arthur make them fight every May Day for eternity because he was mad that neither could resolve the situation?" she asked.

"A fable for the changing of the seasons. But they did continue their rivalry."

"The goblin king was always triumphant." she said with a slight sense of pride.

"Almost always."

"Did he ever get his fiancé back?" she asked.

"No she remained with him despite her spurned lovers pleas."

"Oh that sounds sad. But the goblin king couldn't have taken her, she had to go willingly."

"She would never have gone willingly to the goblin king. No one would have, not to marry a goblin. She was abducted. She was the most beautiful girl in all of the human world she could not have loved such a creature." he became strangely angry.

"I don't know. It's um just a story."

"Of course. Say would you like to get some coffee across the street? We can discuss these tales further."

"Yeah sure." she said.

She went with him and they talked and he told her stories she hadn't heard before. It was strange to be in the company of such a strikingly handsome and intelligent man, human man. It made her consider things in her life and what she might give up if she decided to take Jareth's offer. Time was short but there were things she wanted to do here and the man only reminded her of that.

The dance….

"Don't look now but everyone's staring at us." Tom said.

"Girls don't usually have three dates." Sarah said.

"Not ones like us anyway." Joey said.

"Sarah what are you doing with these losers?" Jessica said.

"They're friends of mine and I don't think they're losers."

"God Sarah I give up. I like tried my like hardest to fix you." Jessica said.

"You know what Jessica, I don't need to be fixed. Come on guys." she said as they walked away from the girl in the frilly hot pink dress whose mouth was agape.

A little bit later in the evening Sarah spotted a familiar face and went over to greet her new friend.

"I didn't expect to see you here Victor." she greeted.

"I remembered You mention you had a dance and no one special to go with. You look lovely." Victor said.

"Thanks. I met my friends who didn't have dates either so we're all kind of sharing." she said.

"But you wouldn't deny me just one dance?" he said.

"I think that could be arranged." she said and they began a slow dance.

"My Sarah that is an interesting necklace. Wherever did you obtain such an item?" Victor said when he noticed Tom looking at the round object.

"Yeah Sarah where did you get that necklace from?" Tom said recognizing it from somewhere.

"It was a gift from a friend." she answered.

"It looks really old. About middle ages I'd say and so finely crafted. That's one good friend. It must have cost a fortune." Tom said.

"I never thought about it but I assume money wouldn't be an issue for him." she said.

"It's that crystal, still intact. I thought I saw something like it in a book in the library." Steve said. "I'm sure it just looks like it."

"Well let's go and have a look, since you're the expert on these things." Tom said and made the group all leave the dance to go to the school library.

Steve searched a few books in the folklore section.

"Found it! Let's see, yep here have a look at this." Steve said.

"Wow that kind of looks like Sarah and the necklace is the same." Joey said.

"Um well my friend is an expert on these stories so he probably had the same idea and had the necklace copied." Sarah said trying to look uninterested.

"I'm no expert of jewelry but it does look original." Victor said.

"It says here that there was a princess Cordelia somewhere in or near Wales. It is fabled that she met a foul little goblin king who gave her the necklace and asked her to be his queen, she refused him and he took it back after he killed her." Joey said.

"Well that's not accurate at all. Jar…I mean he would never kill her." Sarah said.

"What, do you know the story?" Joey asked.

"Um yeah I heard it before but it was different. An old fiction play, nothing more." she said.

"What's the title of the story?" Joey asked.

"Well it's sometimes called The Princess And The Goblin King but cover I have says Labyrinth. It's just an old forgotten fairy tale. Nothing interesting." she said.

"Didn't you used to carry that book to school every day?" Steve said.

"Hey here's another story about the goblin king. The princess Creiddylad was almost married to another guy a king called Gwythyr Fab Greidawl but the goblin king, Gwyn ap Nudd, abducted her and the two battle for her affection forever." Steve said.

"Victor is an expert in that area. We were just talking about it the other day." Sarah said.

"Yes and it seems Sarah is a bit of an expert herself on the goblin king." Victor said giving her a leer.

"Look this is silly and it's getting late. I really want to see my brother." she said deterring them from the book and it's subject.

"Sure Sarah." Steve said.

"If you permit me, I will see you home safely." Victor said as the two left.

"Something is going on with her. She was really defensive It's a strange coincidence." Tom said.

"Is it a coincidence? I've noticed some weird things happening when she's around. I caught her yelling at herself under a desk earlier and pulling a pencil like someone was tugging on the other end but no one was there." Joey said.

"You're not saying she sees goblins are you. That's absurd." Steve said.

"I don't know what I'm saying. I'm just saying it's odd is all. Isn't her middle name Cordelia?" Joey said.

"Yeah so?" Tom said.

"Cordelia is Latin for Creiddylad." Joey said.

"That means nothing." Tom said.

Victor and Sarah walked slowly to her house. He was full of interesting information and seemed very well traveled. There was an air of danger about him and it both scared and excited her. He seemed very familiar, like she had known him already.

"…wow I didn't know about that. I really hope I can go there one day."

"It's never too soon to get started living your dreams." he said.

"My dreams are kind of confused right now."

"How so?" Victor asked.

"Well I have this thing that I have to decide on, and not a lot of time to decide. It's very permanent." she said looking thoughtful.

"Permanent things are never good especially when they come with deadlines. I suggest you pass it up for something more mutable. You are still young and there will be plenty of time for permanence later. Besides nothing is forever, no matter what anyone says."

"I guess. Still it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would be disappointing someone I care about."

"I see a boyfriend." Victor said.

"Well sort of but not really."

"You have your whole life ahead of you for such things and besides I think I would like a chance as well. I'm sure I will prove more reliable and trustworthy then anyone you are used to seeing. How well do you know him?"

"Not all that well really but he says such things." she said.

"You should beware a man has words for anything. You should tread lightly."

"He's a lot older too but I can't stop thinking about him." she said.

"It would be beneficial if you were to see someone closer to your age. I would not object to being of service. Which is why I must ask that you permit me to see you again."

"I…sure." she said.

"Then farewell for now." he said kissing her on her hand making her blush and flustered.