Sarah Williams, like many people, had a phobia. Some people are scared of snakes, others are terrified of tarantulas, but Sarah's phobia was a little different. She was freakishly flipped out by... feathers. White and tan feathers to be exact.
According to her family, it all started suddenly when she was fifteen years old. She was walking to school when suddenly she ran back inside the house blabbering something about an owl. Her stepmother went outside to investigate but only found a feather on the sidewalk. After letting Sarah calm down she drove her to school.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Sarah would jump every time she thought she heard or saw an owl. A flash of white in the trees caused her to hyperventilate. Even the fake horned owl on her neighbor's porch gave her the creeps. She felt like she was going crazy. Her parents tried to get her to visit a psychiatrist. It didn't help that a few kids at school discovered her phobia and began hiding feathers in her stuff. One time they dropped a white feather on her during a test. She jumped so high that she knocked over her chair. Mr Hudson had given her detention for disturbing the class.
But the worst was a spring day about three years later when she had been reading under the oak tree that she loved. A small white feather landed on to her page from above. Scrambling away she saw a pale heart shaped face peeking out of a hollow in the tree. A barn owl had taken residence. Sarah fled the park as though fleeing for her life. Her sanctuary had been breached. Was nothing sacred?
...
A few weeks later Sarah was putting Toby to bed, the beautiful spring weather had turned nasty and the wind and rain were slashing against the window. Lightning flashed and Toby jumped, eyes wide. For Sarah, storms brought back memories she'd rather not think about. Despite her own nervousness she tried to calm her brother. "It's okay Toby, it's only a storm." The thunder crashed very loudly and Sarah jumped.
Four and a half year old Toby took her hand and regarded her sagely. "It's only thunder Sarah."
Sarah had to smile at her little brother's attempts to assure her. As she finished tucking him in Toby squeezed Lancelot, a well-loved teddybear. "Sarah, don't forget my story!"
She settled herself on the edge of the bed. "Okay, what kind of story?"
He looked at her expectantly. "A story about goblins!"
Sarah almost tumbled off the bed. "What?!"
"Yeah, Tommy's big brother is reading a book that has goblins and a goblin king and dwarves and elves. Sounds cool!" He was so engrossed in the idea that he didn't notice the growing horror on her face.
"Ah!" For a second there Sarah was about to have a heart attack, wondering where Adrian had gotten a book like hers. But when Toby mentioned elves, she knew what book it was.
Clearing her throat she tried to dissuade him. "I think that story is a bit long for tonight."
Toby leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "Please, a little story? about goblins?" He gave her his best impression of puppy dog eyes.
Sarah sighed and tried to think of something harmless that could assuage her brother. Definitely nothing mentioning a certain glittery monarch. "Okay... once upon a time there was a little goblin that couldn't find his hat..."
...
The next morning was Saturday and Irene had made blueberry pancakes with maple syrup. The storm had cleared and the sunshine called to both Sarah and Toby. Irene saw them both longingly looking out the window and suggested. "Why don't you both go to the park today?"
Toby bounced in his seat. "Yeah!
Sarah questioned. "I thought you wanted me to keep job hunting."
Irene shrugged. "You can do it later, I can see that Toby needs to run around a bit and I need to do some errands."
After breakfast Toby almost pulled her arm out of its socket dragging Sarah down to the park. She had been avoiding it ever since finding the owl. Although logically she knew that it wasn't the same owl that she had encountered three years before she couldn't help the feeling of trepidation as she approached.
The rain had left everything green and sparkling, the sun had already dried the last traces of the rain. Toby dropped her arm and ran down the path and out of her sight. She followed but stopped suddenly, chest tightening in panic, in the middle of the path there was a white and tan feather. She scanned the park looking for any sight of Toby. Not seeing any she called out worriedly. "Toby?"
No answer.
"Toby!" Her voice was tinged with panic.
"Look here Sarah!" Sarah scanned the area and finally spotted him, waving from the branches of a fallen tree.
It was the old knarled oak tree that she used to love reading under, knocked down from the storm. Approaching the tree, Sarah froze, there were pale feathers scattered on the ground. Sarah backed away from the tree and called out. "Come on Toby, get down from there! Let's go see if there's a soccer game today."
Toby's head appeared among the leaves. "Sarah, listen!"
Sarah did stop and listen and at first heard nothing.
"Ya gotta come closer!" Toby insisted.
Tentatively she inched slightly closer and heard a strange hoarse screeching sound coming from the fallen tree. She blanched. "Oh no!"
Toby was blissfully unaware of her unease as he climbed through the branches and reached the hollow in the tree trunk. Before she could stop him, he had peeked inside. "Wow, come see!"
She refused to get any closer. "Don't touch anything!"
Toby let out an exasperated sigh. "Well then come here!"
Very reluctantly Sarah approached the tree and Toby moved over so that she could see.
Inside the hollow were two tiny, fluffy owlets and three more unhatched eggs.
Sarah backed away from the tree as fast as she could, glancing at the sky nervously. "Oh no, we'd better get away from here, the parents should be back soon."
"But Sarah, what if the parents got hurt in the storm?"
That gave Sarah pause but she shook her head. "Even if something happened to the parents, we don't know how to take care of them."
"Aww, please Sarah!" Toby's bottom lip stuck out.
Sarah crossed her arms. "You know your mom won't let them in the house!"
Thankfully that seemed to work and Toby jumped down and jogged over to the field where a few young kids were playing soccer. Sarah followed relieved.
...
After the game they walking back towards home they passed the tree again. Toby insisted on peeking in, still no sign of the parents. Looking at the tiny owlets shivering, Sarah's protective instincts kicked in, feathers or no, she knew she had to help.
She brought Toby back home, leaving him with her dad who was watching tv in the den. She pulled out the phone book and searched but there didn't seem to be an animal rescue facility in the area. She needed to go to the library, but when she headed down the stairs Irene was just setting the table, "Lunch is ready."
Sarah wolfed down her pasta in record time. "I just want to check something from the library, I'll be back soon.
She hurried to the library and after finding a book about barn owls she sat down searching for useful information. As Sarah read the more she worried, this was going to be harder than she thought. There was no way she could bring them home. Barn owls ate mice and voles, so how could she feed them? And they were going to get noisy. It would be impossible to keep them a secret from Toby and Irene. Especially when the others hatched.
After researching all afternoon she walked back to the fallen oak, still no sign of the parents. She leaned against the tree, watching the owlets cuddled together for warmth. Since she had decided that these owls had nothing to do with her ordeal she no longer feared them, in fact she felt protective of them but at the same time helpless. If she didn't do anything they would die. Staring at the sleeping owlets she saw them shiver in their sleep. She didn't even realize that she spoke. "I wish I knew how to help you."
A breeze caused Sarah's hair to tickle her nose. She brushed it aside and froze as her peripheral vision caught a movement. Her heart caught in her throat as a voice she had (hoped? feared?) to never hear again spoke from behind her. "Hello Sarah."
She spun around to see the Goblin King. At first glance he looked exactly as he had that night three years before, a tattered black cloak contrasting his pale face and wild hair. Belatedly she saw that he was not wearing his armour. His ensemble consisted of a loose shirt unlaced exposing his ever present pendant, paired with overly snug black leather breaches tucked into heeled knee high leather boots. He smirked as he noted her appraising him, he regarded her haughtily. "Well, what have we here?"
Her chest tightened in apprehension, without thinking she blurted. "They aren't yours, are they?" She cringed at her bluntness, were those going to be her last words?
A single eyebrow raised at that. "Really Sarah? After three years have you only called on me to be insulting?" As he spoke his eyes trailed over her, as though appraising the changes that three years had wrought.
Blushing furiously she countered. "Well, I have no idea what you are, so it's a fair question!"
He looked down on her, eyes narrowed. "I am a royal Fae and although I can take an animal form when desired, I do not breed in that form."
Sarah shook her head to dislodge the thought of the Goblin King breeding, in any form. Crossing her arms in false bravado she demanded. "So why are you here?"
He tilted his head, as if the answer was evident. "You made a wish."
Sarah almost choked on her sharp intake of breath. She shook her head in denial.
He only gave her a lopsided smile. "Have you already forgotten? Just now, you wished to know how to help these young owlets."
Grasping at the treads of courage she spat. "Okay, so... help them. Leave me out of it."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "Ah, but that is not what you wished for." He stepped closer.
"Yes it is, I wished for help for them." She backed up, dismayed to realize that the oak branches fenced her in.
He smirked at her. "No, you wished to know how to help them. I will oblige." Another step.
Sarah leaned back as far as she could against the tree. "And what if I have changed my mind?"
The Goblin King's eyes flickered in amusement. He shook his head. "What's said is said Sarah." Another step.
She rolled her eyes, still trying to meld with the branches. "Okay, so tell me, how do I help them?"
He finally paused, only a step away from her. "First I must make some preparations, return to your home and I shall meet you in three hours."
She glared at him, suspicions flaring. "You can't have Toby!"
He reached over and lifted her chin with one gloved finger. "Believe me Precious, I have absolutely no designs on your brother."
Pushing his hand away she glared. "Don't call me that!"
He only smirked at her. "Well then... Sarah, I shall return to grant your wish in three hours. Do not keep me waiting." In a puff of glitter he was gone.
Sarah blinked at the empty space several times then hurried home, her mind a flurry of questions and second guesses.
...
Irene was just getting back from the store. Sarah helped her bring in the groceries and chop up some vegetables for a salad while Irene battered some fish filets and put them in the oven.
Sarah's mind kept returning to the Goblin King and their conversation. Trepidation filled her, what had she gotten herself into?
"Ouch!" Sarah looked at a small cut on her finger, chopping while distracted was not a good idea.
Irene checked her finger and sent her to go clean and bandage it.
Supper went by quickly and soon it was time to put Toby to bed, as usual he was refusing to go to sleep without a story. She sat on the edge of his bed. "Hey kiddo, what kind of story do you want tonight?"
Toby hugged Lancelot, bouncing with excitement. "Another story about the goblin who found the hat!"
Sarah sighed, she needed to hurry. She did not want to aggravate her childhood villain further by being late. "Okay, so, the goblin was so happy to have found a new plumed hat, but then a fox with an eye patch came up to him, sword drawn, proclaiming "Have at thee brigand!"...
...
Once Toby was asleep she slipped out of his room and opening the door to her room Sarah jumped, The Goblin King was waiting for her, lounging on her bed lazily. She quickly shut the door behind her in case Irene passed by. Looking at her bedside clock she winced, it had been three hours and 13 minutes.
Trying to portray bravery that she did not feel she demanded. "So, tell me, what's your plan to help the owlets?"
In an instant he was beside her, a crystal in his hand. "Ah, but showing is much more fun!"
Before she could react he placed the crystal in her hand. Reality twisted and Sarah wasn't in her room anymore.
...
Author's note
So I started writing this months ago, I have a few more chapters already written that I just have to edit.
Don't worry, I have not abandoned Dance or Dream, the next chapter should be posted soon.
As per usual I don't own Labyrinth or its characters.
9Tailsfan here's the Tolkien mention that I had promised, I don't own any of his characters either.
(By the way, if you would like to see full size images of any of my story covers go to skydriane on deviantart)