For a moment the room was silent. Karen and her father's eyes darted from her to the bear repeatedly, questions brimming in their wide eyes. Sarah bit her lip. Of the three of them, she was the most equipped to deal with magical happenings, and yet she had no idea how to approach this situation. Swallowing, she finally said in a soft voice, "What are you?"

"A bear."

"What?"

"I'm a bear," the bear repeated and Sarah could have sworn that he was grinning. Well, as much as a bear could grin.

"I gathered that much." Sarah snarked back. Her parents look horrified that she was talking back to a creature far more powerful than she, but Sarah was never one to mince her words. Though it occurred to her that perhaps she should've asked a better question."Why are you here?"

The bear sat down with a low thud. "I have a bargain for you."

Alarm bells rang in her head. Sarah had read more than enough fantasy to know that nothing good ever came from making bargains with magical creatures. "What is it?" she said slowly.

"If you come and live with me in my castle, I will ensure that your family is taken care of and never want of anything."

Sarah's jaw went slack. It was a generous offer for sure, and with her family's financial problems as of late it would certainly be helpful, but she didn't understand why he would make such an offer. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want me to stay in your castle?"

"I have need of a companion."

"But why?"

The bear did not respond.

Sarah sighed. Though his silence did not bode well with her, she knew there were only two reasons a magical creature would refuse to answer a question: they either didn't want to say or couldn't say, and the latter, for whatever reason, seemed more likely to her in that moment. "How long would I have to stay?"

"You can't be seriously considering this," Sarah's father cut in. "You can't… You can't live with a bear. That's just absurd."

"We could use the money," Sarah pointed out.

"Sarah don't worry about us, we're going to be fine," his eyes didn't quite meet her gaze. "Besides, how is a bear supposed to follow through on a promise like that?"

Sarah gave him a dry look, but before she could respond, the bear ambled closer to them. Her father and Karen both scrambled backward, but Sarah stood her ground, her head cocked to the side questioningly. The bear didn't walk up to her, instead he sauntered toward the coffee table and slowly knocked over her mug of mulled wine. "Hey what are you - " Her voice caught in her throat. She picked up the mug and it's spilled contents, which no longer consisted of wine.

Karen gasped. "Rubies."

The gemstones glittered in her hands as Sarah put them back down on the table. "That was a tad dramatic don't you think?"

The bear made a low sound that Sarah assumed was a chuckle, though both Karen and her father were looking at her with twin faces of horror. Clearly they found it unwise to crack jokes at a predator capable of ripping their throats out with a single swipe of his paw. "Perhaps, but it certainly is effective. As you can see, fulfilling my end of the bargain is perfectly within my abilities. Unless if you need another demonstration?"

"No, I think that was quite sufficient, I believe you." She bit her lip again as she weighed her options.

"Sarah, you can't seriously be considering this."

"Dad, we need the money." Even though the fantasy-lover inside of her was screaming "DON'T MAKE DEALS WITH MAGIC CREATURES IT WON'T END WELL," the part of her that worried for her family felt extremely tempted to accept the bargain.

"How do you know it won't hurt you?" He glared at the bear.

"I can promise that no harm will come to her as long as I am able to protect her," his voice was solemn and again, Sarah felt inclined to believe him. "But you don't have to make your decision now. Take your time. Think it over. Call me when you are ready and I will come."

The bear turned and began to leave.

"Wait." Sarah said, and the bear stopped. "Why me?" Another question she could not figure out. From the perspective of a magical creature, she couldn't be that remarkable, unless if he knew about…

The bear chuckled again. "What better companion then a Champion, and the Champion of the Labyrinth, no less."

Sarah paled. So this was because of the Labyrinth. She had always known that journey would come back to haunt her one day, but she had not expected anything like this.

"So long, Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth. Until we meet again."

All three stared after him, listened to him pad through the house and out through the front door, the door creaking as it closed. Sarah rushed to the window, but was unsurprised to see that he had already vanished. "He's gone," she said, voice almost a whisper. She turned toward her father and stepmother who were both staring at her, fear and confusion warring on their faces.

"Sarah, what was he talking about?" Karen asked gently.

"What is this…" he stopped, seemingly searching for the right word, "…title of yours? Champion of the…"

"Of the Labyrinth," she finished. "Champion of the Labyrinth." She let out a dry laugh. "I didn't know I got a title when I…"

"When you what?"

Sarah shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me."

Her father raised an eyebrow at her. "After everything that just happened, there's very little I wouldn't believe at this point."

Sarah shifted her gaze to the floor, felt salt hit the back of her throat. "I don't want to talk about it. It's… It's not something I'm proud of." She lifted her eyes to meet theirs and found they were still staring at her, now with concern. "Let's just go to bed," she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm cold and tired. We can talk about this more in the morning."

As she left the room, she heard her father mutter, "I need a drink." She could use a drink herself, but her desire to pass out in bed was far greater than the desire to drink and so she kept shuffling to her room. She stopped at the foot of the staircase when she saw her brother staring down at the front door, his eyes like saucers.

"Sarah…" his voice quivered. "Are you… But how… Am I going to lose you?"

Sarah sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She ascended the stairs and placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're not going to lose me, I'm not going anywhere." Her father was right. She couldn't go with the bear. It was absurd. It was dangerous.

Toby nodded, though he clearly was not entirely convinced, and if she were being honest, neither was she.

Author's Note: And that's chapter 3! I hope you all are enjoying thus far. I really appreciate all of the comments I've received. Thank you all for taking the time to comment on my work 3. Please let me know what you think!