Chapter One: The Fate of a Champion

Sarah Williams opened bleary eyes and stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, half glaring at the textured ceiling. Her alarm continued to blare next to her head until she finally flailed an arm and hit the silencer on it with pinpoint accuracy. She still refused to move, at first, eyes up and a tight frown pulling her lips taut. A glance towards the clock confirmed that she hadn't gotten enough sleep to feel human at six thirty in the morning.

Blinking several times, she lifted a hand and scrubbed the sleep sand from her eyes. For several long moments, she considered rolling over and pulling the blankets up over her head and going back to sleep. Then, she remembered why she couldn't do that and a sigh escaped her.

Rolling out of her bed, she eyed the clock with annoyance before she looked at her calendar and heaved another sigh. She pulled off her pajamas and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, brushing her hair as she headed to her brother's bedroom and knocked on the door before she pushed it open.

She found him awake and sitting on his bed, already dressed. Toby was clinging to Lancealot like the bear was a lifeline for him, like it would protect him from everything that could go wrong. When she leaned against the doorframe, he looked up at her, his nerves visible in his young face.

"How long have you been up, kiddo," she asked, giving him a smile as she came and sat next to him on the edge of his bed. He leaned against her shoulder, biting his lower lip for a moment and she rubbed small circles on his back, waiting for him to answer.

"Since dad and mom were getting ready for work," he admitted after a long moment. "I couldn't get back to sleep."

"First day jitters?"

He looked up at her and she saw how hard he was biting his lower lip. He nodded, and took a deep breath, his face too serious. "What if -"

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, giving him a hard squeeze as she hugged him against her side. "I told you, already. I'll be there as long as you need me there, today. I promise. You don't need to worry about a thing."

She watched as he relaxed and closed his eyes. For a moment, she thought Toby would start to cry. Then, he looked up at her again and there was a familiar stubborn set to his jaw. It reminded her of herself. "Okay."

"Come on, let's grab breakfast on the way in," she offered, clapping him on the shoulder and she saw his eyes brighten at the suggestion.

"Pancakes?"

Her lips curved into a smile and she got to her feet, tapping her chin for a moment, pretending to consider the suggestion. "I think we might be able to manage pancakes. Give me about five minutes, and be waiting for me by the door with your backpack and shoes on, okay?"

He gave her a smile that was like the sun and tore off the bed and out of the room to do as she'd said. She hurried back to her own room and threw on a sweater, tossing her hair up into a ponytail before shoving her feet into her sneakers and heading downstairs. Toby was right where she had told him to be, ready to go and holding her purse, his blue eyes shining.

She gave him a warm smile and opened the door, watching him bounce down the porch steps towards her car as she locked up as they left the house. The key stuck in the lock as she tried to pull it free, and she frowned, giving it a wiggle. It seemed to be stubborn and she sighed to herself. It must be the weather cooling off, she thought, and headed down to the car after him.

She made a mental note to let her father know that it needed to be hit with some WD-40 or something to keep it from sticking, and climbed into the driver's seat, buckling up. Her brother had climbed into the passenger seat and buckled himself in, as well. She put the car key in the ignition and cranked it, and the car just sputtered for a moment. She tried it again and noted that her engine seemed reluctant to turn over. Glaring at her dashboard, she felt her temper flare.

Don't do this today, she thought at her car, lips pulling into a frown. Today was too important for an old car to fuck it up for her little brother. She gave it another turn and the car cranked to life, and she relaxed, heaving a sigh as she backed out of the driveway.

Today was Toby's first day of Kindergarten and her almost six year old brother had been alternating between being terrified and excited for the last month. Two days ago, he'd come to her, admitting he was afraid the other students wouldn't like him, that they'd tease him and that he was afraid to go. So she'd ensured she wouldn't have to go to school or work, herself. Karen and her father had to work, but she could get away with being with him, today.

It was important for him. So she wouldn't tolerate the failures of mechanical or technological nature. She wanted it to go well for him because she could still remember when her father had moved them out to this town, away from the city after his divorce from her mother, Linda. She was glad she could be here for him for this.

She pulled into the parking lot of a family diner near his school and they split a plate of pancakes while she drank her first cup of coffee for the day. She did her best to keep his mind off of the parts that scared him. Instead, she reminded him again that it was everyone else's first day, too, and they were probably just as nervous to meet him as he was to meet them. That seemed to cheer him, a bit, and by the time they left the restaurant, he was more confident.

Still, before they got out of her car at the school she noted he was still clinging to the stuffed bear and gave him a smile. "Do you want to keep an eye on him for me today? Or should I take him home with me?"

He seemed to jole, as if he'd forgotten that he had the bear with him. He looked down at it for a long moment, his small fingers stroking the fake fur. Then, he pushed it towards her, looking up at her. "Take him home for me? I don't want -"

He didn't want the other students to tease him for bringing a teddy bear to class as a crutch, she thought, a sadder smile curving her lips. Karen and Robert had wanted to take the bear away from him ages ago, but she reminded them the bear was hers. She wanted it to be his choice to let it go, especially today.

So she nodded, and tucked the bear into her purse, and climbed out of the car, walking with him to his class, holding onto his hand as they crossed the street. They waited by the side door for the teacher to let them into the building. The teacher let the students in and interacted with the students with an energy that Sarah was envious of. Even with the coffee she'd had a short time ago, she felt exhausted.

Still, she stayed with the parents who were lingering, keeping back and out of his way, but within Toby's line of sight. She watched as he opened up and started to relax into the day, and about an hour in, she headed towards him, crouching at his side and putting herself at his level. She tapped his shoulder and smiled at him when he turned towards her, beaming.

"Do you need me to stay longer? I was going to go grab some coffee if you don't."

He thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head, grinning at her. "I'll tell you all about it when I get home, today."

"Then I'll pick you up from the bus stop, this afternoon," she offered and at his excited smile, she squeezed his shoulder, rather than ruffling his hair as she might have. "I'll talk to you later, Toby. Have fun." Then, she got to her feet and headed towards the door, glancing back as she left. She still felt anxious about leaving him there, but she shook the feeling off.

Heading back to her car and she sat in the parking lot for a long moment, trying to steady herself. Her brother wasn't a baby anymore, she thought, and felt tears well in her eyes a bit, but she couldn't be certain why she felt both joy and pride in that. She'd changed a lot since he'd been a baby. When he was born, she'd thought him a threat. She'd been the only child for so long, and she acted like a brat whenever her father expected her to behave like an older sister.

She'd likened herself to a slave, instead, writing herself into a Cinderella fantasy until one night she'd had a nightmare that had changed her. She'd woken and torn off to her brother's room, finding him asleep, peaceful in his crib and that was the night she'd given Lancealot to him. After that point, she'd done her best to set aside her selfishness and bratty behavior. Even though she'd never grown particularly close to her stepmother, they at least didn't grate against one another as they had the first two years of her father's second marriage.

Now, she was on the fast track to graduating from Law School, and working at an internship that while unpaid, would slide her directly into a junior partner position at that firm. While she didn't date, that had more to do with her having little if any time than a complete lack of interest. Most guys didn't think she should be so career minded, but she had already succumbed to selfishness when she was younger, and she didn't want to be irresponsible and start a family before she was stable.

She was a good example of what that could do to a kid.

The chill outside seeped into her and she shook herself, noting she'd lost almost a half-hour, just sitting there thinking about times past. That wasn't a habit she liked to admit she still had. She'd mentioned it to a doctor, once, and they had wanted to send her to a therapist, saying something about dissociative episodes. After that, she'd shut that sort of talk down, keeping it to herself.

Cranking her car engine, she backed out of the parking space and went in search of another cup of coffee.

She found it at a McDonald's drive thru. The line there was ridiculous, but she needed the boost, so she waited. Really, she wanted to go home and sleep for the rest of the morning. She knew too well how that would destroy her sleep schedule, so she decided to just main line coffee for today, and crash early tonight.

Rubbing her neck, she groaned, noting that she had several knots in her shoulders. She must not be sleeping well at night. She brushed the idle thought off as she waited to place her order. Once she'd gotten her precious fuel, she headed home, sipping her coffee black and wincing at the taste of it. It was so hot, it scalded her taste buds, but she figured that was probably better than tasting it.

About a block away from her family home, the sky opened up and it started pouring rain. Something about the rain gelt unsettling and familiar, the way the wall of rainfall moved towards her reminded her of a night almost five years ago. She grumbled in frustration, trying to ignore that faint prick of discomfort in her heart.

When she reached her turn, she slowed, turning on her signal to indicate a left-hand turn. The scream of tires caught her attention and she looked into her rear view mirror, seeing blinding headlights in it, just seconds before a car moving at speed slammed into the rear end of her car, pushing her into the intersection. She swore with heartfelt precision, and took a moment to be glad she was wearing her seatbelt. Her neck ached, but she was still in the car, and in one piece. Glancing towards the driver's side mirror, more headlights blinded her and blood drained from her face as she realized a massive truck was heading her way.

Oh, shit.

She slammed on the accelerator, trying to get out of its way so it wouldn't slam right into the driver's side door. Instead, the truck clipped her rear quarter panel, sending her car into a spin. She held onto the wheel, squeezing her eyes tight, and letting off the accelerator. As her car straightened out, she heard a car horn and another car slammed into her passenger side door, spinning her, again.

She ground her teeth, just holding on, hoping that this would all stop soon. It did, when her car slammed into a light pole, and the world around her went dark. She wasn't certain how long she'd blacked out, but when she came to, she was careful to not move too much.

Her neck hurt, and one of her arms was screaming in pain. Her head was throbbing, and her face was wet with something. She forced her head up, though it objected, and looked out the windshield of her car.

She was shaking like a leaf, she noted, and she lifted her arm that didn't feel injured, probing her head with care. When she brought it away, she found blood on her hand. A part of her wanted to get out of the car, but at the same time, something in her head told her to stay inside of it. That as bad as this was, if she had a broken back, trying to move would be worse.

Looking out her rain streaked window, she saw figures gathered around her car. One of them was dark, standing back from the others and looking at her car. She felt her brow crease with her confusion and her hands shook a little harder. When someone pulled her car door open, rain pelted her side, cold and jarring and she looked over. She still felt like she could feel that someone was looking directly at her. Something about that figure in the rain terrified her, but she wasn't certain what that was.

It reminded her, again, of a night almost five years ago. That terrifying nightmare she'd had, where she'd wished her baby brother away. She'd won the day in her dream, but it had still frightened her. To this day, thunderstorms, barn owls, and dark figures frightened her.

She heard voices calling for someone to call for emergency services, but something about them sounded quiet and far away.

That dark figure, however, seemed to grow closer and more clear. As if they were real, and everything else around her was just a dream. As they moved closer towards her, she could see that the smile on the figure's face was dark and sinister and terrifying. They weren't the king she still remembered from her dream. She could tell that, even though they were blurred from the rain streaking her broken windshield.

Darkness swelled around her, and she fought it, even as it fought to pull her under. Something told her that if she gave in and let herself fall into it, she wouldn't be able to escape it easily.

No, she thought, shaking harder. She had to pick up her brother after school, today. Not today. Please, no.

After a moment, she noted she couldn't feel her body, any more. As if the physical pains and aches had eased and the accident had never happened. She didn't even feel her exhaustion. Startled, she opened her eyes and found that she wasn't even sitting in her car, anymore. She was standing on the street, and even though she was in the rain, she couldn't feel it pelting her skin.

She shook her head in denial, turning towards her car and seeing red and white flashing lights on approach. Her body was still sitting in the car, head slumped forward, eyes closed. When she turned again, that dark figure was standing right in front of her. She stumbled back several steps, shaking her head in denial again.

"No, that was a dream," she whispered, shaking her head harder. "A nightmare. Just a bad dream. That time wasn't real." She stumbled back several more steps, trying to put space between herself and the figure before her. "It wasn't real!"

The last words left her in a scream that didn't draw the attention of the people nearby, didn't seem to echo in the area at all. The figure didn't speak, just stepped towards her again and grabbed her arm tight in one hand. She stared up at him, noting that she could feel the pain of his grip, even though she could feel nothing else. Now that they were closer, she could see that the figure was, in fact, a man. He was a good head taller than her, too. Handsome, but in a terrifying way. His hair was dark and soaked from the rain, his smile wide and too filled with teeth.

He inclined his head and gave a laugh that sent chills up her spine. It was the sound of brittle cruelty, and she struggled, trying to pull her arm from his hand.

"Just a dream, was it?" The smile he gave her was sharp and terrifying, those jagged teeth visible. He leaned close to her and she tried to pull away from him again. "Then, prey, why don't you wake up?

He released his grip on her arm, and she staggered back a step. When she looked up again, she saw his hands lifted and he gave her a shove that was so hard, she fell back.

Instead of landing on the concrete of the road, she kept right on falling. Like Alice in Wonderland, down the rabbit hold into a darkness that swallowed her whole. She wasn't certain that she didn't have a mental break sometime on her way down. Her mind kept telling her that this was impossible, that it had to just be a dream. Things like this only happened in fairy stories, and she'd put such things behind her long ago.

A concussion, she told herself, tears in her eyes. That had to be it. So she wrapped that around herself, still trying to convince herself that it was nothing more than another bad dream. Another nightmare. Like the one all those years ago that had changed her life, then. She was afraid of how this dream would change her.

Still, as she fell through the darkness, there was a tiny shred of doubt. The memory of a party that couldn't have happened after that dream, after she'd given Toby Lancealot. And a promise that should she need those from her dream, she'd call and they'd answer.

Then, the darkness squeezed her harder and she fainted, giving her brother a sincere mental apology as two tears slipped down her cheeks.