*This is only my fanfiction and I take no credit. All credit goes to Jim Henson, because he and David Bowie were such awesome people.*

CHAPTER 1

It was raining outside and the lightning was flashing across the room. It was one of those October nights when you just want to snuggle in bed keeping warm and dry. Sarah was staring at the ceiling going through an inventory check.

She had packed up all she would need to survive outdoors. She hoped it wasn't too heavy to bear. She had her large waterproof duffle bag of clothes rolled to pack two weeks worth of clothing in limited space along with towels and washcloths. She had a small tent with a couple blankets rolled up to strap to the outside top of the backpack. The backpack was full of nonperishable and dried food in it with a small pot and frying pan with utensils all condensed down. and a few reusable bottles with clips on them. She had a large shoulder bag which contained many tampons, soap/shampoo and conditioner, extra shoes and a survivalist/first aid kit made up with a hunting knife, and archery bow and arrows, a handgun with 1000 bullets worth of ammo (which was not obtained legally) and a rope and compact climbing gear. She took a couple books too. She was taking her winter coat and raincoat and umbrella.

All together she had to wear her coats, her knife and gun on her belt. She would wear a waterproof backpack, a large zip up waterproof shoulder bag, and carry a large waterproof duffle bag. She had exercised and had classes over the years in karate, self defense and outdoor survival techniques. She figured it was all good knowledge to have learned all her life to physically hold up to the journey she was taking. She packed up and was preparing in case she couldn't return. She thought back at all that she had done over the years and months, to get to this point….

*Flashback*

When she had returned from the Labyrinth and had settled on not taking such offense to everyone else in the family, her life had calmed down and her relationships with each member of her family improved. She buckled down in her studies and graduated valedictorian of her highschool. She found out she had an eidetic memory and absorbed and remembered things quite easily. She graduated highschool at 17 years old and went straight into college at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

She found many things of interest but her favorite ones were Celtic Historical Studies and Ancient Britannic Languages, ancient and modern dialect forms of the Gaelic language, like Irish, Breton, Scottish and Welsh.

Her Irish cousins from her mother's side of the family, invited her to stay with them in Dublin, while she studied Celtic Historical Studies and Ancient Britannic Languages at Trinity College in Dublin. While there she applied for Ireland citizenship, being her mother was born here. A year later she was given full citizenship because she was the only first generation born in the United States and she got her birth registered in Ireland, along with her mother's birth certificate on record. Upon completion of her double master's thesis and the completion time of three years. She graduated with a double master's degree with both a 4.0 GPA and summa cum laude.

She transferred to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland to get two masters in the study of Anthropology, specializing in Anthropology of the North. She at the same time got another master's in Archeology specialized in the British Isles with a 4.0 and 4.2 GPA summa cum laude, by age twenty five. She had a total of four masters degrees and went on a few archeology digs in the UK from time to time. She even got a job doing research for Cambridge University in her field focused on the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon people, relics and new discoveries. She loved her job.

She had focused on her research and one day stumbled on a very very old book in an obscure old bookstore. There wasn't even an author's name in it. It was written about the Tuatha dé Danann and it explained about how they came to be, where they went and how to get there, which shocked the hell out of her. The book said:

—--

"The Tuatha dé Danann, the people of the Goddess Danu, were one of the great ancient tribes of Ireland and they ruled Ireland from 1897 B.C. to 1700 B.C. The arrival of the tribe in Ireland is the stuff of legends. It was originally Dagda's home, but there is a belief that Newgrange was built as a way for the gods to travel between the heavens and this world. The Tuatha Dé Danann brought with them the 'Four Treasures' with them from four magical "cities" of Findias, Gorias, Murias, and Falias. The treasures are the Sword of Nuada, the Spear of Lugh, the Cauldron of the Dagda, and the Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny). They taught their skills in the sciences, including architecture, the arts, and magic, including necromancy."

"It was said that the Tuatha Dé or Tuatha de Danann had their homes in the Underground, a Celtic realm seemingly unseen by humans. They are generally described as tall with red or blonde hair, blue or green eyes, and translucent pale skin with pointed ears."

"At their defeat, the Tuatha de Danann chose to "go underground" to live. This new habitat led to another name for the Tuatha de Danann when they became known as the Sidhe. Sidhe means a fairy in Gaelic folklore."

"Newgrange was built about 3,200 BC (about 5,200 years ago) during the Neolithic period, which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids by 500 years. Newgrange is a large circular mound with a stone passageway and chambers inside. The mound is ringed by large stones known as kerbstones some of which are engraved with artwork."

"It was said that Newgrange is the passage to the abode of the Tuatha de Danann (a supernaturally gifted group of people thought to be the gods and goddesses of Ireland before Christianity) and the burial place of the kings of Tara since then."

"You must be in the right antechamber. You must place a smear of your blood on the wall with your right hand on the wall. You must say the incantation spell and it will open the entry to the 'Underground'. The spell is as follows:

"'Gabh troimhe chun rìoghachd eile. Fosgail an doras gu Tuatha dé Danann taobh a-staigh ballachan dachaigh an dagda. Bheir mi m' fhuil mar thabhartas don bhan-dia Danu.' (Pass me through to the other realm. Open the doorway to the Tuatha dé Danann within the walls of the home of The Dagda. I give my blood as an offering to the goddess Danu.)"

*End Of Flashback*

—--

She knew immediately that she had struck gold and believed every word in the book. It was too obscure and rare to find a withering old book like that. She would start collecting things to prepare for her new journey.

The only impediment was to get access alone in the Newgrange mound at night. She figured she would leave her car far enough away that she could walk there and hop the shrubbery fencing around it. She just didn't want to wake up any caretakers by the property in the houses. She prepared everything trying to go as light in weight of the items she carried with her that were essential to her survival. She packed up all her jewelry and bought more gold and silver with her savings so she had something to barter with.

She dressed in all black as her bags and backpack were all in black. She had on her black cargo pants, black long sleeve shirt with a black hoodie and black raincoat and black winter coat and black leather boots. She wasn't sure what the Underground's weather would be like or what season to expect.

—--

That night was Halloween or as the Celts knew, Samhain, when the walls are thinned between worlds. Sarah took a shower, got dressed in her black outfit with boots. She braided her long dark hair tightly from a ponytail on the top of her head. She put it down the back of her shirt. She filled her bottles in her backpack with water. She put on her coats and grabbed her three bags and headed to the car.

She drove north to where Newgrange was located and was driving with the lights off to the bend in the road where she parked the car and got all her gear on and started walking stealthily to the closest hedge to the entrance and moved along the hedge to then walk across the lawn so she was on the opposite side of the mound to block the houses. She walked up the steps and into the entrance. She felt the walls and used a small flashlight to find her way. It said the right passageway. She turned right and saw a stone wall in the dead end. She used her knife to cut her finger tip, put a smear on the wall, put her right hand on the wall and "said the right words":

"Gabh troimhe chun rìoghachd eile. Fosgail an doras gu Tuatha dé Danann taobh a-staigh ballachan dachaigh an dagda. Bheir mi m' fhuil mar thabhartas don bhan-dia Danu."

The wall opened up to a dark dank cave tunnel passageway. She walked through with her flashlight. It was humid on the other side of the wall. She looked back and there was just a wall of stone now. She put her hand up and it really was solid stone. She went forward through the tunnel and saw a bit of light ahead.

Suddenly she stopped when her foot kicked something and looked down at a pot of gold coins covered in dirt and dust. She pulled a few large gallon size plastic zip bags and filled it with as much coins as she could into it each one and put it in her shoulder bag which made it much much heavier, like fifty pounds or so. She filled up a pocket of her cargo pants with coins too. The unaware leprechaun wherever he was, would be pissed off.

She found an opening that was overgrown a lot and she had to cut through it to get outside. She hacked and cut until she stood in a wooded forest. 'No wonder,' she thought, ' there was no light because of the trees blocking it.' She walked around looking for a water source. She came up on a stream and followed it out of the woods into a vast meadow. It was fall just like in her world. It was midday it seemed.

Once she crossed the meadow, she found a dirt road leading to who knows where, so she followed it. If she came up on anyone she would hide and watch them pass. One group were four elves riding horses going the opposite direction she was going in. They looked military.

After they passed she got much further down the road, when she saw another group coming up but coming from behind, so she hid. There were two of them and they looked like goblin army types, but these goblins were different. They were bigger, stronger, better equipped and looked more intelligent than the ones she met years ago. They passed not noticing her behind the large rock on the side of the road obscured with brush and scrub.

She came out and got to a small town. She went to the inn and asked for a room for a week. The innkeeper said that it would cost one silver and three coppers a day which includes meals. She handed him a gold piece and he gave her 9 copper coins in return with a key. She figured the ten to one coin breakdown of gold, silver and copper was how the money worked. She went up to her room and dropped her stuff. She looked at her room. It was modest and had a wash basin, a double size bed and a fireplace with stacked wood by it. She took off her coats and left her hoodie on, locked the door and went downstairs to get a drink and a hot meal. She wanted a horse and some clothes afterwards.

She sat at the bar and asked for an ale. The innkeeper looked human, which was a good sign. He said, "I'm Gavin, what's yer name? So, where did ye come from? A long way I be thinkin' by the looks of yer clothes."

Sarah said, "My name is Sar. Yes, I'm from quite far away and am not familiar with how people are here. Can you tell me where I might find a horse with full tack?" She gave him a nickname from a friend she had in highschool.

He said, "Pleased to meet ya Sar and welcome to the town of Bhaile. Ardan Witherput can get ya set up with that he be just at the end of town down that a way." He pointed his finger to the right of the front door.

She asked, "What about men's clothing?"

He said, "Men's?... Ah I see, ye be needin' to be unseen?" He nodded his head. "There be a place fer clothes down the way straight out the door three buildings down on the left. It's called 'Davin's Clothiers'."

Sarah asked,"Do you know what time it is? What do you have for food on the menu?"

He chuckled, "It's four o'clock give or take. We have lamb stew with fresh bread. Ye be wanting a bowl? Me misses makes the best in town on Wednesdays. At the end of day, there will be none left." He went to get her a bowl. She drank her ale and he came back with a bowl full of heaven. She never tasted anything so good and flavorful. It was the best stew she had ever eaten. She cleaned the bowl and it was a good size one too. She smiled at him and thanked him and left to get the clothes.

She entered the store and a skinny cranky looking old man was behind the counter. He said, "What can I do fer ya?"

Sarah asked, "Do you have dark leggings, shirts, a belt and maybe boots in men's clothes?" He looked at her surprised.

He said, "Yes, right this way." He showed her where to find the items she was looking for. He wasn't as cranky anymore. She bought three tunic shirts and three leggings in black, dark brown or navy. She got a nice pair of dark brown leather boots, a black cloak with a hood. She even got a dark brown wool medieval/renaissance hat with a brim. It cost her three gold and four coppers. She asked him if he sold pouches for coins. He did and gave her a good size one in black and a medium side one. She asked if he could make change for a couple gold coins. He gave her a mix of coppers and silver for her change for her new pouch. She slipped a few gold coins from her pockets to her pouch and stuffed it in a pocket of her cargo pants. He wrapped her parcels with twine and she thanked him for his help.