Part 3
"Concentrate."
"I am concentrating."
Sarah glared, in angry frustration, at the transparent globe sitting in the palm of her hand. It was
more a bubble than anything else. It refused to solidify, then disappeared entirely. Sarah growled and
stormed from the room, ignoring Myst's admonishments.
She began running, and didn't stop until she reached the stables. Mentally composing herself, she
stepped inside. The familiar sounds and smells of horses greeted her, and she felt herself relaxing a bit. She
walked by each stall and greeted the animals within. She continued this until she reached the last stall which
contained a palomino mare. Sarah had fallen in love with her from the moment she first set eyes on her,
exercising in the yard outside. Myst told her the horse preferred to be called Ghost, so that's what Sarah
called her. It wasn't until she had been able to get closer to the animal, that she noticed the odd colored
eyes. One was a rich brown and the other the color of a cloudless sky in the middle of the summer. They
reminded her of another pair of mismatched eyes, but Sarah had quickly pushed that comparison aside.
"Hey there, Ghost," Sarah said softly. The horse looked up and greeted her mistress with a small
nicker. Sarah laughed. "Ready for a ride now?" Ghost snorted and shook her head up and down, to show
that yes she did. It was dreadfully uncomfortable in the stall and she could tell her mistress was uneasy
about something.
Once outside the stables, Sarah mounted, then turned towards the rolling plains. She raced over
the luscious green grace, in need of a good sprint to ward off all her frustration. After several minutes had
passed, she slowed her horse to a canter, then finally to a brisk walk. She wandered aimlessly over the
plains, knowing that she couldn't get lost, no matter how far she went.
It had been nearly six months since she came to the kingdom and Sarah wondered where the time
had gone. It seemed like only yesterday that she was yelling at Jeffery for sneaking up on her in his wolf
form to see if she could discern true animals from transformed ones. She had learned how to run the various
day to day things of the kingdom, how to deal with the problems that could occur, how to handle diplomatic
relations with the other kingdoms, how to work with mortals who accidentally stumbled into the Magic
Realm, and finally how to use and control her magic.
`But not fully,' she thought to herself, bitterly, `I still can't master the most powerful, the most
important.' The frustration returned in full force. She had only one week until the coronation, one week to
master the magic.
Jeffery and Anna had told her not to worry about it, that she already was as strong as any of the
neighboring monarchs, save one, and that she had plenty of time to master the rest. But, Sarah and Myst
both knew that she needed to master this now, before the coronation. She needed to be stronger than
Alyssa or the greedy Elf would be able to take the kingdom. As the time for the coronation drew near, small
incidents began to happen. There was no doubt in Sarah's mind that the spoiled princess was behind it.
They were incidents designed to make her subjects lose faith in her abilities to protect them. Of course,
Sarah had been lucky each time to have been in the area that it happened at, so nothing serious ever came
out of it. She knew she couldn't be lucky all the time however, and was constantly on guard.
"And to top all of it off, I can't quit dreaming about a certain Goblin King," she complained out
loud. Ghost flicked her ears back at the sound of her mistress' voice, but upon hearing nothing of interest to
her turned them back to the front.
Sarah sighed and pulled the horse to a stop, then dismounted. She sat down on the soft grass and
lay back, looking at the blue sky. She usually avoided thinking about that man during waking hours, but for
some reason she could not avoid it at the moment. She closed her eyes, and remembered the first time she
had met the Goblin King.
He had stood in front of her, blond hair whipping about his fine royal features. His mismatched
eyes had sparkled with amusement. Then when she seemed to be defying him, he had offered her her
dreams, in the form of a crystal. She recalled the way he had pulled it from thin air, and when she asked him
what it was, he had said, "It's a crystal nothing more."
Sarah's eyes flew open and she stood up quickly. "I don't believe it! How absurdly simple!" she
exclaimed. She had been concentrating too hard on the crystal itself, not the magic. The crystals merely
emphasized the magic, though only two people had ever been born that could call them. It was just as Jareth
had said, "a crystal, nothing more". She held one hand out in front of her and smiled as she watched the orb
appear in her hand, shimmering and clear at the same time, a solid weight in her palm. She laughed and
threw it up into the air, where it turned into a white dove and flew out over the horizon. Sarah watched it
disappear, then turned and hugged Ghost. The horse nuzzled her mistress' shoulder, sensing that all was
right with the world again.
Sarah twirled around still laughing. "Thank you Jareth!" She quickly jumped into the saddle and
rode off for the castle.
One Week Later....
The ballroom was filled with dignitaries from every kingdom, including the Underground. Sarah
looked out over the masses from the safety of her room via a crystal. She swallowed nervously, but saw no
sign of the Goblin King. She jumped at a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called.
Jeffery walked in, his wolfish features alight with excitement. "He didn't come himself, but it is
progress, seeing that he did send someone," he told her.
Sarah pretended not to know whom he was talking about. "What are you talking about Jeffery?"
she asked in a slightly bored, slightly mocking voice. The werewolf merely grinned at her.
"Why, the infamous King of the Underground of course. He sent...." He paused and frowned, then
his expression cleared. "Oh yes a dwarf named Huggle...."
"Hoggle," Sarah absently corrected. She was relieved and yet disappointed Jareth hadn't come. Of
course, he most likely sent Hoggle only in deference to his friendship with her father. In fact, there was
nothing to prove that he even knew that the daughter of his best friend was the same as the girl who had
solved his Labyrinth.
She looked up to see Jeffery frowning. "What?" she questioned.
"Nothing Your Highness, but..." he trailed off as a distant bell seemed to reverberate throughout
the castle. "It is time." He gracefully bowed and opened the door for her.
Sarah stepped through it and told her heart firmly to stop beating so fast. This was her destiny after
all, and none of these people were as strong as she was, although if they decided to go to war against
her...She firmly pushed that thought aside and held her head high, and in a haughty regal manner stepped
through the double doors into the ballroom. Heads turned to watch her progress to the main stage in the
front and she viciously repressed a feeling of De J'a Vu that swept over her. She quickly, yet gracefully
mounted the steps to take her place in front of Myst who would be crowning her.
"To all who live in this kingdom, is there anyone who feels that Princess Sarah should not now
become Queen of Fairies?" Myst intoned in his musical, relaxed voice. No one stepped forward.
"Of all who represent the surrounding Kingdoms, is anyone present who objects to this
coronation?" Myst's questioned. Again there was only silence. "Then let me..." before he could continue, a
scuffle was heard at the back of the room. All heads turned in that direction.
"I have an objection," Alyssa's voice rang out harshly over the occupants, "This girl was born to a
mixed marriage. I say she is not strong enough to govern this kingdom. She will bring ruin and downfall,
which will gradually begin to affect the rest of us."
Murmurs of agreement were heard amongst the people of the other kingdoms, and everyone turned
to Sarah. She could not do anything unless a physically attacked or she would forfeit her right to wear the
crown. And that scheming witch knew it. She just raised her head proudly and arched an eyebrow in
haughty disdain. Alyssa glared, her first plan ruined.
"Excuse me!" a roughened voice spoke up suddenly. It was a familiar voice to Sarah and she
almost cried out the name of the person who spoke. Everyone else searched the room frantically until they
saw the dwarf, who had made his way to the stage. Hoggle stood up and cleared his throat. "I don't knows
much about whether or not the little missy has magic, but she's defeated the Labyrinth." This was met with
an uproar, which only died down after the dwarf held up his hands. "Now, even if she don't have magic,
she's still strong, if'n she can beats that." He nodded, having defended his friend the best he knew how.
King Jiggle spoke up then. "If what you say is true dwarf, and I do not doubt it, then I
wholeheartedly agree that she is strong enough to rule. Besides, she has the unicorn to perform any
necessary magic, which I am sure was Queen Catherine's plan." He nodded once in Sarah's direction.
One by one, the other's agreed. Alyssa's eyes flashed. "I will show you how unfit a ruler she is!"
the spoiled young lady screamed. Then without warning she shot a bolt of blue energy at Sarah's head.
Sarah nonchalantly raised her hand and pulled a crystal from the air. The blue energy was pulled into the
depths of the sphere, where it swirled before fizzling out. She surreptitiously winked at Hoggles amazed
look.
"I am strong enough, both will power and magic, to rule this kingdom," Sarah said, her voice
ringing. The occupants of the room stared at her in awe, and Alyssa backed slowly and fearfully out of the
room. After a few moments of utter silence, Myst cleared his throat. "Shall we continue?" he inquired.
When there was no more protest, he took up where he had left off. "Then let me hereby place the crown of
the Fairies upon your head. It signifies the unity and grace, the light and the peace of this kingdom. For as
long as you live, or name a successor you will be the Queen of the Fairies." As he spoke, he placed the
golden crown on her head. "Now, Queen Sarah, greet your subjects and neighbors."
"Concentrate."
"I am concentrating."
Sarah glared, in angry frustration, at the transparent globe sitting in the palm of her hand. It was
more a bubble than anything else. It refused to solidify, then disappeared entirely. Sarah growled and
stormed from the room, ignoring Myst's admonishments.
She began running, and didn't stop until she reached the stables. Mentally composing herself, she
stepped inside. The familiar sounds and smells of horses greeted her, and she felt herself relaxing a bit. She
walked by each stall and greeted the animals within. She continued this until she reached the last stall which
contained a palomino mare. Sarah had fallen in love with her from the moment she first set eyes on her,
exercising in the yard outside. Myst told her the horse preferred to be called Ghost, so that's what Sarah
called her. It wasn't until she had been able to get closer to the animal, that she noticed the odd colored
eyes. One was a rich brown and the other the color of a cloudless sky in the middle of the summer. They
reminded her of another pair of mismatched eyes, but Sarah had quickly pushed that comparison aside.
"Hey there, Ghost," Sarah said softly. The horse looked up and greeted her mistress with a small
nicker. Sarah laughed. "Ready for a ride now?" Ghost snorted and shook her head up and down, to show
that yes she did. It was dreadfully uncomfortable in the stall and she could tell her mistress was uneasy
about something.
Once outside the stables, Sarah mounted, then turned towards the rolling plains. She raced over
the luscious green grace, in need of a good sprint to ward off all her frustration. After several minutes had
passed, she slowed her horse to a canter, then finally to a brisk walk. She wandered aimlessly over the
plains, knowing that she couldn't get lost, no matter how far she went.
It had been nearly six months since she came to the kingdom and Sarah wondered where the time
had gone. It seemed like only yesterday that she was yelling at Jeffery for sneaking up on her in his wolf
form to see if she could discern true animals from transformed ones. She had learned how to run the various
day to day things of the kingdom, how to deal with the problems that could occur, how to handle diplomatic
relations with the other kingdoms, how to work with mortals who accidentally stumbled into the Magic
Realm, and finally how to use and control her magic.
`But not fully,' she thought to herself, bitterly, `I still can't master the most powerful, the most
important.' The frustration returned in full force. She had only one week until the coronation, one week to
master the magic.
Jeffery and Anna had told her not to worry about it, that she already was as strong as any of the
neighboring monarchs, save one, and that she had plenty of time to master the rest. But, Sarah and Myst
both knew that she needed to master this now, before the coronation. She needed to be stronger than
Alyssa or the greedy Elf would be able to take the kingdom. As the time for the coronation drew near, small
incidents began to happen. There was no doubt in Sarah's mind that the spoiled princess was behind it.
They were incidents designed to make her subjects lose faith in her abilities to protect them. Of course,
Sarah had been lucky each time to have been in the area that it happened at, so nothing serious ever came
out of it. She knew she couldn't be lucky all the time however, and was constantly on guard.
"And to top all of it off, I can't quit dreaming about a certain Goblin King," she complained out
loud. Ghost flicked her ears back at the sound of her mistress' voice, but upon hearing nothing of interest to
her turned them back to the front.
Sarah sighed and pulled the horse to a stop, then dismounted. She sat down on the soft grass and
lay back, looking at the blue sky. She usually avoided thinking about that man during waking hours, but for
some reason she could not avoid it at the moment. She closed her eyes, and remembered the first time she
had met the Goblin King.
He had stood in front of her, blond hair whipping about his fine royal features. His mismatched
eyes had sparkled with amusement. Then when she seemed to be defying him, he had offered her her
dreams, in the form of a crystal. She recalled the way he had pulled it from thin air, and when she asked him
what it was, he had said, "It's a crystal nothing more."
Sarah's eyes flew open and she stood up quickly. "I don't believe it! How absurdly simple!" she
exclaimed. She had been concentrating too hard on the crystal itself, not the magic. The crystals merely
emphasized the magic, though only two people had ever been born that could call them. It was just as Jareth
had said, "a crystal, nothing more". She held one hand out in front of her and smiled as she watched the orb
appear in her hand, shimmering and clear at the same time, a solid weight in her palm. She laughed and
threw it up into the air, where it turned into a white dove and flew out over the horizon. Sarah watched it
disappear, then turned and hugged Ghost. The horse nuzzled her mistress' shoulder, sensing that all was
right with the world again.
Sarah twirled around still laughing. "Thank you Jareth!" She quickly jumped into the saddle and
rode off for the castle.
One Week Later....
The ballroom was filled with dignitaries from every kingdom, including the Underground. Sarah
looked out over the masses from the safety of her room via a crystal. She swallowed nervously, but saw no
sign of the Goblin King. She jumped at a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called.
Jeffery walked in, his wolfish features alight with excitement. "He didn't come himself, but it is
progress, seeing that he did send someone," he told her.
Sarah pretended not to know whom he was talking about. "What are you talking about Jeffery?"
she asked in a slightly bored, slightly mocking voice. The werewolf merely grinned at her.
"Why, the infamous King of the Underground of course. He sent...." He paused and frowned, then
his expression cleared. "Oh yes a dwarf named Huggle...."
"Hoggle," Sarah absently corrected. She was relieved and yet disappointed Jareth hadn't come. Of
course, he most likely sent Hoggle only in deference to his friendship with her father. In fact, there was
nothing to prove that he even knew that the daughter of his best friend was the same as the girl who had
solved his Labyrinth.
She looked up to see Jeffery frowning. "What?" she questioned.
"Nothing Your Highness, but..." he trailed off as a distant bell seemed to reverberate throughout
the castle. "It is time." He gracefully bowed and opened the door for her.
Sarah stepped through it and told her heart firmly to stop beating so fast. This was her destiny after
all, and none of these people were as strong as she was, although if they decided to go to war against
her...She firmly pushed that thought aside and held her head high, and in a haughty regal manner stepped
through the double doors into the ballroom. Heads turned to watch her progress to the main stage in the
front and she viciously repressed a feeling of De J'a Vu that swept over her. She quickly, yet gracefully
mounted the steps to take her place in front of Myst who would be crowning her.
"To all who live in this kingdom, is there anyone who feels that Princess Sarah should not now
become Queen of Fairies?" Myst intoned in his musical, relaxed voice. No one stepped forward.
"Of all who represent the surrounding Kingdoms, is anyone present who objects to this
coronation?" Myst's questioned. Again there was only silence. "Then let me..." before he could continue, a
scuffle was heard at the back of the room. All heads turned in that direction.
"I have an objection," Alyssa's voice rang out harshly over the occupants, "This girl was born to a
mixed marriage. I say she is not strong enough to govern this kingdom. She will bring ruin and downfall,
which will gradually begin to affect the rest of us."
Murmurs of agreement were heard amongst the people of the other kingdoms, and everyone turned
to Sarah. She could not do anything unless a physically attacked or she would forfeit her right to wear the
crown. And that scheming witch knew it. She just raised her head proudly and arched an eyebrow in
haughty disdain. Alyssa glared, her first plan ruined.
"Excuse me!" a roughened voice spoke up suddenly. It was a familiar voice to Sarah and she
almost cried out the name of the person who spoke. Everyone else searched the room frantically until they
saw the dwarf, who had made his way to the stage. Hoggle stood up and cleared his throat. "I don't knows
much about whether or not the little missy has magic, but she's defeated the Labyrinth." This was met with
an uproar, which only died down after the dwarf held up his hands. "Now, even if she don't have magic,
she's still strong, if'n she can beats that." He nodded, having defended his friend the best he knew how.
King Jiggle spoke up then. "If what you say is true dwarf, and I do not doubt it, then I
wholeheartedly agree that she is strong enough to rule. Besides, she has the unicorn to perform any
necessary magic, which I am sure was Queen Catherine's plan." He nodded once in Sarah's direction.
One by one, the other's agreed. Alyssa's eyes flashed. "I will show you how unfit a ruler she is!"
the spoiled young lady screamed. Then without warning she shot a bolt of blue energy at Sarah's head.
Sarah nonchalantly raised her hand and pulled a crystal from the air. The blue energy was pulled into the
depths of the sphere, where it swirled before fizzling out. She surreptitiously winked at Hoggles amazed
look.
"I am strong enough, both will power and magic, to rule this kingdom," Sarah said, her voice
ringing. The occupants of the room stared at her in awe, and Alyssa backed slowly and fearfully out of the
room. After a few moments of utter silence, Myst cleared his throat. "Shall we continue?" he inquired.
When there was no more protest, he took up where he had left off. "Then let me hereby place the crown of
the Fairies upon your head. It signifies the unity and grace, the light and the peace of this kingdom. For as
long as you live, or name a successor you will be the Queen of the Fairies." As he spoke, he placed the
golden crown on her head. "Now, Queen Sarah, greet your subjects and neighbors."