Chapter One: The Plan begins to take shape

Filia was bored. Yes, she had opened her tea shop and pottery shop, but she was still feeling discontent. She missed Lina and the others... maybe they would stop by for a visit. She had kept in touch with Amelia, being the easiest to track down with her fixed address. Maybe that was all she needed, a visit from friends.

A knock on the door interrupted her just as she found her ink. She crawled out of the recesses of her still messy desk to see who it was. A brief glance in the mirror across from her front entryway told her that she wasn't too messy, but really should have taken time to fix her hair before opening the door. She smoothed it back impatiently, shaking the dust from her apron.

When she opened the door, there wasn't anyone there... there was a small package on the steps with her name printed on the outside. Looking around, she spotted a young man walking away. She shrugged, guessing that someone had arranged for payment for a bill to be delivered, and picked the package up, tucking it into her apron pocket. She quickly returned to her letter writing, setting the ancient dragon egg in its basket beside her.

Later than evening, after she had contracted the mail carrier to deliver her letter, she remembered the package she had received. Curious, she pulled the small parcel out of her apron pocket. She held it in her hand... small, but heavy. It couldn't be payment for any of her products, no one owed her enough to make up the package. She lit a candle, and gently cut the package's cord with a small engraving knife.

The candle flame danced over the unfamiliar script of the title of the book inside the package. There was a picture of a snowy owl on the cover, and as Filia stared at the letters in puzzlement, they slowly grew clear.

"The Goblin King and the Maiden" she read, "I wonder who would send me this... I don't think I ever mentioned my hobby to Lina or her friends... Maybe it's a mistake." She set the book gently on the table next to the flickering candle, and looked at the wrapping again. No, that was definitely her name, even if she didn't recognize the handwriting.

Timidly, Filia opened the book, moving the candle closer for better light. The story opened with the main character, a young maiden, running late to watch her younger sibling while her parents attended a ball. The young maiden argued with her parents, who left her in charge of the baby. As soon as his parents left, the baby began to cry... the young girl attempted to comfort the babe, who only grew louder... finally in frustration, the young girl called upon the Goblin King to take the child far away.

The light rain outside turned to lightening and wind, and all the candles in the castle were extinguished. The baby's crying stopped suddenly, and the young girl felt frightened. She attempted to light a candle to check on her younger brother, but her hands were shaking so hard that she was unable to strike a spark on the flint. She ran to the baby's cradle, throwing the shutters open, and saw by the faint light that struggled through the rain that the baby was gone.

The young girl cried out in horror and loss, what had she done? The Goblin King must bring the baby back. She fell into a chair, tears streaming down her face. An owl flew in through the open shutters, flapping about the room before hovering in front of the girl. She raised her tear-streaked face to the owl, frightening tales of fairy folk dancing through her head.

The owl was surrounded by a bright white light, and the King of the Goblins appeared before the girl. She begged for her little brother, but the Goblin King just laughed. 'You made a request, and I granted it.' He said 'It's too late to change your mind.' The maiden straightened up, and told him that she would fight all the way to the center of his power if she had to, but she was going to get her brother back.

The Goblin King transported them to the outskirts of a huge labyrinth, and told her that she had 13 hours to get to the city at the center of the maze. If she could do that, she could get her brother back. He faded away, only his laughter and the clock remaining to remind the girl of her goal.

Filia blinked in the fading candlelight. She hadn't realized how late it was getting, but the story was so compelling... maybe she would just read a few more pages. In just a moment, after she rested her eyes a minute... and made sure that house was closed up for the night.

Filia absently stroked the book with her right hand while trying to figure out who sent it. While she sat in her chair, the candle slowly began to gutter, and her stroking grew slower and slower, until in the same moment that the candle flame drowned in melted wax, Filia drifted off to sleep.

Xellos watched the golden dragon drifting off to sleep from the shadows, his usual mischievous grin growing darker as she slid into a deeper sleep. He levitated the golden dragon into his arms, then glared at the ancient dragon egg resting in the basket next to her chair. A quick head motion to the shadow, and a lesser monster grabbed the basket and followed Xellos as he teleported away.