*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
Sarah wrote and asked her Uncle Kenny's kids, her cousins in Ireland, if she could stay with them so she could get her master's degree finished in Archeology. Her mother was a stranger still since she was twelve years old, pursuing her acting career and never having a care about anyone else as always. Her father, stepmother and Toby all moved away to Germany. Her father had joined an international corporate law firm. Karen has been adamant about him leaving Sarah behind. She remembered that night she listened at their bedroom door, even though it wasn't said so quietly anyway…
Flashback
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Robert said, "Really, honey, we can't just uproot and leave Sarah behind. She'll have no family."
Karen said, "Sure you can. It's a wonderful opportunity and your daughter won't want you to be held back for just her. She is 22 years old anyway. She's an adult and she needs to find her own family anyway. She can fend for herself. It's not like she'll even care."
Robert said, "She hasn't finished her degree in Archeology yet to get her opportunity for a researcher job. Let me ask her what she thinks?"
Karen snapped, "Why would you ask that girl what she thinks? She doesn't care about anyone but herself. We deserve this opportunity even without her."
Robert said, "I really want us to go. It will be a great experience for Toby. Don't you think Sarah would feel like we abandoned her?" Sarah frowned and thought, 'Yeah, no great experience for Sarah. Hell yeah she will feel abandoned, but Karen won't think so.' Sarah went back to her room and wrote to her cousins in Ireland, to ask if they will let her come stay and get transferred to go to school there at Trinity College in Dublin.
—--
Sarah's life changed over quickly. She got transferred over to Trinity College, had all her belongings shipped to her cousin's house in Ireland and plane tickets bought in advance. Her father was barely able to have a moment to say goodbye to Sarah before they parted ways, thanks to Karen…
—--
Sarah said, "Karen didn't even give us ten minutes to say goodbye."
He frowned thinking about that. He said, "Goodbye, Sarah. Be safe." He turned to walk away.
Sarah stomped her foot and said, "You really would just walk away like you never loved me! No hug, no kiss, no I'll miss you and not one tear!" Sarah had tears in her eyes at the airport gate that was boarding to Germany her father was leaving through. He stopped and looked at her with wide eyes. "I see Karen was right, but instead of me not caring about you, you just proved it, with the last nail in the coffin, it's the other way around. Have a nice life Robert, sorry about the messy inconvenience of my birth. You and my mother have both shown me how I never should have been born, thanks for that. I'll have you stop wasting your money on me as soon as I can. I hope." Sarah turned and walked away, even as Robert shouted after her. She just kept on walking away.
—--
Present
Sarah had started sending the checks back to her father to let him know that she no longer wanted his money two years later. She had her birth certificate proven in Ireland and transferred. Her mother was born there, she got her citizenship. Her Archeology master's degree was specialized in the UK. She went on several digs and worked for the research department of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She moved to Edinburgh in her first six months after graduating at age twenty four. They excitedly snapped her up from the popularity of her research papers published in Connecticut (Yale) and at Trinity College- Dublin.
One day, about a year later at age twenty five, Sarah was asked to go on a dig in the Newgrange Mound. They had found another chamber angling off to the left at the end of the back wall. She always took her 'survival backpack' with her everywhere on digs, even in her car. It was full of the basics, 20 in 1 knife, hammer, hunting knife, flint and steel firestarter, raincoat, emergency blanket, lighter, flashlight, compass, a small pot, spoon, first aid kit, four candles, rope, fishing wire and hook, gallon plastic bags, three bottles of water and six protein bars and ten teabags. One never knew what could happen.
The scientists and archaeologists were let in after the tourists left for the day. They did all their tests and Sarah was in the antechamber doing her examinations. The Edinburgh partner sent with her said he was done for the day. She wanted to look some more. He told her to not lose track of time and be out before five am and he would leave her the lantern. Sarah looked at her watch and replied ok.
She grabbed the lantern and moved deeper down the wall to the end and was looking over any designs or carvings on the stones that she could detect. She was holding up the lantern and saw a small tiny spiral no bigger than a fingertip in the center of the slab on the wall. To anyone else it would look like just a dirt mark or a stone divot. She used her brush and was brushing out the dirt. She had a cut on her index finger from the day before but used her fingernail to see how deep the dirt was in the grooves. She pressed her finger all the way in the middle and suddenly fell through the wall into a dank musty cave. She hollered when she fell. She got up and brushed herself off and spun around to a stone wall. She started feeling for a spot in the wall and it was not there. She turned up the lantern and was holding it up looking for an exit. She finally realized that she fell through a wall or portal of some type and couldn't get back.
She remembered Newgrange Mound was supposed to be the passage to the fairy realm. She began looking around and tripped hard over a very heavy brick or rock. She looked down and found a big pot of leprechaun gold at her feet. She knelt down and started filling up her plastic gallon bags with gold and cramming it into her backpack. She emptied the rest into her cargo pants pockets that wouldn't fit in the backpack. The backpack was filled to capacity with gold coins. She tried not to fill herself up so she jingled when she walked. She crammed the coins tight enough not to. She put on her black raincoat. Then her extremely heavy backpack. She left to find an exit with the lantern. She found a very thickly overgrown entrance. She started hacking and sawing through at least five feet of scrub and vines.
Once she was out she had to skinny squeeze between two trees growing in front of the entrance which was a feat. She had to take off the backpack and coat to get through and put them back on afterwards. The woods felt like a forest primeval and went on forever. It was seriously dense and dark there. Sarah was lost no matter what way she went. She came to a dirt road and ducked behind a large rock as a group of six people on horseback went by. Normally, she would hail them and ask directions, but this group wasn't normal… or human. They were elves with large pointed ears, slanted eyes, carrying crossbows and bows. They were dressed all 'Renaissancy'. She whispered once they were gone, "I'm not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
She must have walked for miles and the backpack was killing her back. After a long while she came upon a town and went into the woods to watch the comings and goings around trees from the woods. There were humans, dwarves and elves in this town. She crept around the corner of a building that was the tavern or inn and listened to people talk in many languages but mostly cockney english.
She sat down, rested her back against the tree and thought she must be in the Underground from when she was fifteen years old. It couldn't be anyplace else. It was ten years ago when she learned of the existence of more than meets the eye and had been searching for it for years.
Sarah said out loud, "I 'wish' the Goblin King couldn't see me." Unknown to her, the magic swirled around and made it so.
She was wondering, what the hell would she do now? Well, she had a pot of gold and her skills in many things she knew what to do to survive this. She put four gold coins in her hand and went inside up to the person behind the counter in the establishment and asked where the inn was.
The person said blaise, "Upstairs. It will be six silver a night, with tub, pump and privy."
Sarah asked, "What about a week?"
The innkeeper said, "four gold, two silver. Room eight." She handed him five gold coins and he gave her eight silver coins. He handed her a key.
Sarah asked where she could get a horse and tack. He said straight on down to the left. She asked where to get men's clothing and he looked surprised at her. He said right then left on the right side called "Alok's Wearables". She nodded and went up to room eight. She emptied her pockets and filled her front two pockets with the gold coins, about forty or fifty, she guessed. She locked the room and went to the clothing store first. People kept staring at her and it was making her uncomfortable.
Sarah walked into the store and an older man in his fifties asked, "Whatcha be needin'?"
She said, "I need men's clothing." His eyebrows went up.
He said, eyeing her, "Ye need to not be seen as a woman?" She nodded. He led her to the young men's section of clothes. She bought five leggings in two black, two dark brown and one dark blue, five tunics in black, dark brown, hunter green, burgundy and dark blue. She got two black leather pants, a four inch wide black leather belt with three silver rings on each side, two pairs of boots in black and brown that lace up to the knees. She also got a heavy black cloak with a deep hood and four towels and four washcloths. She paid fifteen gold, eight silver and two coppers. She asked where the women's clothing would be sold. He told her two doors down at "Kaily's Clothes". She wore the cloak outside.
She went two doors down and bought a couple bars of vanilla soaps, a black long skirt, a dark green and a dark blue long sleeve peasant blouse, a black lace up outside corset, and twelve pairs of ladies underwear in linen.
She asked the lady, while she packed up her purchases, where the leather tanner was for saddlebags. She told her it was by the livery stables. It was cool and the beginning of November in her world. It seemed to match up to the same. She unloaded her purchases in her room. She got dressed in solid black, leggings, tunic, boots, belt and cloak. She had her hair in a thick braid down her back. She sheathed her knife from her world in her belt and put on her cloak. She left for the stables.
She entered the stables and was looking around. A big man with a short gray beard asked, "What canna get ye?"
She smiled and asked, "I need a horse and full tack."
He said, "Ah, I have three for sale. Me name be Gavin." He led her to the back of the barn.
He said, "This be Réalta (star), he be a gelding five years. This be Teine (fire), she be a mare three years. This be Nathrach (dragonfly), he be a gelding two years. Réalta and Teine be ten gold. Nathrach be fifteen." She looked them all over from their teeth to the shoes on their hooves. Réalta was a chestnut with black mane and tail. Teine was a white as snow horse. Nathrach was a black as night.
Sarah said, "Gavin, if I buy Nathrach, will you include the full tack with saddlebags and hold him for six days?" He chuckled.
He rubbed his neck and said, "Ok, I be givin' ye tha deal. A young girl on yer own needs a good rig and a horse tha can run fast too. Ye need to practice roughening up yer voice and keep yer face deep in yer hood. Yer face and voice will give ye away that ye be a girl. Yer safe in the town of Rósanna (roses), but not when ye leave."
Sarah said, "My name is Sar. Thank you, Gavin, I will." He got a saddle, blanket, bridle, saddlebags and put them to the back of the stall and hung them from a wedge nailed into the wall. Sarah took the saddlebags with her over her shoulder. She asked him, "Where can I find a longbow and a quiver of arrows and knives?"
He said, "Ye be looking at em'. Come see." She followed him into a room and it had every kind of weapon on the walls. She selected a longbow, a quiver of twelve arrows, a large hunting knife with sheath, a boot knife with sheath and a short sword with sheath to attach to her belt rings. She bought them all for eleven gold, six silver and went to the inn.
She put the boot knife in her boot. She left the hunting knife, short sword, and bow and arrows in her room. She grabbed thirty more gold. She went to the cobbler and bought large black saddlebags, a pair of black leather gloves, four large leather bags for her gold, four medium, three small bags, two coin purse/bags, and two large black leather tote bags that closed well for clothes. Ten of each of the leather scrap thongs and laces. A hand carved brush, comb and hand mirror set with Celtic knot designs carved in the wooden back and handle was pretty. She asked him if he made tents. He said he could but it may take a week. She said she was leaving in a week. He said he would have one by then for her. He sketched her a picture of a tent. She sketched one and showed him her design with wooden dowels and iron pin stakes. He got excited to create something different.
She went back to the inn and unloaded her stuff in her room. She went down for wine and food. The innkeeper had roasted chicken for dinner. She ate and drank while listening to the local gossip. When she retired to her room, she blocked the keyhole in the door so nobody could watch her and took a bath and washed her hair. She stoked the fire and laid everything on the bed. She took out her gold and started washing it in her leftover hair water in the tub. The gold was dirty from sitting in that cave so long. She washed it and dried it all. She began stacking and counting it. She lined the large leather bags with a gallon bag with a zip top. She stacked the coins in rows across as tight as she could.
When she was done, she had all included 1642 gold pieces, 28 silver, 33 coppers. Holy Crap! She estimated that the gold coins must weigh about a half an ounce. She split them into eight hundred coins on each side in the saddlebags. She estimated them to be twenty five pounds on each side of the saddlebags. She put forty gold in one coin purse under her shirt and her two gold, silver and copper coins in her other coin purse. It was a bit heavier but had a smaller coin value.
She started organizing her clothing and new boots along with all her accessories. Her clothes she wore from her world, she washed and had hung up by the fire to dry on her rope she brought in her backpack. Her backpack was waterproof and would be perfect for herbs, spices, dry goods, her pan, cup and spoon. She would look at everything the shops had to offer here in dry goods supplies before leaving.
It took her all week to get everything she would need for traveling safely. She had it all figured out how to pack up the horse with everything when she was ready to leave. In her backpack, she had dry spices, sugar, salt, loose tea, onion, garlic, a small jar of honey, a small jar of jam, dried meats, cherries, berries, nuts(shelled), mushrooms, flour, beans, barley, three potatoes, two carrots, a loaf of bread, and flatbread.
The tent was 8ft(length) x 5ft(height) x 6ft(width). It was in a thick bag sewn to contain two blankets rolled up, a bag of dowels with two extra, a drop cloth bottom to line the floor and the entire outside with twelve six inch iron pin stakes.
She tied the handles together on both of the black leather tote bags full of clothes to sling on each side of the horse in front and tied them to a ring in the front of the saddle.
In her front saddlebags that went behind the horses withers, she had cookies, half loaf of bread, chunk of cheese, two sandwiches of roast pork from the innkeeper, Bernie. He made them for her the night before and wrapped them and kept them cool overnight for her. The human innkeeper, Bernie, the human blacksmith, Gavin, and the Elven baker, Lilith, had all gotten quite fond of Sarah over the week.
Sarah had gotten to know the blacksmith, Gavin, the most. He explained things she didn't know about the world she was in. He thought she came from very far away and it was totally different. He wasn't wrong about that thought. He told her he would give her directions to safely travel through the Fairy Kingdom when she left. He told her that there were two kingdoms to avoid and four towns to avoid at all costs to the east and south east. He said the Centaur and Ogre Kingdoms enslaved humans and females especially. He said being she wasn't under any kingdom protection, she would have to travel in human friendlier kingdoms.
He said the Goblin, Fairy, Unicorn and Pixie Kingdoms were best to stay in, because the dwarven and elven kingdoms put a buffer between the other two. He drew her a rough map of the kingdoms in relation to each other; it was like a wheel of eight and the High Kingdom in the middle and a ring around it called The Outlands. Each kingdom was at a compass point, Fairy- north, Pixie- northwest, Goblin- west, Unicorn- southwest, Elven- south, Centaur- southeast, Ogre- east and Dwarven- northeast.
He told her that the four towns to avoid was Ceant (auction), Babhtála (barter), Sclábhaí (slave) and Damanta (damned) were in The Outlands in the east side. The town she was in was called Rósanna (roses), and was due northwest in The Outlands. The bad towns were all further east of here, like five days or more away. Her compass was the same as in her world so that helped to make sure she was traveling in the right direction away from anything dangerous.
She found that the Goblin Kingdom was to her west and the Fairy Kingdom was to the north. She figured she would travel northward to the Fairy Kingdom. She wasn't ready to go to the Goblin Kingdom yet. Gavin gave her the best travel route through the Fairy Kingdom. He wanted her to travel northeast to the town of Uiscebhealach (waterway) in The Outlands where she would cross a huge river by ferry. He said to follow in this order to see most of the Fairy Kingdom and get to the Unicorn Kingdom next. It was the town Áilleacht (beauty) to the northeast, the town- Cumhrán (perfume) north, the city- Blaáth (flower) northwest, the town- Cleite (feather) southwest, the capital city- Sióg (fairy) south, the city- Rince (dance) west, the town- Saor (free) southwest, the town- Gáire (laugh).
