Chapter VII
It was the Goblin King's luck that the sun was never keen on setting over his Labyrinth. It lingered here for ages, and now, it as it lingered over the remnants of his kingdom, the afternoon warmth kept him alive, as well as his hope for reforging his connection with Sarah. Three aboveground days had passed, and he had recuperated enough to think clearly again.
The dream connection he had undertaken, though very draining on him, was working. She was starting to pay attention to some things her mind had been trying very hard to ignore, and that meant that she would soon start questioning her journey through his realm and finding certain inadequacies in her theories, giving him a slim chance, but a chance never the less.
Unfortunately, he could not control his power as well as he needed to, and his emotions took control of him when he sang to her in her dreams. That was what really drained him, more than anything else.
Still, there was no turning back, and he needed to see her again.
Although her attempt to convince herself that he does not exist was bringing him dangerously close to despair.
He watched her, waiting for her to drop asleep and ease the gates to her beaten down and denied fantasies.
It made him incredibly sad to see her do this to herself, to see her afraid of her own imagination, which was one of her loveliest traits and most powerful tools. – To see her lock it up and shut it away into a dark oubliette – to forget about. Was she so frightened of him as to inflict this on herself? Why would she ever think he would, could harm her? He loved her, did she not understand? Did she not see?
No, no she didn't.
Somehow, she was blind to that fact.
The remains of his Labyrinth were looking worse and worse each day, soon to be a desert or maybe just a junk heap.
But he could bear loosing his kingdom if he didn't have to face loosing her. His fae aspect disagreed, but was again ignored.
What did it all matter, he thought? What did he need it for if not for her?
He walked along an old abandoned road, in a field, in seemingly the middle of nowhere. She could see his figure from her vantage point, high on a hilltop, behind an old tree. He walked slowly, as though without a thought for where he was now or where he was going. His voice was on the wind, talking to her, calling to her. She knew very well that is was a dream, and refused to be frightened. He could do nothing – let him only try.
A stone's throw from you
I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight
And through a million stars were shining
My heart was lost on a distant planet
That whirls around the April moon
Whirling in an arc of sadness
I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand
And fall into the sea
I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you
He stopped walking and stood still. Somehow knowing where she was, he turned in her direction and continued, taking a few steps towards her now and again. Sarah deliberately did nothing, telling herself that it was a dream, and nothing more.
And from the dark secluded valleys
I heard the ancient songs of sadness
But every step I thought of you
Every footstep only you
And every star a grain of sand
The leavings of a dried up ocean
Tell me, how much longer?
How much longer?
He was coming closer and closer now, and Sarah's fake indifference was becoming too much of an appearance for her to keep up. She saw him clearer now, and saw that he was looking straight at her, as though she was in plain sight and not hidden behind the trunk of a huge tree.
Saw his eyes.
They say a city in the desert lies
The vanity of an ancient king
But the city lies in broken pieces
Where the wind howls and the vultures sing
These are the works of man
This is the sum of your ambition
I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you
He would soon be able to reach out and touch her, and he didn't look like he planned to stop before that point. But Sarah couldn't move. A apart of her wanted this, wanted to encounter him again. It was fascinated, watching him come closer. This situation seemed so familiar to her. As though it had already happened in some different setting. Although then, he did reach her and, then, she hadn't pulled away…
And I have never in my life
Felt more alone than I do now
Although I claim dominions over all I see
It means nothing to me
There are no victories
In all our histories, without love
She listened hungrily, almost letting him in, almost willing him to come close. He looked at her again, questioning.
Unable to breathe from the intensity of that stare, she turned away and sank down onto her knees, closing her eyes and leaning back against the tree trunk, behind which, she knew, he stood and looked at her.
Softly, he sang again
I'm lost without you
I'm lost without you
And though you hold the keys to ruin
Of everything I see
Sarah looked up in surprise at those words. How could that be?, she wondered, and gasped. He was right in front of her now, sitting on his heels, his haunting face inches away from her own. His voice dropped down to a whisper, and she could feel the air move across her face as he said:
Though all my kingdoms turn to sand
And fall into the sea
I'm mad about you
I'm mad about you
She shut her eyes, curling into fetal position, wanting to wake up and get away from the intensity of the moment, and hating herself for it. She grasped for something to pull her out of this nightmare-turned-fantasy and dear old habit lent a helping hand. Toby's crying had always been just the thing to interrupt her day-dreams. Except soon, she realized she was not just imaging it.