Edited A/N: Sprang from the head of Zeus, fully formed, in the shower. All my good ideas come in the shower. Gone over the grammar a smidge, nothing major. Somebody on the List asked if I was going to continue, and I might, as a separate story. I do warn you... that I've written up part of the second chapter, and there is humor. So if you prefer this with the feel it has already, then don't read the rest if I ever finish it. Or post it. Or... anything, whatever. XD
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With a soft, almost sad sort of smile, Sarah held the dress reverently. It was a bit too small now, but it brought back memories of days spent in the park with Merlin, of dress-up with her mother, of impromptu plays acted out for her father. And most of all, the Labyrinth. Most everything from her room did, really.
An idea came upon her, and with a gleam in her eye, she shimmied into the dress, which was now just a bit too tight in the chest, but all the same, wearable. With a grin, she curtseyed to the mirror, before a giggle overcame her and she spun about happily for a moment, reveling in the feel of the long skirt billowing about her ankles. After a few minutes of this, she collapsed on the bed dizzily, eyeing the half-filled boxes in her room with trepidation. She knew she needed to pack for college, which was only a week away, but a part of her couldn't bear to sort through her childhood so purposefully. With a sigh, she stood back up to continue packing, but something caught her eye. The music box her mother had given her sat there on her dresser temptingly. She'd put it away three years ago, determined to be rid of her silly childhood 'junk'.
Almost without thinking, she walked over to the delicate little trinket, winding it carefully and setting it back down on her vanity. The lilting sound of Greensleeves filled the air, but Sarah heard an entirely different melody, and soon found herself twirling about the room, eyes closed as if in a trance. If she tried hard enough, she could still feel the Goblin King's arms around her, still hear his voice weaving such pretty nothings, still see his time-blurred face as he gazed at her intently.
The song ended, but she still danced with her imagined partner for a few more moments, reveling in the memories. Finally opening her eyes, she was surprised to see her father leaning against the doorframe, a wistful smile on his face, and his eyes gentle.
"Penny for you thoughts?" he asked her. She smiled, and gave him the traditional reply.
"Well, if you give me a penny, and I put my two cents in, what'll happen to the other penny?" His eyebrows rose, and she gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment, before answering. "Just reliving old memories."
Her father looked like he was about to ask what in the world she meant by that, but changed his mind at the last minute, stepping into the room with her and winding the music box again. With an extravagant bow, he took her hand and winked at her. "Will the lady grant me a dance?" he asked mock formally, and she laughed.
"Why, of course, good Sir," she replied with a curtsy, he swept her into his arms and lead her about the cluttered room carefully, only stepping once on her toes. She smiled up at her partner, before he raised his eyebrows in that familiar manner which told her he was about to tease her.
"And hast the lady found another love?" her father asked her in an affected, deep accent. She bit her lip, staring off to the right for a moment, before answering carefully.
"The lady... doth know not."
"And who might this dashing rouge be, that has captured the lady's affections?" came the next question, the tone a bit more serious.
Sarah quirked a smile at her dad. While she may have been a good actress, she was horrible at lying to her dad, or to Toby. "The Goblin King," she replied in a serious tone, looking her father straight in the eyes.
The smile returned to her father's face, though different now, almost resigned. "Well, then, I suppose I had better dance with you now, while I still have the chance."
Sarah gave him a watery smile, leaning her head against his chest as he twirled her around the room. "Don't worry, Daddy. You can always dance with me." Her father smiled broader, but it was almost bittersweet.
"My little Princess is all grown up, isn't she?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else, and Sarah nodded silently, enjoying the feeling of her father dancing with her, knowing she wouldn't be seeing him for months after this.
A few minutes later, Sarah reluctantly pulled away from the dance. "Karen wanted me downstairs to help sort some of my laundry into things I want to take..." she explained, gesturing towards the open door, and trotting downstairs.
Left alone in his daughter's room, Robert sighed. All grown up, his Sarah was. He sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, before a small red leather-bound book in an otherwise empty box caught his eye. He picked it up gently, running his thumb over the worn cover. "Labyrinth... Sarah used to love this book," he said slowly to himself, before realizing that he had never actually heard the story. Sarah's infatuation with the tale, while only lasting six months or so, had been deep. But he had been so preoccupied then, with Karen and Toby.
Flicking the book open, he began to skim through it, before ending up on the second-to-last page, which was worn and crinkled from many readings.
"Give me the child," he read aloud, a bit amused. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way back to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child you have stolen..." he trailed off, reading the rest silently, before setting the book back in the box he had found it, and going to walk out of the room, pausing at the doorframe thoughtfully.
"Goblin King... huh."
And with that, he walked out of the room.