Chapter 2

It was another bird. The moonlight glinted on its feathers, making it look pale. My falcon heart skipped a beat; I had heard stories of the goblin king transforming into a white owl to watch over his kingdom. On closer inspection, however, it turned out to be not a handsome white owl, but a rather lopsided magpie. It was flying dizzily around in circles, as if one wing had no idea what the other was doing. It dipped and zigzagged around, finally colliding with a castle wall. I zoomed down after it, but not fast enough to catch it. To my surprise, the moment it touched the ground it touched the ground, it transformed into what appeared to be an old woman.

"Why don't you look where you're going?" scolded the old woman. She was short and stocky, with a wrinkled face and wild, frizzy hair. Her dress and shawl looked like she had never washed them. I quickly transformed. The old woman dusted herself off (to no avail, of course), and gave me a very serious look. "A word of advice to you, young woman. Never play around with dark magic, or you might end up as a magpie!" she said.

I just stared at her, wondering if the fall had been harder than I thought. I didn't know where I had landed, or how far I was from the castle. We appeared to be in the forest, complete with glistening moss and grotesquely-shaped trees. The old woman suddenly jumped in surprise, as though she had only just noticed me. She narrowed her eyes skeptically, saying, "Who are you, hmmmmmm?" I told her my name. "And, what are you doing here, hmmmmmm?" She demanded. "I…..I'm lost…." I lied, not about to tell her my plans to sneak into a royal ball. The old woman's tone softened a little. "Well, you're not gonna get very far in the dark. Com on, let's find a place to camp out," she said, starting through the trees.

The night that had seemed so silent while I was flying, was loud and eerie while I tried to sleep. I awoke many times to strange sounds and once to the smell of smoke, but in the darkness I saw nothing.

When I awoke the next morning, the old woman seemed excited about…something. She seemed very impatient for me to get up, saying,

"No time to sleep in, dear, ooooooh no. Got to get started before dawn, we do!" The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet.

Leaving before dawn didn't appeal to me. After a long flight followed by a fitful night's sleep, I was exhausted, and after the drama of the fire I wanted desperately to do something familiar, like hunting by Jareth's side. "I must leave, my mother's waiting!" I said. I didn't like lying, but I needed an excuse to leave. "That's right, dearie, run along and play, yes yes yes,". The old woman seemed very distracted, so I took the opportunity to transform. Soaring above the forest, I could see the old woman wandering around below me, quite possibly lost. The sun was rising now, and I could see the castle silhouetted against the golden sky. Any moment now his Majesty would be waking up. The castle was still very far away, so I grasped the gown I was carrying and took flight.

The goblin city was abuzz with excitement. Through every window I could see a goblin frantically preparing something. Goblins were running about I the streets carrying scrolls and baskets, occasionally barreling into each other. Once I had to swerve sharply to avoid getting caught in a goblin collision and dropped the dress. I had to swoop down to catch it before another goblin mistook it for her own.

Finally I carefully his my parcel on a tree branch, and fluttered down to the royal garden gate. I was late; Jareth was already there, looking slightly impatient. Apparently he too was affected by the excitement in the city; he was frustratedly squinting at an extremely messily-written scroll. His expression brightened when he saw me, grateful for any distraction from the scroll. I considered finding out what was written on the scroll, but Jareth seemed impatient for the hunt.

The woods were silent as usual, with a few birds and animals rustling about as an exception. These weren't the wild, dangerous woods that were home to the caravans, where wolves lurked at night, and thorns and brambles tore at the skirts of wandering gypsy women. The royal woods were quiet and serene, with tall, straight trees filtering dappled sunlight onto the leafy forest floor. The hunting was surprisingly easy, and soon we were strolling through the woods with a full hunting sack.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud shuffling, as a short goblin with a long nose tore out of the woods as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. Jareth was ready to dismiss the goblin, but decided to let him stay, as he wasn't carrying any scrolls.

"Your Majesty!" The goblin bowed so low that his nose brushed the leafy ground. "Your majesty!" he repeated, "I delivered twelve invitations!" Jareth motioned for me to go hunt, but I hid in a nearby tree. Jareth was looking down at the goblin with a puzzled expression. "Twelve?" I heard him say, his tone confused but with a warning edge. "Grizak, how can it be that you delivered twelve invitations, when I specifically asked you to deliver thirteen?" He knelt to Grizak's level, a menacing glint in his mismatched eyes, and said quietly, "what happened?"

Grizak, frightened by Jareth's soft but dangerous tone, began to babble, "well, your Majesty, I got all twelve done, I did, then all I had left was the other one so I went into the woods but the girl, the mortal girl from aboveground, I couldn't find her so I sat down and waited and I started picking mushrooms, a nice bouquet of mushrooms to convince her, an' I guess it took awhile 'cos it got dark and somethin' chased me out an' I still got one left!" The stammering goblin reached into a leather sack tied to his belt and produced a small white envelope which Jareth took. Jareth's voice was still soft, but his eyes were furious. "Grizak, you had two weeks to deliver thirteen invitations, and when you could have been finishing the job you were picking mushrooms? You've wasted too much time. The ball is tonight, and you have failed to deliver my most important invitation." He stood up, towering once again over a terrified Grizak. "Luckily for you, I have someone else who can deliver the invitation. I'm going to give you another chance. Give this list to my accountant before the ball, and this time, try not to get distracted!"

With that he gave Grizak the scroll he had been studying and sent him away, satisfied with having gotten rid of the scroll and Grizak at the same time. He called me back to him. "I'd like you to give another letter to Sarah, my friend. Make sure she reads it; I think she'll find it…very interesting. But hurry, the masquerade is tonight!"

"Never again." Sarah's eyes flashed as she said this. I pleaded once again with her, but she insisted. "last time I attended one of those, I almost forgot who I was…I can't" As much as it tortured me to do this, letting Jareth down would be twice as painful. "Last time he was trying to distract you, but what is there to distract you from this time? He's changed, Sarah. At least give him another chance…" "No." Sarah wouldn't give in. "I don't trust him, and I hardly trust myself."

She handed the invitation back to me. "Here. You can go in my place, Evangeline. Maybe he'll give up when I don't show." I tried to sound sad as I bid her farewell, but my heart was soaring. I didn't have to worry about how to get into the masquerade. I had an invitation from his Majesty himself, and all I had to do was get ready. I transformed by the castle gates and quickly retrieved my gown, finally landing beside a woodland pond glistening in the sunlight. I whispered my reverse-spell and looked at my reflection in the glittering pool. I had some work to do; my dress was torn and dusty, my hair was tangled with leaves and thorns, and my bare feet were scratched from my adventures in the woods. I decided to start by bathing; I was much too filthy to attend a royal ball.

The water was freezing. The bath took much longer than I had planned, for the rocks were slippery, and each time I tried to climb out I would slide back into the water. Finally I reached out to grab the leaved of a nearby willow tree. I began to haul myself out, when suddenly something walked right into the clearing, startling me. I let go of the branch and half fell, half dived back into the water.

"Yes, yes, I though I'd be seein' you again!" As I brushed my dripping hair out of my face, I saw the old woman examining Anastasia's down. "Well look at this! A ballroom gown! Ooooohhh, and a letter too!" she turned to me. "What does it say?" "It's….an invitation. To the ball. Tonight." I said quietly. "hmmmmmmm," she said. "And I suppose you're getting ready now?" "Yes…." I said. She eyed me suspiciously, as she had a habit of doing. "You're a lucky one, yes yes yes!" she said. "This is no ordinary party. Do you know what this is?" she asked, brandishing the envelope. "Uh, an invitation to a masquerade, " I said, not knowing what else it could possibly be. "NO ordinary masquerade!" she said explosively. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked left and right, as if she was telling a deep, dark secret. "This isn't just ANY ball," she said, "this is THE ball, when for one evening, every goblin in all of the goblin city can take human form! But they must wear masks! If any man or woman should take off their mask…" she paused dramatically, then exploded again, "POOF! They're a miserable little goblin again! But I can see you're not a goblin…" she squinted at me. "Well, what are ya? Elf? Human?"

"Elf."

She took a good long look at me, then shrugged and went back to examining Anastasia's dress. She looked at me sharply and said,

"The ball's tonight, you know! Yes! You'd better hurry up and get ready, you had! No time to take a swim now, dearie, oh no! You just wait here…put the dress on while you're waiting…" she charged off into the bushes, shouting back to me, "Now don't you go anywhere, I'll be back before you know it!"

As the sounds of her crashing through the underbrush grew fainter and the woods became eerily silent once again, I grabbed the willow branch and clambered out of the pool. I picked up the down. The satin and lace were slightly faded with age, but its burgundy folds slid gracefully over my fingers. I held it at arm's length, then loosened the ties in the back and stepped into it. It was as if it had been made for me; even the stiff bodice fit perfectly. I tied it in the back, then stood to admire my reflection. For once I didn't look like a poor, wandering gypsy; I looked like a rich and stately lady of some royal court, attending a ball with the kingdom's finest lords and ladies. I could picture myself dancing in Jareth's arms, my hair woven with silver and pearls.

"Well, don't you look lovely, yes yes yes. Now all we need to do is your hair…"

The old woman dropped an armful of twigs, vines and flowers. "Now you sit down and let me take care of this," she said. I sat obediently and tried to keep still as she tugged my hair this way and that, muttering to herself all the while. Finally she stopped and stood back to admire her work. "Not bad…..not bad at all….." she said.

I stood and returned to the pond to see what she had done. My long hair was piled on top of my head, held gracefully in place with willow branches and delicate, deep-red wild briar roses. "Put this on!" she said, rummaging in the pile of junk on her back and producing a delicate silver necklace with tiny ruby flowers and silver leaves. When I put it on, I hardly recognized myself. Gone was the young, nervous Evangeline, and in her place was the mysterious princess from a foreign land, beautiful and richly dressed. I daintily picked up the mask and raised it to my face, tying its red ribbons beneath the tiny curls falling about my neck. Nobody would ever have guessed that I was but a disreputable gypsy. Tonight I was a princess.

The sun was beginning to set in the western sky, bathing the forest in molten gold. As the light of sunset touched my invitation, it burst into flame. I watched in wonder as the flames vanished with the envelope, leaving behind one perfect peach. A royal invitation. Hesitantly I picked it up. It was perfectly round and ripe, its yellow skin blushing a deep red. I raised it to my lips and bit into it, feeling an excited tingle in the pit of my stomach.

It tasted sweet and perfumey. The sunset, the trees, the wild luster of the pond were swirling before me. Small round shapes were dancing all around. One came closer and closer to me, until I was sitting inside it. It carried me over the forest, past the castle, over the field where I had been gathering herbs just the day before, and towards the huge, iridescent sphere. I got closer and closer, until I could see shapes moving behind its pearly surface.

Suddenly I was in a lavishly decorated, circular ballroom. Richly-dressed, masked dancers whirled around me. Golden chandeliers dripping wax stalactites hung low from the enormous domed ceiling. Throughout the room, a haunting melody echoed, played by an unseen orchestra, and mingled with the sounds of laughter. There were glass tables piled high with food, which the guests were enjoying indulgently. Suddenly I felt out-of-place among the wild, decadent crown, in my dress and mask that seemed to be dwarfed by those of the richer ladies.

As I tried to make my way through the crowd, I was pulled into a shallow, cushion-lined pit by a young woman with auburn hair and a thin black mask. "who are you?" she asked, friendly but perhaps slightly drunk. A young man with curly black hair sat down on the other side of me and said, "I know who she is. Don't you recognize me, Annabel?"

Not bothering to ask who Annabel was, I pulled myself away from the pit just as the young man went to put his arm around me. Looking over my shoulder I saw him get up to follow me, sway unsteadily and fall backwards into the pit, bringing forth a wave of laughter from his companions.

Slightly shaken by this creepy encounter, I began pushing aimlessly through the crowd in search of an empty space among the dancers. Feeling more out-of-place than ever, I was thinking of leaving, when a familiar face caught my attention.

He stood alone, away from the crowd, looking for all the world like he was trying to make himself scarce. He was finely-dressed in a deep blue velvet tailcoat. He looked so handsome, but something wasn't right. The look on his face was one of sadness and disappointment. I felt a pang of guilt for being here instead of Sarah, who he had surely hoped to see.

Gathering my courage, I wove through the crowd in his direction. Sfter all, this was what I had come for in the first place.

"Jareth?" I said. He looked up at the sound of his name, and only then did I realize that he wasn't used to his subjects using it. "Your Majesty," I said, curtsying respectfully. "What is it?" he replied quietly.

"Is something the matter, your Majesty?" I asked, as gently as I could. He looked at me again, and a strange, searching expression crossed his face, as if he expected something extraordinary to happen, but when nothing did he sighed and closed his eyes. "Nothing….this masquerade isn't going quite as I hoped, that's all."

"Is it Sarah?" me and my big mouth. Why couldn't it keep shut? The searching expression returned to his eyes; he seemed to be looking for any clue to who I might be. Suddenly I was thankful for my mask.

"How do you know Sarah?" he asked cautiously.

"Word gets around," I said, not sounding very convincing.

"You're not a goblin, are you?" he asked. I couldn't lie to him.

"No…..I'm not," I said meekly, hoping he wouldn't ask me more. To my great relief, he didn't. Instead, a heart-stopping smile spread across his face.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked suavely. I curtsied and took his hand, trying not to blush.

From the moment we began to dance, all was strange and magical. The music changed as he took me into his arms and we swirled across the ballroom. I felt weightless, like I was dancing on air, and the entire ballroom was a blur. He led the waltz gently, and I remembered vaguely what Anastasia had said about his dancing. This, I thought, must have been how the girl in the white dress felt.

The dance lasted for all of two songs, but still I felt it ended too soon. Before he disappeared among the crowd, he took my hand and pressed it to his lips. I fought the urge to swoon.

The summer night was peaceful and warm as I swooped this way and that, spiraling around the castle's towers, happy to be alive. The music was still echoing in my head, and my heart flew as if it too had wings. The world was my home, and even the labyrinth looked friendly. Giddy from the evening's excitement, I landed on a stone windowsill, just big enough for me to sit on when I transformed. It looked in on a majestic hallway, with a line of torches casting eerie shadows on the floor. The hall was deserted except for two figures, faintly silhouetted in the shadowy hall. One was a short, stubby goblin who I recognized to be Grizak. The other towered over Grizak, but by its thuggish posture I knew it wasn't Jareth. The shadowy hulk turned to lumber back down the hallway, but then it stopped and looked right at me. Its red eyes glowed like dull embers.

I left the windowsill with haste, transforming in mid-air and soaring though the reddening sky. Far below me, I could see a gypsy caravan cutting a path through the dense forest, and wondered how I would explain my absence when I returned…if I returned.

It was a long and relentless flight as I aimlessly circled the forest, looking for a place to spend the night. The flying thrill brought on by the peach and the dancing had faded into exhaustion. Finally I could fly no longer. I dove into a clearing and slept the moment my talons touched the ground.