The Daydreamer and the King
By Danika Lareyna
Chapter Two – A Gift
Sarah awoke the following morning feeling cheerful and satisfied. She stayed in bed for a while, relishing the feeling of the sunshine falling on her through the window. She spun a quick fancy for herself of being a sleeping beauty, locked in a tower to await the gentle kiss of her true love. Instead she was aroused by a pounding on her door and the voice of her stepmother insisting she stop lazing about in bed all day.
"Foul woman," a silky voice purred near her ear. "Come away with me, my sweet, and I will make her your chambermaid if you so desire."
Sarah's eyes flew open to see the smirking face of the Goblin King smirking at her from his place by the window. Purposefully taking her time to stretch and rearrange her long nightgown around herself before turning to face him, Sarah said, "Jareth, I hope you have not been staring at me all night despite my wishes." She firmly told herself not to blush at the thought of him watching her sleep.
He snorted. Sarah felt a stab of jealousy that he could make even a childish snort seem regal and dignified. "I am afraid, my dear girl, that I have more important matters to attend. The minor matter of making sure that goblins do not pull my kingdom apart at the seams, for instance."
Sarah stood and began straightening her bed. "Then why are you here? I know a horrid little five year old down the street that no one would miss if that's what you're after."
Jareth looked intrigued but shook his head, reminding himself of his true purpose there. He held out his hand and gathered light to him, forming a perfect, shining sphere on his fingertips. "I've brought you a gift," he told her.
Sarah eyed him nervously, looking, Jareth thought, charmingly innocent with her long, white nightgown and braids. "What is it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
His hands went into motion. "It's a crystal, nothing more. But if you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams. Do you want it?"
Sarah looked into his eyes, trying to decipher his intent. "What is the price?" she asked.
He smirked at her and, with a tiny movement of his hands, the crystal ball arced through the air towards her. She caught it easily as he said, "A gift with meaning, freely given."
Before she could reply, he was gone.
Author's Note:
This chapter is awfully short- but at least now I have an idea of what I'm going to do with this thing. nn Yay!