Violet
Still do not own anything…
A Short Side Story:
"Once upon a time, in a land not further than a few misspoken words, there was...are," the mother corrected herself, "two kingdoms full of goblins and fairies governed by the Fae folk. The Fairy Kingdom and Goblin Kingdom are always reigned by the Goblin King and his sister the Fairy Queen."
"The Fairy Kingdom oversees the dreams dreamt by the humans and creatures who live in the aboveground," she said to her twin sons. "The fairies are gentle creatures to the unconscious humans, always making sure they have pleasant dreams and not night terrors. Have you ever started having an unpleasant dream and it changes to something happy?" The mother asked the two heads that were bobbing up and down with wide smiles. She smiled down at the two red heads. "That is the fairies sprinkling fairy dust over you to help you dream something more pleasurable."
"Now the Goblin Kingdom is different," the mother spoke more sternly. "The Goblin King grants wishes. Anything you wish for, good or evil, if you wish upon the goblins he will grant it...even your dreams or night terrors, but you have to give him someone in return." The two five-year-old boys unconsciously shivered at the warning tone their mother's voice held.
"A person?" The boys asked apprehensively.
"Yes," the mother answered. "Long ago, before our world and the muggle world were two separate realities, there was famine and overwhelming disparagement of families with more than two children because most of those parents could not afford to feed more then four mouths so those parents began to wish that the goblins would take away a child or children."
"Why did they do that?" One boy asked.
"Did they not love their child?" The second asked sadly.
"No child," the mother said firmly. "They loved their children with all their hearts but they simply could not afford to feed their children. In hopes of their child getting a warm meal and a nice bed to sleep in the parents would wish their precious children away. Now when the parents wished away their child they became horrified at their words. The Goblin King gratefully took in these children and offered the parents a chance to return their child, but the parents had to earn their loved one back by running a labyrinth to reach the castle in the centre."
"Was it a big castle?" The first boy asked eagerly.
"With dungeons and chains and goblins?" The second asked excitedly. The mother laughed.
"I have never seen the castle personally, but I am sure it is full of goblins. I'm not so sure about the dungeons or chains," the mother smiled at her enthusiastic sons.
"What about the labyrinth?" The boys asked simultaneously, making their mother laugh light-heartedly.
"The labyrinth is filled with untold dangers," she said perilously. "One must always avoid the Bog of Eternal stench, lest the Goblin King makes you the prince of the Land of Stench forever, and you will never have the pleasure of smelling a rose again because the horrendous odour of the Bog overpowers the flower's delicate scent. If one gets even a small drop from the Bog on their person they will forever reek of the Bog and will spend their life in loneliness because every person they come upon will avoid them because of their stench." The boys sucked in a horrified breath at the thought of forever living in loneliness because they would smell that horrible.
"Then there are the fieries," the mother said in a terrified tone. "Those creatures love to take their head off their shoulders and juggle with it, but one must always take caution when they come upon one of these creatures," she warned. "They will try to remove your head, which is impossible for us mere humans," she sighed. "It is best to avoid these creatures all together."
"But it is always best to avoid the fairies when awake," she warned. "They can be nasty little creatures and have a dreadful bite."
"You said fairies are gentle," the boys said.
"The fairies are only gentle when one is asleep," the mother corrected. "It is best to leave a fairy to its business when you are awake and it will avoid you, unless you persist in pestering the small creature."
"What happens if the mum and dad don't earn back their child?" The first boy asked.
"That would be sad if they could not earn their child back," the second said solemnly. The mother sighed.
"Some parents do have a hard time earning back their child," she answered her sons. "The Goblin Kings uses his labyrinth to test the parents love for their child and their desire to right their wrong of wishing them away. If the Goblin King does not feel the parents deserve their child back he won't offer them clues or guides inside his labyrinth to help the parents make their way to his castle and the child will become one of them and live in the underground, becoming one of them."
"One of them?" The boys queried.
"What does that mean?" The second boy asked.
"It can mean a lot of things," the mother answered. "It can mean the child becomes a member of the Goblin Kingdom, or a goblin, maybe a fairy who is always watching over the humans dreams. Maybe the child becomes a Fae like the King and Queen who rule over the Fairy and Goblin Kingdoms," she shrugged.
"What if the child wants to go home?" The first boy asked.
"It is up to the parent to earn their child back," the mother answered. "Or he or she lives forever in the underground, they cannot come back to the aboveground. Maybe the Goblin King erases their memories so they won't bother him with requests to return to this realm."
"Can anyone wish a child away?" The second boy asked.
"Or can only a parent wish a child away?" The first asked.
"Siblings have wished their brother or sister away, but they always regret their words in the end," the mother said sadly. "Now you two go to sleep," she lightly ordered her sons, tucking their bed sheets under them and leaving a kiss on their temples before extinguishing the lights and closing their bedroom door.
"George?" The second boy whispered after so many minutes of silence.
"Yes Fred?" The first boy, George, whispered.
"Wouldn't it be cool to run through the labyrinth?" Fred whispered excitedly. George turned onto his side and smiled widely at his brother.
"And steal a fiery's head!" George chuckled.
"I want to explore the castle!" Fred exclaimed.
"Shh!" George shushed his twin brother. "Mum will hear us."
"Do you think there really is a Goblin Kingdom and a Goblin King?" Fred asked his brother.
"Only one way to find out," George smirked.
"Wish me away!" Fred practically bounced on their bed. George paused.
"How did mum say to do it?" He asked.
"Umm..." Fred's brows furrowed.
"Wish on the goblins!" They both said simultaneously.
"I wish the goblins would take you away!" George tried not to shout. The two boys waited for something to happen. George and Fred frowned when nothing happened. "Right now?" George added. Thunder roared through the sky and lightening flashed past their bedroom window. George jumped and reached for his brother's hand, only to feel the now flat bed sheets. "Fred?" George whispered, trying to be brave when he felt he was now alone in their room. The small child slowly crawled out of bed and pulled up the covers to check if his twin was hiding from him under the bed.
"What are you doing?" George jumped up at the stranger's voice.
"I-I'm looking for my brother," he answered cautiously. "Fred." The stranger lifted an eyebrow and smirked.
"I hardly think you would find your twin under your bed," he drawled.
"Wh-who are you?" George asked. The stranger smirked.
"Jareth," he answered. "I am here to offer you your dreams." George gathered his courage and stood up straighter.
"Are they good dreams or night terrors?" He asked. Jareth's ensuing laugh filled in the silence of the room. George instinctively jumped back at the sudden sound.
"I assure you what I offer you is good dreams," Jareth smiled.
"What will happen to my brother if I take my dreams?" George asked. Jareth paused.
"He will become one of us," the Fae answered simply. "Forever," he added imperiously. "You should take your dreams," Jareth advised. "It is better than the heartache and headaches that siblings cause."
"But Fred doesn't give me headaches or heartaches," George frowned.
"Now he does not," Jareth answered. "What about when you two are older?" He asked. "Do you really want to share everything with him?" George's brows furrowed. "Take your dreams George," Jareth said lightly. George looked up at the Fae with a determined face.
"My dreams include my brother," he said. "Without him I would be missing one half on my soul. I want my brother." Jareth frowned inwardly but gave the young child a smirk.
"You have thirteen hours," he pointed to a large labyrinth behind George. The young boy gaped at the image, unconsciously taking small steps towards the outer walls of the labyrinth he was to solve, and leaving his bedroom behind. "Use them wisely," the fading voice whispered.
I know I have been apologising for late updates lately, life has just been getting in the way :p
I decided to post this chapter without editing first and filtering out my mistakes…please forgive me and I hoped this short side story was enjoyed…I promise to fix my mistakes later..