Chapter One:

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl who was the heir to the throne of a kingdom. Her father, the King, was a gentle soul who deeply loved his wife and daughter and her mother, the Queen, had her whole life circled around her beloved daughter. So, the young princess had a loving childhood, with two caring parents and anything she could ever want,

But unfortunately, things could not stay that way forever.

When the princess was ten, her beloved mother had passed away, leaving the girl alone with her heartbroken father. The girl was strong though and had learned to get over her mother's sudden passing and, after the last of her child years, had blossomed into a beautiful sophisticated rose.

The girl's growth was not the only thing to have happened after the years of her mother's death. No, her father's heart had too eventually moved on and he had remarried to another widow who was a duchess in a neighboring kingdom. And so the duchess, along with her son who was a few years younger than the princess, had come to live in the castle and become a part of the family and when the princess was fifteen, her half brother was born.

Now the duchess did not like the princess at all. Not only did she provide the King with a constant reminder of the women who his heart truly belonged to, but also she was the entitled heir to the kingdom, which the duchess wanted her son to gain.

So the stepmother, who had a talent of scheming, came up with a plan. Since no woman was allowed a place on the throne unless they are wed first, the duchess made the princess practically a slave. The girl had to clean the floors, help in the kitchen, wash the windows, and most of all, had to take care of her fussy half-brother. Her stepmother never let her out of the castle anymore, and her father, who had a gentle soft nature that did not like to fight, did little to stop it.

Now the girl was not without suitors before this treatment had fallen upon her, and what no one knew, was that the King of Goblins had fallen in love with the girl. And upon seeing the girl so stricken with the suffering of the constant abuse of her stepmother, he had given her certain powers. Anything that she would ever wish for, he would give it to her.

But the girl was not one to so easily wish for something, so the King of Goblins watched and waited, waited for a moment when he could finally woo the girl whom he loved.

But the King of Goblins was not a patient man, and when he had to wait, his mood had become rather malicious. So the Goblins, who did not want to deal with his dangerous mood, snuck into the princess's room one night and waited for her.

It had been a hard day for the princess. She had been forced to help wash the whole great hall and had to stay home to take care of her half brother, who was become ever more spoiled from his neglect to discipline him. And to make matters worse for the princess, she was not allowed to go with her family to a party where her best friend, whom she had not seen for a year, would surely be there.

So she was close to tears as she was finally able to retreat into her bedroom, eager to just crawl into her bed and cry until she had fallen asleep.

As she shut her bedroom door, she stiffen as she thought she heard something skitter somewhere in the dark corners of her room. Slowly turning around, she strained her ears some more and nearly jumped as she heard it again.

Gathering her courage, she said in the most threatening voice she could muster, "If someone's there, come out."

She strained her ears again and swore she had heard something snickering under her bed.

"If you don't come out, I'll scream and then you'll have to deal with the guards, And, believe me, they'll be much less understanding than I." The princess threatened again.

This time, silence cut through the room and finally, after a long stretched minute, a dozen little creatures slowly peeked their heads out from their various hiding spaces all around her room. Though she had never seen one in person until now, the princess had seen plenty of drawings from books and had heard many stories and descriptions to know that these ugly little brown creatures were Goblins.

"What are you, Goblins, doing in my room?" The princess growled at them, narrowing her eyes and not liking the situation one bit.

The Goblins all snickered and then said in unison, "Why, we have a present for you!"

"What is it?" The girl asked, surprised and still completely suspicious.

"Say your right words," The Goblins said, "and we'll take the baby to the goblin city, and you will be free."

The girl gasped with shock at the offer, wondering why on earth they would give her such an offer. They're devil's pets, the girl recalled someone once telling her. They know of your worst intentions and whisper in your ear like a snake, goading you to do what you know in your conscious isn't the right thing to do.

So the girl shook her head angrily and said, "You won't be taking the baby, now leave or I'll strike you with a broom!"

But they just laughed again and said, "It won't be as if we'll eat the baby. The baby will be fine in the Goblin City, fine and happy. So say the right words, and we'll take him away!"

But the girl knew that the King of the Goblins would keep the baby in the castle forever and forever and turn it into a goblin, like all of the stories she had heard before.

So she shook her head once more and said, "You'll not be taking the baby, now leave!"

"Mark our words, young princess, it'll be you that wishes the baby away." The goblins crackled and with gleeful laughter they vanished, leaving the princess with wide eyes and a paling face.