Do you know that nearly every chapter, bar maybe 2 or 3, start with Sarah's name? A habit I really must break...later.
The wonderful nothingnothingtralala sacrificed not only her time but some of her awesomeness to get this one polished, she is an absolute gem!
Serra hated the Labyrinth.
She had enjoyed her first week or so of living like a queen; she had been spoiled, flattered and indulged in the castle. It was short lived however. When she had started paying closer attention she had realised that her presence was acrimonious to the other inhabitants. She was viciously disliked, and it was harder to enjoy luxury when it was granted to you begrudgingly. Although the Goblin King was attentive, annoyingly so, his people were cold and distant, and she found them all so odd in manner and appearance that she could not rise above herself to bridge the gap.
Instead she tried to alleviate the tense atmosphere of the castle by walking the Labyrinth, but that was impossible too. Paths changed on her, tripped her or led her astray. Strange creatures bewildered and frightened her, and more often than not she was truly certain it was a nest of demons, rather than the fae kingdom the Goblin King had assured her of.
The moment she had arrived he had demanded something from her, payment for services rendered in granting her wish, a fine piece of trickery since he had never mentioned a price beforehand. More frustrating was that she could not remember what she had given him, a memory apparently, something unwanted, but now that it was gone she resented the loss, even if she couldn't remember what it was.
"Serra, are you lost again?"
The Goblin King's voice behind her made her grind her teeth angrily. It figured that the mere thought of him would act as a summoning; he seemed to dog her every step.
"What do you want?" she snapped, feeling the annoying flutter in her chest that happened whenever he was close by. Not love, definitely not, that much she was sure of, but it seemed something was very wrong with her body, and it betrayed itself the most when in his presence.
"Serra," he chided reproachfully, "if you do not give the servants a chance to get to know you…"
"Get to know me?!" she interrupted, "why should I? They won't even tell me their names; YOU won't even tell me your name, why should I do them any favours?"
The Goblin King sighed. "As I keep telling you, fae names have power, it is something they safeguard carefully. If you earn their trust they will share their names with you."
"And you?" she snarled.
"When you start to love me…"
"No," fumed Serra, "I'm not in love with you, and I doubt I'm going to be at this rate."
The Goblin King frowned. "I'm trying to be patient with you. Must you really defy me at every turn? Do you hate it here so much?"
"Yes!" yelled Serra. "I do hate it here. I miss my father, I miss my home. Everyone is strange here, there are no other humans and there aren't even other fae like you here either, only creatures."
The Goblin King's face became hard. "Something I am more than aware of. Those who are here are loyal to me, and they deserve respect."
"They hate me!" wailed Serra.
"They hate what you represent," muttered the Goblin King.
Serra eyed him dangerously. "What do you mean? Actually explain something for once, would you?"
The Goblin King let out a long breath and ran a gloved hand across his face. A moment later they were in the closed garden of the palace courtyard, each of them comfortably seated under a small gazebo, near the newly planted roses.
"Would you stop doing that? I have legs!" shouted Serra.
"Would you stop being a belligerent brat for five minutes?" roared the Goblin King. "Honestly, how do you expect me to explain anything with all this excessive whining?"
Serra snapped her teeth closed. It wasn't her fault she was upset, everything here was making her life difficult, it wasn't fair of him to blame her. The Goblin King gave her an icy stare, making sure she would indeed stay quiet, and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"The fae do not look into their personal futures. They can, of course, but choose not to, it's simply not done."
Serra opened her mouth, but the question died on her lips at the Goblin King's look. Apparently she must let him tell this story without interruptions.
"We live for a long time, and there is little that can surprise a long lived race; we have literally 'seen it all', as you humans say. For that reason we do not look on our own futures. There is little enough interest in longevity without having already seen all that is to come of it. We do look in on others' futures however, the power to see and reorder time, how can we not utilise it somehow? This is how my brethren came to see my future, and the love of a mortal girl which would define it."
She fidgeted in her seat. It was annoying that he kept bringing that up, she knew her own heart, although it was true that some part of it had recently become unpredictable. Even as she sat in this beautiful garden, surrounded by the sight and scent of the magnificent blooms here; even as she admired that he was more brilliant than all of them, she felt nothing for him.
"For an immortal to fall in love, it is very rare, but it is considered more of an oddity than an exceptional circumstance. To fall in love with a mortal… that is something altogether unheard of. It became something of a joke with my family, and then, unexpectedly, it was known gossip amongst the court. Like I said, there is little to interest such a long lived race, and this was an unknown phenomena, no one could remember the last occurrence, if there has ever been one. Soon it became the shame of my family, then my race, it was quickly considered abhorrent, who were we to mix blood with mortals? Who was I to desire such a companion, and to love her? It was repugnant to them. They asked me to give up my fate, change my path. None of them expected I would refuse.
I do not know if I did the right thing, all I know is that I have lived a long time and seen patterns repeat endlessly, but this thing called love, it would be something new, and it would be mine alone. For the first time in a long time I wanted something, and I chose it over my people and my blood.
They were outraged. Going against the wishes of the court was unheard of; I offended their dignity and their seat of power."
The Goblin King leaned back from his story with a faraway look in his eye. "I was banished here," he smiled, indicating the Labyrinth around him. "To stop me from overcoming the banishment I was trapped; bonded to the Labyrinth realm. The other fae realms are no longer open to me, although others can travel here, but there are few who bother. The human world is exempt from this banishment, obviously. The inhabitants who serve here are those who chose to come with me, those who were loyal despite my disgrace, all except the goblins, they have always been here. So I take the title of Goblin King, a mockery, nothing more; and my people have been twisted by the Labyrinth, by myself, because our shame and suffering is one."
The Goblin King gave Serra a long look before finishing his explanation. "So if it seems like they hate you it is because of what you are, not who you are. The mortal who disgraced their master, whose existence caused us to be trapped here, and I assure you that some of that hatred is mine to bear for what the Labyrinth has made of them since."
It was a lot for Serra to process.
So there was an explanation, but not a solution to her problems. The Goblin King and his people were here, in this desolate place, and this was partly her fault. That seemed rather absurd. What had she done to any of them? Someone saw her in a looking glass or some such, now she was the evil queen stepmother who had stopped them all of them from going to the ball? Ridiculous! If she had fallen in love with the Goblin King then it all might make sense, but she didn't really even like him all that much. She liked the idea of being a queen, but this kingdom… it was a dark and forbidding place, and she couldn't bring herself to love it any more than she loved the king who ruled over it, ironic title or not.
"What are you thinking, Serra?" asked that very king, interrupting her thoughts. He reached out delicately to brush a strand of hair from her face and she shied away from him. She couldn't help it; the response was almost automatic; she felt it was wrong for him to touch her, like it wasn't allowed. A cold shiver ran up her spine, something that was becoming rather frequent, and she rubbed her arms to comfort herself. The Goblin King looked mildly displeased by the denied contact but shrugged it off and leaned back in his chair. "Are you in love with me, Serra?" he asked.
She sighed loudly; perhaps he could read her mind. "No," she replied tiredly.
He stood, suddenly agitated. "You should be," he frowned. He stopped his pacing to stare her down, and then began to approach her chair: "You could be," he continued. Careful not to touch her, he leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "You will be."
Serra grunted. "You can't force it Goblin King," she replied.
"I saw it," he insisted, "I saw you. I have given up a lot for this love, you will love me."
Serra simply shook her head. He wasn't wrong when he said the fae didn't love, he clearly had no experience or knowledge of how love worked. It couldn't be forced, rushed or coerced; no matter what he might have seen, she did not love him, and it was fairly obvious that he did not love her, however eager he was for the sentiment.
"I was thinking of home," she admitted, leaving the unpalatable conversation for the inevitable reprise later on.
"Home," said the Goblin King, his voice remote. "Serra, this is your home now."
"No," she grated, "it isn't."
The Goblin King's lips tightened and he stared fixedly over her shoulder.
"I miss my father," she whispered.
He snorted; instantly she felt her hackles rise in anger.
"Is that funny to you? The fact that I still have family that love me and haven't abandoned me to some treasonous fae world is funny to you?"
The Goblin King's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Watch your words. We tread an equal path, you and I. You think your family are better than mine? Just because you can't remember what you've given up doesn't make it any less true."
Serra paled. What she had given up of her memory? Was that why things about her father seemed hazy? She could remember him when she was young, he was always laughing and boasting, they were close… but then it got murky.
"You took memories of my father from me?" she whispered.
"Traded," he muttered, "you traded them for a wish."
"How dare you," Serra snarled; her voice icy. "How dare you take my only family away from me and trap me here!"
"You wished to come here, and you gave me the memories freely," he explained quietly.
"Give them back." Serra knew she had no power to command him, but she could try.
He laughed. "You want them back? Do you have any idea what you're asking me to give back? Can't you even guess why you might have given them up in the first place?"
She scowled. "Obviously I can't because I have no memory of them," she said pointedly, "are you going to tell me?"
He faltered. "I can't; you gave them up. I can't just fill you in on something you've handed over as payment; it would negate the whole process."
"That's exactly what I want, negate it, give them back to me. I don't want you to have them anymore."
The Goblin King gave her an incredulous look. "You can't be serious; you don't even know what you're actually asking. You have every right to reverse the wish, if that is your intention, and you can take those memories back, but you go back also."
"Good," agreed Serra. "I hate this place, I want to go back."
"You don't understand," he growled. "You go back, even by your realm's standards time has passed, you'd be returning days later with the wish undone. You wouldn't have travelled to the Labyrinth; you wouldn't have made the wish."
Serra tossed her hair waiting for him to get to the point.
"You'd be dead," he said dryly. "Or did you think your king had no intention of carrying out that punishment?"
A chill ran up her spine.
"So bring me back to life."
The Goblin King snorted. "What am I, a necromancer? A wish can only do so much and you can't pre-order them, hard to make them as a corpse."
Serra stomped her foot and felt her blood heat. This was a good opportunity, she could go back home and she could get her memory back, why was he being so difficult about it?
"Wait," she said, realising the full scope of his power. "You said you can reorder time; do that, re-order it so that it's the day that I left when I reverse the wish."
His face became shuttered. "No," he murmured. "The human realm is not a part of that branch of power, the consequences of re-ordering time in that realm would be severe. I have disgraced my people enough as it is; I will not further darken my reputation."
So she was stuck, or was she?
"If I want to reverse my wish you have to let me?" she asked.
He went very still. "That is your right," he hissed through clenched teeth.
She had power here.
He was desperate; he truly believed she was to be his future love; would he let her endanger herself? No, she very much doubted he would. If she could push him…
"Goblin King," she smiled, "I would like to reclaim my memories and reverse the wish."
"Serra…" he warned.
"It is your duty as the wish granter to let me do this, isn't it?" she asked.
"You don't know what you're asking. You'll be dead, a corpse, days have passed there since your execution if you hadn't made the wish."
"I want to reverse my wish," she repeated, "right now."
It was as if she had unleashed a tornado.
Harsh winds lifted her and she felt her body spin off into a grey void of blurring images and sound. She was thrown about like a paper doll, buffeted on different currents of forceful air which snarled beneath her weight like animals. Perhaps this was death, or limbo. Perhaps she had not forced the Goblin King's hand at all; but even as she thought it must be true, she landed hard on the cold stone floor of her prison cell in the palace. It was still scattered with straw, but now she was just as dishevelled, that same straw sticking out from her wind tousled hair.
She was not dead, and before her crouched the Goblin King, his hand over one side of his face, he was shaking. Tentatively she reached out towards him.
Snarling he backed away from her touch, dropping the hand from his face. Serra saw that one of his pupils was now fully dilated; it did not readjust when struck by the dim light the cell had to offer.
"What -" she started.
"Damn you!" he cursed. "Do you know what you have done?"
Serra clenched her hands together nervously, she had forced him, it was only right that he would be angry.
"It's gone," he whispered, holding his hand back to his eye again. "My future, the future of my blood, anyone tied to me, I can't see any of them."
Serra shook her head in confusion. "What happened?" she asked.
He laughed hoarsely. "I was punished. One does not reorder time in the outside realms, but you left me no alternative. Now I can't see any of them. My only window to the outside and my family, and you've taken it from me."
She swallowed deeply. There was a terrible pain inside her chest and she was near doubled over by it… perhaps she was dying after all? He had warned her that there would be consequences from reordering time here, but she had forced his hand. Now she had reclaimed her memory, what she had thought she wanted, and it was a heavy blow.
"Worthless," she muttered, "these memories are worthless."
He let out a painful bark of laughter at her declaration.
"Isn't this what you wanted? Aren't you happy?"
She had made a mistake. Now she was once again trapped in a cell on the night before her execution, and all for the memory of a drunken, abusive parent.
"I have to get out of here," she whispered.
She looked up at the four neat scratches, marking her four days in the cell, or very nearly now. The Goblin King's laughter still echoed in the room, but it sounded more like sobbing as it rebounded off the cold stone.
"You have to get me out," she demanded, turning back towards him. She had already proven she had power over him, although it seemed that it had very nearly broken him. She didn't want to bend him to her needs again so soon, but her options were limited – in fact they were obsolete. He was the only one who could help her.
He raised his head from his hands for a moment, a twisted smile marring his features. "You must be joking," he drawled.
"No, you're right, that will only lead me back to where we were," she babbled. "What I need to do is turn this straw into gold."
The Goblin King continued to stare at her, his uneven pupils unnerved her.
"What I want is... I wish that you would turn this straw into gold!" she said. It was hardly a wish, more of a command.
He started laughing again, a harsh laugh, directed at them both.
"And I will trade you my necklace this time," she continued. "Something unwanted, right? Memories are just going to be trouble."
Coughing, the Goblin King stood, breathing heavily from the exertion of his unbridled hilarity. Panting, he looked coldly down on Serra, as she sat on the floor twisting her hands nervously.
"Give me one good reason why I should accept your wish," he snarled.
Serra looked up at him, finally meeting his odd gaze for the first time. She had one, and it was the only thing he couldn't ignore.
"Because I'm all you have left," she said.
A/N Well I just reread all of this myself to make sure I'm not missing anything as I walk slowly to the finish line, I did find one thing I should tie up, so it was a worthwhile exercise. Re-reading this was weird, some of it I seriously do not even remember writing, partly because it was so long ago, partly because my wonderful Beta, nothingnothingtralala, turned the phrases to be much neater than they were.
TheUnquietDead: Thanks for pointing out the 'Sarah', rather than 'Serra', all fixed now, it's certainly difficult to behave myself. I doubled checked this chapter, just wait till I have to switch back...
Aleta Wolff: Hmm reincarnation... I'll leave that as readers choice, I won't rule it out though...
Jetredgirl: Aww thank you! I'm sad I missed the Labby fanfiction boat by... several years... but still it's nice to add something to the other exceptional stories out there!
Smiles1998: Hahaha I hope this section will meet with your presumptions... okay, that's a lie, I really do prefer to surprise you all - but it's nice if the story is flowing in a direction and people can feel what we're moving towards as well, that means I must be on the right path!
Honoria Granger: Speaking of surprises! Poor Jareth is in control of nothing this chapter, I do so love to torture the poor monarch. I think we all know who we're barracking for on the pairing of the two (especially after this chapter)
qiana: I live to overreach myself (apparently ;D) You picked Serra's personality early, I wanted to start subtle - mostly it was overshadowed by the pity everyone would feel over her situation. This chapter it becomes very apparent that Serra and Sarah are not as similar as they might have first have appeared to be (you are attentive as always!). You are quite right, there are reasons that Grimm's Fairytales were accepted as they were in their day, and why Disney alters them so thoroughly in ours, it's really very interesting to think about what was accepted then and now. As such I still must 'fix' the tale for this time period, but for it's own time I must admit there is no fault.
Morefindiel: I am sorry to leave you distraught (still), I'll keep the chapters rolling out so we can find our way back soon!
Obsessive360: So answers... some... but not really the ones were looking for yet hmmm? They are on the way, promise.
LingeringSentiments: I will tell you that he is NOT present, I don't consider this much of a spoiler as it's part and parcel of the whole 'no power over her' thing, he even said himself he had no power over her dreams (long ago in like chapter four or something I think) :D
Lilac: And here it is! I'm always excited when I get guest reviews, thanks for taking the time to let me know you're enjoying it, I thrive on reviews and they fuel the new chapters *warm glow*