It was like something out of a dream. The city, the castle, the goblins. It was like something out of my nightmare. Was this my nightmare? Was this what I been cursed with my entire life, seeing this city in my nightmares until one day I might actually come here? Or was this still a dream, a nightmare?

Eevan didn't talk much, but I could tell he was disappointed when I refused to wear the gown he had brought me. He led me through the castle in silence, holding lantern to guide us through the more dim corridors without windows. He hadn't told me where we were going, only that we needed to get there relatively soon. I didn't want to follow him, but it wasn't like there was a whole lot of other choices. He looked so familiar, like I had seen him before. He hadn't been the man from my nightmare, but something about him reminded me so much of that man.

"Lady Avery," He finally spoke to me, "I would advise you to look him in the eye, don't be afraid, even though he wants you to." He gave me this advice, and something about it made him feel so…human. Up until now I would have thought he was just another goblin, but now he seemed so normal. He seemed concerned and comforting, even if just for that brief moment before he opened the large doors we now stood in front of.

The room was large and round, with large windows. In the center circle shaped section lowered from the rest of the room, like a pit, in front of a large chair I could only assume was some sort of throne. Eevan walked in further and I followed after him, the doors slamming shut behind us. I turned a bit, trying to take in the entire sight of the room when I noticed we weren't alone. There was another, the man Eevan told me about no doubt, sitting on a window ledge, looking out at the Goblin City. Without even seeing his face I knew; he was the man from my nightmare.

He wore a cloak with the collar up around his face, I could only see his eye because of how he was sitting. His eye had dramatic make-up lining up his temple, and I could see his hue turning to look at me from the corner. "My King," Eevan spoke in the silence, "May I present to you, Lady Avery." I watched this man's movements carefully as he turned in his seated position to now face Eevan and myself. His white blonde hair fell long, and a few rebel strands down in front of his pale face. His eyes could have stabbed me right through the heart the way he was looking at me, his entire expression to match. I felt weak. He stood to his feet and began to move to close the gap between us. I did my best to do as Eevan had told me, to not be afraid.

"Lady Avery," The man spoke my name in such a rough voice, in such a calm voice. "You look nothing like your sister." He whispered, as if he was disappointed. His eyes moved to take Eevan into his sight and he nodded at Eevan simple, not speaking a single word. Eevan then left so quickly I almost wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been paying attention. Now I was alone, alone with this man who Eevan said I was supposed to be afraid of; and I was. His eyes were back on me and I just stood there frozen in my fear. I tried to seem ok, like I wasn't scared but I knew he could tell I was. He smiled at me, some strange smile like he could tell how I feeling and it made me cringe a bit. I saw him lift his hand, bringing it towards me and placing his cold palm up against my face. I was almost afraid to breathe as he let his fingertips trail down cheek, run along my jaw line, all while he kept his eyes on my own. "You will love me Avery. You will be happy here. You will have powers you could never have dreamed of, all as long as you love me. Do you understand me?"

I said nothing to him, but I had a feeling my silence instead of denial was answer enough for him. He moved his hand now, off my face and back to rest at his side. He sighed softly, looking down at his feet. He seemed hurt, yet even as he stood there so vulnerable and emotional something about him still struck me in a way that terrified me. "I trust you can find your way back to you room?" He asked me, now looking back up at me. I nodded, slightly confused by his question. "You're not a prisoner here Avery, this is your home now, and you may go about your life as you wish as long as you follow a few simple rules." He stepped closer me, I barely seemed to reach his shoulders. Again he said to me, "You will be happy here."

Just as swift as Eevan had gone, now this man had left. He hadn't even told me his name. I stayed there, in the round room for a while, looking at it in its entire bland and boring splendor. I thought back to Eevan, calling this man a king. King of what? The Goblin City? A man ruling over goblins? No, he wasn't a man; he was something far worse.

I retraced my steps from throne room back to the room I had woken in. I didn't know what to think at this point. A part of me still thought maybe I'd wake up at any moment, but another part of me knew this was real. I couldn't explain it, but somehow all of this was actually real. My reality I had been living for so long had been completely turned upside; my reality that goblins didn't exist and I was a simple girl from Nyack, New York. Now I wasn't and now goblins did exist. This was my new reality, and I was supposed to be happy with this.

I made it back to my "room". I looked out the window, it was starting to get dark out and I walked over to watch as the sun set on the city. I saw the sun disappear behind the large stone walls, I wondered how far they really went. I sat on the window ledge, watching as night consumed the sky and the stars came out to shine in the darkness. There was a certain calm over the city that earlier had been so busy and loud. It was peaceful now, and I could hear insects buzzing, seeing lightening bugs flickering, here crickets chirping. I hadn't even been paying attention to the fact that now my room was basically a black hole, and when I did finally turn away from the window I could barely see anything. I moved and tried to walk forward a bit, but slammed myself into a chair.

"Careful." I heard a voice say softly to me. Without seeing I knew it was Eevan. I saw a match light, and I could see the soft features of his face in the dim light as he lit a candle.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough. I didn't want to disturb you, you looked so peaceful." He smiled softly in the soft light as he went around the room to light more candles for me. "You're scared of him?"

"Who wouldn't be?"

"I'm not."

"I imagined you're more used to him than I am."

"I was never really scared to begin with. Once you're afraid of something, or in this case someone, it's hard to ever really escape that fear." He shook the match, riding it of its flame before seating himself in the chair I had ran into. He sat very still, straight back and proper, with his hand folded elegantly in his lap. I sat myself on the bed, trying to mimic his posture but finding it far too uncomfortable. "By tomorrow you're new room should be ready for you. This simply won't do, not for you."

"How long have you been here?"

"As long as I can remember."

"Why am I here?"

"That's not my place to tell you."

"Who will?"

"Don't worry Lady Avery, everything will become clear to you soon enough. You just need to be patient."

"I have been. For twenty years I've lived my life with these nightmares, wondering what day they might stop, always wanting answers but never getting them. I've been plenty patient, waiting for my answers, and now that I'm here I don't understand why I have to wait any longer."

I saw something in his eyes, almost a look of understanding as he stood from his chair and moved closer to me. I wasn't afraid of him as he did this, and watched as he kneeled down in front of me and took my hand, "I'm sorry, Lady Avery, for everything that's happened to you and for everything that will happen. I wish I had no part of this, but I have no choice. My bonds here are far more extreme than yours, and I wish that wasn't case. I wish I could save you, because it's truly not fair, but I can't."

"Save me from what?"

"Jareth." He said that name and without any further explanation I knew he was referring to. Jareth was the king, the Goblin King.