The 12 strucks could be heard all over the house. The old grandfather clock warning that it was midnight, even though there was no sign of anyone awake at this time of the night. There was however someone awake in the house. In the second floor of house, in one of the rooms a young woman was sitting in the dark. Her legs where pulled up towards her torso, arms hugging them as her dark green eyes were kept on the window beside her.
Heavy rain was smashing towards the window and every other second, the night sky was being light up do to the lightning bolts that were dancing over the night sky. For every light bolt, the room was lit up for just that one second before falling into darkness once more. A lightning bolt was hitting close to the house, making the glass window shake in the force. Just a few seconds later a cry could be heard through out the house, a cry that made the young woman turn her head from the window. The sound of moving feet out in the corridor made the woman turn her head towards the window once more, following the flow of the rain drops as they were slowly falling down the window.
Memories from 10 years were slowly flowing back to her, memories from a night where the sound of a crying baby and rain had been mixed together. Remembering her biggest mistake and how hard she needed to fight too correct that one mistake made. Closing her eyes hard, Sarah Williams tried to push those old memories away from her mind once more, now was not the time to think back at something like this.
As the thunder storm was starting to grow stronger, another memory took over Sarah's mind. This memory were taking place just the night after the first one. The storm had been worse, Sarah had been sitting in the same spot. However, there had been another person with her in the room, a woman that had just walked out from the shadows when the clock had strucked 12. That was the night Sarah had learned something that had turned her whole life up side down, this was however, the only time that she had meet this mysterious woman.
Lifting up her hand in front of herself, she moved her fingers a bit too see a green spark jump between them. A sad smile broke out on her face as she sees how week the spark really was, when she had first learned about the truth her magic had been stronger. But 10 years of waiting in a world with very little magic had made her own grow weak. As another lighting bolt lit up the room, a pair of yellow eyes could be seen from one of the shadowy corners. Sitting properly, Sarah closes her hand in a try to focus all of the magic she has left into her palm in case of emergency.
"Wh... Who's there?!" She asks, she was trying to keep her voice steady only to fail on that part.
"You do not need to worry my lady. It's only me." A female voice answered the question and a second later, a woman walks out from the shadows.
Seeing who was once more standing in front of her made Sarah calm down, relaxing in the chair she let the magic calm down once more.
"Prim." Was the only thing she could now get out, her voice was weak this time around.
Hearing how weak her voice had been when she spoke, the woman takes a few quick steps forwards. Standing right in front of Sarah now, she could get a proper look at the woman. Her blood red hair had been pulled into a low horsetail, same way that it had been 10 years ago. At a closer look, one could see that her eyes had a more golden tone to them, eyes that was now shining with worry. The woman had not seem to have aged a single day during these past 10 years, now they seemed to be in the same age.
"My lady, is something wrong?" The woman asks, pulling Sarah back to reality once more.
"I'm only a little tired." She answered the woman, happy to finally being able to admit to that.
"My lady, I'm so sorry that I made you wait. It was never my intention that you would need to stay here for as long as you have." The woman, Prim, told her. She reached out a hand and took hold of Sarah's.
"Everything is alright Prim, I know that time works in a different way down there." Sarah answered her.
This answer made Prim smile towards her, a smile that Sarah could not help but to return. However, when Prim's smile suddenly disappears and she looks away from her, she knew something was very wrong. She had always imagine this meeting turning out in a different way, what was happening now is not something she would have imagined at all.
"My lady, I come in front of you to do what I had promised. I'm here to take you back home. I just wished the circumstances had been different and that this could be a happy occasion." Prim starts to explain, she was very careful when she spoke and she kept her eyes on their hands.
"What happened?" Sarah asks, she had taken a deep breath in a try too seem stronger than she felt in that moment.
"War has broken out. Last night a group of orcs attacked our land." Prim starts to explain.
Sarah looked at the woman in front of her, blinking a few times out of surprise. War? How could there be war? When she had run the Labyrinth 10 years ago everything seemed to be good and Prim never mentioned any problems when she showed up the first time.
"My lady, we need you down there now. I can't carry on pretending to be the one in charge of the land. I'm head of the guards if this keeps up we will lose the land. The time had finally come for you to take over your grandmother's crown." Prim continued to explain.
Sarah had closed her eyes now, this was to much to take in at once. She wanted to go, she had too, if she stayed up here for much longer she would not last long. Her lack of magic was a prof of that. Then there was the part of protecting her father, Irene and Toby. She couldn't just leave them here without a proper protection.
"A powerful protection charm has been created, your family here will be safe if you leave." Prim tells her, having understand what Sarah had been thinking about.
Opening up her eyes once more, Sarah took a deep breath before nodding her head.
"Take me back home." She then tells Prim who quickly stands up.
"As my lady commands." Prim answered, standing up once more.
With a snap of her fingers, the room around them started to fade away. The last things Sarah could hear was how the old grandfather clock stricked 13 times. As a new room was taking form around her, Sarah looks around herself. Feeling how magic was flowing through her body now, Sarah smiles big as she takes a deep breath.
"How do you feel now my lady?" Prim asks, she was keeping a close eye on Sarah as she was looking around herself.
"I'm feeling so much better." Sarah answered her, turning her head to look at Prim.
Turning her head to the side once more, Sarah soon realises that Prim had taken her to the throne room. Behind her was a large chair that Sarah slowly moves towards, her hand moving over the arm of the chair. Standing beside the chair, Sarah turned her head to the side to take in whole room. Taking in yet another deep breath, Sarah looked towards Prim once more that was giving her a smile.
"That is good, you have two days to rest up properly before you will meet the high king and the court that your land belongs too." Prim tells her, Sarah's eyes grow a bit at this.
"Where will this meeting be held?" Sarah asks, slowly sitting down in the chair.
"In the castle beyond the Goblin City." Prim told her, she was being a bit careful when she said it.
Sarah's eyes grow big at this, she didn't really believe what she just heard. Leaning back in her chair she looked ad Prim out of disbelief.
"Please tell me that you are joking about this!" Sarah then told her, only to have Prim shake her head.
"I know that you do not like the Goblin King. However, this meeting is very important. You need to have the court on your good side of you wish to have help if the land gets attacked once more." Prim starts to explain, only to stop when Sarah holds up her hand.
"Did my grandmother trust these people?" Sarah asks, knowing if this people were good friends to her grandmother then she should give them a chance.
"Not as much as the high king would have wished." Prim told her, this made Sarah lift one eyebrow in a questioning way.
"Your grandmother created her own court, a court made of friends that she had made. People who would do anything to help her in the time of need." Prim the continued to explain.
"I want to meet them before I meet with the court." Sarah told her before she even realised she had said the words.
Prim looked at her in surprise. A smile was soon growing on her face and Prim bows.
"I will see what I can do." She told her, her head was held high now.
"You might want to sleep for a few hours my lady. I guess you stayed awake all night up in the above." Prim then points out, at this Sarah nods her head and stands up.
"Lead the way." Sarah told Prim who quickly leads her out from the throne room.
Walking down one of the many corridors in the castle, Sarah made sure to memorise how they were walking. Last time she had walked through a Underground castle she had ended up in a room that was only stairs. Then again, there had been a male fea who had been following after her, singing, as she tried to get too her own little brother. Prim soon stops in front of a door, she takes a step to the side to let Sarah open up the door herself.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah opens up the door and she could feel how her eyes grow big once more. The room in front of her was much more bigger than the room she had have back in the Above. In the far back there was a large four post bed with forest green drapes. To her right there were two doors, one leading to a bathroom and another to a walk in closet. To her left were a pair of glass doors leading out to a balcony, sun rise could seen through the doors by now. Looking properly to her left, Sarah could also see a small table and couch placed right in front of a large fireplace.
"Wow." Was the only thing she managed to get out.
"Only the best for the Queen of Seir." Prim told her with a grin.
Sarah turns around too look at her, only to see that Prim was bowing once more.
"I'll let you rest now. After all, I need to track down your grandmothers old friends." Prim tells Sarah before walking away from the room once more.
Sarah looks after her, feeling how she was starting to smile once more. Closing the door, Sarah turns around and starts to walk towards the bed. She wasn't really sure if she would be able to sleep anything, however, the second her head meets the pillow she was out cold.
-X-X-X-X-X-
A shadow was standing in the opening to the large forest, it's eyes were locked on the castle laying a few hundred yards away. The navy blue eyes were narrowed and the person soon turns around too return back into the shadows once more. Deep in thought, the hooded person didn't realize someone join.
"She has returned." The second person pointed out.
The hooded person simply rolled his eyes at the obvious comment.
"This doesn't change anything." He points out, the voice cold.