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As a little girl Sofia had loved fairy tales. She’d loved the stories of true love and pretty dresses and magic in a world that seemed to have lost most of its own. And when her mother had married Roland, as close to royalty as they were ever likely to get, it had been a big adjustment. They lived comfortably, never wanting for much yet also never ostentatious with their good fortune. Except for perhaps one… her sister Amber had an eye for all that sparkled, and while originally there had been a bit of a rough patch when the union was still new, over time they’d become friends and sisters, no step required. Which explained the pain sticking at Sofia’s heart as she hurriedly raced along pathways, stopping every so often to try and get her bearings. She was a terrible sister, how could she have done what she did?
And yet, she’d been so frustrated, she’d argued with Amber countless times, trying to handle her sister’s somewhat selfish whims with poise, grace, kindness and understanding. Though she was used to having a sibling she didn’t necessarily need to compete with James in the same way she competed with Sofia. The biggest issue was the division of Roland’s time between the two girls. But Sofia had never meant for the words she’d said, she’d never meant to mean them. Wishing her sister away to the goblins, what in the world had she been thinking?
To be quite honest, Sofia hadn’t even been sure that anything would happen when she’d said the words. In this day and age it was ridiculous to believe in that sort of thing. But she’d had. And though she hadn’t honestly expected her sister to be swept away by a horde of almost birdlike creatures shrieking and hissing and just generally making a lot of noise, she couldn’t deny that in the moment, she’d wished that it all had been real.
Until their King, mysterious, malevolent, and not always put together if she were being quite honest, had appeared. He’d looked confused by the things strewn about the room, as though they were out of place, out of time. But he’d offered her a gift, in exchange for Amber. When Sofia had denied him, she’d been brought here. The Goblin kingdom, far off in the distance and between her and it a large and formidable looking labyrinth. At least she wasn’t alone in her journey though; she’d met Calista, a lovely young woman who seemed excited to have someone close to her age range to chatter on with. Calista had already gotten her out of more than a couple of scrapes. Though Sofia wondered if the Goblin King’s whims extended to wanting everyone uniform. The goblins she’d run across all had that same bird-like appearance and glossy black feathers poking out of their arms and legs, like they’d be able to take flight at any moment. Calista had the same black hair with tendrils of grayish white at the front to act as bangs, but her demeanor was nothing like that of the King she resembled.
And then there was Clover. A lumbering creature that looked a lot like a giant rabbit were it not for the fact that he walked on two legs. He certainly had a rabbit’s appetite though, nibbling at anything remotely leafy. That habit had certainly come in handy when they’d gotten lost in the hedges and Clover’s solution had simply been to chew their way through it. Of course, that didn’t help now , since you couldn’t eat an entire forest though Sofia was pretty sure if she let him Clover would give it his best shot. But that was a waste of time, something Sofia already didn’t have a great deal of. Thirteen hours, at least nine of them already gone. She was closer than she’d been at the beginning, thank the stars. But there was still no guarantee she was close enough to make it without having to worry. So onward they pressed.
It was a bad bit of luck, or perhaps the king’s surly temperament, but this just didn’t seem fair. After stripping her of two hours in what Sofia assumed was supposed to be a display of power but really came across as a petulant child trying to assert control, Sofia was now separated from Clover, and though Calista had yet again come to her aid, they were now both pressed against a cliff with dark looking waters below. And though it just as easily could have been her eyes deceiving her, Sofia was sure she saw something moving below the surface. Was it friendly? Was it not? She didn’t have time to test out either belief, and she couldn’t risk it being the former. When the ground collapsed under both of them Sofia expected a hard landing, but instead found herself bouncing on something soft until she hit the actual ground with much less of a bump than she’d expected all things considered.
“Clover!” she’d exclaimed, hugging the giant beast and nuzzling into his soft gray fur.
“Sofia!” Clover rumbled back, slinging an arm around her in return.
“Sofia…” Calista stood a short distance away, cowering behind a tree, “W-what is that?”
Sofia looked between the two, “Oh, it’s alright,” she soothed the younger girl, “This is just Clover, he’s a friend,” then she turned to Clover, “And Clover, this is Calista, she’s a friend too.”
Hesitantly, Calista went to meet Clover, who also swept her up in a hug, “Calista friend!” he exclaimed.
“So where precisely are we?” Sofia asked, looking around at where they’d ended up. The waters were dark, calm. And… oddly soothing to look at.
“Oh dear,” Calista worried her lip, “We need to go,” she tugged on Sofia’s arm, “This is Blue Lagoon, it’s mermaid territory,”
“Mermaid territory?” Sofia questioned as she followed behind Calista and then Clover followed behind the two of them, “That sounds amazing!”
“Trust me, it’s not,” Calista muttered, “Uncle Ceddy says they’re dangerous, that too many have been lured to their doom here.”
“Oh,” Sofia said quietly. It seemed like the magical world was much less magical and much more horrifying in real life.
But they were nearly out of the water’s reach when she heard it. A cry for help. Off a short ways in the distance it looked like someone was splashing around, at the point of nearly drowning and caught in something. There was a bridge which would lead them to relative freedom, but Sofia just couldn’t let the poor girl suffer, even though Calista urged her to move on over the bridge,
“I can’t,” Sofia told her as she stared Calista down, the latter having already crossed, “I just can’t.”
Calista sighed, “Well, hurry then,” she urged, looking incredibly apprehensive.
As it turned out, the girl in the nets was not only a mermaid, but a mermaid princess. And as thanks for her rescue she promised Sofia and her companions safe passage through the lagoon.
“I give you my word as a princess of the merpeople,” she told the girl, “You will never be harmed, for you have proven yourself a friend to my people.”
“Thank you,” Sofia nodded, “I’m Sofia by the way,”
The young woman smiled, “I’m Oona,” she replied, “Now what brings you to this place?”
“I…” Sofia sighed, “I made a mistake, an awful mistake and now… I need to get to the castle beyond the Goblin City and try to get my sister back. But I only have a little bit of time left.”
“The castle?” Oona tilted her head to the side, “Why didn’t you say so?”
From her hair she took a glittering comb, and with it in her hands she was able to part the waters until there was a path stretching as far as the eye could see. It went past where Calista was waiting for them, and continued on.
“This pathway will lead you far closer to the castle than that bridge will, I will even escort you to the edge of our territory myself, just to be certain no one else attempts to interfere.”
“What about Calista?” Sofia looked to where the young girl in red stood, anxiously observing the goings on, “She’s accompanying us too.”
“In that case,” with a flick of the wrist that held the comb a tendril of water rose up, took hold of Calista, and deposited her right next to them as they began down the open path. The ground was mucky beneath their feet from all of the water that normally rested on top of it. And Sofia was glad she’d been wearing sneakers when she’d set out on this little journey.
Though the path was straighter, it was certainly taking longer to traverse. Or maybe that was because the scenery was more or less constant and the same. At least when wandering through the rest of the maze there had been some changes of scenery. But Sofia wouldn’t complain, this would save her time, which would help her save her sister. At the very least, she hoped it would. Calista had warned her that nothing in this place was as it seemed, which meant she couldn’t take anything for granted. Was it wise to trust Oona? She didn’t know, but she didn’t have many other options at this point. Besides, Sofia was wont to believe the best in people. Even in the Goblin King, who she was certain was only doing his job.
Though, what he would want with a sixteen year old girl, Sofia couldn’t fathom. Amber was pretty, but a handful. She was surprised he hadn’t come to her and asked for her to be taken back. Then again, maybe Amber fit in better here. Sofia certainly felt like she did. Though she had plenty of friends back home, this was a place she felt truly at peace. Like she belonged here. Even though she knew she couldn’t stay. She had a life, and she couldn’t sacrifice it for a dream. But oh, what a dream this was. Fairies and Goblins and Mermaids and all sorts of wonderful, amazing creatures! Real magic that was used at the slightest whim. There was a pang in her heart at the prospect of leaving it all, just when she’d learned it was real. But Sofia knew what she had to do.
So caught up was she in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that she was falling a bit behind. At least not until her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in quite some time. Before her argument with her sister, if memory served correctly. Oh dear, what was she going to do? Her stomach gave another twinge that was almost painful in its intensity. She held onto her stomach, and felt a gentle touch at her shoulder,
“Sofia?” Calista questioned, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Sofia said through a smile, even though how she was feeling inside wasn’t exactly fine at all, “Just a little hungry I suppose,”
“Hungry?” Calista repeated, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Here,” from out of a pocket, she pulled a large, juicy looking fruit. But it was unlike anything Sofia had ever seen before. The color reminded her of a pomegranate, but the texture of the skin as she held it in her hands reminded her of a peach.
“What is it?” she asked Calista, turning the thing over in her hands quizzically.
“It’s a jewel fruit,” Calista answered, looking a bit fidgety.
"Thank you," Sofia replied, "But I couldn't take this, you must be as hungry as I am-"
"No!" Calista exclaimed, “Please take it Sofia," she begged. "Consider it a... a gift,”
It did look good, and Sofia was starving. Calista had been with her practically this entire journey, and she’d never steered Sofia wrong before. If Calista was giving this to her, then it was okay.
“Thanks,” Sofia replied, taking a big bite of the fruit. Flavor exploded on her tongue, sweet and crisp and juicy. The morsel melted in her mouth and Sofia swallowed, eager for another bite and ready to eat the entire thing whole.
But then… odd. She wouldn’t have expected the odd aftertaste she detected. A flavor she couldn’t put a name to, but that tingled on her tongue like carbonation. And the longer it lingered, the more familiar it seemed. But Sofia just couldn’t place the taste. She stared at the fruit, watching the red, almost bloody juices stain the stark white meat. A single bite mark. She turned her attention to Calista, who seemed to have been watching the entire thing with an expression of rapt horror on her face. Sofia’s tongue felt thick in her mouth, something she had to maneuver around in order to speak.
“It tastes strange,” her balance suddenly felt off kilter, and what little logical reasoning she had working at the moment deduced the cause. The fruit, “Calista,” Sofia gasped, feeling herself stumble back, “What did you do?”
Calista’s lip quivered, and she looked genuinely hurt by her own actions, “I never thought I’d say this,” she whispered, clearly speaking more to herself than to Sofia, “But I hate you Uncle Ceddy,”
And then she ran. Sofia tried to catch up to the others. To Clover and Oona. She might not have been able to trust them, but at least they hadn’t poisoned her. But the water only made navigating more and more difficult until at last Sofia found a shallow part of the tide closer to dry land and clambered out. Her feet were unsteady and the uneven terrain didn’t help matters at all. She fell against a tree, staring off into the distance,
“Everything’s dancing,” Sofia whispered hoarsely, attempting to swallow past the lump in her throat.
Rest, she just needed to rest. Even as she heard people calling out her name. Sofia slumped against the trunk of a tree, head lolling to the side and eyes shut against the way everything around her seemed to be moving. Spinning, dancing, moving in ways it should not be able to. Her head pounded and throbbed, but she felt strangely weightless despite it all. Like any pain was muted, noticeable, but only just barely. A slight breeze stirred her hair, it felt good. Sofia opened her eyes a crack and saw what looked like bubbles bobbing on the breeze. Oh how pretty. But then, in the bubbles, she saw tiny little people. And oh how pretty they were as well. With their ornate outfits, and their pretty masks. And then, there, in one of them… she saw herself, in a pretty dress as well. Looking like a princess.
StF
She’d never seen a ballroom quite like this. All draping silks and floating columns. But it was beautiful. People danced, giggling and laughing and chasing each other about the circular room. It was wonderful. Sofia looked down and gasped, her clothes. She was in the most beautiful gown she’d ever seen, with big puffy sleeves, and lace that went down to her hands, a giant hooped skirt and it was purple, but so pale it almost looked silver. As she moved, she felt the weight of heavy and likely ornate earrings swing from their posts, and in her hair she found a delicate crown of what felt like branches but was likely metal designed to emulate it. At her throat, something rather simple compared to the rest of the ensemble, was a teardrop shaped pendent, deep purple in color.
Unsurprisingly, though she’d been in fancy outfits for her dad’s business engagements before, Sofia had never worn an outfit like this, and as such found it a bit difficult to maneuver in. not that she had much place to be, so she simply stood, taking it all in. and then, then she saw him . With a mask held by a stem, he looked almost a fright, until he lowered his hand. And yes, there it was. There hewas… who was he again? Sofia couldn’t quite recall. Yet he seemed so familiar. Well, so handsome at least. She could feel the weight of his brown eyes all the way from where he stood across the room, the white strands of his bangs hanging ever so slightly in his face. So enchantingly beautiful, Sofia felt her mouth drop open and her breathing grow shallow. And then, as a couple waltzed between them, he vanished into the crowd.
Sofia didn’t know where the urge had come from, but she knew with every fiber of her being that she simply had to find the man again. To see him, talk with him, perhaps even dance with him, if he might allow it. Hurriedly she turned her head this way and that, trying to spot him in his midnight purple coat, the only one to be wearing such a color here. Every step she took felt like walking through molasses, or like she was attempting to move through water, movements slowed by the pressure of the material around her. It didn’t help that everywhere she turned she saw couples dancing, laughing, canoodling all in plain view, masks ensuring anonymity and yet at the same time encouraging brazenness.
Though at a glance everyone seemed to be ignoring her, Sofia still felt the constant prickle of eyes at the back of her neck. Like everyone was watching her. Like she was out of place here. Perhaps that was because she was the only girl not hiding her face, or that by comparison her outfit made her look absolutely pure, when the energy suggested things she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to think about. She knew that at sixteen she should be ready to date, should have found at least one person to share affection with. But she hadn’t, far too caught up in her tales of what everyone had decided was nothing more than make believe. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t wanted to grow up, but she’d wanted to experience the same love she’d read about all her life. The same kind of love her mother and Roland shared now. But here, and now, this place made her dreams seem childish, like it was nothing more than a delusion of what didn’t exist.
Aimlessly she wandered, losing more of herself with each step forward. She couldn’t remember what she was doing here, or if she was supposed to be here at all. Sofia could barely remember who she was at all at this point. All she remembered was that the man was the one she was supposed to find. The one who knew. He knew, he would show her what she needed to do. Sofia was absolutely sure of it. But where had he gone? Where was he now? The longer it took to find him, the more anxious she became. Like she didn’t belong here. It didn’t help that her colors were positively virginal compared to the clothes everyone else sported. Their eyes, their behavior, everything about this situation made Sofia feel like a total child, even though it was arguably supposed to be a dream come true. This was often how she’d dreamed of meeting her true love, her destined prince. But there was no prince here. There was no one, just a sea of faceless revelers.
And then, there he was. She might have expected someone as handsome as him to be surrounded by beautiful women in gorgeous dresses, all of them cut low enough to attract a fair among of attention. But no. He was all alone, hidden in a shadowy corner of the room. His eyes were piercing, light in the darkness, an almost golden shade of brown. Sofia stopped in her tracks, heart pounding loud enough she heard its echoes reverberate within her ears. Mesmerized, her mouth felt dry and her tongue darted out to lick at her lips, unable to move anything else. Slowly, he stepped forward, closer and closer. Closer to her, until he was right in front of her. So foreign, and yet so familiar. As if she knew him somewhere before. But she would have remembered such a gorgeous stranger, in his deep purple coat of crushed velvet, with those icy bangs in a sea of otherwise ebony hair. He held out a hand, which she gently placed her own one as it trembled, inside of.
With a gentle tug, he pulled her close, resting his other hand at the curve of her waist, no higher nor any lower. And suddenly they were spinning about the room, her skirts fluttering about his legs yet with both of them moving completely unencumbered. Sofia felt lighter than air in his arms, suddenly dizzy, and she tilted her head back to try and get some air to breathe. He spun them about the dancefloor, attracting the attention of everyone else. He treated her like she was special, precious. A jewel in his hands, that shone so brightly it was almost blinding. Though his lips never moved, she could hear his voice in her head. Whispered promises of golden mornings and valentine evenings. Which was so ridiculous, they were strangers to one another, weren’t they? He asked her to choose a new path, one between the stars, one with him. It was intoxicating, how he insisted he would be there for her, no matter what, if only she would choose him. And she wanted to. How desperately the fervent yes longed to drop from her lips, to give in and take all that he offered. But still something held her back. Stilled her tongue, kept the words unsaid.
Unsaid. Said. unsaid is said is said. What’s said, is said. Sofia’s head was now spinning for more reasons than one, and not all of them good. It was only now she realized how everyone watched them. How they stared. How they laughed and jeered. At her. Only at her. Wasn’t it funny, they seemed to say. How funny that a silly little girl would be foolish enough to believe words she thought had been spoken for her alone but now appeared to have been heard by all. And still he waltzed, spinning her about, until everything blurred into a cacophony of unintelligible sounds and colors around her. Over his shoulder she caught a glimpse of a gilded clock in the far corner; thirteen numbers on its face. And the minute hand striking the hour of twelve, the clock itself beginning to chime.
Time. time, she was running out of time! She had to go, she had to… she had to… what exactly? It didn’t matter why she had to leave, Sofia simply knew she had to. Besides, the taunting crowd around her was reason enough to go. But where could she? It was only as she broke away from her partner, and fought her way to the crowd that she realized there were no doors or windows here. Only the reflection of herself looking frantic and scared, very much like the child she now felt she was. Nearby she saw an empty table and chairs, all unoccupied. She bit her lip. Sofia hated to break things, but she didn’t have time to look for an exit. So she supposed the only thing left to do was make one of her own. Grabbing the back of the chair in her hands Sofia hefted it up and slammed it into the mirror-like surface of the wall. Like glass, it shattered, with rushing air pulling at her like a rip current in a rising tide. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run, so Sofia shielded her face with her arms as she was sucked out into the nothing and the world around her fell down.
StF
Feeling a headache throbbing at her temples, Sofia’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She found she was in a strange place, with piles of junk as high as a mountain scattered everywhere, smaller piles in between them. Oddly enough though, there were a couple pathways of beaten dirt that seemed to snake through along the ground. Still feeling pain in her head Sofia lifted a hand and realized there was something in it. A strange fruit, which she remembered taking a bite of in an odd forest. It had been given to her by… someone. But she couldn’t remember who. Not that it mattered, the once appetizing looking fruit now looked moldy and rotten. With a sound of disgust, she chucked it away and stumbled to her feet. Now, what was she supposed to do again?
Inside the castle beyond the Goblin City at the center of the labyrinth Cedric the Goblin King paced agitatedly, kicking a stray Goblin who dared be in his way. He was frustrated, perhaps even flustered. How, how? That had been some of his most powerful magic. And she’d broken free of it. That mere slip of a girl had literally broken his spell. And what was worse, he was almost relieved she had. He had dressed her up like one of her little dolls, the outfit a confection made of her deepest fantasies. Still so young, so innocent, and then she had looked at him like a mortal looked at a god. Like he was someone to be in awe of. How many eons had he spent resenting his post, this nothing of a kingdom with a bunch of idiots to rule over. When he was capable of so much more?
But then a little girl, a child by comparison to him, had wished with magic in her heart. And he had answered her call. He’d been the villain she asked for, but through it all, he saw how amazed and enchanted she was by this world, by him . Cedric had never expected Sofia to look good in that frilly ballgown, but she made lavender look mature and worldly, even as innocence exuded from every fiber of her being. His intent had been to scare her, to turn her dream into a nightmare. But when he had taken her by the hand he hadn’t been able to find the will power to do her harm. So he had settled for making a dream so sweet she would never wish to leave it, ensuring his own victory.
And yet, she’d defied him. He’d warned her not to and yet she continued to do it. But she never complained about her lot. The more he thought about it, the more Cedric realized all he had done since meeting her was to be what she wanted, to do as she asked of him. And what did he receive in return? Nothing. Well, that simply wouldn’t do. He had done all she had asked of him, so what could he ask of her? The answer hit him like a ton of bricks, not what he would have expected and yet now that he knew it all he craved. Her. He wanted her. To rule over her, if she would give herself to him. He could give her everything, if only she would submit to him. Let him be her King.
Too late, he realized, as he slumped back onto his throne. She’d eaten the jewel fruit. His special little present he’d ordered his niece Calista to give to her. Before he’d known better. There was no way she would remember anything now. She was as good as lost in the land of the junk dwellers. Cedric supposed it wouldn't have mattered either way. She was an odd little thing, wasn't she? A mess of contradictions; too old to turn, but too young to keep. Such a pity, such a pity indeed. Amber eyes glanced at the clock, then again -he thought with perhaps traitorous hope beating behind his breast- there was still time. And Sofia did have a knack for surprises, now didn’t she? Idly Cedric conjured a crystal and called up his challenger’s image within it, wondering just how Sofia would get out of this one, and though he wouldn’t admit it, almost excited to find out.