Chapter One

Sarah fiercely clutched her old, moth eaten teddy bear to her chest, squeezing as tight as she could to her oldest of companions. Throughout her twenty years she had treasured her Lancelot, he was her plaything, her friend and a makeshift tissue for her tears. He even sometimes endured her tantrums, although those were somewhat in the young woman's past.

However, on the day Sarah sought out her old friend from the cardboard box marked "Sarah's Toys" she felt that this was the time when she had needed the bear the most. She had clawed through the box, tearing out books, dolls, figures and other stuffed animals. The young woman even heard the twinkling of an old music box, but it was her bear that gained her full attention. After, she stole him away to her small bedroom, concealing them both under the duvet of her bed, just like old times.

"Oh Lancelot," she soft voice murmured near the bear's ear, which had been slightly gnawed from the times the bear had spent with her baby brother. "It's been such an awful day."

The bear was silent, it's black, shiny eyes staring into the darkness of the sheets. Still the young woman continued.

"The audition was terrible!" She cried unhappily. Her eyes were brimming with hot tears now. Her soft lips parted in a trembling pout. "My voice crackled so much, my whole body was shaking and I tripped on the way out over some stage prop!" The young woman let out a cry of distress and hugged the bear closer, until its eyes threatened to bulge from the fabric. "It was meant to be my big break," Sarah sighed heavily. "Now what?"

She looked to the bear, her eyes big and questioning, but all her dear friend gave her was a blank, unhelpful stare. His sewed on lips uttered not a word. Sarah watched him carefully, half expecting him to move, but was severely disappointed.

"I'm unemployed," Sarah finally said, her voice low as she made her admission. It was mostly to herself than the bear. "I can't keep a job waiting tables and no one wants me in their show, or at least not the paying ones."

Fresh tears appeared in her eyes, blurring her vision. "And the bills!" She wailed, her chest heaving up and down with short, rushed breaths. "Oh, the bills!" The young woman placed the bear to the side, only to grab him again moments after. "They just keep coming…And piling up…"

Sarah trailed off, completely losing her words in her dramatic thoughts. Once more the bear was put to the side and the young woman sat upright, taking a long breath. "I just can't do this," she said to herself quietly. "I just wish…" She stopped herself, biting down on her lip to trap the sentence.

Words and wishes had power. Sarah had learned this in her early teens. She closed her eyes, reminding herself of the last time she made a wish aloud. It had taken her on an adventure, during which she almost lost her baby brother.

"I can't," Sarah whispered. She looked around the room, suddenly forgetting the bear she had been near strangling a moment ago.

"But it's worth a try…" Sarah said, her mouth forming a tiny smile. Her eyes lit up expectantly as she spoke her right words. "I wish…I wish the Goblin King would come take and take me away from this mess…"

She stopped, listening closely to the deafening silence surrounding her. Nothing was happening. There was no goblins nor King to be seen.

"Oh," Sarah breathed lightly, bowing her head in disappointment. Her eyes flickered up, staring dejectedly at the blank wall before her. "I guess I am truly too old for this now…" She turned her gaze to the limp bear nestled in her duvet. "Even wishes to the Goblin King go unanswered."

An hour slipped by before Sarah dared to get out of bed. She trailed the bear after her, returning it to the box. She closed the door behind her, sealing her childhood possessions in their dark tomb.

"Alright Sarah," she said to herself as she made the short walk back into her bedroom. "Tomorrow…tomorrow is a new day." She managed a smile, and although it was entirely forced when she started, it eventually grew on her, stirring up some hope. "Things will be a lot brighter. I know it."

The promise Sarah had made to herself glowed in her mind, making her warm with excitement as she readied herself for bed, opting for a simple, white nightgown. She turned to the slender, full length mirror on the wall and studied herself carefully, enjoying the contrast of her raven dark hair on the pure white of the gown.

"Things will get better," she grinned hopefully to her reflection. "Things will change, I promise you that."

"And I promise you, they certainly will," an amused voice smirked.

Sarah's wide eyes dashed up and down the mirror, suddenly seeing that she was no longer alone in the room. Behind her stood a tall, dark looming figure of a man, with pale moonlight skin and wispy blonde hair. A dark, wicked grin spread across his lips and his eyes flashed dangerously as he gazed down as Sarah's reflection.

"Hello Sarah," the Goblin King chuckled.

The young woman's eyes blurred, their white sockets all of a sudden on show. She then fell to the ground, her head hitting off the wooden floor.