You let out a sigh as you opened the front door. You could hear Merlin barking from the shed. Your stepmother must have made Sarah put him there. Heaven forbid anything make her gleaming-white floors dirty. Maybe that wasn't fair. You were in a bad mood after all. Your date had been awful.

From a young age, you'd dreamed of the kind of partner you'd read about in story books. The type of men that were in the plays your late mother had acted in. A hero. A knight. A king. A lover. Needless to say, your standards were probably too high but you were determined to get as close to that kind of man that you could. That lead to many uninteresting dates. Not that they were all "bad" people, per say. They just weren't what you were looking for.

You were pulled from your pity party by the sound of crying. Clearly, your dad and stepmother had made Sarah babysit again. Now you felt bad. Sarah shouldn't be responsible for an infant and if you hadn't gone out on what turned out to be a horrible date, she wouldn't be.

"Sarah? Everything okay?" you called out as you made your way up the stairs. Instead of an answer, you were greeted with more crying. You weren't surprised. Sarah was never any good at calming Toby. When you reached the landing, you found Sarah leaving the room Toby slept in. Before you could greet her, you heard her say, "I wish the goblins really would come and take you away." With that, she closed to the door to head back to her own room.

"Sarah!" you cried as Toby's own crying suddenly stopped. Sarah met your gaze for a moment in confusion. You both ran, nearly knocking each other down, and opened the door again only to find Toby missing from his crib. "Sarah, what have you done?" you whispered as lightening flashed once more. You approached the crib slowly. Definitely no Toby.

Before you could speak again, you heard what sounded like giggles and small feet running. Toby couldn't pull himself out of the crib so it wasn't him. And if it wasn't Toby, who was it? You jumped when you heard something smack against the window. Sarah's gaze kept darting around the room, but yours was drawn to the white owl at the window, trying desperately to get in.

Another strike of lightening and a gust of wind made you jump. The window practically flew open and the owl darted in, flying into both your and Sarah's faces. Sarah let out a scream as the owl backed off. The next thing you knew, standing where the owl had been, was...well, he looked like a man, but you knew he was something more. You knew exactly who he was, but it was Sarah who voiced your thoughts.

"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King." You stared, drawn into the beauty that stood before you. You really needed to snap out of it. He had your brother and you needed to protect Toby and Sarah. "Please. I want my brother back. Where is he?"

"You know very well where he is," the Goblin King responded, his voice sending shivers through you. "Please, bring him back," you managed to say. His eyes shifted to you and he regarded you closely for a moment. "What's said is said."

"But I didn't mean it!" Sarah protested. "Oh you didn't?" he asked, taunting the younger girl. "Please, bring Toby back," you finally spoke up and that was when the Goblin King's eyes met yours. In an instant you saw a dozen emotions pass over his face. "There is only one way to bring the baby back. She," he stated, pointing to Sarah, "Must run my labyrinth."

"I'll do it," you declared, "If the stories are true, then surely you can bend the labyrinth to your will and make it difficult for me." He arched a brow before looking between you and Sarah for a moment. He moved behind you and pointed out. "Do you know what that is?" he asked. Before your eyes, the night outside your window changed into something else. Something that should have been terrifying but instead filled you with excitement.

"The castle beyond the Goblin City," you replied. The Goblin King nodded and you felt him move closer to you. "You have thirteen hours to best my labyrinth. Should you win, I will let you and the baby go. If you lose, Toby shall remain here, as a goblin." You nodded.

"Turn back, Y/N. Before it's too late," he told you as he backed away. "I can't," you whispered and glanced at him over your shoulder. He frowned a bit. "You cannot win." You smiled. "I have to try." His tall form began to fade away. "Wait! What is your name?" you asked, earning a surprised look from the king that quickly became a smirk. "Best my labyrinth and I may tell you." You huffed as he disappeared. With a sigh, you began the long trek to the castle.

(as stated in the title, there will be a 2nd part!)