Danse of Flame

The princess dreamed her mind far away from the kingdom that called for her. The dream was always the same, always the ballroom with the dancers twirling around her; long skirts and coat tails brushing the long white gown she adorned, their faces covered by flamboyant masks, laughter and shrieks of joy escaping their mouths as she made her way passed them. He was in the throng somewhere, and when she found him she would feel her heart beat faster with anticipation and the rush of heat to her cheeks. He had become a living ghost, a specter that hung on the edge of her reality and made her wish for more. So often made her wish that she had instead taken his hand and followed him to wherever it was her dreams took her, not turned her back and escaped back to the world of the norm, a place that imprisoned her imagination.

Instead there were only brief glimpses like these where their eyes would meet and emotion would swell in her throat leaving her request barely audible. “Sing for me…please.” And he would smile, his sharp teeth glinting ever so briefly. He was predatory and carnal and the princess could feel waves of heat wash over her even in the dream. And then he would take her hand in his own and they would join the other dancers but she couldn’t see them. Only him, only the mismatched eyes and the gaze that could swallowed her whole. The world around them broke apart, somewhere in the distance a clock chimed but she could register nothing but the feel of his hand in her own as they spun.

His voice would surround her, embrace her in its warmth and the dreamscape would fade away and the princess would tumble back the grip of man from her dream would slip and he would fade away, ghost once again. And then the dream would turn sour and she would be standing alone in his maze once again, but the light that had guided her through the first time had changed, his voice exchanged for one of screams and if she did not run the flames licking at her heels would engulf her. The Goblin Kingdom was burning down, and the Goblin king had met a feat far worse than death, the images of his suffering flooding her brain and she fought her way to freedom.

The princess would cry out in her sleep, scream the name of the king, tears streaming down her face and deep sobs wrenching her back to reality. She would look about for a moment and sigh only to curl deeper into the quilts of her normal life, ignorant of the snowy owl that sat in the tree outside her window ever watchful and more than aware of the haunting images that disturbed her. Sara Williams was his princess, the one he had wanted to call his queen and yet, she was never his.

A wind would brush the tree outside the window and the white owl that roosted in the large oak tree would spread his wings, disappearing from the tree to reappear at her side not as bird but as man more real than the dream specter she had grown used to. She was peaceful in her sleep, now, silent and he envied the places she went in her dreams that didn’t make her scream. For since she had turned away from him his dreams had been the same as her own, and the fear at the sights they brought frightened him more than anything ever had before. He would sit near her and stroke her hair absently, the soft scent of her skin sending a bitter shiver up his spine. He had visited her too soon the first time.

A king could not beg, could not fall on his knees and plead for the love of a mortal that would cost so much. It was pride, he knew, and it stuck into him and burned his heart. Time was running out however. And if she did not return with him soon he feared there would be nothing left to go back to. A clock chimed in his mind and the king grew agitated. He kissed the sleeping woman on the cheek and floated above her for a moment. Then the clock chimed once more and he vanished, glitter sprinkling around her in his wake.

Sara Williams twitched her nose and sneezed bringing herself back to consciousness. The idea of sleeping for long periods of time sent chills up her spine. She stretched and looked out the window at the large tree and the night sky illuminated by the full moon. She had dreamed of him again and again she felt the turn in her gut of regret. For in her heart she knew the Goblin King would never come and take her away again. She laid back down once again and closed her eyes, eager for the pleasant dream she craved.

A/N: Hello all, thank you for reading. I have been wanting to write a Labyrinth story for sometime but never really got around to it until recently. I hope you enjoyed what I have so far. As this is the prologue it is quite short, however, the future chapters will be a bit greater in length. Thanks in advance to those of you who are kind enough to leave reviews they are always greatly appreciated and usually help inspire me to continue writing! and PS. The lyrics at the top and the bottom are from a group named "Blue Birds Refuse to Fly" the song is called "Burn".