What were you to do now?
The door had opened up into a large plain area, and just in front of you stood the entrance to the Goblin City. The door had vanished behind you the moment you entered through, meaning that there was no turning back and no backtracking.
You had approached the guard and found him fast asleep, snoring loudly at the gate he was supposed to be watching. The gate was simply too heavy for you to move by yourself. You tried pushing; you tried pulling. To no avail it wouldn't budge.
You resisted the urge to scream in frustration. You resisted the urge to stomp your foot like a child having a tantrum. You'd come so far, only to be defeated by a gate. It was incredibly pathetic; you didn't know whether you should laugh or cry at the very idea.
How would that conversation even go between the Goblin King and Harry? "Sorry, your ex couldn't figure out how to open a simple gate. I'm going to turn you into a goblin now, forever." You imagined that the Goblin King was watching you somewhere, cackling in joy that you had failed in such a pathetic way.
"Stupid gate," you huffed loudly, not caring if your ranting would wake the guard up. If anything, you wanted him to be awake so he could let you in. But, actually, would he let you in? Seeing as he was one of the guards, shouldn't that mean he was supposed to deliberately keep you out? You sighed, tipping your head forwards. What use would that even be? You couldn't open the damn thing!
Then, the guard began to stir from his sleep. You glanced nervously at him, wondering what the reaction would be. Would it go in your favour, or would be chase you away with that incredibly pointy stick of his? You'd rather not be poked and prodded with it; it looked like it would hurt quite a bit.
"Ah! Human!" The goblin shouted, snatching his stick that rested next to him. He then held it up, pointing the sharp end directly at you. You flinched back and held your hands up nervously, as if to surrender yourself, or to show that you weren't a threat to his position. "'Ts me job to keep ya out! Get back! Our King won't be 'appy if i's fail!"
You gasped as the goblin took a swing at you. The tip of his spear glided across your jumper, fearing a hole down the front. Luckily, you were wearing another shirt underneath, or else this would have been insanely embarrassing on your behalf. You dropped your hands to your sides, your hand brushing against your pocket.
Your pocket.
Something was in your pocket!
The crystal ball from earlier. You eagerly reached in and pulled it out, not being able to resist smirking at the unsuspecting goblin that was still yelling at you to leave. Then, you pulled your arm back and aimed the crystal ball at the goblin, planning on hitting him in the face with it, or maybe the chest, just to get him to let go of the spear so you could snatch it and threaten him with it. Reverse the tables, turn your favours back to you.
The crystal ball flew through the air. The goblins eyes flashed in recognition. He opened his mouth to shriek in surprise, or maybe for help, but he suddenly went very quiet as the ball collided with his body. You watched, startled, as a bright light consumed his body, and he vanished in an instant. You bolted over, picking up the abandoned spear and the crystal ball that dropped on the floor after hitting its target.
Inside, squirming around and continuing to yell, was the goblin.
Well, that worked out better than you had intended. You smiled apologetically at the goblin, "when I find the Goblin King, I'll ask him to let you out." You then placed the crystal ball into your pocket, muffling the goblins angry shouts.
If you could get to the Goblin King. You still had to figure out how to open the gate. You'd planned on threatening the goblin with his own spear to have him open the gate for you, but now he was trapped inside the crystal ball and you didn't have a clue how to get him out again. You thought that maybe you could throw it, like you had done originally, but what would happen if it then shattered?
You didn't want to kill a goblin, even if it was by accident.
You looked at the spear and picked it up from the ground. For such a small goblin, he was definitely given a huge weapon to wield. You twisted it around thoughtfully. If you couldn't open the gate, and you were taller and therefore stronger than the goblin, how would the goblin have done it?
You approached the gate slowly, glancing back at it between the spear.
You lifted the spear and gently tapped the end of it against the gate. You waited to baited breath to see if anything happened. Then, to your relief, the gate began to creak open. You bit back a laugh, shoulders shaking in glee that you had managed to solve this puzzle. You stepped through the gates, grinning to yourself and taking in the beginnings of the Goblin City.
"It's a human!"
Oh.
Right.
You broke out into a sprint as the gates started to close again, now trapping you inside its walls. Not wanting to get caught by any of the goblins, who seemed rather hostile towards your appearance, you ducked between houses to avoid their wrath. You listened as they rushed around frantically, gathering weapons of their own to defend the city and the castle from your intrusion.
You squealed as a pot rushed by your head, followed by spoons and plates. They smashed into the side of the house, and you realised that you couldn't hide for very long. Waiting for things to settle would be utterly useless. You darted from between the houses and scurried past a fountain, with little goblin faces as faucets as water trickled from their mouths.
You gasped in relief, legs searing in pain as you began thundering up the steps that directed you towards the castle. Household items continued to be launched after you as you advanced further. The doors to the castle were wide open, almost like they were inviting you inside. You practically jumped through the doors and wasted no time in pushing them shut, effectively blocking off the goblins that had begun to attack you on sight. They pounded and yelled from the outside, and you pressed your back against the door to keep it shut tight.
Then, you stabbed the spear through the loops of the handles. You stepped back, watching tentatively as the doors shuddered and shook from the onslaught of goblins. But it didn't open. You felt relieved as you allowed a breathy, shaky laugh tumble from your lips at that wild, intense experience.
You were almost beaten to death with spoons.
How embarrassing.
You turned to face the entrance room, which was huge and rather intimidating. The entire castle was made of stone, and its decor was somewhat minimal. You'd have thought a glittery King like this one would have a taste for more popping decoration. While there were tapestries and paintings depicting a story untold, all of them with goblins and other mythical creatures, there were a few plants that hung like vines from the ceiling.
There were three different routes you could take. One to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead. While your original goal was to find Harry and then the Goblin King, you had considered what the mimic in the mirror had suggested—to have your ex run through the labyrinth and face trials and tricks. For this to happen, you knew you needed to seek out the Goblin King.
You felt something compel you to take the left hallway. You had no reasoning other than a hunch that the Goblin King would be down the left hallway. So you followed your heart and listened to your shoes click in the echo that followed; you wandered purposefully through the castle, occasionally glancing at the paintings hung on the walls.
Then, another opening at the end. You approached the room with caution.
Inside was rather... messy. The room itself was grand, with a throne sat at the far end, and steps leading up to it. In the centre was a pit, two layers deep. Surrounding the edges of the room were various bits of furniture, all rather random and out of place. For a King, you were surprised that it wasn't more refined and put together—that it wasn't more clean. You eyed the hay and straw on the floor, and then the chicken that squawked from the corner of the room, its wings flapping as you entered further.
You turned around, glancing at every surface and every corner. There was another doorway, with a staircase that led upwards. Other than that, there wasn't much to see. The labyrinth was much more put together and delightful than this; you were rather disappointed.
"Lost?"
You felt the hairs on your arms prickle at the Goblin Kings voice. You turned around again, now facing the throne where he was perched. He hadn't been there moments ago...
You shook your head. "No. I'm right where I wanted to be."
The Goblin King rested his head in his hand, seeming very calm and collected considering that you were trespassing. "But your resolve has changed," he mused, his eyes twinkling in delight.
You were correct in thinking that the Goblin King had some interference with your reflection. It seemed as though he had been fully expecting your change of heart; he seemed pleased with this, like it was the outcome he desired. But why would he want you here instead of Harry?
"It has," you answered carefully.
There was a pause. You stared at the Goblin King, and he stared at you. Neither side dared to break the silence. You could hear the ticking of the clock as your timer drew to its end. The thirteen hours were nearly over. Yet, you weren't concerned about that at all.
You were concerned with how you were going to word out your desire to change the deal. To change your wish. To make it sound enticing for the King to accept.
The Goblin King let out an exasperated sigh as he stood to his feet. His boots clicked loudly against the stone as he descended down the steps, now sauntering towards you with impressive confidence. Though, you supposed he'd need to possess such confidence if he were to rule his very own domain. He reached his hand forward, his gloved fingers caressing your cheek with a particular restraint. You only stared at his face as he did this, observing him for any reaction. But he only seemed fascinated.
"I know the wish you desire to make," he then said, a knowing smirk tugging upwards at his face. He made it sound like he could delve into the deepest corners of your mind and scour your thoughts with ease. The thought didn't make you shudder in horror. "All you need to do is say it. Say it, and it shall be done."
You lifted your own hand and embraced his, which was still touching your face. He breathed in sharply at the action, and you felt your own lips twitch in amusement at it.
"I don't want Harry to become a goblin, and I don't want him to forget the pain he has caused me," you explained slowly, mulling over every single word with great care and thought. You didn't want to mess up. Words were power, and right now you were the most powerful in the world. "But I do want him to suffer. I want him to experience the labyrinth the same way any person would have. I want him to have that 13 hour time limit to find me."
The Goblin King snickered at the boldness of your desire. The way revenged seeped into every word spoken; the way malice was present in every syllable. It was this that made humans so interesting to him, the way they could embrace their darkness and demand unthinkable things.
You took in a deep breath. "I wish Harry and I could swap places."
The Goblin King pulled your hand to his face, his lips pressing firmly to your knuckles. You flustered at the action, having not expected something so intimate to happen. He looked up through his eyelashes, his smile pressing against your skin.
"For you, my dear, I'll do anything."