Irene M. V. Williams

Chapter 2

The world swirls around Irene before it stops and she falls onto her knees on a stone floor.

"Well, what do we have here, a little stowaway?"

The young girl tried to get all of her senses together before looking up to meet a pair of mismatched eyes, except this time the eyes were not attached to an owl but a man.

"Mr. Owl?" Irene shook her head, before getting onto her feet, stumbling a bit, "Oh I apologize, Sir." She bows slightly before the King before her.

A deep chuckle from above her makes the young girl peer up at the man shyly. As her glasses slid down her nose a bit.

The man stood tall, his cloak hanging from his shoulders behind.

"And what are you doing here little rose?"

The young girl gathered up all of her courage before asking, "I followed you here to ask if I could care for my little brother, while my sister does your labyrinth, sir?"

A large grin appeared on his face, showing off his canine-like teeth. "Follow me, little rose."

He led them through a stone arched hallway that seemed to warm up when their king's shadow landed on the moss-covered walls.

The sound of activity rose ahead of them. The shouts of goblins and squawks from what sounded like chickens along with high pitched laughter echoed as they got closer to the end of the hallway.

The king then strode into a room full that the young girl guessed was some sort of room where the king would summon or gather his subjects if needed or wanted. He turned and sat on his throne and pointed to where her brother was playing some goblins.

"Your brother, little rose."

She just bowed her head in appreciation having read about the fae. Remembering to word her sentences carefully so they couldn't take something from you. As the young girl walked towards the boy, his head shot up hearing footsteps. He started to make grabby hands towards him as his blonde hair went everwhere in his excitement.

"'Re, 'Re!"

He clapped his hands as she sat beside him, her legs cross-legged. "How've you been Toby? Have fun with the goblins?"

"'Re, 'Re!" His hands went out again, so she held her hand out and helped him toddle over and sat him in her lap.

As Irene looked at the young not she bopped him on the nose, causing him to scrunch up his nose and giggle.

"Well, aren't you just adorable!" She then tilted her head and looked around at the goblins that seemed to have stopped their own versions of playing to stare at the two of them for a little bit. "Although, I think you could make quite the adorable little goblin as well."

"For the sister of the runner and the child, you don't seem quite worried, little one."

The young girl turned her head to look at him and just shrugged before saying, "Well it was inev-..no...inev-table...nope...in-evi-table, yeah got it!" The king looked at her with amusement swimming about in his eyes as the young girl continued her sentence, "After all, as soon as she found that book this was the outcome that was desired."

He smiles, showing off his white teeth that were glistening in the light. "And what makes you think that?"

Irene just responded with her own mischievous grin, "Well, you turned out to be exactly what she thought you were like as a villain. You're also giving her a test of will, just like in all of her stories she's read. This whole test is made off of her dreams to be in one of her stories" She bounced Toby on her knee as she says her monologue and gives him butterfly kisses as she continues on. "Which also makes me wonder why you're doing this. As from what I've read Fae don't give anything or really do anything unless they're getting something from it."