Disparity - a Rumpelstiltskin story (Fairy Tales Retold) Read online

  Disparity

  a Rumplestiltskin story

  By Sonya Writes

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright ©2014 Sonya Writes

  Published by Sonya Writes at Amazon KDP

  Book Description:

  King Cameron regrets the decision he made when Marvin Bellemont declared his daughter could turn straw into gold, but if he goes back on his decision he fears he will look weak before the kingdom. Still, he thinks he knows how to make things right. He will turn the straw into gold himself, in the form of a tiny old man named Rumplestiltskin.

  ~

  once upon a time…

  King Cameron gave a hearty laugh. “You lie to me, old man. Under normal circumstances this would cost you your life, but I will spare you this night because you clearly must be joking.”

  “I do not lie!” he said. “Everything I tell you is truth. My daughter really can spin straw into gold.”

  The young king narrowed his eyes. “Admit your deceit,” he said. “We are in front of company, you know. I cannot tolerate a lie to my face like this.”

  The man laughed. “There is no deceit, my king. I tell you the truth.”

  “Marvin, I am giving you one final chance. Admit to me now that your daughter cannot spin straw into gold.”

  “She can do that and more,” he said.

  “Then you give me no choice, my friend. If you are lying, both you and your daughter must die, as the punishment for lying to the royal family is death. But if you tell the truth, I shall marry your daughter and she will be queen.”

  “She will make a fine queen, Your Majesty.”

  ~

  King Cameron woke up and recalled the night before, the banquet he’d held in honor of his late parents. They’d both died in their bed a few days earlier. Things had certainly gotten out of hand since then. He’d been careless, both in the days preceding and the night before.

  “What have I done?” he asked himself. His father’s friend had been drunk when he told those lies. He knew that. He’d been a tad tipsy himself. And yet he’d made his proclamation in front of at least thirty other people. There was no way to back out of it now. He had to follow through on his orders. It was the first order he’d given as king. There was no way he could show such weakness by taking it back.

  Of course, he had sent Marvin home the night before to fetch his daughter. Perhaps he would be wise and run away with her instead. Then the whole mess could be avoided.

  Cameron got out of bed and opened the drawer of his nightstand. His sapphire pendant was there, and the sapphire still looked dull. It was a magical pendant, but its magic could only be used once every few days. He’d used it the night before to avoid his transformation during the banquet. He wondered now if it could be used to turn straw into gold. He closed the drawer and got dressed for the day.

  When Cameron entered the throne room, his father’s lead servant, Quinn, was waiting for him. My lead servant now, he thought.

  “Your Majesty,” he said. “A young woman arrived this morning to meet with you. She is waiting in the hallway.”

  “Who is she?” he asked.

  “Alina, daughter of Marvin Bellemont,” he said. “She arrived half an hour ago and claimed that her father sent her here.”

  Cameron’s heart fell. The foolhardy old man had actually sent his own daughter to her death.

  “Does she know why she was sent here?” he asked.

  Quinn shook his head.

  King Cameron sighed. This was too much for one morning. “Do you know why she was sent?”

  “I think nearly everyone does, Your Majesty.”

  “It’s as I suspected, then,” he said. There was no backing out of this unless he wanted to start his kingship by losing his reputation as a man of his word. He had to go through with the threat he’d made the night before. “Send her in,” he said.

  The door opened and in walked one of the most beautiful women King Cameron had ever seen. She was fair of skin and had long dark hair that descended past her elbows. Her eyes were forest-green and she had a well-kept figure. Cameron was attracted to her at first sight.

  Alina stood before him and curtsied. “Your Majesty,” she said. “My father told me that you wanted to see me today. He said that last night you requested a meeting with me for this morning.”

  He cleared his throat. “Is your father Marvin Bellemont?”

  Alina nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Did he tell you what this meeting would be about?”

  “No,” she said. “When he came home last night, all he told me was that you wanted to see me first thing in the morning. He was still in bed when I left today. I assumed you could explain what he failed to.”

  Cameron took a deep breath. “Yes,” he said. “Unfortunately I can. Your father declared last night that you were able to spin straw into gold.”

  A look of confusion spread over her face and her beautiful smile disappeared.

  “I demanded that he take back his words, and I warned him not to lie to his king, but he insisted you could perform the task.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she was about to speak, but King Cameron held up his hand to stop her. “So now I tell you what I told your father last night. If you truly can spin straw into gold, your father may live and I will have you as my wife. But if you cannot spin straw into gold, both you and your father must be put to death for his lie.”

  Alina gasped and held her tongue.

  “I will give you two weeks,” he said. He turned to the man standing beside him. “Quinn, I want you to take her to the north tower. Supply her with straw and a spindle, and check on her every three hours until sunset. If she is in want of anything, you are to give it to her.”

  “Your Majesty,” Alina began.

  He put up his hand once more. “Not now,” he said. “I will see you later, Alina. For now, go make yourself comfortable in the north tower. If there is anything you need, my servant Quinn will get it for you.”

  He hated to see all the pain she wore on her face, but he was glad she didn’t get a chance to tell him she couldn’t spin straw into gold. If she claimed she couldn’t do it, then it would look like she’d lied once it was done. If he wouldn’t tolerate her father’s lie, he couldn’t publicly tolerate what would appear to be a lie from her, either. It would be best if he didn’t speak with her again until the next day.

  Cameron returned to his bedroom and looked once more at the sapphire pendant. “I hope you can help me turn straw into gold,” he said. “Two precious lives are depending on it.” Then he laughed. “Of course, if this does work, then it looks like I’ll be marrying that girl. I don’t even know her. I never fancied myself to become engaged to a stranger.”

  ~

  that night

  Alina sat in the corner of the room with her arms around her legs and tears streaming down her face. She was surrounded by piles of straw stacked nearly to the ceiling. Every time she started to calm down, it would take only one thought of her predicament to bring the tears back. Her dinner sat on a plate near the door, yet untouched by her.

  She wished she could speak to her father. Had he really told the king she could spin straw into gold? Why would he say such a thing? She had noticed he seemed drunk when he came in the night before. “He probably didn’t realize what he was saying,” she said through tears. “Why doesn’t the king understand that?”

  She let out a brief laugh and wiped her eyes. “Straw into gold. Why, if I could do that, we certainly would be far wealthier than we are.” Alina sighed. “I shouldn’t have come. I should have waited unt
il father woke this morning. He would have told me what happened and we could have run away to another kingdom.” Another tear slid down her cheek.

  “Cry not, dear girl,” said a scratchy voice.

  Alina looked and screamed. There stood in the corner of the room a tiny, disheveled-looking man with a long crooked nose and a horribly deformed body. His skin looked so baggy on him; it could be better described as folded rather than wrinkled. He stood no taller than three feet high and was dressed in beggar’s garb.

  “Hush now. Quiet down,” he said. “I’m a friend.”

  Alina continued to scream. She scooted away and hugged her legs tighter than before.

  The little man ran to her and put his hand over her mouth. He was incredibly stronger than he looked.

  “Hush!” he demanded. “Or Quinn will hear.”

  Alina stared at him and took deep breaths. She was too afraid to move.

  “That’s better,” he said. “Now, as I was saying, I’m a friend. You can call me Rumpelstiltskin. I’m here to help you turn this straw into gold.”

  Alina blinked a few times. “You…you can do that?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” he said. He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a pendant. “This is a magic sapphire,” he told her. “With its help, I may be able to perform the task.”

  Alina’s fear of the tiny man completely dissolved. She jumped up and walked to the spindle. “Well then let’s try it!” she said.

  “Not yet,” he told her. He held up the pendant. “See how the sapphire is dull? I used its magic yesterday evening. It needs a few days before it will be useful again.”

  “Oh.” Alina sat back down. “So…what do we need to do, then?”

  “We only need wait until the magic is renewed. Then I will help you complete your task. The king has given you two weeks to accomplish it, no?”

  “That’s correct,” she said. “He has given me two weeks.”

  “Good. The king will be patient. He will not be angry that you haven’t produced any gold tonight.”

  Alina took a deep breath and tried to believe him. “I don’t know the king,” she said. “My father is his friend, or, at least I thought they were friends. After this I’m not so sure. Is he a kind man?”

  “Very,” Rumpelstiltskin replied. “He is a good man. Honest and just. He cares much for your father, and it was a matter of too much wine which led to this predicament. His Majesty is a man of his word, and he regrets that this situation has come about. But all will be well, fair maiden, for I will help you.” He put his hand on Alina’s shoulder. “Once you get to know King Cameron, I am sure you will grow to love him. He will be a good husband to you.”

  Her countenance fell once more. “Oh. I’d forgotten about that,” she said. “He did declare he would marry me if I turned the straw to gold.” Alina closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees. She started to cry again, softly this time.

  “Is something wrong?” Rumpelstiltskin leaned in close to her. He lowered his voice as he tried to understand. Most of the women he knew would be happy about such an engagement, unless... “Are you in love with someone else?” he asked.

  Alina laughed and lifted her head. “No. It’s not that. There’s no one else right now. It’s just…well, how can I be married to someone who threatened to put me and my father to death? And, once we’re married, he’ll expect me to turn more straw to gold. How will I explain? I cannot imagine loving him or trusting him after this.”

  Rumpelstiltskin sighed in relief; she wasn’t in love with someone else. “Trust me,” said Rumpelstiltskin. “After this, the king will never request for you to turn straw into gold again. He will treat you and your father well.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure of all this?” she asked.

  “Let’s just say His Majesty and I are quite close to one another,” he said

  Alina relaxed a little. “You say he is a good man,” she said. “I have a hard time believing that, considering where I am right now.”

  Rumpelstiltskin sighed. “It’s as I’ve said,” he told her. “Too much wine and a few inflated egos have brought us here. Your father should not have lied to His Majesty, and His Majesty should not have taken your father’s lie so seriously while both were intoxicated. But since King Cameron made his declaration, he must stand by it. If he could turn back the clock and do things differently, he would.”

  “How long have you known him?” she asked.

  “His whole life,” Rumpelstiltskin replied. “I am a long-time friend of the royal family. I live here in the palace and offer my counsel to those who’ll hear it.”

  “How come I’ve never heard of you before?”

  Rumpelstiltskin smirked. “I stay in the shadows most of the time, and I tend to only leave my room at night. My appearance frightens all, as you’ve discovered.”

  “I’m sorry for screaming,” she said. “I thought I was alone in here. Seeing you there startled me very much.”

  “You were alone,” he told her. “I only recently came in, by a passage in the wall.”

  Her face lit up. “A passage? Then, I can escape,” she said. “I can leave and go to my father. We can run away. I don’t have to stay here and marry King Cameron after all!”

  “No.” Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. “I’m afraid the passage is too small for you. It’s barely large enough for me. You see, this tower used to be my bedroom, and the passage was built so I could travel through the palace without frightening anyone.”

  “That’s so sad,” she said. “Now that we’ve met, you no longer frighten me. Surely you could live a life in the open without fear. Especially if you have the king to defend you.”

  The clock began to chime. It was midnight.

  “It’s getting late, and I must go,” he said. “I will return two nights from now, when the sapphire’s magic has returned, and together we’ll see if we can turn this straw into gold.”

  “Goodbye, Rumpelstiltskin,” she said.

  “Goodbye, dear Alina. Try to get some rest. And when the king comes by to visit, you mustn’t tell him you can’t spin straw into gold, lest you be charged with lying to your king after the deed is done.”

  “Understood,” she said. She watched him go through the tiny stone door in the wall. It barely looked like a door at all until he opened it. Once he was gone she tried to squeeze through it herself, but he was right. It was too small for a normal-sized adult to use.

  ~

  Rumpelstiltskin came out of the passage and into his bedroom. He went to his bed and lay down. Time moved slowly.

  He would be Cameron again soon. The curse lasted from dusk until dawn, and then he would become himself again. The curse and his nightly transformations prevented him from sleeping, so he lay awake. He only slept on those rare nights when he used the sapphire to avoid his transformation. It was as if the transformation itself renewed his energy. Nights were incredibly lonely. For years he’d hated the curse and desperately wished he could sleep through it each night, but now it seemed he could use it for some good. He could use it to help Alina and her father.

  And then he’d have to marry her.

  She seemed like a pleasant enough young woman, but he hated having to keep such a huge secret from her so early in their relationship. The curse was the reason he’d remained single up until that point. Someday it would all come to light, and hopefully she would understand.

  He closed his eyes and had the same nightmare he always had. He couldn’t escape it.

  He was ten years old when he met the sorceress’s daughter. She was a pretty child of nine, but she had a foul demeanor. He met her in the courtyard with his parents. His mother and father were busy going about their business when the young girl threw a rock at him.

  “Hey!” he said. “Stop that.”

  The girl smiled and threw another stone.

  Cameron stuck out his tongue at her and started calling her names. “Meanie! Bully!” She threw another rock. He
thought long and hard of what to call her. “Frog-face!” he said.

  To that name, the girl started crying, and that was when the sorceress appeared.

  “You dare to call my daughter names?” she asked. She cast a spell that put everyone in the courtyard to sleep. Only Cameron, his parents, the sorceress and her daughter were still awake.

  His parents suddenly became aware of what was happening, and they came to stand beside him.

  “We are sorry,” his mother said as she put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding.”

  The sorceress’s daughter sniffled. “He called me frog-face.”

  “She was throwing rocks at me!” Cameron said.

  “Silence,” said the sorceress. She turned to his parents. “We were told that this was a pleasant kingdom with a honorable family on the throne, but I can see that we were misled. Your son will be cursed for his deed.”

  At that moment, Cameron’s body began to change. He cried out in agony as his body crumpled together like a discarded sheet of parchment.

  “Oh, no!” said his mother. Tears filled her eyes as she hugged her son. “Please no.”

  His father sank to his knees. “Curse us instead,” he pleaded. “Curse us instead.”

  “I can see that you love your son,” the sorceress proclaimed. “And so I will spare him in the daytime, but he shall be affected by the curse every night from sundown until dawn.” She turned to Cameron, who was in so much pain he couldn’t speak. His body began to slowly revert to normal, which was equally as painful as its collapse. “Because you were calling names, then by your name may the curse be lifted. In this form you are Rumpelstiltskin, a man of the night. The curse will end when, as Rumpelstiltskin, someone seeing you addresses you by your true identity.”

  His mother gasped in joy. “No worry, Cameron,” she said. “I’ll always address you by your real name. My son.”

  “No,” the sorceress said. “Only someone who does not know of the curse can lift it. Now, farewell.” With a wave of her cape, she and her daughter disappeared.