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What's in a name?	By : jinna1979 Category: Fairy Tales, Fables, Folklore, Legends, and Myth > Fairy Tales Views: 16599 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction,I do not own Rumpelstiltskin. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons,living or dead, is purely coincidental

Chapter List
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Rumpelstiltskin could slowly feel his consciousness returning. He still remained asleep, but this time, after exerting so much magical effort, his sleep had been much deeper than before. He had no idea how much time had passed now that he was reaching a point of dream consciousness. Feeling strangely heavy, and still tired, his mind drifted out of his body, seeking Millicent.

   Though his mind drifted through the floors and walls with ease, a part of him felt as though he was being dragged down, and his consciousness felt more like sludge than like air. He could feel his surroundings, just as before, but now it felt more unpleasant somehow, like a burden he was forced to carry. The only thing driving him onwards was Millicent. He pushed his mind upwards, oblivious to the busy servants that rushed back and forth. If anything, the servants seemed more like objects rather than living beings, undeserving of his focus.

   As Rumpelstiltskin searched for Millicent, he could not avoid the prickling unease of knowing that he was getting closer and closer to the King's chambers. The depth of the King's depravity made him feel sick, and it took an intense amount of concentration to keep his illusion magic in place. It felt almost as though his mind was scattering and slipping from his grasp, and the notion was like an abyss about to swallow him up. If not for Millicent, and knowing that he had to help her and save her, he felt that he would have been lost to his tiredness and weakness.

   Rumpelstiltskin did not want to bring himself anywhere near the King's chambers, but now was not the time to let his repulsion come over him. Finding Millicent was much more important than avoiding the King. His perseverance paid off, for as he drew closer to the King's chambers, he could sense her with his formless body. He could also sense the cruel essence of the King, but it was not enough to keep him away. When Rumpelstiltskin drifted into the Queen's chambers and finally saw Millicent, it was as though he was seeing her for the first time. The room was like a beehive of servants buzzing about, but instead of carrying honey, they carried straw. Yet Millicent appeared somehow detached from the scene, as though she had appeared by magic from a different world like a goddess amongst mortals. She wore a long and elegant gown the colour of deep purple, which made her dark eyes seem even darker and more mysterious. She sat at a chair near the wall, but somehow, the chair looked more like a throne than an ordinary chair. It was a shocking contrast after her drab woolen dress.

   In her brown dress, she had appeared so earthy, like a rich and lush fall landscape. She had seemed both beautiful and accessible, reminding him a bit of the wood nymphs that were near relations to the faeries. In her royal purple gown, she looked otherworldly, even by fey standards. Her beauty was so overwhelming, that it made him aware of his own ugliness and thus, he felt shamed, just to be in her presence. The feeling of being near her was simultaneously wondrous, and yet painful. Since his cursed ugliness had befallen him, he had often felt unworthy of her, but never so much as at this moment, when she seemed to shine like a jewel while he and all the charm of pig droppings.

   Despite the immense shame that had overcome him, he could not bring himself to leave her. The servants around her were noisy as they scuffled about, but he could hear her talking to the pregnant maid next to her.

   "I'm not sure I can bear another minute of mending shirts," Millicent sighed. "It's what we did all day yesterday, and while it is worthy to be industrious, I feel that you and I need a break,"

   "I can see in your eyes, miss, that you mean to go looking for trouble, but I assure you that you shan't bring me into it," the maid replied bluntly.

   "I never look for trouble!" Millicent replied indignantly, but there was a teasing sparkle in her eyes as she spoke. "Besides, I wanted to meet - Rousseau, Roussant - what was his name?"

   "Rousset," Carine said with a frown.

   "You needn't worry," Millicent said placatingly, "You need not come along. I remember where his room is - just around the hall." Millicent stood up, and placed the shirt she was mending on the chair. Unable to control herself, Carine stood up as well.

   "You'll just get into trouble without me, miss" Carine exclaimed in a rush. "I'll come with you."

   Rumpelstiltskin was rather curious about Rousset. He did not know much about the castle's inhabitants other than the King, and he wondered what it was about Rousset that had sparked Millicent's interest. He also contemplated her words about mending shirts all day yesterday. If Rumpelstiltskin had a body, he would have been frowning as it occurred to him that he had been in a deep dreamless sleep for over a day. The notion of losing consciousness for so long was slightly disturbing. It made him all the more aware of the heaviness that weighed upon him. Rumpelstiltskin followed Millicent and the maid, listening to their chatter half-heartedly.

   "Rousset must be a prince of some sort if he is living on this floor of the castle," Millicent commented, hoping to draw Carine into conversation.

   "He's the King's nephew, and heir," Carine replied curtly, not wanting to say more than necessary.

   "He's the king's heir?" Millicent exclaimed in disbelief. "Maybe we shouldn't be visiting him then." Upon hearing Millicent's uncertainty and fear, Carine softened.

   "You needn't fret miss," Carine said, "Rousset is nothing like the King. He's very kind, and gentle, and good." Carine's eyes were distant and dreamy, and Millicent knew that she definitely had to meet Rousset, if only to know the man that Carine adored. A part of her mind wondered if the baby belonged to Rousset. It was impossible to get Carine to tell her anything about her pregnancy. As Millicent scanned Carine's face, her heart clenched as she considered just how young and vulnerable the maid was.

   When they came upon Rousset's room, the door was yet again open. Unsure of what the proper protocol was, Millicent knocked on the door hesitantly, while Carine kept her eyes shyly downcast. Rousset was at his desk, just as he was the day before, and he looked up, startled at the interruption. Upon getting a clearer look at his face, Millicent could see that Rousset was younger than she had thought before, for he looked to be perhaps ten-and-seven years at most. He was a rather gangly youth, and his gaunt face had made him seem older when she first saw him, but his bewildered eyes and expression betrayed his youth.

   "May we come in?" Millicent asked, flashing him a sweet and disarming smile. Rumpelstiltskin knew that no one could resist such a smile. Stuttering nervously, Rousset stood up from his chair admitted them into his chambers, apologizing for the mess of books that barred their steps. Millicent gazed at all the books and scrolls wonderingly. The scent of paper and ink permeated the air, but it was a pleasant and warm odor.

   "I'm Millicent and this is Carine," Millicent said to him, before curtseying belatedly. Being raised in the country meant she had no idea of how to conduct herself properly within the castle walls.

   "I've met Carine," Rousset replied with a crooked smile. "She makes sure I don't forget to eat my meals." Carine blushed furiously at Rousset's statement, and then Rousset blushed because he had forgotten his place while speaking to a lady, which he assumed that Millicent was. Most noble ladies tended to overlook Rousset, in part because of his young age, but also because of his awkwardness.

   "I apologize, my lady, I spoke out of turn," Rousset said, bowing formally.

   "Please, don't!" Millicent exclaimed, "and besides, I'm hardly a lady. Just a misplaced country lass."

   "Misplaced?" Rousset echoed, raising an eyebrow, while he glanced at Carine, hoping she would have some answers.

   "She spins straw for the King," Carine said simply, and Rousset's eyes widened in understanding.

   "Remarkable!" Rousset exclaimed, "I've been looking through the scrolls, and there have been no records of any beings who could spin straw into gold. I must document this" Rousset rushed towards one of the walls where he pulled out a piece of parchment and brought it to his desk. Dipping his quill into ink, he began to scribble furiously, looking up at Millicent every so often, before scribbling some more.

   "Would you be able to explain how it is done?" Rousset asked, brimming with scholarly enthusiasm. Millicent paled, and began to stammer nervously. She did not want to reveal her secret, but she felt terrible, lying to the eager boy before her.

   "It requires much concentration and effort. It's difficult to explain," Millicent replied, lamely. She did not know what else to say, but Rousset was busy scribbling away. When Rousset did not ask any more questions, Millicent began to relax and look around the room.

   "There are so many books here," Millicent exclaimed, "I wonder -" Millicent paused contemplatively.

   "Rousset," Millicent said slowly and hesitantly, "Would you happen to have any books about magic laws? I mean, such as fey or immortal laws?" Rousset looked up from his writing and blinked a few times as he considered the question.

   "I believe that shelf there pertains to magical beings, and their laws," he replied, pointing to a bookshelf towards the back. A faint flicker of hope began to well up in Millicent's chest.

   "What about breaking magic laws?" she asked.

   "Hmm," Rousset tapped the desk thoughtfully as he pondered her question. "I think that relates to curses. It should be in the same section. There's information on both the casting and breaking of curses and magic laws, I believe. Fascinating topic, though lately, I've been busy with more practical topics such as the management of a kingdom." Rousset continued to babble, but Millicent was no longer listening. Carefully stepping around piles of books, Millicent walked over to the shelf that Rousset pointed to. Carine remained by Rousset's desk, eagerly listening to his every word.

   Upon reaching the shelf, Millicent scanned the book titles, but sadly, as country girl, she had never been taught to read. The letters before her just looked like an incomprehensible mass of lines and shapes. Despite her ignorance, the hope that Millicent felt could not be crushed. She knew she couldn't read, but surely, there was someone who could read for her, and find out what she needed to know.

   Rumpelstiltskin, who had been aware of the entire exchange between Millicent and Rousset felt his curiosity and hope spark as well. Though he couldn't exactly "read" the way that mortals read, he could decipher meanings off a page easily, no matter the language. It was as though he could understand the essense written upon a piece of paper rather than the specific words. Better yet, in his formless body, he could feel everything in the room, and the amount of knowledge here was almost overwhelming. Some of the knowledge in the books and scrolls were clearly wrong, but it was the knowledge about magic laws and curses that interested him, not the mating habits of dragons or sprites.

   Rumpelstiltskin accessed the information easily, and he felt a renewed sense of strength and energy as he absorbed the words. He knew all the magical laws, so that information could be put aside, but the sheer amount of curses that existed was staggering. Many of the curses listed ways in which the specific curse could be broken but the information was too specific and his particular curse was more general.

   Finally he came across a page that listed rare and magical items that were known to break most curses. Here was the information he was looking for, and he could feel his formless body humming in anticipation.

   The list was not long, but many of the items were rare indeed, and some were nearly impossible to acquire. It included: unicorn horns (which he would never have, for he would never kill a pure and lovely unicorn to steal its horn); dragon tears (which he would never acquire, for dragons only cried if one killed their lifemates, and he lacked the cruelty to do such a thing); angel feathers (he suspected that angels were a creation of man's imagination for he had never seen one); crystal essence of starlight (impossible to acquire); a royal firstborn baby's first dream (now here was a slight possibility); and true love's kiss (something he knew that was beyond his grasp with his misshapen body and face).

    Of all the items on the list, a royal baby's first dream was the most likely possibility for breaking his curse and yet, he felt a shudder of hesitation. A baby's first dream was something that one could not take lightly. Though it was very easy for the fey to access mortal dreams, nearly all of the fey avoided the dreams of babies. It was well known that babies dreamed of their past lives, though the dreams would fade as they babies grew older. A newborn baby's first dream was the most intense of all these dreams, and in some cases, it could be enough to drive an immortal being to near madness. The cycle of life and death, and love and loss would play itself over and over again in a baby's dream, lifetime, after lifetime, after lifetime. It was said that for an immortal being to dream a baby's first dream meant losing a slight bit of their immortality, though how such a thing could happen, Rumpelstiltskin did not know. Yet, if it meant that there was the possibility that he could be with Millicent again, he knew he had to try. The question then was, where would he find a newborn baby? And with his strength so depleted, how could he access the baby's dream yet retain his sanity?

   The rush of energy that Rumpelstiltskin felt suddenly seemed to be depleted, and he knew he had to return back to his body to rest in silent darkness. He took one final look at Millicent, knowing that the hope he saw upon her face was reflected in his heart.
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What's in a name?