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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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It wasn’t until the third evening that Millicent and Carine had a moment to speak in private. Millicent had been particularly distracted the entire day, and in frustration, her temporary tutors had given up, assuming that her countrified ways meant that she was too simple-minded to understand the nuances of courtly manners.

  “You look unwell, miss Millicent,” Carine murmured sympathetically. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Thank you, but no. It’s the situation. It’s simply….” Millicent paused, and sighed deeply

  “I understand, miss. But I have some news that may cheer you,” Carine replied, with a smile.

  “Ah, I have news for you as well! So much has happened lately that I nearly forgot to tell you!”

  “Hm? News for me? Oh, could it mean…. You’ve spun some gold for me?” Carine asked, her eyes shining with hope.

  “Oh… the gold. I will have to get that for you later. But I promise that you shall have it soon. I do not know when, precisely, but it will be soon. Actually, the news is that I’ve met someone… someone very kind, and they wish to adopt your baby,” Millicent said. As she spoke the words, it occurred to her that if the mysterious man adopted the baby and she married him, then she would be the baby’s adopted mother. Curiously, she did not feel frightened or troubled by the idea.

   “Truly?” Carine exclaimed, clasping Millicent’s hand in gratitude “Oh, miss, thank you! I… oh… I feel as though a great weight has been lifted from my spirits. Thank you!”

   “He is truly very good and kind,” Millicent replied with a smile, giving Carine’s hands a reassuring squeeze. Upon hearing the word ‘he,’ Carine felt a moment of confusion. It seemed odd that it would be a man, and not a woman wanting to adopt the baby. Yet, she trusted Millicent’s judgement, and if Millicent said the man was good, Carine believed her.

  “It shan’t be long,” Carine murmured. “Well, and now it is my turn to give you your news, miss! I spoke with Rousset, and he told me that curses can be broken with True Love’s Kiss! There was other things… I can’t remember them now. I think one of them involved unicorns. But just think! True Love’s Kiss! All you have to do is find your lover and kiss him!”

  “Oh!” Millicent exclaimed, unsure of how to school her expression. She was deeply grateful for Carine’s help, but in her heart, she had given up on seeing her fae lover again. Moreover, she was engaged to another man, and her gratitude towards him made her feel determined to be faithful. Yet, she did not have the heart to tell this to Carine, so she simply smiled and thanked her.

  “What will you do about the king?” Carine asked a moment later. Her question was in truth about the upcoming wedding, but neither Carine nor Millicent wanted it to come to pass. Millicent trusted the magical man would come for her, and Carine assumed that Millicent has some magical abilities and would be able to get away.

  “I’ll be alright,” Millicent replied reassuringly. “I worry about you though, Carine. You have to get out of here. It will surely be chaotic with all the wedding preparations, and that will give you a chance. You need to get away. Find your sister! And I will meet you somewhere… perhaps outside the city. Though I don’t know the city at all…”

  “I do. I shall be able to find you, miss Millicent. It’s best you get out of the city and meet me at the outskirts. But when will you escape?”

  “Soon. I cannot tell you precisely when, but it will be soon, and I will bring you your gold. But please, it would give me peace of mind to know you have gotten away from the king, and his wickedness. He...he frightens me.”

  “Will you be alright without me?” Carine asked in concern. Millicent nodded, and could not help tearing up. The idea of being here without Carine by her side was frightening. Yet, she did not want Carine to face the king’s wrath when the magical man spirited her away from here. The pair of them kept their hands clasped, and said tearful farewells, but both of them had hope that they would see each other soon. When Millicent lay down to sleep that night, it was with a mixture of gladness and sorrow in her heart.

The following day, Millicent was once again forced to continue her lessons. As for Carine, she packed her few scanty possessions, in preparation to depart. However, she could not bring herself to leave without first bidding farewell to Rousset.

  She stood before his open door, and knocked on it. Rousset looked up from his desk and smiled warmly.

  “Were you hoping to find out more about breaking curses, Carine? I looked up more information in my spare time. It’s a fascinating topic. Did you know that the crystal essence of starlight could break curses? I wonder how one would go about acquiring the crystal essence of starlight.”   Carine could not help but smile at Rousset’s rambling. He was so passionate about learning, and she had always felt in awe of his knowledge.

  “Actually,” Carine started, “I’m here to say… well…. Thank you for all the kindness you’ve shown me. I wanted you to know how much it has meant to me. Without it, I think that being here would have destroyed me.”

  “Ah, I should be the one thanking you,” Rousset replied, his face colouring. “No one takes me seriously. I’m glad that at least one person in this kingdom listens to me.”

  “But you’re so wise and well-learned! How could I help but admire you!” Carine felt her own face colouring as she defended Rousset. Then, she felt tears come to her eyes at the thought of leaving him. “That isn’t all I came here to say. I’m leaving, and I will not be returning. I wanted to say farewell.”

  “What?” Rousset exclaimed in surprise. “Why? Where?”

  “Out to the country, I think,” Carine replied softly. “I cannot stay here.”

  “Is it the king? Has he done something?”

  “It’s best if I leave,” Carine said, as tears spilled down her cheek. “I wish… oh…. I’m sorry. I know it isn’t much, but this is what I cherish most in the world.” Carine took out the ribbon that she and her sister had decorated. She had cut it in half, and she gave one of the halves to Rousset.

  “You can use it to mark where you are in your books,” she added, with a tearful smile. “Farewell!”

  Without another word, Carine dashed away, her heart aching at the thought of never seeing Rousset again. As for Rousset, he wondered at the strange painful hollowness he felt within himself as he watched Carine leave. Why was it so painful?

Millicent’s words proved to be true, and Carine was easily able to escape amidst all the bustle of the wedding preparations. As for Millicent, each day that passed only furthered her anxiety. The king had visited her once again, warning her that her behaviour needed to be perfectly refined, but he did not follow his words with any threats. By his standards, it was a sign of extreme generosity towards her.

It was not until the day before the wedding that Rumplestiltskin finally woke from his slumber. His sleep had been entirely dreamless, and he felt unsettled to know that he was essentially blind to the current state of the castle. For all he knew, Millicent could have already been forcibly wed to the king. Were that the case, he would have failed her entirely, and his life would be worth less than the dirt beneath the poorest beggars feet. Yet there was also the chance that she was not yet married, and simply waiting for him to save her. He knew that either way, he needed a plan, and it would not serve to heedlessly dash off on an ill-fated rescue attempt. He was unable to stand on his own, and needed to use the side of a barrel to pull up his body. Moreover, his arm ached where the guard had slashed it with his sword. Ordinarily, his magic would heal his wounds rapidly, but the gash on his arm was still oozing slightly. His shirt was stained blackish from the blood, but since his garments were dark, it was not terribly noticeable. Moreover, he was able to hide his dirty garments under his cloak. Upon standing, he felt immediately dizzy, and his head pounded with sharp pain. Stars seemed to explode behind his eyes, and he felt uncomfortably nauseous. It was quite possibly the worst he had ever felt his entire life, other than the moment when he discovered he was cursed, and had abandoned Millicent in the woods.

Bracing himself with a deep breath, he pushed off the side of the barrel to stand on his own two feet. The world spun violently and his arm pulsed with pain, but eventually, the spinning seemed to ease up. It likely was not much worse than being stuck on a ship on the high seas. Nonetheless, it was unsettling to feel as though the ground was moving when his mind knew that it should be still. He kept his gaze focused on the door, as walked unsteadily towards it. Each step seemed to get a slight bit easier, and once he was at the entrance of the root cellar, he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back at the root cellar, and it occurred to him that this could be the last time he ever saw it. The notion lightened his heart. His gaze fell upon a burlap sack of potatoes that seemed to blend into the dirt floor, and the sight of it gave him an idea. Just as the brown sack blended into the background, he needed to find a way to make Millicent seem unobtrusive. With that, and a hint of illusion magic, it was more than possible for him to free her from her stone cage.

His first thoughts were to get her a set of servants’ uniforms, however, it would be strange for a palace servant to be seen outside the castle. However, he had observed that the produce sellers who supplied the castle with fruits and vegetables tended to wear plain, homespun garments that was generally unassuming. The suppliers were the sort of people that one could pass by on the street and completely forget. The question was, where he would find a set of garments.

It was safe to assume that most of the servants had spare garments that were not their uniforms. However, stealing clothes from the servants would require making his way to the servants quarters, and those rooms were rarely ever empty. It would have been easy under ordinary circumstances, but if he were to make the attempt in his current state, it would likely be disastrous. Still, he could think of nothing else, so he decided he would head in that direction, and wait for an opportunity to arise.

He did not have the strength to make himself invisible, but it took only a slight bit of effort to make himself unnoticeable. As he walked along the corridors, he noticed a servant carrying a bundle of dirty linens, and he realized that rather than stealing clothes from the servants, he could just find some clothes amongst the sacks of used laundry. The washerwomen usually only came by once a week to pick up and clean the clothes, so there should be plenty of garments to choose from. True, those garments would be dirty, however, it would only be temporary and he had no other options that he could think of.

Rumplestiltskin followed the servant as she took to bundle of linens to the storage room where unwashed clothes awaited the washerwomen. When she deposited the clothes and left, he snuck into the room, and began to sort through the sacks of fabric. He found a dark brown tunic to replace his own bloodstained one, and put it on. It was scratchy against his skin, but he shrugged off the discomfort as yet another pain to ignore. He also decided to tear a strip of linen, and bound it around his arm. It wouldn’t do to be leaving a trail of blood, even if the wound looked like it was mostly crusted over. Eventually, he found a course dress that was dark grey in colour, and looked as though it had been patched multiple times. It looked as though it would be a bit too large for Millicent, but it would suffice. He also decided to grab a drab brown blanket - after all, he needed something that would cover Millicent’s brilliant hair. Gathering up the dress and blanket, he exited the storage room, but due to his impaired senses, he did not notice that guard coming his way. To his dismay, they crashed into one another, and Rumplestiltskin stumbled and fell upon the floor, the fabric splayed across him.

Millicent, meanwhile, was growing increasingly anxious. Carine had already been gone for several days, and she had to endure the other servant’s comments about how lazy and useless Carine was. Initially, she had vehemently defended Carine, but the servants only rolled their eyes, and spoke more quietly about it amidst themselves. None of them seemed to have the inclination to be friendly with her. They were either uncomfortably obsequious, or haughty and condescending.

It was terrifying to consider that the wedding would be on the morrow. Her mind was a mixture of manners, titles, dance steps, and fear. Her silent mantra became, ‘please come, please come, please come.’ She did not want to doubt the magical man, but still, her imagination ran wild. Had he changed his mind about marrying her? Did she just imagine the whole conversation, or dream it? Or worse: what if the king somehow discovered him? What if he had been executed, while she sat around, learning to eat all her food with a tiny fork?

The day had been both painfully long, and yet, strangely short at the same time. She did not want the following day to come, yet she was also relieved to be free of all her disapproving tutors. As the sun slowly made its way towards the horizon, Millicent felt as though the it was taking all her hopes with it. For a brief moment, she tried to imagine herself married to the king, but the concept was similar to trying to imagine death. She knew in her heart that if he married her, he would expect her to spin more gold. And she also knew that the moment she failed to do so would be the moment when her life would be forfeit. Queen or not, she knew the king did not value her life. If he saw her as a burden, and he surely would once he discovered that she could not make gold, he would discard her instantly. Perhaps it would not be so bad if he simply cast her out, but she had seen the glimmer of pleasure in his eyes when he spoke of executions and death. It would probably give him pleasure to kill her, and she was not certain that he would “be merciful” and grant her a quick death.

Millicent felt worn down to the bone, and yet, she resisted the idea of climbing into the immense four poster bed. Lying down felt too much like giving up. Instead, she walked over to the alcove by the window, and sat upon the cushioned bench there. Her racing thoughts were starting to settle, and in their place was a strange, painful blankness. She sat, staring out the window, but seemed to see nothing. Her eyes were unfocused and distant, but she did not want to close them. If death was coming for her, she did not want to face it with her eyes closed.

  “What are you doing?” the armoured guard barked at Rumplestiltskin angrily. With the royal wedding the following day, the whole palace was in a state of chaos as servants tried to get as much done as possible. The guards all had to do double duties, due to the large influx of guests, and tempers were frayed.

  “I was taking some laundry to be washed….errm… sir, and I noticed a tear so I thought I would mend it first.” The guard looked down at the scrap of fabric and scowled.

  “Those clothes don’t look fit to be rags. Don’t you have anything better to do? It’s the eve of the wedding! Useless trash!” Angrily, the guard kicked Rumplestiltskin, but his aggression seemed to alleviate his frustration, and he stomped off, muttering about the uselessness of servants. Rumplestiltskin was tense with anger. Under normal circumstances, he would have never allowed anyone to humiliate him thusly, but at the moment, his first priority was Millicent, and he was relieved that the guard had not studied him too closely. Moreover, the guard’s words had indicated that Millicent was not yet wed to the king, and that knowledge filled Rumplestiltskin with relief. Gathering up the dress, he stood up dizzily, but his efforts put too much pressure on his wounded arm, and he felt his scabs crack and ooze beneath the linen. He winced from the sharpness of the pain, but at least he was standing, and with effort, he ascended the stairs towards the queen’s chambers.

Though it did not come as a surprise to him, Rumplestiltskin was still frustrated to see a guard standing in front of Millicent’s rooms. He already felt as though he was about to fall unconscious where he stood. Yet, he was so close to his goal, and he was determined to do everything he could to save his beloved. Rumplestiltskin doubted that he had enough energy to thwart the guard with magic. If he did, he could have simply put the guard to sleep. That left only two options that he could think of - violence, or trickery. If he had the element of surprise, he could have knocked the guard unconscious, but the hall was wide open. Fighting the guard head on would likely draw far too much attention - moreover, the guard was armed with a sword, and Rumplestiltskin had nothing. He was too accustomed to protecting himself with magic to consider using anything as crude as a weapon.

That left only trickery. Yet what could draw the guard away from his post? Rumplestiltskin studied the man, as though expecting him to yield a hint. Yet the guard did not do much more than yawn and shift his weight. The sun was setting, and all the guards were overworked and stressed, but they still tried to be diligent with their duties. Suddenly, an idea struck, based not on the actions of the guard, but on Rumplestiltskin’s understanding of human nature.

Slipping his arms into the world of the fey, he grabbed the gold coins that he had hidden in the hollow underneath the silver tree. He sauntered up to the guard and cackled gleefully, trying his best to mimic the avariciousness of a lowly servant.

  “Heh, heh. It’s too bad you’re trapped up ‘ere, sir,” he said with a toothy grin.

  “What are you talking about?” The guard replied scornfully, straightening his posture and trying to act imposing. Most of the guards were arrogant, and saw the servants as a class far beneath them. Rumplestiltskin could see that the guard resented Rumplestiltskin’s disrespectful act from the way his jaw tensed up, and his eyes narrowed.

  “Well, sir, one of them nobles, all fancy-like wi’ them big sleeves and poofy pants - ‘e dropped ‘is chest o’ treasures and gold was flying everywhere it was. The ‘allway was full of folks - servants, and nobles. Managed to take a few coins.” Here, Rumplestiltskin flashed the handful of gold in his hands. “And ain’t nobody can prove who took what in all that commotion. ‘E’s still down there, trying to collect what ‘e dropped. Probably could snatch a few coins, if yer quick.” Rumplestiltskin winked, and pretended to saunter off, but not before he noted the way the guard’s eyes widened at the sight of the gold. Guards and servants alike were paid in copper. Even one gold coin would be considered a fortune. While no one in the palace would dream of stealing from the king, it was a different matter to steal from a foppish nobleman. The guard glanced quickly along the hall, and a second later, he dashed off. Despite his exhaustion, Rumplestiltskin could not help but smirk in amusement at the predictability of human greed.

Millicent was still staring blindly into the distance when she heard soft footsteps coming up behind her. She turned in her seat, and her eyes widened when she saw the magical man hobbling up to her. Her eyes misted with tears, and before she could think about what she was doing, she stood up and hugged the man tightly.

  “Thank the gods!” she whispered into his chest, her tears flowing. “I was so afraid.” Rumplestiltskin was stunned by Millicent’s actions. His voice broke when he spoke.

  “Don’t be afraid. I’m here now. Hush… it’s alright.” He wrapped his arms gently around her and stroked her hair. Gold still in hand, he offered it to Millicent. “Here, this gold is for your friend. We must be on our way. Also, I brought you this to wear. I am sorry that it isn’t… it isn’t fit for one such as you.” Millicent took the gold and grey dress from him.

  “I’d rather this than a hundred silk dresses,” she said, with a teary smile. “And thank you so much for bringing the gold. I haven’t a notion what I would do without you.” Sniffling, she hurried behind her screen and changed. A part of her wondered if she should even be self-conscious - after all, he was her fiancee. Yet, she felt strange about revealing her body to him. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Escape was much more important at the moment. She also found a small pouch for the gold, and tucked it in her bodice, to be safe. When Millicent came out from behind the screen, she was surprised to see how pale and sickly the man looked. When he first entered the room, she was simply relieved to see him, but upon closer inspection, he looked extremely wan. Moreover, his arm looked to be bandaged in linens, and she could see that the blackish stain on it looked wet and fresh.

  “What happened?” she exclaimed with concern, reaching out towards his arm. He looked down at it with a strangely blank expression and blinked.

  “Oh… that. I’ll explain it to you later. For now, we must leave immediately. It won’t be long until that guard at your door returns. Here, take this to cover your hair.” Millicent threw the blanket over her hair, and wrapped it across her shoulders like a head scarf. As the walked towards the door, Rumpelstiltskin started to sway. His head and his arm were pulsing painfully, and it was difficult to focus his vision.

  “Let me help you,” Millicent insisted. She took his arm, and pulled it over his shoulder, letting him rest some of his weight on her. Rumplestiltskin felt too tired to protest.

  “Just tell me the way,” Millicent said, looking up at him, and smiling reassuringly. It was a rather endearing sight, for her eyes were still red and puffy from her crying. Rumplestiltskin nodded, and they pushed the door open, venturing out into the hallway.

With Millicent to support him, Rumplestiltskin was able to direct his energy to ensure that they avoided the guards in the halls. His voice rough with exhaustion, he gave Millicent precise instructions, and after climbing down several flights of stairs, and twisting and turning through the halls, they eventually made their way outside the castle. The feel of the night air on her skin felt heavenly, despite the chill bite in the air. To Millicent, it was the feeling of freedom, and even though she was far from the woods, she still felt more at home under the open sky, than she ever had in the palace.

As for Rumplestiltskin, although he continued to guide Millicent through the confusing streets of the city, his voice was fading. Millicent noticed that he was leaning more heavily upon her, but she did not comment. She remembered from her entry into the city that the nobles lived closer to the core of the city, and the commoners lived further out. Though the darkness of night obscured the buildings, she could tell that the cobblestone had become a dirt road, and the rank smell in the air indicated the lack of sanitary conditions. She thought she could hear the patter of footsteps, and whispers in the night, but Rumplestiltskin reassured her that she would be alright. Eventually, the houses fell away, and beyond lay the open fertile fields of farms. Millicent sighed deeply with relief and exhaustion. The weight of the man leaning against her seemed heavier than ever. She walked over to the grassy edge of the road and stopped.

  “I’m going to set you down here,” she told him. “I think we’ve made it.” However, when she released her hold on him, he collapsed upon the ground.

  “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to release you so suddenly!” Millicent exclaimed, thinking his collapse was her fault. However, the man did not respond.

  “Are you alright?” Millicent asked with concern. “Hello?” She suddenly felt deeply bothered that she did not know the mysterious man’s name. He had been so kind to her, and it felt wrong to have nothing to call him by. ‘Hello’ sounded so impersonal.

  “Are you asleep?” She leaned over him, half expecting to hear deep and steady breaths, however, his breathing was troublingly ragged. Cautiously, she placed a hand on his forehead, fearful that he might be feverish, but when she touched his skin, it was alarmingly cold.

  “Gods!” she exclaimed with worry, grasping the man’s limp hand. “Please wake up! Oh please! I don’t know what to do without you. Please! I need you!” However, her outcries were met with silence. Exhausted from the stress of the week, and the long night attempting to escape the castle, Millicent’s eyes began to sting with tears. She had not slept since the night before, and she could see the sun peeking up on the horizon. Early morning pedestrians and riders on the road gave her odd glances, but none made a move to help her. Although her beauty ordinarily would have moved them, they were repulsed by the ugliness of the unconscious man whose hand she clung to. However, Millicent was oblivious to them - all her attention was fixed on the sickly-looking man before her. Quietly, she murmured a litany of entreaties, begging her dear friend to awaken, however, he remained unconscious, still breathing in a frighteningly ragged way.
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What's in a name?