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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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A/N: I'm trying to lengthen my chapters, so I put the previous short chapters together into longer ones... may have messed something up. I hope not. Well, enjoy!

   “Miss Millicent?” came a hesitant and familiar voice from behind her. Millicent turned around, and for a moment, she was blinded by the light of the rising sun, however, she knew it was Carine, even if all she saw was a short, shadowy silhouette. Carine was holding hands with a young girl, who seemed to hide hesitantly behind her.

  “Carine!” Millicent exclaimed in relief, leaping up and hugging the younger girl, although her pregnant stomach got in the way.

  “I recognized you when I saw the sun shining on your hair. Olivie and I have been watching the road for days.” Millicent had not realized that the blanket-scarf had slipped from her head, and cautiously, she adjusted it back in place. Despite her weariness, Millicent smiled at Olivie, and said a soft hello, however, Olivie simply hide her face behind Carine.

  “Don’t mind her,” Carine said. “She’s rather shy.”

  “It’s alright. But I need your help, Carine. My friend… he isn’t well!” Carine peered past Millicent, to examine the man lying unconscious on the road, but when her eyes fell upon his malformed face and body, she could not help but recoil. However, for Millicent’s sake, she quickly schooled her features.

  “I can get a healer for you. However, it would cost a few coppers. It may take me a while to find him - he is often on house calls.” Millicent dashed back to the man’s side, and her hands once again testing his forehead, but as before, it remained chilled.

  “We’re going to get a healer for you, my dear friend. Just wait!” However, the man seemed to respond to her words, and his eyelids fluttered restlessly.

  “No!” he rasped, his voice weak. “No healer. It’s not safe here. We must go, far from the city. If the king finds you, he will kill us all.”

  “But-”

  “No!” He exclaimed more forcefully. “If you must, leave me, but you must go!”

  “I won’t leave you!” Millicent replied stubbornly. “We’ll go together. Mayhap find a doctor in the next town.” She stood up and faced Carine, who watched the situation curiously.

  “Carine, we need a way to get out of here together. Is there a way we could get a horse, or a wagon? Oh, I just realized too, I have gold for you!” Reaching into her bodice, she pulled out the sack filled with gold, and gave it to Carine. “Perhaps there is enough in there for something?” Carine opened the sack and peered inside, her eyes widening as she realized it was filled with a generous handful of gold coins. It was a veritable fortune!

  “Oh, thank you miss! Thank you!” She cried out joyfully. There was so much more than she could have dreamed. She did not even question why the gold was in the shape of coins rather than straw.

  “To be honest, it wasn’t me. It was him.” Millicent tilted her head towards the sickly man on the road. “I owe him so much.” Carine noticed the way Millicent’s voice and expression softened as she gazed at the ugly man, and within her, Carine felt a seed of unease begin to grow.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, I suppose I never told you, but now that we’re away from the castle, it should be safe enough. The truth is, he is the one who has been spinning straw into gold. I don’t have any magic at all. It was all him. He has been so kind to me. In fact, he is the one who wants to adopt your baby. He will be so good to it. I know it to be true!” Carine paled as Millicent’s words sunk in. She did not doubt that the man was kind, but he was so hideous that a part of her felt that she would be giving up her babe to a monster.

  “Also….”

  “Also, what?” Carine asked, although a part of her did not want to know. She felt as though she had already heard too much.

  “Just that I agreed to marry him.”

  “What?!?” Carine exclaimed in shock, and the sharpness of her tone caused Olivie to flinch back in surprise.

  “It was my idea,” Millicent replied defensively. “He is a good man. I know I told you all about my lost lover, but I… well, I’ve given up on ever seeing him again. It’s too hopeless. Without this man, I wouldn’t be here right now. Please understand, Carine.” Carine knitted her brow in a frown, but said nothing in reply. Millicent’s expression was stubborn, and this was not the place to argue with her. Initially, Carine had been planning on starting a new life with Olivie once she had the gold from Millicent, but she suddenly decided to change her plans. It seemed horribly unjust for Millicent to marry that ugly man. Although Millicent said otherwise, Carine assumed that the man had somehow used guilt to pressure Millicent into marriage. Moreover, Carine refused to accept the idea that Millicent and her lost lover could never be reunited. In that moment, Carine decided she and Olivie would follow Millicent, and if possible, try and break the engagement between Millicent and the ugly man. After all Millicent had done for her, it was the least that Carine could do.

  “I suppose you know best miss,” Carine said, trying to keep the doubt from her voice. “I ought to go find a wagon now, and we can be on our way. Olivie and I shall journey with you - at least until the baby is born. After all, that man… that man and I suppose you are to be its new parents.” Millicent smiled gratefully in response, and knelt back by the man’s side, while Carine and Olivie went in search for a wagon.

It wasn’t long before Carine and Olivie returned, sitting on a sturdy looking wagon pulled by a mule. Carine looked as though she was concentrating carefully on steering the creature.

  “Best you stay away from the mule,” Carine said. “The previous master says he’s got a nasty bite to him. But aside from that, he’s sturdy and dependable. I put some straw in the back of wagon so your… um… friend can have something more comfortable to lie upon than the hard wood. I’ll come help you with him.”

  “Thank you Carine! You’re wonderful!” Together, they lifted the man, and put him in the back of the wagon.

  “Have you ever driven a wagon before?” Carine asked Millicent.

  “Yes, a few times. My parents had an old cart horse, and we used to take him and the wagon to town on our errands.”

  “I’ve never driven a wagon before. The old master gave me instructions though. I keep thinking I’ll drive us off the road.” Carine laughed nervously. “Look at how my palms are sweating!”

  “If you want, I can drive us for a while, and when the roads clear up, you can take your turn.”

  “Are you certain, miss?” Carine asked doubtfully. “You look…. Hmm… you look as though you haven’t slept for days.”

  “I can manage an hour or two. Worry not. I owe you so much, and it would make me happy to do this for you.” With a tired smile, Millicent climbed to the seat of the wagon and took the reins. Carine climbed up to sit beside her, and Olivie remained in the back of the wagon with the magical man.

  “Which way do you plan to go?” Carine asked.

  “Hmm. I think I’d like to head back to the lands I hail from. It was north of here, I believe.”

  “Then we can keep following this road,” Carine replied. Millicent nodded, and hitched the reins. Obediently, the mule walked forward. It was over a couple hours of steady travelling before the traffic on the road was significantly cleared. Though Millicent claimed that she could keep driving, Carine insisted on taking the reins, while Millicent slept in the wagon. With little protest, Millicent and Olivie switched places, and Millicent fell asleep instantly, untroubled even by the brightness of the sun overhead.

  When Millicent awoke, the sun was far in the west. Carine and Olivie sat together in the front, and Olivie appeared to be deep in concentration as she held the reins to the wagon. As Millicent pushed herself upright, Carine glanced back at her and smiled.

  “I’m showing Olivie how to drive. You slept through supper, miss,” Carine informed her. “You must be hungry. We bought some cheese and some hard bread. Apples too.” Pulling open a sack, Carine handed Millicent some food, and Millicent took it gratefully.

“Has he awoken at all?” Millicent asked, glancing at the unconscious body of the man. His breathing still sounded ragged, and she could not hold back her concern. Carine shook her head, sympathetically. Millicent glanced towards his bandaged arm, wondering if she should change the wrappings. The blackish stain on it looked old and dried. She feared what she would find underneath, however, she had neither the material, nor the expertise to take care of it.

  “How far are we from the next town?” Millicent asked.

  “I’m not sure, miss,” Carine replied. “I’ve never been outside the city. But we can stop by the next farmhouse and ask for help. Perhaps we should stay the night in a barn.” Millicent nodded, not knowing what else to do.

  It was an hour before they came upon a farmhouse, and by then, the sun was touching the horizon. Concerned that Millicent would be somehow identified due to the distinctiveness of her appearance, Carine volunteered to speak to the family that lived at the farm. Millicent, Olivie and the unconscious man waited by the wagon. Millicent attempted to speak to Olivie, hoping to put the young girl at ease, however, Olivie remained stubbornly silent. Millicent had not noticed earlier, but the child seemed to have a disturbing, haunted expression in her eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, and it did not seem fitting to see such eyes on one so young. Before Millicent could give it much thought, Carine had returned.

  “They said we could sleep in the barn for the night,” she said, tilting her head in the direction of the wooden structure. “But…”

   “But what?” Millicent asked with concern.

  “They said that the doctor is away. The doctor’s pa is dying, and they said the doctor travelled far down south to tend to him. I’m sorry. They said that the animal doctor has been seeing to their needs, but… well… they said it isn’t the same. But they did give me this.” Carine handed over a small clay pot to Millicent, as well as some strips of linen.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a salve, for treating wounds. They said to spread it on the wounds before changing the bandages. I noticed the way you’ve been looking at that man’s arm, and I thought it would give you some peace of mind, miss.”

  “Thank you, Carine!” Millicent exclaimed gratefully. The group of them led the wagon into the barn. They unhitched the mule, tying it’s reins to a post outside, where it was in reach of a trough. Millicent found some hay and brought a bundle to the mule, though it seemed to be contentedly munching on the grass that was growing in uneven tufts around it. When the animal was settled, she climbed into the back of the wagon to check on the unconscious man. Gently, she touched his wounded arm, but he did not react. She unwound the linens wrapped around his arm, but when she saw the gash on his arm, she paled. It was purplish-black in colour, and crusted over with what looked like scabs. She could not tell if it was normal or not. As a magical being, his body was clearly different than that of a human’s. She looked at the clay pot she had placed next to him, and wondered if human medicines would harm him. However, she decided to take the risk. It seemed as though it would be better than doing nothing. With delicate care, she spread the salve across his gash, and then wrapped up the wound with fresh linens. It seemed odd, working with someone whose flesh was so cold. If he was not still breathing, she would have thought him dead. Satisfied with her work, she climbed off the wagon, and joined Carine and Olivie, who were sitting on a bale of hay.

  “Is he alright, miss?” Carine asked solicitously.

  “I’m not certain,” Millicent replied, staring helplessly down at her hands. “I applied the salve. Perhaps he will wake tomorrow.”

  “Hm. Mayhap. Well, it seems you’ve done all you could.”

  “I suppose. I wish he would get better,” Millicent said with a sigh.

  “How did you meet him? You said he was the one who spun all that straw into gold? Did you command him to you?”

  “Well, no. In truth, he just appeared. Just when I needed him, too. I thought for certain that the king would kill me once he learned that I could not spin straw into gold. Somehow… magically, he just showed up at my door, and offered to spin the straw into gold,” Millicent explained.

  “What is his name? He offered to spin the straw into gold without asking anything in return?”

  “This must sound strange, but I don’t know his name. He never did tell me, and I…” Millicent paused, and looked away in embarrassment. “I never did ask him. And no, he did not spin the straw into gold for nothing. I offered him my ring and my necklace, although they were only made of copper.”

  “He spun you gold for copper?” Carine replied, incredulous.

  “He seemed satisfied. And the gold was not for me - it was for the king. Although his actions did save my life. This may sound strange, but it felt as though he was asking for something from me simply so I would not feel obligated to him. It seemed more as though he was doing me a kindness, rather than truly seeking a trade.” Millicent smiled to herself as she thought of the man’s gentle and kind ways. However, Millicent’s words only made Carine more suspicious. She did not trust the ugly man, and she trusted him even less after what Millicent had told her. To Carine, it seemed as though Millicent was deluding herself, and that the ugly man was manipulating her, and making Millicent feel as though she owed him something, without consciously even realizing it. Carine felt more determined than ever to break the hold that the ugly man had over Millicent. However experience with having to deal with her parents and sibling taught her that arguing would be ineffective. She would have to bid her time, and find a way to make Millicent see the truth for herself.

Worn out from the long day of travelling, the group soon settled down to sleep upon the springy hay. Having slept through part of the day, Millicent struggled to fall asleep. She could not stop fretting about the man, and thinking about the blackish wound. However, the sounds of the frogs croaking and the crickets chirping soothed her. It was curious to think that those once familiar sounds that she had taken for granted now seemed as wonderful as a heavenly chorus. Her freedom from the king and the palace was a wonderfully sweet feeling, and as she considered her fate, she felt more determined than ever to help the magical man. With those thoughts in mind, Millicent was eventually able to drift off to sleep.

The next day, Millicent woke at dawn, however, Carine and Olivie remained peacefully sleeping. She made use of a chamber pot, and then went to check on the man, hoping that he may have woken. However, he seemed to be in the same state as he was before. Though it was disheartening, she was also relieved to see that his bandages remained unstained, so at least his wound had not continued to ooze. She stepped out of the barn to check on the mule, but the mule seemed content to keep eating grass. Millicent watched the sunrise, filled with a sense of unease. Being free of the castle and out under the broad sky made her thoughts turn to her fey lover. It was curious, how it felt like it had all happened a lifetime ago. She felt as though she had learned a great deal about the world. Much of it was harsh and cruel, and yet there were also moments of kindness and friendship. She considered the unconscious magical man, and how much he had helped her. What would it be like, being wed to him? She was aware that he was not handsome, the way her lover had been, yet he had a goodness of heart that made him shine. It did not feel as though she was sacrificing herself to marry him. Rather, it was oddly comforting, as though giving her the certainty that a dear friend would always be by her side. Yet did that mean that she loved him? Such thoughts only increased Millicent’s confusion. However, her thoughts were interrupted when Carine opened the barn door and bid her good morning.

  “Did you sleep well, miss?” Carine asked.

  “As well as I could. I am worried about my friend.” Carine nodded, and tried to resist the urge to frown. It may have seemed unkind, but she did not want him to get better. If the ugly man were to pass away, then Millicent could be free of him. That would be much easier than trying to break the engagement when Millicent was feeling indebted to him.

  “And you? Did you sleep well Carine?” Millicent asked.

  “Aye. It lightens my heart to have Olivie with me, and to know that I can take care of her. I could live the rest of my days content, knowing I need not see the face of the king ever again. Though I confess that... “

  “What? Is it Rousset?” Carine blushed and nodded in reply.

  “No sense speaking of that now. We should break our fast and be on our way.”

Carine thanked the farmers before departing, while Millicent hitched up the wagon. Before long, they were on the road again, with Millicent at the reins. Carine sat with Olivie in the back, pointing out interesting sights to her. Millicent was not sure if Olivie responded or not - the sound of the wagon wheels over the uneven dirt road was noisy. However, it moved her to hear the love in Carine’s voice as she spoke to her young sister. It occurred to her then that Carine would be a wonderful mother. It seemed unfortunate that the circumstances that had befallen her left her pregnant before she was ready. She wondered whether it was the right thing to do, to take the baby away from her.

Once the sun was high in the sky, Carine and Olivie offered to take the reins.

  “How is he? Did anything change?” Millicent asked, regarding their unconscious passenger. Carine shook her head.

  “Miss Millicent - I don’t say this to hurt you, but mayhap you should consider that he…. May not wake. With that wound, he may have an infection of the blood. It would perhaps be merciful if the gods were to grant him peace of rest.”

  “Don’t say such things!” Millicent exclaimed fearfully. “He can’t die! I need him!” Millicent rested her hand on the man’s cheek, shuddering inwardly at the coldness of his skin. She wished she could have some hint that he might be recovering. More than ever, she wished they had a healer to see to him. Saddened to see Millicent so distressed, Carine could think of nothing to say so she climbed into the driving seat with Olivie. To Carine, Millicent seemed far too soft-hearted, but she admitted that it was one of the things that she liked about Millicent.

As for Millicent, her eyes were stinging with tears. The longer that her friend remained unconscious, the more fearful she felt. She sat by him protectively, and stroked his hair. It was black and coarse, and yet, it was still curiously pleasant to touch.

  “Please get better,” she whispered to him. “I don’t want to lose you too. We’re safe now - far from the king. We could be together, you and I. We could have a little cottage in the woods, where none would harm us. But please… just get better!” Though she did not realize it, her words were reaching him, somewhere in the dark hazy place where his consciousness resided as a faint flicker. ‘We’re safe now.’ Those were the words that he needed to hear. Those were the words that told him he could release his hold on the weight of the immense illusion magic that was draining his lifeforce. With a quiet sigh, some part of him began to let everything go.
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What's in a name?