At Skylark's request
Jan. 9th, 2005 01:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrThis is a story![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
skylark97 commissioned aeons ago. It's probably one of my favorite, if only because the original fairytale always *really* bugged me and I like what I've done with it, especially now that I've rewritten it. Now I've got to beat the blasted hundred acre woods. how do you get rabbit and eeyore? work on 'Sweet Rose' and the Princess/Pea rewrite before people kill me.
"Mama, please. You must stop crying." Aurelius hugged his mother close, her slender, tiny frame almost weightless in his arms. "You'll make yourself sick, Mama. There's no reason for you to cry like this. Please, mama - stop crying." His pleading turned into soundless words of comfort and reassurance as his mother only continued to sob in his arms. He stroked her back and arms comfortingly, doing all he could to soothe her. "Come, Mama. It's not like you're being made to do something you've never done before. And when you have put Uncle in his place, we will have him banished - or put in the ground beside father that he can take his wretched brother to task for upsetting you so."
Rather than comfort, the words seemed to upset her further.
Aurelius scrambled to figure out what he'd said to upset her. "Mama! Please, you must calm down. You're going to make yourself ill, and that will make it impossible for you to complete your task. Come now, Mama. I've said all will be well, don't you believe me?"
But his mother only continued to cry for what seemed like ages, until she grew too exhausted to continue. Worn out, she permitted Aurelius to lead her across the dungeon to a pile of straw and situate her as comfortably as possible. He muttered quietly as he worked, "Should've at least brought you a bed or a blanket…don't know what they're thinking…Mama, are you all right now?"
"No, I am not." Though only just a few years past her fifth decade, the Queen looked at least twice that at the moment. Her normally neat hair had come loose of it's tidy bun, and in chaos that had ensued at the Regent's announcement she had not had time to change out of her simple morning gown - no doubt the Regent had intended that. Her hazel eyes, normally so bright with laughter and wit, had dulled with whatever problem assailed her. "There are things you must know, that I do not want to tell. Things that have to do with the situation in which I have once again found myself." She looked at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. "Only this time, there will be no way out." Looking up at her ever-adoring and attentive son, she smiled sadly. "But so long as you are all right, my precious son, it does not matter."
"Mama, you're speaking in riddles. Come now - what has you so upset? Surely this debacle is nothing more than a few days of discomfort for you. If it upsets you that badly, I will simply summon my knights and force Uncle from the thrown."
The Queen frowned, "You will do no such thing. I should not have to remind you that a good king uses force only when necessary."
"Uncle had locked you in the dungeon!" Aurelius replied, outraged. "How does that not qualify as necessary?" He sighed as his mother continued to frown in disapproval, "Fine. You are correct. But I still don't understand why you're so upset. Three days of spinning and you'll have proven yourself."
For a moment the Queen looked as if she might start crying again, but closing her eyes and breathing deeply for a few moments, she gathered herself together and slowly reopened her eyes. "I must tell you a story, Auri."
"I already know the story, Mama."
"No, you do not," his mother replied in a tone that brooked no argument. "You will listen to me," she looked forlorn. "I only hope that you do not hate me, in the end."
"I could never hate you, Mama."
"That remains to be seen."
Aurelius, kneeling on the floor beside the straw on which she sat, rose up on his knees to embrace her. "Tell your story, Mama."
Taking a deep breath, the Queen looked at him for a moment, then stared at her hands as she began.
"My name now is Oriana - a fine, elegant name, fit for a Queen. But it was not the name I was born with - I was born Hayley, to a poor farmer and his wife - my mother, who died while I was still very young." She sighed softly, "My father was poor, but it didn't sit well with him. And he was disappointed to be stuck with a daughter and not a son. But I was decently pretty, and had a hand for spinning, so he made the best of things."
"But over time it just wasn't good enough, and life on the farm grew steadily worse. To put it simply, one small lie to save face lead to another, on and on until the King himself summoned us to his throne - because he had heard that I could spin straw into gold." She closed her eyes, reliving the old fear of that long ago moment. "He threatened to have my father and I put to death, if it turned out we were lying. I had never been so frightened in my life - panicked, not able to admit my father had merely gotten carried away - I told him I could indeed spin straw to gold. He bid me prove it."
She chuckled, a self-mocking tone to it. "He permitted me to work my magic in private, and locked me in this very dungeon - with the order that every last piece of straw locked inside with me be made into gold by the end of three days time. After I was locked in, I fell into the nearest pile of straw and cried until I could not cry anymore. And then I begged and begged for help, until my voice was hoarse. I had finally given up hope…" she drifted off, looking at her soon but not seeing him, lost to whatever memory flickered behind her eyes. "I had finally given up hope when I saw him. Beneath the little window, smiling as though he'd just head the most amusing story."
"Who, Mama?" Aurelius asked softly.
Oriana shook her head, "A magician, the like of which I've never seen. He was tall, and so very dark - and that smile. I just stared at him, completely stunned. That seemed to make him smile more." She laughed ruefully at herself, "Finally, he asked me if he could be of assistance. When I was finally able to speak, I told him what I needed. He said 'I could spin it - for a price.' I didn't have much, being nothing but a poor farmer's daughter, but I agreed to give him what I could." She stared at her hands, "The King had stipulated I had three nights to turn all of the straw to gold…" Tears streamed quietly down her face, "The magician agreed, and named his price…" She shuddered holding her hand to her face and sobbing quietly. "You have to understand, Auri…I never thought…never imagined…I…"
"Shh, Mama. It's all right." Aurelius soothed his mother and wiped the tears from her face. "It's all right," he said again, smiling.
She managed to smile weakly back, stroking his gold hair fondly and tucking a stray curl behind his ear. "You have your father's eyes - to think that the first time I saw them I nearly fainted. He was so frightening that first time, sitting on his throne and glaring at me so fiercely."
"You can be rather fearsome yourself, Mama, when you want to be." Aurelius' bright gold eyes sparkled as he teased his mother, glad to see she was not too upset to reminisce about his father. "Now come, finish your story. Clearly it was not too awful a price to pay."
Her momentary happiness faded, "On the contrary." Another slow, deep breath as she braced herself. "The magician asked that, in return for three nights of spinning straw into gold, I give him my first born child some time in the future. I…I never thought I would have children. There were no prospects back home, and after spinning straw to gold I had no idea what future might be in front of me. So I agreed, expecting never to have to fulfill my half of the bargain - which makes me even more horrid a person."
"No, Mama." Aurelius took her hands in his own, and smiled at her. "Anyone would do what you did, and more, in such a situation. Why have you never told me this all before?"
"Because I did not want you to hate me, Auri, for agreeing to barter you away for my own sorry life."
Auri leaned up to kiss her cheek, "Well, I am glad you did." He frowned as a thought occurred to him, "But I am still here - what happened?"
"That is where I become even more of a coward," the Queen said quietly, sadly. "After I spun the straw to gold, your father stunned everyone by commanding that I become his wife." She shook her head, smiling briefly. "Never was I more stunned in my life. I guess it makes sense to marry someone who can create gold from simple straw - but after the wedding he decreed that never again would I be forced to touch a spinning wheel."
The prince did not seem surprised, and only laughed. "Father always had a great soft spot for you, Mama. Everyone knows he loved you more than anything."
"And I grew to love him as well…which is why when I finally found myself with child, I panicked. When the magician again appeared, to take you away, I refused and begged and pleaded with him to ask for something - anything - else. He refused, and said that instead he would give me a chance to free myself of the bargain - I had three nights to learn his name. If I could tell him his name, he would leave without the child and never return." Her momentary good humor vanished, replaced by shame and misery. "More than anything, I did not want your father to know of the terrible deal I had made with the mysterious magician…instead I went to your Uncle. He always seemed so steady, down-to-earth. I told him everything, and he vowed to see to the matter. And he did…though I don't know how, to this day. Anyway - I learned the magician's name, and spoke it. He was infuriated…but he left. I never saw him again."
Aurelius was silent as she finished her story, lost in thought. When at last he spoke, his question startled her. "So Uncle put you in here knowing full well that you cannot spin the straw to gold?"
"Yes…it is only just, I suppose. I was never fit to be Queen."
"That's ludicrous. Father chose you, that should be enough. So what if you lied?" Aurelius jumped to his feet. "Anyone would have done the same, put in your position. The only reprehensible person here is Uncle, for taking advantage of you like this." He turned and stalked toward the dungeon door, lifting a hand to knock so that the guards would let him out.
He paused. "What was the magician's name, Mama?"
The Queen fumbled briefly with the name, awkward on her tongue as she had not spoken it for years. "Rumpelstiltskin."
Aurelius tilted his head back to rest against the stone ledge he sat against, looking up at the night sky and worrying his lower lip as he thought. His arms were propped on his bent knees, the air just a bit too cool to be comfortable.
Nearly an hour he'd been squirreled away on the roof of the tower, with nothing to show for it. Try as he might, he could not come up with a way to save his mother. If only he was a year older! At seventeen he was still considered a child by the court, and could do nothing but obey the commands of the Regent.
The wind blew his gold curls into his face, and absently he shoved them back, pulling his short cloak more securely around his slender shoulders. The tower room was small, and isolated. None besides him ever bothered to make the trek all the way up. It was the ideal spot to hide away and think.
If only the thoughts would come. Useful thoughts, about how to save his mother. Or how to strip his backstabbing uncle of his power. Instead his mind was filled with the story his mother had told - the real story, and not the one he'd known all his life.
He wondered if he should be upset. Because he wasn't - mostly just stunned. Though he was angry that his Uncle - who had always seemed so kind, if stern, while his father was alive. Well, first he had to save his mother. Then he would take care of his uncle.
"Rumpelstiltskin," he muttered softly to himself. If only he could find the magician...but then it was unlikely that he would help. Aurelius' shoulders sagged, and he climbed wearily to his feet. Perhaps some food would help, and a brief nap to clear his head.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, making the prince jump and let out a startled cry. He spun around, almost losing his balance - and collided with a man best described as dark.
With only the moon and stars for light, he should have been all but invisible. Yet Aurelius could see him plain as day, dressed head to foot in dark clothing stitched so that there was no loose or unnecessary fabric anywhere. His boots stopped at his knees, and he wore no jacket over long-sleeved shirt despite the chill in the air. The laces of the shirt were drawn closed but not tightly, hinting at the flesh beneath. He carried only a small pouch at his waist. His features were sharp and pointed, thin dark lips turned down in a severe frown. Even his eyes seemed sharp, though Auri could not tell their color. But it was his ears that were strangest of all - they came to a point at the top, a small gold hoop in the right ear the only jewelry he wore. His dark hair fell was cut close to his head, a few strands falling softly against his cheeks.
"Who-who are you?" Aurelius asked, voice still shaky from the shock.
The stranger quirked a thin brow and folded his arms across his chest. "You speak my name and yet do not know who I am?"
"You-you're Rumpelstiltskin!"
"How clever you are. Instead of discussing me, for I really dislike the sound of my name on another's lips, tell me who you are and what business you have with me."
"My name is Aurelius," the prince drew himself up, relaxing as he fell upon manners and words drilled into him from childhood. "Crown Prince Aurelius III.”
Rumpelstiltskin remained unimpressed, “How nice for you. Get to the part where you explain what you want of me.”
“Ah…well…I was hoping you’d be willing to save my mother…again.”
“Again?” Rumpelstiltskin echoed. “What do you mean…” His eyes widened, and then narrowed as he backed hastily away from the prince. “Forget it. I want nothing to do with either of you. She fooled me once, it won’t happen a second time.”
Aurelius surged forward when it looked as if the magician was about to vanish, “Please! You have to help! There’s no one else who can. I’m begging you, please help my mother.” He looked up pleadingly at the significantly taller magician, who only glowered. “Whatever you want, I’ll give you.”
“Yes, much like your mother did, I’m sure.”
“No!” Aurelius unconsciously tightened his grip on Rumpelstiltskin’s arm, “A promise is a promise. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll give. Just save my mother."
Rumpelstiltskin was silent and still, staring at the prince gazing so desperately up at him. At last he moved, to grasp the hand clinging to his arm and removing it. He used his free hand to grasp the prince’s chin, making sure Aurelius could not pull away. “Whatever I want is it?
“Yes,” Aurelius replied.
The magician looked skeptical, “Is that so? Would you give up your possessions? Your kingdom? Your life?”
“Yes, yes and yes!” Aurelius swore. “My mother should not die because first her father and then a friend betrayed and used her! She suffered once, she should not have to suffer again.” Rumpelstiltskin let him break out of his grasp, and Aurelius pulled a ring from his finger. “Here, my signet. Whoever wears it is the declared heir to the kingdom.” He pulled a heavy gold necklace from around his throat, from which dangled a quatrefoil twined with a rose – the royal crest. “A gift from my mother, my most cherished possession.” Spreading his arms wide, he tilted his head up to look the magician in the eyes, “And my life, to do with as you will. Only save my mother.”
Rumpelstiltskin caught the objects thrown his way with ease, the ring and necklace vanishing as he stowed them away. He stepped closer to the prince, again grasping his chin and tilting his head back, as if looking for something. After a moment, he let go. "So be it. Fates take me for a fool." Then he muttered something that Aurelius could not understand, and the two vanished from the tower roof.
His mother's startled cry was the first thing to strike Aurelius, and he realized they were in the dungeon, "But how…Mama, are you all right?"
Oriana didn't reply, frozen into silence as she stared at the man beside her son. "Y-y-you…"
"Me," Rumpelstiltskin said, looking as if something amused him greatly. "The life of a Queen suits you, except that you seem to have wound up right back where you began."
The Queen dropped her head, embarrassed and ashamed.
Aurelius frowned and moved to kneel beside her, comforting her with soundless words before turning to glare at Rumpelstiltskin. "You said you'd help."
"I never promised to be nice about it."
"For the price I'm paying, you can be afford to be considerate."
Oriana clung to her son's sleeve, looking at him fearfully. "Auri, what have you done?"
"I've made sure you're going to be all right, Mama." Aurelius patted her hand, "Come now, why not get some rest while we take care of matters? You are exhausted from this long day, I know. Sleep a bit."
Though she offered several protests, and glanced warily several times at Rumpelstiltskin, Oriana allowed her self to be made as comfortable as possible on a bed made of straw and her son's cloak. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Aurelius watched as Rumpelstiltskin set silently to work, gathering several piles of straw close before seating himself at the spinning wheel.
He looked decidedly strange, sitting there. The magician was tall, much taller than Aurelius, who had his mother's short stature, and he had the build of someone who led an active life - Auri was reminded of the soldiers around the palace. A single lamp and threads of moonlight from the small window were all that shed light in the dark dungeon, adding more shadows to the already dark man. To see such an intimidating figure at something as innocuous as a spinning wheel might have been comical but for the circumstances.
At the moment, it was more fascinating than anything. Aurelius felt like he should say something to break the near silence, but he could not find the words. Instead he moved to sit beneath the window, stubbornly ignoring the cold despite the shivers that occasionally racked his body. His gold eyes remained locked on the quiet figure at the loom, lingering on the hands that guided the straw and tossed aside spools as they filled with fine gold thread. Rumpelstiltskin worked flawlessly, rapidly, and tirelessly. Even as Aurelius fought sleep, the magician worked on, never slowing. The prince watched him as long as he was able, at last drifting off to the sight of the magician silently spinning straw into gold.
*~*~*~*
He woke to sunlight spilling warm across his face before he buried them with a muffled grown in a silk pillow, and a servant shaking him awake. "I'm awake, I'm awake." The hand vanished, and he heard the door close behind the departing servant as he suddenly realized that where he was now was not where he'd been the night before.
Aurelius sat up, shoving tangled curls from his face to look around the room - his room. He'd fallen asleep in the dungeon, had he not? What was he doing in his room? He climbed from the bed and small dais upon which it was situated and made his way to his dressing room, where a bath had already been prepared. Stripping out of his rumpled clothes, Aurelius set about cleaning himself of the dust and grime of the dungeon, preparing himself for what would probably be a very long day.
Rumpelstiltskin was waiting for him when he reappeared in his main bedchamber, reclining in a chair beside the small table upon which the prince's breakfast had been laid out. "Good morning, your Highness."
"…Good morning, Magician." Aurelius took the seat opposite his, watching in silence as the magician helped himself to the pastries and fruit set out for his breakfast. He was fascinated by Rumpelstiltskin's hands, rough and calloused and not all like his own much softer hands. But they showed little of the work the spinning that must have kept him up all night; nor did Rumpelstiltskin look tired. "How went the spinning?"
"Your mother will live, if that is what concerns you." Rumpelstiltskin bit into a sliver of pale green melon, "When I finished, she was still sleeping quiet soundly."
Aurelius shook his head, "I have no doubt my mother is fine. I merely wondered how the spinning went - when I fell asleep you had quite a ways to go."
"The spinning was easy," Rumpelstiltskin smiled, amused by some memory or thought. "Two more nights and it will be completed."
"How do you do it?" Auri couldn't help but ask, ignoring the breakfast Rumpelstiltskin was slowly devouring in favor of quenching his curiosity. "I've never seen such a thing - even when I thought my mother was the one who did it, I always found it hard to believe it was really possible. It was always just a pretty story to me."
Rumpelstiltskin bit neatly into a strawberry, "For most people, magic will only ever be a pretty story. As to how I did it - the explanation would make no sense to you. Magic such as that might be simple for me, but to most other magicians it will be decades yet before they even begin to grasp it."
"I see," Aurelius replied. He started to ask another question, if only to hear the magician speak, when a knock at the door interrupted him.
The knocker didn't wait until he granted permission to enter, but swung the door open and sauntered in, as if he had every right to be in the Prince's private chambers. "Good morning, Auri." The Regent walked heavily across the room, his girth seeming to overstuff even the prince's generous rooms. He sat down heavily in the seat that, until a moment ago, had been occupied by Rumpelstiltskin. "I am surprised you are still in your rooms. I was certain you'd be hovering around your dear mother's new bedchamber like a nervous chick."
"My name is Aurelius, Regent. And you will address me as either 'Prince' or 'Highness.'"
The Regent sneered across the breakfast table, heavy wet voice full of contempt and challenge. Aurelius still found it hard to believe that only days ago, the man had been a fond, if stern, uncle. "It remains to be seen, Auri, if you are a prince or not."
Auri rose to his feet, desperate to get away from him. "As much as it must bother you, Regent, I am the Prince and Heir. There is nothing you can do to change that - my parents obeyed every law and I am the legitimate heir." He fisted his hands at his side, hoping his uncle wouldn't notice the missing signet on his right hand.
"Not if your mother is a charlatan and has fooled your father all these years."
"And why would you think that? She spun the straw to gold all those years ago, and in two more days you will see that she's done it again."
The Regent glared, voice full of anger, "She managed the trick once - she won't be able to do it again."
"When the three days are up, Regent, you will be the one made to look like a fool." Aurelius motioned toward the door, "Now get out of my room and let me eat my breakfast in peace. The sight of you is spoiling my appetite."
Hefting his cumbersome weight up out of the too-small chair, the Regent slowly made his way from the bedchamber. He paused just outside of it, speaking loudly to the guards. "See that the prince does not leave his chambers. I don't trust him not to help his mother."
Aurelius paused in the process of sitting down to eat, "Is it not enough that you've restricted me to the palace!"
"No, it is not," the Regent replied smugly as the door was shut in the prince's face.
Aurelius banged on the door, even as he heard the locks falling into place. "This is ridiculous" he let his head bang gently against the door. "I can not believe the entirety of the court is letting him get away with this."
"People are fickle like that," Rumpelstiltskin said idly, once more in the seat briefly occupied by the Regent. He helped himself to a slice of buttered bread, "They will do most anything to save themselves, especially when fear drives them."
As his words sank in, Aurelius flushed and looked guiltily away. But his expression was stubborn when he finally looked back at the magician, "Well, you need not fear that I'll go back on my word. A promise is a promise, no matter the motives that make it."
"Indeed," Rumpelstiltskin finished off another sliver of melon, smiling in that way of his, as if amused by a joke only he knew. He motioned to the table. "Eat your breakfast, prince, and then we'll go see your mother."
Sighing, Aurelius did as he suggested and sat down to eat.
*~*~*~*
"Mama, you look much better than you did last night." Aurelius stepped away from Rumpelstiltskin and toward his mother, curled up neatly on a pile of hay. "I would have brought you fresh clothes and all, if I could have."
Oriana shook her head, "I am fine without them, Auri." She patted his cheek fondly, "And you've already done more than enough for me." Her gaze flicked to Rumpelstiltskin, who was already arranging and stacking the straw he'd be spinning that night. "You both have," she folded her hands in her lap. "I wish there was something I could do to repay you."
"I've already been paid," Rumpelstiltskin said firmly.
"It is not my son's debt to pay!" Oriana protested.
Aurelius soothed her, "Mama, the matter is already decided."
"But…" Oriana looked miserable and resigned. "It is not fair - this is not your problem, Auri."
"Nonsense," Aurelius hugged her and then rose to his feet. "Anything that upsets you is a problem. The Magician set his price and I agreed to it. There is nothing for you to worry over. Now why not rest, Mama? You look much better than yesterday, but still so tired."
Oriana protested more forcefully than she had the night before, but still she fell rapidly asleep once Aurelius had her settled on a makeshift bed.
Rumpelstiltskin had already settled at his the spinning wheel, and so Aurelius sat beneath the window as he had the night before. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"There is nothing to thank me for," Rumpelstiltskin said without pausing in his work.
"There is though," Aurelius replied firmly. "You had no good reason to agree to help us, and every reason to refuse or even betray us. And you've been kind to her, which was not fair of me to ask of you."
Rumpelstiltskin tossed aside a spool of gold thread and continued working. "For the right price, I will do a great deal." He smiled, more of a smirk, "And you have paid quite the handsome price, prince."
Discomfited, Aurelius attempted to shrug off the taunting words. "It was worth it. My parents have always done all they could for me, save permitting me to leave the grounds." He blinked, sudden realization coming over his face. "I wonder if you're the reason I was never allowed to go anywhere beyond the royal grounds and the village. My mother was always terrified of letting me wander too far from home. Father and I indulged her…"
"She need not have feared so," Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "I stick to my bargains, even when others do not."
Guiltily Aurelius dropped his gaze, and the two fell into silence.
"So what do you do?" Aurelius asked at last. "When you're not spinning straw into gold for silly royals?"
Rumpelstiltskin smiled his strange, amused smile. "I travel, further my studies in magic."
"Travel?" Auri repeated wistfully. "To where?"
"All over, from one kingdom to the next."
"Where's your home?"
Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, "Wherever the wind takes me."
The prince fell silent again, "How did you hear me when I said your name?"
"A spell. I almost always hear when my name is spoken, and I heard it twice from this place - that is why I came. It is few the people that know my name."
"Why don't you want anyone knowing your name?"
"Because in magic a name can be a powerful thing. And I don't much like it." Rumpelstiltskin tossed another spool of gold thread aside and began anew once more.
"Oh," Aurelius said, and fell silent.
"No more questions, Highness?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, mildly amused.
"What," Auri hesitated. "What are you going to do with me when you're done here?"
Rumpelstiltskin paused in his work, and stared at the prince for what seemed ages. At last he resumed the spinning, dark eyes sliding away from the prince. "I haven't decided yet."
“I see.” Auri frowned, pensive. “What…what would you have done with me if…if my mother had kept her promise?”
The magician paused in his spinning again, some unnamed emotion flickering across his face. “I wonder.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“The only kind you’ll get,” Rumpelstiltskin said, resuming his work. “’If’ and ‘what might have been’ are not worth dwelling on.”
Aurelius looked like he wanted to argue, but instead shifted his questions slightly. “Did you find another child to take?”
“No, I did not.”
“Why not simply have one of your own?”
Rumpelstiltskin sighed, “You’re just full of questions tonight.”
“It helps me stay awake.”
The magician nodded absently, as if pondering something. “ ‘Simply having a child of my own’ is not as easy as you try to make it sound. For many reasons.”
“All right…” Aurelius replied, not really understanding at all. “But why not take an orphan or something? Why go to all the trouble of bargaining with my mother like you did?”
“Because that is the way magic works,” Rumpelstiltskin said sharply. “The same way I must spin the straw if I want it to turn to gold. I could use magic to do the spinning – but then it would not turn it to gold. If I were simply to take a child from the streets, I would be putting nothing into it. And not all people are gifted with magic. The agreement was three nights of spinning straw to gold, to save your mother’s life. In return – her child, who by the bargain I struck would be capable of learning magic.”
Aurelius’ eyes went wide as the words sunk in, “Really? I could learn magic?”
“You could have, yes.”
The excitement died on Auri’s face, “I can’t now?”
“Most likely not,” Rumpelstiltskin said quietly.
“What do you mean “most likely”?”
But Rumpelstiltskin remained silent, and eventually Auri gave up hoping for an answer.
He watched the magician work in silence, a million new questions begging to be asked. But they all began ‘what if’ and so he remained silent, watching Rumpelstiltskin as long as he was able.
*~*~*~*
Dreams of magic and unknown places lingered as he woke, groaning at the unwelcome sunlight that assaulted his eyes. He stopped the departing servant who had woken him, "Am I allowed out of my room today?"
The girl hesitated, obviously unhappy about the reply she had to make. "No, Highness. The Regent has ordered you to remain here until tomorrow morning."
"Very well, then. Thank you."
Bobbing a curtsy, the servant departed. Aurelius muttered to himself as he set about discarding the clothes he still wore, "Just wait until I lock him up, then we'll see who gets to be smug."
A deep chuckle broke into his mumbling, "Your family does appear to have a fondness for locking one another up. Why not do something different?"
"Like what?" Aurelius paused in the process of removing his shirt as he turned to face Rumpelstiltskin, feeling suddenly shy.
"There's a country to the east that takes their criminals deep into the forest that surrounds the land - a forest well known for being particularly dangerous. If the criminal makes it out alive, he is permitted to go free. If not…" Rumpelstiltskin shrugged and helped himself to a small, bright raspberry.
Aurelius considered his words, "Hmm…I do rather like the sound of that. I'll have to suggest it to mother." He sat down to remove his boots, realizing belatedly that he wasn't wearing his boots, and looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "You don't have to put me to bed every night - just wake me up."
"I still would have to take you back to your room - there seems little point in waking you up for it."
"Thank you."
Rumpelstiltskin looked at him, then shifted his attention back to the food. "Unnecessary. I have as little interest in your uncle finding me out as your mother and you."
"I’m going to get a bath," Aurelius said with a sigh. Then he smiled, "Don't eat all my breakfast while I'm gone."
Dark eyes slid over him, amusement flickering in them for a moment. "Then don't take too long."
Aurelius vanished into his dressing chamber with a laugh.
He reemerged much less happily, glowering at his uncle, whom he'd heard arriving. "What do you want? Going to lock me in my wardrobe this time?"
"Don't tempt me."
"What do you want, Uncle?" Aurelius sat to pick at what remained of his breakfast.
"Merely to see how you were faring."
Aurelius rolled his eyes, "You mean you've come to make sure I hadn't run off." He glanced at his window, "I won't say I hadn't considered it - but really Regent. I'm a little high up and I can't reach the dungeons from outside."
"If you continue with this impertinence, Auri, I will keep your mother spinning straw indefinitely."
"You can't do that!" Aurelius roared, surging to his feet. "The agreement was three days, no more or less. If you have a problem with me, take it up with me."
The Regent smirked, "Behave yourself, Auri. That is all I have to say on the matter. I had actually come to offer to let you out for a bit - but I think perhaps your remaining confined would do us both some good." With a flounce of his long cape, the Regent departed.
"Do us both some good," Auri repeated in disgust. "Only in that it keeps me from killing him."
Rumpelstiltskin appeared behind him, hands dropping down on the prince's shoulders to keep him from storming to the door as he'd been about to do. "Temper, temper. One more day is easily coped with." He turned Auri to face him, smiling in that laughing way of his, "And you're hardly locked up with me around."
Aurelius managed to smile back, "I don't suppose you'd teach me that trick before you left?" he asked. "Or am I going with you?"
The humor faded from Rumpelstiltskin's face, hands sliding from the prince's shoulders. "I don't think you'd like to go with me, Prince."
"How do you know that?" Aurelius asked.
"Because you do not know what you're talking about," Rumpelstiltskin said sharply. "Magic isn't a game, and it's not to be taken lightly."
"But--"
"Eat your breakfast, Prince." Rumpelstiltskin vanished.
Aurelius stood unmoving in his empty room, mind in turmoil. He moved stiffly to the table, picking at his food and eating little of it. Magic preyed on his thoughts, magic and dark eyes, work-rough hands that had felt warm and strong on his shoulders, and the taunting words
What if
*~*~*~*
Rumpelstiltskin didn't appear to take him to the dungeon that evening. Aurelius glared at his room, at the scenery beyond his window, at the guards on the opposite side of the door.
Auri was getting tired of being treated like a child. If that's what they thought of him, he could act like one. "Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpel--" A rough hand clapped over his mouth, his head knocking against the wall as Rumpelstiltskin shoved him against it.
"What do you think you're doing?" the magician asked with a furious hiss. Slowly he removed his hand.
"Getting your attention."
"You've gotten it."
Aurelius glared, "Why am I not in the dungeon with you and my mother?"
"Your mother will live without seeing your face for one day, Prince."
"I know," Auri said. "But I wanted to talk to you."
Rumpelstiltskin stepped away, "I don't have time to talk."
"What are you planning to do with me when you're done?"
The magician shook his head, dark hair falling across his cheeks. "Nothing."
"Why not?"
Dark eyes flashed, "You think you want to leave? Abandon your mother? Your home? Your throne?"
"The throne I'm not really fit for, you mean?" Auri asked bitterly. "Some Crown Prince I am, letting my mother get thrown in a dungeon and myself locked in my room while my Uncle lords it over everyone. And not even enough support that someone will come help me."
Rumpelstiltskin's anger faded, "You're still young, Prince. And fear is a hard thing for people to overcome. Your father is not long dead, your mother is as much grief-stricken as she is terrified…if you are anything like your mother, you will be a fine king someday."
"I don't want to be a king," Aurelius said, looking guiltily at the floor. "It's just what I'm supposed to be."
"Indeed," Rumpelstiltskin said softly.
Aurelius looked up at him, "Couldn't I come with you? If only for a little while? At the very least you should let me pay my debt…"
"It would never work."
"Why not?"
Rumpelstiltskin sighed, "Do you know how old I am?"
Aurelius frowned, confused. "You look about thirty years or so."
"I am only a few years shy of a hundred," Rumpelstiltskin replied.
"B-but that's impossible. Ridiculous!" Aurelius looked stunned. "You can't be that old."
"Magic takes decades to learn, more time than a normal person has. It takes years of patience, discipline and many failed attempts before you see any sort of success. And rarely does one succeed in becoming a magician if he does not start very, very young. I began when I was but five."
Aurelius blinked as realization sank in. "That's why you wanted a child!"
"Yes," Rumpelstiltskin said, looking weary. "That is why I wanted a child."
"So…why didn't you just get another?"
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "Think you it's as easy as that? Should I just go from kingdom to kingdom, taking children from their mothers? I tried to do it once, and it ended miserably. I won't try it again."
"And now that I'm older, I'm just no good?" Aurelius asked dejectedly.
"I did not say that," Rumpelstiltskin said quietly. He reached out a hand slowly, as if uncertain what Aurelius would do, and latched onto a stray gold curl, rubbing it between his fingers before brushing it from his face. "It's not impossible to learn magic as an adult - only very, very difficult. People don't know how to be patient, how to keep working and waiting. And you would live to be very, very old. Is that what you want?" His hand lingered at Auri's cheek, then fell away. "To still be young when your mother finally dies? To see everyone you know and love pass away?" He shook his head, "Forget it."
"I'm tired of everyone making my decisions for me." Aurelius stepped closer, glaring up at Rumpelstiltskin. "You made a bargain for me, and let my mother break it. My mother bartered me away, and then changed her mind. I've never been allowed to leave the palace grounds because she didn't think it was safe, and now that I've bartered myself away - you're telling me no, I wouldn't like it. Isn't that my choice to make? And what about what you said before? According to the bargain you made with my mother, I'm supposed to be yours." He didn't seem to notice Rumpelstiltskin's sharp intake of breath, "Then you let her keep me, and now I'm stuck in a life that's never seemed quite right."
He began to turn away, but a calloused hand gripped his arm and held him in place, rough fingers gently tilting his chin back up. "Do you really think a life with me is what you want? Because that's what it would be - I'm not sure you understand. I never wanted someone to be my son or whatnot. I wanted a companion - a lover - who would stay with me always. Because it does get depressing watching everyone you know grow old and die. That's what you were meant to be. If in the end I let your mother keep you, it's because I always knew I didn't have the right to decide such a thing for you."
"Then why won't you let me decide?" Auri asked softly, cheeks flushed. "When I said my life was yours, I meant it. Maybe I don't completely understand what I'm agreeing to - but I have patience, I'm a good student…" he drifted off, not sure how to continue.
Rumpelstiltskin almost smiled, "You are also determined, and devoted. It does not take more than a moment to learn that. But you shouldn't make such a decision so lightly prince, because there will come a point where you cannot turn back. Be certain that magic and…" he dipped his head to brush Auri's lips softly with his own, a whisper of a kiss that was over before it began. "…This is worth losing everything else." He released the prince and stepped away, "I must return to my spinning. I leave in the morning - decide tonight if you really want to come with me." He vanished.
Aurelius touched his fingers to his lips, stunned. And wondering what a real kiss would do, if the soft one had made his lips tingle.
*~*~*~*
He stood beside his uncle as guards unlocked the dungeon door.
His mother stepped slowly out, limbs stiff from the confinement. Despite her rumbled, dusty and dirty appearance, she held her head high and walked out with all the grace and refinement that she had taught herself, when she was asked to be the bride of the King.
The Regent spared her only the briefest glance before striding past her and into the dungeon, a couple of courtiers and guards following him to lend their observation and judgment to his own.
The entire room was filled with spool after spool of fine gold thread. Not a single bit of straw remained, only the spinning wheel in the middle and the Queen's cloak crumpled on the floor nearby.
Spinning around sharply on his heel, knocking a guard who was standing too close, the Regent glared at the Queen. "Did you make the same bargain as before then?" he spat. "There is no way you spun the straw."
The Queen lifted her brows in a delicate show of offense. "Bargain? Of what do you speak, dear brother? I made no bargains. The straw is spun, and there was none but I to do the spinning."
"You and I both know very well--" but the Regent cut himself off, as his own words struck him.
Oriana continued to regard him coolly, "Have you something to say, Regent?"
"Nothing."
She looked at him, brows once more lifting high in disapproval.
"Your Majesty," the Regent said through clenched teeth.
The Queen nodded, "Guards - throw him in the dungeon. He wanted the gold that badly, he may have it." She turned away, exchanging a glance with her Captain of the Guard. "See that he is given enough to stay alive, but not a shred more. If you disobey me in this, you will join him." She ignored the others assembled in the dungeon, and walked regally out of it.
A few hours later she appeared in her throne room, Aurelius proud and stern beside her, ignoring every person awaiting her arrival. She thanked the servant that helped her up the dais, one who had always stood by her. Taking a seat on her throne, forcing herself to ignore the one where once her husband had sat, she cast a frosty glance down upon the gathered nobility. "If any one else has a question about my right to rule, they may leave now. I accepted and met the Regent's challenge. The right to rule is mine. Are there further challengers?"
Silence.
"Very well, then. We make full note that when the Regent challenged our authority, no one stood to help us. Everyone in this room has lost our favor, and it is only because of the King's recent death that we do not strip you of your lands or titles. And now you are all dismissed from our presence."
None wasted any time in departing.
Eventually only the Queen and Aurelius remained. A few minutes later, Rumpelstiltskin appeared at the foot of the dais.
"Magician," the Queen smiled, some of her weariness showing through. "You've done more for me than I can ever repay. Certainly I never did anything to earn your assistance this time, considering our first encounter."
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "You are hardly to be blamed for doing whatever was necessary to keep and protect your child."
"But more and more I’m realizing," the Queen replied softly, "That he didn't need to be protected from anything. As much as I am loath to admit it, Magician, perhaps I should force you to accept the terms of original bargain. I think, in the end, we would all be happier." She looked both happy and sad, and far more at peace than she ever had. "If it's not too much trouble, and you have no objections, I would greatly appreciate it if you would accept my son."
It was hard to tell who was more stunned by her words - Rumpelstiltskin or Aurelius. Auri gaped at his mother, "Mama…are you certain?"
"No. How certain can one be of anything, really? I was certain, years ago, that I would die because I could not spin straw into gold. I was certain I would never have a child. I was certain I would make a horrible Queen, and certain three days ago that I would never again sit on this throne. Certainty is not the point, Auri. But I hope that I will see you again, someday."
"Of that you can be certain, Mama." Aurelius pulled her from her chair and hugged her close, kissing her cheek and whispering a grateful "Thank you, Mama. I love you" in her ear.
"I love you too, Auri." She stroked his hair and patted his cheek, then gently pushed him away. "Now go, before I change my mind. I will take care of matters here - it's best to go before your uncle devises a way to cause me further trouble."
Aurelius didn't hesitate longer, but turned and rushed down the high dais to where Rumpelstiltskin still waited in a stunned silence. "Will you let me come?"
The Magician stroked his cheek, the caress the same and yet different from the way his mother had done it. "Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be," Auri smiled, and clung to his arm as he leaned up to press a quick, shy kiss to the corner of Rumpelstiltskin's mouth.
That seemed to stun the magician further, but after a moment he seemed to recover himself, smiling his familiar, amused smile. Turning, he bowed to Oriana, "May you never see straw again, for as long as you live, dear Queen. If ever you need us, you've only to call my name."
skylark97 commissioned aeons ago. It's probably one of my favorite, if only because the original fairytale always *really* bugged me and I like what I've done with it, especially now that I've rewritten it. Now I've got to More Precious Than Gold
"Mama, please. You must stop crying." Aurelius hugged his mother close, her slender, tiny frame almost weightless in his arms. "You'll make yourself sick, Mama. There's no reason for you to cry like this. Please, mama - stop crying." His pleading turned into soundless words of comfort and reassurance as his mother only continued to sob in his arms. He stroked her back and arms comfortingly, doing all he could to soothe her. "Come, Mama. It's not like you're being made to do something you've never done before. And when you have put Uncle in his place, we will have him banished - or put in the ground beside father that he can take his wretched brother to task for upsetting you so."
Rather than comfort, the words seemed to upset her further.
Aurelius scrambled to figure out what he'd said to upset her. "Mama! Please, you must calm down. You're going to make yourself ill, and that will make it impossible for you to complete your task. Come now, Mama. I've said all will be well, don't you believe me?"
But his mother only continued to cry for what seemed like ages, until she grew too exhausted to continue. Worn out, she permitted Aurelius to lead her across the dungeon to a pile of straw and situate her as comfortably as possible. He muttered quietly as he worked, "Should've at least brought you a bed or a blanket…don't know what they're thinking…Mama, are you all right now?"
"No, I am not." Though only just a few years past her fifth decade, the Queen looked at least twice that at the moment. Her normally neat hair had come loose of it's tidy bun, and in chaos that had ensued at the Regent's announcement she had not had time to change out of her simple morning gown - no doubt the Regent had intended that. Her hazel eyes, normally so bright with laughter and wit, had dulled with whatever problem assailed her. "There are things you must know, that I do not want to tell. Things that have to do with the situation in which I have once again found myself." She looked at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. "Only this time, there will be no way out." Looking up at her ever-adoring and attentive son, she smiled sadly. "But so long as you are all right, my precious son, it does not matter."
"Mama, you're speaking in riddles. Come now - what has you so upset? Surely this debacle is nothing more than a few days of discomfort for you. If it upsets you that badly, I will simply summon my knights and force Uncle from the thrown."
The Queen frowned, "You will do no such thing. I should not have to remind you that a good king uses force only when necessary."
"Uncle had locked you in the dungeon!" Aurelius replied, outraged. "How does that not qualify as necessary?" He sighed as his mother continued to frown in disapproval, "Fine. You are correct. But I still don't understand why you're so upset. Three days of spinning and you'll have proven yourself."
For a moment the Queen looked as if she might start crying again, but closing her eyes and breathing deeply for a few moments, she gathered herself together and slowly reopened her eyes. "I must tell you a story, Auri."
"I already know the story, Mama."
"No, you do not," his mother replied in a tone that brooked no argument. "You will listen to me," she looked forlorn. "I only hope that you do not hate me, in the end."
"I could never hate you, Mama."
"That remains to be seen."
Aurelius, kneeling on the floor beside the straw on which she sat, rose up on his knees to embrace her. "Tell your story, Mama."
Taking a deep breath, the Queen looked at him for a moment, then stared at her hands as she began.
"My name now is Oriana - a fine, elegant name, fit for a Queen. But it was not the name I was born with - I was born Hayley, to a poor farmer and his wife - my mother, who died while I was still very young." She sighed softly, "My father was poor, but it didn't sit well with him. And he was disappointed to be stuck with a daughter and not a son. But I was decently pretty, and had a hand for spinning, so he made the best of things."
"But over time it just wasn't good enough, and life on the farm grew steadily worse. To put it simply, one small lie to save face lead to another, on and on until the King himself summoned us to his throne - because he had heard that I could spin straw into gold." She closed her eyes, reliving the old fear of that long ago moment. "He threatened to have my father and I put to death, if it turned out we were lying. I had never been so frightened in my life - panicked, not able to admit my father had merely gotten carried away - I told him I could indeed spin straw to gold. He bid me prove it."
She chuckled, a self-mocking tone to it. "He permitted me to work my magic in private, and locked me in this very dungeon - with the order that every last piece of straw locked inside with me be made into gold by the end of three days time. After I was locked in, I fell into the nearest pile of straw and cried until I could not cry anymore. And then I begged and begged for help, until my voice was hoarse. I had finally given up hope…" she drifted off, looking at her soon but not seeing him, lost to whatever memory flickered behind her eyes. "I had finally given up hope when I saw him. Beneath the little window, smiling as though he'd just head the most amusing story."
"Who, Mama?" Aurelius asked softly.
Oriana shook her head, "A magician, the like of which I've never seen. He was tall, and so very dark - and that smile. I just stared at him, completely stunned. That seemed to make him smile more." She laughed ruefully at herself, "Finally, he asked me if he could be of assistance. When I was finally able to speak, I told him what I needed. He said 'I could spin it - for a price.' I didn't have much, being nothing but a poor farmer's daughter, but I agreed to give him what I could." She stared at her hands, "The King had stipulated I had three nights to turn all of the straw to gold…" Tears streamed quietly down her face, "The magician agreed, and named his price…" She shuddered holding her hand to her face and sobbing quietly. "You have to understand, Auri…I never thought…never imagined…I…"
"Shh, Mama. It's all right." Aurelius soothed his mother and wiped the tears from her face. "It's all right," he said again, smiling.
She managed to smile weakly back, stroking his gold hair fondly and tucking a stray curl behind his ear. "You have your father's eyes - to think that the first time I saw them I nearly fainted. He was so frightening that first time, sitting on his throne and glaring at me so fiercely."
"You can be rather fearsome yourself, Mama, when you want to be." Aurelius' bright gold eyes sparkled as he teased his mother, glad to see she was not too upset to reminisce about his father. "Now come, finish your story. Clearly it was not too awful a price to pay."
Her momentary happiness faded, "On the contrary." Another slow, deep breath as she braced herself. "The magician asked that, in return for three nights of spinning straw into gold, I give him my first born child some time in the future. I…I never thought I would have children. There were no prospects back home, and after spinning straw to gold I had no idea what future might be in front of me. So I agreed, expecting never to have to fulfill my half of the bargain - which makes me even more horrid a person."
"No, Mama." Aurelius took her hands in his own, and smiled at her. "Anyone would do what you did, and more, in such a situation. Why have you never told me this all before?"
"Because I did not want you to hate me, Auri, for agreeing to barter you away for my own sorry life."
Auri leaned up to kiss her cheek, "Well, I am glad you did." He frowned as a thought occurred to him, "But I am still here - what happened?"
"That is where I become even more of a coward," the Queen said quietly, sadly. "After I spun the straw to gold, your father stunned everyone by commanding that I become his wife." She shook her head, smiling briefly. "Never was I more stunned in my life. I guess it makes sense to marry someone who can create gold from simple straw - but after the wedding he decreed that never again would I be forced to touch a spinning wheel."
The prince did not seem surprised, and only laughed. "Father always had a great soft spot for you, Mama. Everyone knows he loved you more than anything."
"And I grew to love him as well…which is why when I finally found myself with child, I panicked. When the magician again appeared, to take you away, I refused and begged and pleaded with him to ask for something - anything - else. He refused, and said that instead he would give me a chance to free myself of the bargain - I had three nights to learn his name. If I could tell him his name, he would leave without the child and never return." Her momentary good humor vanished, replaced by shame and misery. "More than anything, I did not want your father to know of the terrible deal I had made with the mysterious magician…instead I went to your Uncle. He always seemed so steady, down-to-earth. I told him everything, and he vowed to see to the matter. And he did…though I don't know how, to this day. Anyway - I learned the magician's name, and spoke it. He was infuriated…but he left. I never saw him again."
Aurelius was silent as she finished her story, lost in thought. When at last he spoke, his question startled her. "So Uncle put you in here knowing full well that you cannot spin the straw to gold?"
"Yes…it is only just, I suppose. I was never fit to be Queen."
"That's ludicrous. Father chose you, that should be enough. So what if you lied?" Aurelius jumped to his feet. "Anyone would have done the same, put in your position. The only reprehensible person here is Uncle, for taking advantage of you like this." He turned and stalked toward the dungeon door, lifting a hand to knock so that the guards would let him out.
He paused. "What was the magician's name, Mama?"
The Queen fumbled briefly with the name, awkward on her tongue as she had not spoken it for years. "Rumpelstiltskin."
Aurelius tilted his head back to rest against the stone ledge he sat against, looking up at the night sky and worrying his lower lip as he thought. His arms were propped on his bent knees, the air just a bit too cool to be comfortable.
Nearly an hour he'd been squirreled away on the roof of the tower, with nothing to show for it. Try as he might, he could not come up with a way to save his mother. If only he was a year older! At seventeen he was still considered a child by the court, and could do nothing but obey the commands of the Regent.
The wind blew his gold curls into his face, and absently he shoved them back, pulling his short cloak more securely around his slender shoulders. The tower room was small, and isolated. None besides him ever bothered to make the trek all the way up. It was the ideal spot to hide away and think.
If only the thoughts would come. Useful thoughts, about how to save his mother. Or how to strip his backstabbing uncle of his power. Instead his mind was filled with the story his mother had told - the real story, and not the one he'd known all his life.
He wondered if he should be upset. Because he wasn't - mostly just stunned. Though he was angry that his Uncle - who had always seemed so kind, if stern, while his father was alive. Well, first he had to save his mother. Then he would take care of his uncle.
"Rumpelstiltskin," he muttered softly to himself. If only he could find the magician...but then it was unlikely that he would help. Aurelius' shoulders sagged, and he climbed wearily to his feet. Perhaps some food would help, and a brief nap to clear his head.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, making the prince jump and let out a startled cry. He spun around, almost losing his balance - and collided with a man best described as dark.
With only the moon and stars for light, he should have been all but invisible. Yet Aurelius could see him plain as day, dressed head to foot in dark clothing stitched so that there was no loose or unnecessary fabric anywhere. His boots stopped at his knees, and he wore no jacket over long-sleeved shirt despite the chill in the air. The laces of the shirt were drawn closed but not tightly, hinting at the flesh beneath. He carried only a small pouch at his waist. His features were sharp and pointed, thin dark lips turned down in a severe frown. Even his eyes seemed sharp, though Auri could not tell their color. But it was his ears that were strangest of all - they came to a point at the top, a small gold hoop in the right ear the only jewelry he wore. His dark hair fell was cut close to his head, a few strands falling softly against his cheeks.
"Who-who are you?" Aurelius asked, voice still shaky from the shock.
The stranger quirked a thin brow and folded his arms across his chest. "You speak my name and yet do not know who I am?"
"You-you're Rumpelstiltskin!"
"How clever you are. Instead of discussing me, for I really dislike the sound of my name on another's lips, tell me who you are and what business you have with me."
"My name is Aurelius," the prince drew himself up, relaxing as he fell upon manners and words drilled into him from childhood. "Crown Prince Aurelius III.”
Rumpelstiltskin remained unimpressed, “How nice for you. Get to the part where you explain what you want of me.”
“Ah…well…I was hoping you’d be willing to save my mother…again.”
“Again?” Rumpelstiltskin echoed. “What do you mean…” His eyes widened, and then narrowed as he backed hastily away from the prince. “Forget it. I want nothing to do with either of you. She fooled me once, it won’t happen a second time.”
Aurelius surged forward when it looked as if the magician was about to vanish, “Please! You have to help! There’s no one else who can. I’m begging you, please help my mother.” He looked up pleadingly at the significantly taller magician, who only glowered. “Whatever you want, I’ll give you.”
“Yes, much like your mother did, I’m sure.”
“No!” Aurelius unconsciously tightened his grip on Rumpelstiltskin’s arm, “A promise is a promise. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll give. Just save my mother."
Rumpelstiltskin was silent and still, staring at the prince gazing so desperately up at him. At last he moved, to grasp the hand clinging to his arm and removing it. He used his free hand to grasp the prince’s chin, making sure Aurelius could not pull away. “Whatever I want is it?
“Yes,” Aurelius replied.
The magician looked skeptical, “Is that so? Would you give up your possessions? Your kingdom? Your life?”
“Yes, yes and yes!” Aurelius swore. “My mother should not die because first her father and then a friend betrayed and used her! She suffered once, she should not have to suffer again.” Rumpelstiltskin let him break out of his grasp, and Aurelius pulled a ring from his finger. “Here, my signet. Whoever wears it is the declared heir to the kingdom.” He pulled a heavy gold necklace from around his throat, from which dangled a quatrefoil twined with a rose – the royal crest. “A gift from my mother, my most cherished possession.” Spreading his arms wide, he tilted his head up to look the magician in the eyes, “And my life, to do with as you will. Only save my mother.”
Rumpelstiltskin caught the objects thrown his way with ease, the ring and necklace vanishing as he stowed them away. He stepped closer to the prince, again grasping his chin and tilting his head back, as if looking for something. After a moment, he let go. "So be it. Fates take me for a fool." Then he muttered something that Aurelius could not understand, and the two vanished from the tower roof.
His mother's startled cry was the first thing to strike Aurelius, and he realized they were in the dungeon, "But how…Mama, are you all right?"
Oriana didn't reply, frozen into silence as she stared at the man beside her son. "Y-y-you…"
"Me," Rumpelstiltskin said, looking as if something amused him greatly. "The life of a Queen suits you, except that you seem to have wound up right back where you began."
The Queen dropped her head, embarrassed and ashamed.
Aurelius frowned and moved to kneel beside her, comforting her with soundless words before turning to glare at Rumpelstiltskin. "You said you'd help."
"I never promised to be nice about it."
"For the price I'm paying, you can be afford to be considerate."
Oriana clung to her son's sleeve, looking at him fearfully. "Auri, what have you done?"
"I've made sure you're going to be all right, Mama." Aurelius patted her hand, "Come now, why not get some rest while we take care of matters? You are exhausted from this long day, I know. Sleep a bit."
Though she offered several protests, and glanced warily several times at Rumpelstiltskin, Oriana allowed her self to be made as comfortable as possible on a bed made of straw and her son's cloak. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Aurelius watched as Rumpelstiltskin set silently to work, gathering several piles of straw close before seating himself at the spinning wheel.
He looked decidedly strange, sitting there. The magician was tall, much taller than Aurelius, who had his mother's short stature, and he had the build of someone who led an active life - Auri was reminded of the soldiers around the palace. A single lamp and threads of moonlight from the small window were all that shed light in the dark dungeon, adding more shadows to the already dark man. To see such an intimidating figure at something as innocuous as a spinning wheel might have been comical but for the circumstances.
At the moment, it was more fascinating than anything. Aurelius felt like he should say something to break the near silence, but he could not find the words. Instead he moved to sit beneath the window, stubbornly ignoring the cold despite the shivers that occasionally racked his body. His gold eyes remained locked on the quiet figure at the loom, lingering on the hands that guided the straw and tossed aside spools as they filled with fine gold thread. Rumpelstiltskin worked flawlessly, rapidly, and tirelessly. Even as Aurelius fought sleep, the magician worked on, never slowing. The prince watched him as long as he was able, at last drifting off to the sight of the magician silently spinning straw into gold.
*~*~*~*
He woke to sunlight spilling warm across his face before he buried them with a muffled grown in a silk pillow, and a servant shaking him awake. "I'm awake, I'm awake." The hand vanished, and he heard the door close behind the departing servant as he suddenly realized that where he was now was not where he'd been the night before.
Aurelius sat up, shoving tangled curls from his face to look around the room - his room. He'd fallen asleep in the dungeon, had he not? What was he doing in his room? He climbed from the bed and small dais upon which it was situated and made his way to his dressing room, where a bath had already been prepared. Stripping out of his rumpled clothes, Aurelius set about cleaning himself of the dust and grime of the dungeon, preparing himself for what would probably be a very long day.
Rumpelstiltskin was waiting for him when he reappeared in his main bedchamber, reclining in a chair beside the small table upon which the prince's breakfast had been laid out. "Good morning, your Highness."
"…Good morning, Magician." Aurelius took the seat opposite his, watching in silence as the magician helped himself to the pastries and fruit set out for his breakfast. He was fascinated by Rumpelstiltskin's hands, rough and calloused and not all like his own much softer hands. But they showed little of the work the spinning that must have kept him up all night; nor did Rumpelstiltskin look tired. "How went the spinning?"
"Your mother will live, if that is what concerns you." Rumpelstiltskin bit into a sliver of pale green melon, "When I finished, she was still sleeping quiet soundly."
Aurelius shook his head, "I have no doubt my mother is fine. I merely wondered how the spinning went - when I fell asleep you had quite a ways to go."
"The spinning was easy," Rumpelstiltskin smiled, amused by some memory or thought. "Two more nights and it will be completed."
"How do you do it?" Auri couldn't help but ask, ignoring the breakfast Rumpelstiltskin was slowly devouring in favor of quenching his curiosity. "I've never seen such a thing - even when I thought my mother was the one who did it, I always found it hard to believe it was really possible. It was always just a pretty story to me."
Rumpelstiltskin bit neatly into a strawberry, "For most people, magic will only ever be a pretty story. As to how I did it - the explanation would make no sense to you. Magic such as that might be simple for me, but to most other magicians it will be decades yet before they even begin to grasp it."
"I see," Aurelius replied. He started to ask another question, if only to hear the magician speak, when a knock at the door interrupted him.
The knocker didn't wait until he granted permission to enter, but swung the door open and sauntered in, as if he had every right to be in the Prince's private chambers. "Good morning, Auri." The Regent walked heavily across the room, his girth seeming to overstuff even the prince's generous rooms. He sat down heavily in the seat that, until a moment ago, had been occupied by Rumpelstiltskin. "I am surprised you are still in your rooms. I was certain you'd be hovering around your dear mother's new bedchamber like a nervous chick."
"My name is Aurelius, Regent. And you will address me as either 'Prince' or 'Highness.'"
The Regent sneered across the breakfast table, heavy wet voice full of contempt and challenge. Aurelius still found it hard to believe that only days ago, the man had been a fond, if stern, uncle. "It remains to be seen, Auri, if you are a prince or not."
Auri rose to his feet, desperate to get away from him. "As much as it must bother you, Regent, I am the Prince and Heir. There is nothing you can do to change that - my parents obeyed every law and I am the legitimate heir." He fisted his hands at his side, hoping his uncle wouldn't notice the missing signet on his right hand.
"Not if your mother is a charlatan and has fooled your father all these years."
"And why would you think that? She spun the straw to gold all those years ago, and in two more days you will see that she's done it again."
The Regent glared, voice full of anger, "She managed the trick once - she won't be able to do it again."
"When the three days are up, Regent, you will be the one made to look like a fool." Aurelius motioned toward the door, "Now get out of my room and let me eat my breakfast in peace. The sight of you is spoiling my appetite."
Hefting his cumbersome weight up out of the too-small chair, the Regent slowly made his way from the bedchamber. He paused just outside of it, speaking loudly to the guards. "See that the prince does not leave his chambers. I don't trust him not to help his mother."
Aurelius paused in the process of sitting down to eat, "Is it not enough that you've restricted me to the palace!"
"No, it is not," the Regent replied smugly as the door was shut in the prince's face.
Aurelius banged on the door, even as he heard the locks falling into place. "This is ridiculous" he let his head bang gently against the door. "I can not believe the entirety of the court is letting him get away with this."
"People are fickle like that," Rumpelstiltskin said idly, once more in the seat briefly occupied by the Regent. He helped himself to a slice of buttered bread, "They will do most anything to save themselves, especially when fear drives them."
As his words sank in, Aurelius flushed and looked guiltily away. But his expression was stubborn when he finally looked back at the magician, "Well, you need not fear that I'll go back on my word. A promise is a promise, no matter the motives that make it."
"Indeed," Rumpelstiltskin finished off another sliver of melon, smiling in that way of his, as if amused by a joke only he knew. He motioned to the table. "Eat your breakfast, prince, and then we'll go see your mother."
Sighing, Aurelius did as he suggested and sat down to eat.
*~*~*~*
"Mama, you look much better than you did last night." Aurelius stepped away from Rumpelstiltskin and toward his mother, curled up neatly on a pile of hay. "I would have brought you fresh clothes and all, if I could have."
Oriana shook her head, "I am fine without them, Auri." She patted his cheek fondly, "And you've already done more than enough for me." Her gaze flicked to Rumpelstiltskin, who was already arranging and stacking the straw he'd be spinning that night. "You both have," she folded her hands in her lap. "I wish there was something I could do to repay you."
"I've already been paid," Rumpelstiltskin said firmly.
"It is not my son's debt to pay!" Oriana protested.
Aurelius soothed her, "Mama, the matter is already decided."
"But…" Oriana looked miserable and resigned. "It is not fair - this is not your problem, Auri."
"Nonsense," Aurelius hugged her and then rose to his feet. "Anything that upsets you is a problem. The Magician set his price and I agreed to it. There is nothing for you to worry over. Now why not rest, Mama? You look much better than yesterday, but still so tired."
Oriana protested more forcefully than she had the night before, but still she fell rapidly asleep once Aurelius had her settled on a makeshift bed.
Rumpelstiltskin had already settled at his the spinning wheel, and so Aurelius sat beneath the window as he had the night before. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"There is nothing to thank me for," Rumpelstiltskin said without pausing in his work.
"There is though," Aurelius replied firmly. "You had no good reason to agree to help us, and every reason to refuse or even betray us. And you've been kind to her, which was not fair of me to ask of you."
Rumpelstiltskin tossed aside a spool of gold thread and continued working. "For the right price, I will do a great deal." He smiled, more of a smirk, "And you have paid quite the handsome price, prince."
Discomfited, Aurelius attempted to shrug off the taunting words. "It was worth it. My parents have always done all they could for me, save permitting me to leave the grounds." He blinked, sudden realization coming over his face. "I wonder if you're the reason I was never allowed to go anywhere beyond the royal grounds and the village. My mother was always terrified of letting me wander too far from home. Father and I indulged her…"
"She need not have feared so," Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "I stick to my bargains, even when others do not."
Guiltily Aurelius dropped his gaze, and the two fell into silence.
"So what do you do?" Aurelius asked at last. "When you're not spinning straw into gold for silly royals?"
Rumpelstiltskin smiled his strange, amused smile. "I travel, further my studies in magic."
"Travel?" Auri repeated wistfully. "To where?"
"All over, from one kingdom to the next."
"Where's your home?"
Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, "Wherever the wind takes me."
The prince fell silent again, "How did you hear me when I said your name?"
"A spell. I almost always hear when my name is spoken, and I heard it twice from this place - that is why I came. It is few the people that know my name."
"Why don't you want anyone knowing your name?"
"Because in magic a name can be a powerful thing. And I don't much like it." Rumpelstiltskin tossed another spool of gold thread aside and began anew once more.
"Oh," Aurelius said, and fell silent.
"No more questions, Highness?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, mildly amused.
"What," Auri hesitated. "What are you going to do with me when you're done here?"
Rumpelstiltskin paused in his work, and stared at the prince for what seemed ages. At last he resumed the spinning, dark eyes sliding away from the prince. "I haven't decided yet."
“I see.” Auri frowned, pensive. “What…what would you have done with me if…if my mother had kept her promise?”
The magician paused in his spinning again, some unnamed emotion flickering across his face. “I wonder.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“The only kind you’ll get,” Rumpelstiltskin said, resuming his work. “’If’ and ‘what might have been’ are not worth dwelling on.”
Aurelius looked like he wanted to argue, but instead shifted his questions slightly. “Did you find another child to take?”
“No, I did not.”
“Why not simply have one of your own?”
Rumpelstiltskin sighed, “You’re just full of questions tonight.”
“It helps me stay awake.”
The magician nodded absently, as if pondering something. “ ‘Simply having a child of my own’ is not as easy as you try to make it sound. For many reasons.”
“All right…” Aurelius replied, not really understanding at all. “But why not take an orphan or something? Why go to all the trouble of bargaining with my mother like you did?”
“Because that is the way magic works,” Rumpelstiltskin said sharply. “The same way I must spin the straw if I want it to turn to gold. I could use magic to do the spinning – but then it would not turn it to gold. If I were simply to take a child from the streets, I would be putting nothing into it. And not all people are gifted with magic. The agreement was three nights of spinning straw to gold, to save your mother’s life. In return – her child, who by the bargain I struck would be capable of learning magic.”
Aurelius’ eyes went wide as the words sunk in, “Really? I could learn magic?”
“You could have, yes.”
The excitement died on Auri’s face, “I can’t now?”
“Most likely not,” Rumpelstiltskin said quietly.
“What do you mean “most likely”?”
But Rumpelstiltskin remained silent, and eventually Auri gave up hoping for an answer.
He watched the magician work in silence, a million new questions begging to be asked. But they all began ‘what if’ and so he remained silent, watching Rumpelstiltskin as long as he was able.
*~*~*~*
Dreams of magic and unknown places lingered as he woke, groaning at the unwelcome sunlight that assaulted his eyes. He stopped the departing servant who had woken him, "Am I allowed out of my room today?"
The girl hesitated, obviously unhappy about the reply she had to make. "No, Highness. The Regent has ordered you to remain here until tomorrow morning."
"Very well, then. Thank you."
Bobbing a curtsy, the servant departed. Aurelius muttered to himself as he set about discarding the clothes he still wore, "Just wait until I lock him up, then we'll see who gets to be smug."
A deep chuckle broke into his mumbling, "Your family does appear to have a fondness for locking one another up. Why not do something different?"
"Like what?" Aurelius paused in the process of removing his shirt as he turned to face Rumpelstiltskin, feeling suddenly shy.
"There's a country to the east that takes their criminals deep into the forest that surrounds the land - a forest well known for being particularly dangerous. If the criminal makes it out alive, he is permitted to go free. If not…" Rumpelstiltskin shrugged and helped himself to a small, bright raspberry.
Aurelius considered his words, "Hmm…I do rather like the sound of that. I'll have to suggest it to mother." He sat down to remove his boots, realizing belatedly that he wasn't wearing his boots, and looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "You don't have to put me to bed every night - just wake me up."
"I still would have to take you back to your room - there seems little point in waking you up for it."
"Thank you."
Rumpelstiltskin looked at him, then shifted his attention back to the food. "Unnecessary. I have as little interest in your uncle finding me out as your mother and you."
"I’m going to get a bath," Aurelius said with a sigh. Then he smiled, "Don't eat all my breakfast while I'm gone."
Dark eyes slid over him, amusement flickering in them for a moment. "Then don't take too long."
Aurelius vanished into his dressing chamber with a laugh.
He reemerged much less happily, glowering at his uncle, whom he'd heard arriving. "What do you want? Going to lock me in my wardrobe this time?"
"Don't tempt me."
"What do you want, Uncle?" Aurelius sat to pick at what remained of his breakfast.
"Merely to see how you were faring."
Aurelius rolled his eyes, "You mean you've come to make sure I hadn't run off." He glanced at his window, "I won't say I hadn't considered it - but really Regent. I'm a little high up and I can't reach the dungeons from outside."
"If you continue with this impertinence, Auri, I will keep your mother spinning straw indefinitely."
"You can't do that!" Aurelius roared, surging to his feet. "The agreement was three days, no more or less. If you have a problem with me, take it up with me."
The Regent smirked, "Behave yourself, Auri. That is all I have to say on the matter. I had actually come to offer to let you out for a bit - but I think perhaps your remaining confined would do us both some good." With a flounce of his long cape, the Regent departed.
"Do us both some good," Auri repeated in disgust. "Only in that it keeps me from killing him."
Rumpelstiltskin appeared behind him, hands dropping down on the prince's shoulders to keep him from storming to the door as he'd been about to do. "Temper, temper. One more day is easily coped with." He turned Auri to face him, smiling in that laughing way of his, "And you're hardly locked up with me around."
Aurelius managed to smile back, "I don't suppose you'd teach me that trick before you left?" he asked. "Or am I going with you?"
The humor faded from Rumpelstiltskin's face, hands sliding from the prince's shoulders. "I don't think you'd like to go with me, Prince."
"How do you know that?" Aurelius asked.
"Because you do not know what you're talking about," Rumpelstiltskin said sharply. "Magic isn't a game, and it's not to be taken lightly."
"But--"
"Eat your breakfast, Prince." Rumpelstiltskin vanished.
Aurelius stood unmoving in his empty room, mind in turmoil. He moved stiffly to the table, picking at his food and eating little of it. Magic preyed on his thoughts, magic and dark eyes, work-rough hands that had felt warm and strong on his shoulders, and the taunting words
What if
*~*~*~*
Rumpelstiltskin didn't appear to take him to the dungeon that evening. Aurelius glared at his room, at the scenery beyond his window, at the guards on the opposite side of the door.
Auri was getting tired of being treated like a child. If that's what they thought of him, he could act like one. "Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpel--" A rough hand clapped over his mouth, his head knocking against the wall as Rumpelstiltskin shoved him against it.
"What do you think you're doing?" the magician asked with a furious hiss. Slowly he removed his hand.
"Getting your attention."
"You've gotten it."
Aurelius glared, "Why am I not in the dungeon with you and my mother?"
"Your mother will live without seeing your face for one day, Prince."
"I know," Auri said. "But I wanted to talk to you."
Rumpelstiltskin stepped away, "I don't have time to talk."
"What are you planning to do with me when you're done?"
The magician shook his head, dark hair falling across his cheeks. "Nothing."
"Why not?"
Dark eyes flashed, "You think you want to leave? Abandon your mother? Your home? Your throne?"
"The throne I'm not really fit for, you mean?" Auri asked bitterly. "Some Crown Prince I am, letting my mother get thrown in a dungeon and myself locked in my room while my Uncle lords it over everyone. And not even enough support that someone will come help me."
Rumpelstiltskin's anger faded, "You're still young, Prince. And fear is a hard thing for people to overcome. Your father is not long dead, your mother is as much grief-stricken as she is terrified…if you are anything like your mother, you will be a fine king someday."
"I don't want to be a king," Aurelius said, looking guiltily at the floor. "It's just what I'm supposed to be."
"Indeed," Rumpelstiltskin said softly.
Aurelius looked up at him, "Couldn't I come with you? If only for a little while? At the very least you should let me pay my debt…"
"It would never work."
"Why not?"
Rumpelstiltskin sighed, "Do you know how old I am?"
Aurelius frowned, confused. "You look about thirty years or so."
"I am only a few years shy of a hundred," Rumpelstiltskin replied.
"B-but that's impossible. Ridiculous!" Aurelius looked stunned. "You can't be that old."
"Magic takes decades to learn, more time than a normal person has. It takes years of patience, discipline and many failed attempts before you see any sort of success. And rarely does one succeed in becoming a magician if he does not start very, very young. I began when I was but five."
Aurelius blinked as realization sank in. "That's why you wanted a child!"
"Yes," Rumpelstiltskin said, looking weary. "That is why I wanted a child."
"So…why didn't you just get another?"
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "Think you it's as easy as that? Should I just go from kingdom to kingdom, taking children from their mothers? I tried to do it once, and it ended miserably. I won't try it again."
"And now that I'm older, I'm just no good?" Aurelius asked dejectedly.
"I did not say that," Rumpelstiltskin said quietly. He reached out a hand slowly, as if uncertain what Aurelius would do, and latched onto a stray gold curl, rubbing it between his fingers before brushing it from his face. "It's not impossible to learn magic as an adult - only very, very difficult. People don't know how to be patient, how to keep working and waiting. And you would live to be very, very old. Is that what you want?" His hand lingered at Auri's cheek, then fell away. "To still be young when your mother finally dies? To see everyone you know and love pass away?" He shook his head, "Forget it."
"I'm tired of everyone making my decisions for me." Aurelius stepped closer, glaring up at Rumpelstiltskin. "You made a bargain for me, and let my mother break it. My mother bartered me away, and then changed her mind. I've never been allowed to leave the palace grounds because she didn't think it was safe, and now that I've bartered myself away - you're telling me no, I wouldn't like it. Isn't that my choice to make? And what about what you said before? According to the bargain you made with my mother, I'm supposed to be yours." He didn't seem to notice Rumpelstiltskin's sharp intake of breath, "Then you let her keep me, and now I'm stuck in a life that's never seemed quite right."
He began to turn away, but a calloused hand gripped his arm and held him in place, rough fingers gently tilting his chin back up. "Do you really think a life with me is what you want? Because that's what it would be - I'm not sure you understand. I never wanted someone to be my son or whatnot. I wanted a companion - a lover - who would stay with me always. Because it does get depressing watching everyone you know grow old and die. That's what you were meant to be. If in the end I let your mother keep you, it's because I always knew I didn't have the right to decide such a thing for you."
"Then why won't you let me decide?" Auri asked softly, cheeks flushed. "When I said my life was yours, I meant it. Maybe I don't completely understand what I'm agreeing to - but I have patience, I'm a good student…" he drifted off, not sure how to continue.
Rumpelstiltskin almost smiled, "You are also determined, and devoted. It does not take more than a moment to learn that. But you shouldn't make such a decision so lightly prince, because there will come a point where you cannot turn back. Be certain that magic and…" he dipped his head to brush Auri's lips softly with his own, a whisper of a kiss that was over before it began. "…This is worth losing everything else." He released the prince and stepped away, "I must return to my spinning. I leave in the morning - decide tonight if you really want to come with me." He vanished.
Aurelius touched his fingers to his lips, stunned. And wondering what a real kiss would do, if the soft one had made his lips tingle.
*~*~*~*
He stood beside his uncle as guards unlocked the dungeon door.
His mother stepped slowly out, limbs stiff from the confinement. Despite her rumbled, dusty and dirty appearance, she held her head high and walked out with all the grace and refinement that she had taught herself, when she was asked to be the bride of the King.
The Regent spared her only the briefest glance before striding past her and into the dungeon, a couple of courtiers and guards following him to lend their observation and judgment to his own.
The entire room was filled with spool after spool of fine gold thread. Not a single bit of straw remained, only the spinning wheel in the middle and the Queen's cloak crumpled on the floor nearby.
Spinning around sharply on his heel, knocking a guard who was standing too close, the Regent glared at the Queen. "Did you make the same bargain as before then?" he spat. "There is no way you spun the straw."
The Queen lifted her brows in a delicate show of offense. "Bargain? Of what do you speak, dear brother? I made no bargains. The straw is spun, and there was none but I to do the spinning."
"You and I both know very well--" but the Regent cut himself off, as his own words struck him.
Oriana continued to regard him coolly, "Have you something to say, Regent?"
"Nothing."
She looked at him, brows once more lifting high in disapproval.
"Your Majesty," the Regent said through clenched teeth.
The Queen nodded, "Guards - throw him in the dungeon. He wanted the gold that badly, he may have it." She turned away, exchanging a glance with her Captain of the Guard. "See that he is given enough to stay alive, but not a shred more. If you disobey me in this, you will join him." She ignored the others assembled in the dungeon, and walked regally out of it.
A few hours later she appeared in her throne room, Aurelius proud and stern beside her, ignoring every person awaiting her arrival. She thanked the servant that helped her up the dais, one who had always stood by her. Taking a seat on her throne, forcing herself to ignore the one where once her husband had sat, she cast a frosty glance down upon the gathered nobility. "If any one else has a question about my right to rule, they may leave now. I accepted and met the Regent's challenge. The right to rule is mine. Are there further challengers?"
Silence.
"Very well, then. We make full note that when the Regent challenged our authority, no one stood to help us. Everyone in this room has lost our favor, and it is only because of the King's recent death that we do not strip you of your lands or titles. And now you are all dismissed from our presence."
None wasted any time in departing.
Eventually only the Queen and Aurelius remained. A few minutes later, Rumpelstiltskin appeared at the foot of the dais.
"Magician," the Queen smiled, some of her weariness showing through. "You've done more for me than I can ever repay. Certainly I never did anything to earn your assistance this time, considering our first encounter."
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "You are hardly to be blamed for doing whatever was necessary to keep and protect your child."
"But more and more I’m realizing," the Queen replied softly, "That he didn't need to be protected from anything. As much as I am loath to admit it, Magician, perhaps I should force you to accept the terms of original bargain. I think, in the end, we would all be happier." She looked both happy and sad, and far more at peace than she ever had. "If it's not too much trouble, and you have no objections, I would greatly appreciate it if you would accept my son."
It was hard to tell who was more stunned by her words - Rumpelstiltskin or Aurelius. Auri gaped at his mother, "Mama…are you certain?"
"No. How certain can one be of anything, really? I was certain, years ago, that I would die because I could not spin straw into gold. I was certain I would never have a child. I was certain I would make a horrible Queen, and certain three days ago that I would never again sit on this throne. Certainty is not the point, Auri. But I hope that I will see you again, someday."
"Of that you can be certain, Mama." Aurelius pulled her from her chair and hugged her close, kissing her cheek and whispering a grateful "Thank you, Mama. I love you" in her ear.
"I love you too, Auri." She stroked his hair and patted his cheek, then gently pushed him away. "Now go, before I change my mind. I will take care of matters here - it's best to go before your uncle devises a way to cause me further trouble."
Aurelius didn't hesitate longer, but turned and rushed down the high dais to where Rumpelstiltskin still waited in a stunned silence. "Will you let me come?"
The Magician stroked his cheek, the caress the same and yet different from the way his mother had done it. "Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be," Auri smiled, and clung to his arm as he leaned up to press a quick, shy kiss to the corner of Rumpelstiltskin's mouth.
That seemed to stun the magician further, but after a moment he seemed to recover himself, smiling his familiar, amused smile. Turning, he bowed to Oriana, "May you never see straw again, for as long as you live, dear Queen. If ever you need us, you've only to call my name."
