Feeling desperately sorry for herself, and scared of what was going to happen the following morning when the king realized that she couldn't do as he pleased, she began to cry. Tears flowed easily for the miller's daughter, and sitting by herself on the cold, hard floor of the dungeon, they flowed ever so slightly easier than normal.
Chapter Two
Just inside a forest, not far from the castle, a little man made his way toward an empty looking cottage. Yes, this will do, the man thought to himself as he glided inside through the front door. He dropped his things down on the sofa and moved around the house, exploring each of the rooms, before settling down in one of the cushioned chairs at the front of the house. He frowned as he realized a large mirror hung directly opposite him. A ghostly reflection stared back at him, and he shifted his chair around 90 degrees so he didn't have to look at it. Not long now and he would have his old body back. Then, he would be able to return to his home land and his family. He would wait until darkness fell before making his way to the castle, when it was unlikely he would be seen by anyone.
Only an hour earlier the little man, well ghost—a poltergeist to be exact, for he was a very mischievous fellow—had felt the fae girl's call for help, unbeknownst to her. It was a gift his great grandfather had passed on to him years ago, along with the ability to move between worlds at will. This was an ability they believed to be unique to themselves; most people they had met did not even know that other worlds existed. Then again, most people were so very short sighted they didn't think anything existed outside of their own little world. The little man used his gift to his advantage, just as his great grandfather had taught him. He would hear the distress calls from people in other worlds and he would travel there, ready to use his magical skills to help them. In return, he would ask for gifts that he could then use in other worlds to trade for items he wanted.
His family were not royal in their home land, but they were considered of very highly, and were also very wealthy. They lived in a huge mansion at the top of a hill, looking down over a small town. The little man lived there with his brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, but he was the only one who had inherited his great grandfather’s gift. When his great grandfather had died, the role of caring and providing for the family passed to him. So, for the last ten years, he had brought new and exciting riches home, much to the delight of his family.
A year earlier, things had gone wrong. One day his youngest nephew had become ill, and when he went down into the many store rooms underneath the mansion, he realized that they were running very low on Cure All, a medicine that cured all except the worst illnesses. The little man didn't know what to do. They didn't have enough to cure his nephew, only enough to keep him from getting worse. He knew he could get the Cure All from a witch in another realm, but she had a very specific item she needed to trade and she would settle for nothing less. He had pondered over the problem for a while and came up with no solutions. He couldn't get any items to trade with the witch before his supplies ran out, not to mention he hated having to take items for the witch. In the end, he had decided to risk sneaking into the witch's house and taking some Cure All, just enough until he could trade with her for some more medicine. It was something his great grandfather had always warned against doing, but what choice did he have?
In the cottage the little man sighed to himself, and using magic, picked up one of the photos he had brought with him. He held it gently between his hands, sadly looking at the group of laughing people in the photo. His family. The large clock on the wall chimed and he looked out the window at the setting sun, waiting for the darkness to arrive.
Not long afterwards, the little man glided through the front door and across the fields towards the castle. Soon he was at the castle walls, and after concentrating for a moment, he moved a few feet to the right and went through the wall. He must admit, being able to glide through doors and walls did make his job much easier.
The young fae was kneeling down on the hard floor, her head in her hands and a puddle of tears forming on the floor in front of her. The little man eyed her up. She was wearing smart clothes, but the only items of any worth seemed to be a gold necklace that hung round her neck and a bracelet covered in charms on her arm. He knew the girl had been asked to the castle to prove her ability to turn straw into some magical item; silk-lace they had called it. He had seen this before, and knew the king was not going to make it easy for the young fae. She was going to have to prove her ability before he would introduce her to the young prince, certainly something she was not able to do.
The little man cleared his throat, cocked his head to one side, and said, "Why so sad?"
The fae girl jumped and spun around to see who had spoken. At first she thought she was imagining things; there was no one there. Then, after a second look, she saw him. A small man hovering a few inches off the ground, and she could see through him. She shook her head. No, he was still there and she could definitely see the wall behind him, too.
"Who, or what, are you?" she asked after getting over her initial shock. This came out rather rude, although she didn't really care considering the current situation.
He laughed. "That doesn't really matter. What does matter is I am here to help you."
"You can turn the straw into silk-lace?" she questioned. This must be some kind of joke, maybe the king was just playing a trick on her. No, that didn't seem very likely. But then neither did a ghost visiting her in a dungeon and offering to help her turn straw into silk-lace.
"Of course," the little poltergeist said simply. "Quite easily in fact. You do want help, don't you?"
The young fae nodded, still a little unsure.
"Right. Well, I will help you, but I will need something in return," the little man said, spinning upside down for a moment. That was another perk of being all floaty. It was much easier to bring people round to your way of thinking when they were too busy being shocked at the sight of you.
The young fae nodded again, unable to stop looking at the strange, little man. "I can give you my necklace," she said, undoing the clasp and holding it in her hand.
"That will do nicely," the poltergeist said, taking it from her. He dropped it into his pocket and held it in place by magic. He would give the necklace to his youngest niece when he returned home, for gold was not of any use to him. He was biding his time until he could get what he really wanted.
"Go to sleep, my dear," he told the young fae. "By the time you wake up I will be gone and all the straw will be silk-lace."
She lay down uncomfortably on the hard floor and watched the poltergeist for a while as he began to spin the straw into silk-lace. He had already made his way through a good chunk of the straw by the time her eyes became too heavy and she fell asleep. The little man continued quite happily through the night until the last piece of straw became silk-lace. He piled it up neatly on one side of the room and disappeared, gliding back through the wall, across the fields and into the little cottage in the forest. He yawned as he moved up the stairs and into the bedroom, lay down on the four poster bed, and promptly went to sleep.
The next morning, the young fae opened her eyes and thought about the bad dream she’d had. She stretched and groaned as her body ached. Opening her eyes a little wider, she groaned again as she saw the spinning wheel. It hadn't been a dream, and she was very stiff from lying on the hard floor. Then she noticed the pile of silvery silk-lace in the corner. She sat bolt upright. The little man had done it, she hadn't dreamt him after all! Relief flooded through her as she realized all would be okay. The king would have his silk-lace, she would meet the prince, and her father would be safe. She got up and walked around the room, trying to regain feeling in her numb limbs.
A while later she heard footsteps approaching the room. She brushed her clothes down, thinking she should probably have changed, and waited for the door to open.
The soldiers held the dungeon door open for the king and he walked into the room where he had left the fae
girl. Delighted, he stopped as he saw the piles of silk-lace on one side of the room.
"My dear, you have done it!" he exclaimed. His gaze moved from the piles of silk-lace to the slightly dusty girl standing in front of him. "Come, we will get you some food."
He took the young girl out from the dungeons, back up the stairs, and into one of the large rooms off the corridor she had walked through the day before. The young girl followed the king, overjoyed to see a spread of food on the table. She was starving, as she hadn't eaten anything since the small plate of food the soldiers had left the day before.
"Tuck in, my dear," the king said. "I will leave you to eat and then my soldier will take you to freshen up." He gestured at one of the soldiers near the door and left the young fae to her meal. She dug into plates of meat, cheese, and bread, and was soon quite full. When she was done, the soldier led her to another room and handed her the bag she had left behind in the dungeon. He told her to freshen up and he would return for her in half an hour. She took a quick shower and changed into some clean clothes, excited about meeting the prince. As promised, the soldier returned half an hour later to pick her up. He led her through a different corridor and down another set of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs the king was waiting to see her.
"How are you feeling, my dear?" he asked.
"Well, thank you," the young fae said nervously, glancing around, expecting to see the prince. However, he was nowhere to be seen.
"I am very impressed with your work this morning," the king said. "You have indeed turned all the straw into very fine silk-lace, proving that you do have an ability above all others. But I need to be sure you will be able to do this again."
The smile on the young girl's face faltered. The soldier next to her grabbed her arm and pulled her through a door to the right and into the dungeons once again. The king followed and watched as the girl was taken into a different dungeon room. Once again, he said to her, "I will return tomorrow morning and I expect to see a room full of silk-lace. If I do not, I fear your father will disappear and you will not see nor hear of him again." With that, he shut the door behind him and the soldiers bolted it before following the king out of the dungeons.
The young fae looked around the room, her hands shaking. This room was bigger than the last and the pile of straw was twice as large. She fell to her knees in tears. She couldn't turn this straw into silk-lace, and the strange little man wasn't around to help her today. She wept harder and harder as the day turned into night.
Chapter Three
Back in the cottage, just inside the forest, the little poltergeist was waiting patiently. Just as he had predicted, he heard the cries of the fae girl once again a few hours earlier. The king was a greedy man and would continue to lock the girl up until she had provided him with enough silk-lace. The little man had guessed that after tonight the king would try once more before he was satisfied that he had plenty of silk-lace to last his people for many years to come. That suited the little poltergeist just fine.
He waited patiently until the clock chimed and the sun began to set in the distance. Staring out of the window dreamily as the final rays of red light disappeared below the horizon, he waited for darkness to take over. He made his way out of the cottage and over the fields toward the castle. Once again, he paused by the castle wall, concentrated for a moment, and this time moved much further around to the right. He pushed himself through the castle wall and into a larger room than the one he had been in the day before. The young fae sat on her knees, rubbing her eyes as the tears streamed down her face.
"Hello again," the poltergeist said cheerfully.
The young fae jumped as she had done the night before, but relaxed as she realized it was the little man.
"You're back?" she asked uncertainly, then said, "Will you help me again? Who are you?" The questions tumbled out of her as she looked desperately at him.
"Who I am is not important," he told her, "but yes I am here to help you again, if you can give me something in return."
The young fae glanced down and pulled the charm bracelet off her arm. She held it out to the poltergeist. "Will this do?" she asked.
He took the bracelet from her and examined it in the light. A wicked grin spread across his face and he popped it into his mouth and swallowed it, and the bracelet ended up settled next to the gold necklace he had received the day before. He chuckled at the look of repulsion on the fae girl's face.
"Poltergeist," he said simply, answering her unasked question, not quite able to remove the grin from his face. "Now, leave it to me, I will turn this straw into silk-lace by morning."
The poltergeist sat down and got to work while the young fae tried to make herself comfortable on the hard floor. She took off her jacket and used it as a pillow. After a while, she fell asleep and the poltergeist worked quietly well into the night. A few hours before dawn was due, he finished. He piled the silk-lace neatly at the side of the room and made his way back to the small cottage in the forest. He was worn out and went straight to the bedroom, to lay down on the four poster bed. He was still asleep when, at the castle, the king made his way into the dungeons.
The young fae woke as she heard the footsteps making their way through the dungeon. She scrambled up off the floor and stood up, rubbing her left arm, which was once again numb.
The king was delighted to see the neat piles of silk-lace in the room. This will last us for many years, he thought to himself. But the king was greedy and he wanted to store as much silk-lace as he could. It wouldn't do to run out of it again. By the time they could use up the stores the young fae was making, he would be long gone and the natural silk-lace would have replenished. Just one more night, he promised himself as he led the fae girl back up the stairs to have some food. Once again, he left her eating in the dining room and he spoke to his best men.
"One more time we will ask the girl to turn straw into silk-lace. Did you harvest enough straw for the last room?" he asked them. The soldiers nodded and he continued, "Good, treat her well and then bring her back down to the dungeons this afternoon. If she can turn this last room of straw into silk-lace, I will introduce her to the prince tomorrow." The king left the two soldiers guarding the door to the dining room.
The young fae ate until she was full and could eat no more. She was not happy; she had been locked in the dungeons for two nights running and still had not met the prince. She was beginning to think that the king had no intention of introducing her at all, but she couldn't run away. She could only hope that she had proven herself now and that the king would not send her to the dungeon again, for she had nothing left to give the little poltergeist if he did show up to help her.
The soldiers took the girl through to the other room that still held her bag. Freshening up, she put on clean clothes. When she was ready, she left the room and spoke to the soldiers.
"When will I be meeting the prince?"
They looked at each other before the more senior soldier replied, "The king wishes to speak with you once more." With that they ushered the young fae back down the corridor, down the stairs and into the dungeons. Her heart dropped as they reached the huge room filled with twice as much straw as had been in the last room. The king was waiting there for her.
Before he could speak, she said, "Fae king, I have proven myself to you twice now, and provided you with enough silk-lace to last for years."
He smiled, and before she could say any more he said, "Yes, my dear. You have done well. Now I ask you to complete this one last task. If you can turn this final room full of straw into silk-lace then you shall have my son's hand in marriage. One day you would become queen to this fine land." He moved aside and the soldiers pushed her into the room, shutting the door behind them.
The young fae collapsed to the floor in tears. She glared at the straw that stood between her and the fae prince. What was she going to do? She had been lucky to have the poltergeist's help the last two nights, but now she was on her own. Leaning her back against the
dungeon door, she brought her knees up to her head. I just want to go home, she thought sadly.
The little poltergeist wandered around the cottage waiting for nightfall. He had heard the young fae for a third time and smiled as his plan came together. Not long now, he thought as he looked at some of the pictures of his family. He hadn't seen any of them for over a year and he was desperate to return home. That fateful night when he had entered the witch's home to steal some more Cure All medicine, she had caught him and cast a spell on him. She turned him into a poltergeist and promised him that he would remain that way forever more unless he could bring her what she eagerly wanted … a fae child.
This witch would only trade her items for children, for she used them to help her with all her dark magic. Fae children, magic in their own right, were rare; if she wanted to push deeper into the dark magic spells she needed a fae child to help her. The little man did not like the witch, nor did he like stealing children to trade with her, but she had the best medicine in all the worlds. Now he had no choice; if he were ever to return to his home and his family he would have to find a fae child for the witch.
That fateful night he had taken the stolen bottles of Cure All back to his home land and left them outside the mansion to be found the next day. He had then disappeared, traveling through other worlds, for he did not want his family to see him in ghost form. His grandfather had taught him well; he could not bring himself to steal a child for the witch, instead he waited and waited until he could trade his skills for what he needed. He had waited a year and soon he would be able to return home.
When darkness fell, the little poltergeist made his way back to the castle. He entered the room the fae girl was held in and waited patiently for her to stop crying and notice he had arrived. He sat down—well hovered at least—on the floor opposite her, and soon she sensed his presence. Not to mention the less than discreet cough he gave her.
Unhappily Ever After: Fairy Tales With a Twist Page 8
