The Oathbreaker, Pt XV

The king stopped in front of the enormous double-doors, and I tried to imagine what this place was actually supposed to be for.  Housing the numerous tools that kept the gardens in order?  Or perhaps a small dormitory for the servants who would wield said tools?  And then he was placing his hands on either side of my face, tipping it up so that our eyes met.  Behind him the moon, just past full, was beginning her nightly ascent.

“My beautiful miller’s daughter,” he breathed, and I wondered if, in his mind, this was romantic.  “You have done so much for the kingdom- so much for me.  I am overcome by your skill, and your beauty.”

I said nothing, for it was not my skill he coveted, and beauty has nothing to do with anything but one’s parentage.

“I have decided to make you my bride,” he said, smiling.

“Your- your bride?”  This was not at all what I’d expected from this moment.

“Yes,” he nodded, still holding my head firmly in place, but now smoothing his thumbs along my cheekbones.  “Even if I had not fallen in love with you, I couldn’t risk my enemies having you.  The only way to keep you safe is by my side, as my queen.”

“Your queen?  But… I’m a commoner...”  I felt faint, but not like the maidens in the tales.

“I know, I honor your greatly- but I am a great man!” he laughed like a boy, and kissed me.  I don’t know that he even noticed my stillness, for when he pulled away again, his eyes were dark with passion.

“It’s true you’re a commoner,” he said, huskily, “But I am king, and I will marry whom my heart chooses.  Besides, what need have I for political allies, when I have such wealth!  For my dear, when we are wed it will not do for you to spin the nights away.  No, when we are wed, you will never spin again.  Which is why, as your bride gift to me, you will perform this final task.”  So saying, he released my face, and opened the door.

As I had feared, it was not merely a chamber- it was the entire building.  There were no interior walls, just piles and piles of straw.  He must have had it gathered from every village for miles around.  I found myself laughing almost hysterically, for I realized that perhaps the real reason I wasn’t to ‘spin’ after this night was because there wasn’t any more straw left to spin.  I wondered what the kingdom’s animals would sleep in, this winter.

“Laughing with joy!” the king exclaimed, catching up my hand and kissing it.  “My industrious beloved!  One last night you toil to prove your love of king and country, and then you shall live a lifetime of royal leisure!  Your father will be honored, your entire village enjoy noble patronage!”  Suddenly his expression turned.  “My enemies shall never have you, my darling” he said, darkly.  “Never.  Every man, woman, and child in the kingdom, be they noble or common- all of them will keep you safe from harm.  Or I’ll know them as traitors to the crown.”

I shivered at this vow, and stepped into the building, releasing my hand from his as I went.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, sweetly.  “And we shall go straight to the church.”

“Yes,” I said, my voice echoing strangely in my ears.  “In the morning.”

The door shut, but no bolt slid home.  It didn’t have to.  I could well imagine the wrath of this man denied his chosen bride: not a man or woman within a day’s walk of the castle would be safe, whether they sheltered me or not.

The Oathbreaker, Pt XIV

The meal passed in a blur, everything laying heavy in my stomach as I envisioned a lifetime of enslavement to the mad kings whim.  I could not decide which would be worse- a short lifetime, or a long one.  The entertainments may have been entertaining to me, before- but not that night.  To this day I cannot remember who performed, or what- only that I did my best to applaud when everyone else did.

The king introduced many nobles to me- my legs quickly grew fatigued with the almost incessant curtseying in such a heavy gown.  All of the splendidly dressed lords and ladies wanted to make small talk, now that I was so obviously in his majesty’s favor, and I did my best to keep up.  Part of me wanted desperately to impress these people, in the hopes that one or more might take pity on me, and rescue me.  The other, larger part recognized that for the impossible dream it was.  No one here had more power than the king- and so far none of them even seemed to have influence over him.

Through it all the king remained by my side, his arm placed proprietarily on my waist, or hip, or shoulder, or elbow.  It could not have been more obvious that I was his possession, his new toy to be lorded over his richest subjects.  Not a one of them mentioned gold or spinning to me- to the point where I realized it must have been quite deliberate, for surely at least one person would have remarked upon my quite remarkable gown.  Games, I thought uneasily.  Games within games.  Had they been told not to bring up those subjects?  Or was there a point to everyone pretending they didn’t know why I was there.

It lasted for hours- long, painful hours that undid any good my bath and nap might have done for refreshing my body.  And the music and laughing and dancing were all still going when the king purposefully guided me out into one of the gardens, where he managed to slip the two of us away without anyone the wiser.

He lead me through row after row of beautiful rose hedges, speckled in a glorious variety of pink, red, orange, and lavender buds.  The whole thing gave the impression of a sunrise reflected in dew.  The actual sun, however, was slipping towards the horizon, and our shadows stretched out ahead of us as the king walked me towards an outbuilding.

I stared at it dully, knowing that it wouldn’t be a mere chamber, this time.

The Oathbreaker, Pt XIII

I did not bother attempting to watch this time- I merely sat in the corner, crying and feeling as though I had lost my mother all over again.  I am not proud of this- but sometimes, when there is nothing else more productive to be done, there is no harm in indulging in one’s grief.  And when I had finished I did, indeed, feel lighter- although I still ached deep within my heart.  I soon fell asleep, not waking until the creature poked me in the ribs again.

“One must spin the straw it is sleeping on,” it said.  I obligingly pushed myself to a seated position, then stood and moved towards the now freed stool.  I sat on its scarlet cushion, spreading out the ridiculous yellow skirts, and looked around the room.

Nine piles of spools, this time, glimmering like liquid in the lamplight.  I wondered what time it was- how long it had taken the creature to spin so much.  It did not seem particularly fatigued- but then, who was I to judge how much a magical crafting should or should not take out of a body.

It placed the last spool upon the top of the ninth pile with an air of satisfaction.  “One has kept one’s word,” it said.  “And one may keep its necklace.”  It stroked the small carving with obvious relish, and I had to look away.

“Yes, yes,” it crooned.  “Much magic, for days to come.  A good bargain.”

“What’s your name?” I asked, to change the subject.  It threw back its head and laughed that barking-yip.

“Oh it is clever!  It is naughty!”  The head came down and its gaze focused on me thoughtfully.  “One shall not tell one’s name.  It has nothing precious enough to bargain for that.  Not yet,” it added, an odd light coming into its eyes.  I did not understand what it meant by such a cryptic comment, so I covered my confusion with a scowl.

“How shall I call you, if I need you again?”  Because surely I would- the king would never be satisfied, now.  Not that I had any idea what I could give it that would be more precious than the necklace from my mother.

It opened its toothy mouth in a grin, sharp tongue lolling.  “One has tasted your pain- one shall know it again, yes yes.”  So saying, it twirled in on itself again, and left me alone.

The hours passed, and I spent them in contemplation.  I did not like what the creature had said about knowing the taste of my pain.  I did not like not knowing its name- although so far as I knew, it did not know mine, either.  That might be my only salvation.  I did not like its intimation that soon I would have something more valuable to trade- something that would hurt me more than what I’d already given?  Impossible.  But I couldn’t discredit its certainty.  Magical creatures knew things.  It stood to reason, therefore, that the king would demand yet another feat from me, probably with the same threats.  The creature seemed certain that I could pay for one more favor, but beyond that?  I shuddered.  How could I stop the king from keeping at this, night after night, into eternity?

I did not have an answer by the time the bolt slid back and the door swung inward.  Again the two guards came with their long polearms, but this time their faces showed no surprise at the heaps of spun gold.  Rather than the officious man from yesterday, the king himself stepped through, beaming in delight.

“Oh how excellent!” he declared, and clapped his hands like a child.  “It is such a relief to know there is no treachery in my kingdom!”  I stood, not giving him time to offer assistance.  He gazed a moment longer at the spindles, then turned his attention back towards me.

“You look concerned, my dear,” he said kindly, and held out a beckoning arm.  Stiffly, unwillingly, I moved into his embrace.  “Don’t fret, lovely maiden,” he pulled me close to him, burying his nose in my hair.

“So lovely,” he murmured, breath hot on my skin, his arms running down the length of my back.  A new fear uncurled in my stomach, and I started to tremble.  He pulled back and held me by my shoulders.

“Why, you must be exhausted!” he said.  “Spinning all night.  Come, I’ll escort you to your chambers myself, where you will rest and refresh yourself.  And then we’ll have a meal, and entertainment!  And we shall say no more of your skills until you are yourself again.”

He did escort me to my chambers- but no further, to my deep and abiding relief.  The girl who had dressed me the day before was there, and she helped me out of the gown (she did cut the thread, and I tried not to weep at the loss of the fortune), and helped me wash my face free of the paint.  There was even a large copper tub full of steaming water, which a small handful of servants kept refreshing as I bathed.  It did wonders for the aches in my muscles, but nothing whatsoever for the ache in my heart.

Although I’d had nearly a full night’s sleep, I found myself dozing off as I soaked in the tub, until at last the girl helped me out and into a large towel, and from there into a soft nightgown and on into bed.  I slept until she woke me, my dreams filled with eyes shining frost-green in the darkness.

“His majesty bid you wear this,” she told me, gesturing to a new gown laid across the foot of the bed.  It was made primarily from wide panels of scarlet silk, separated by narrow panels of gleaming gold- a much more flattering combination for my coloring.  The moment I touched it, I realized this must have come from what had been spun the first night.  I said nothing as the girl helped me into the heavy garment, nor when she re-powdered my face and re-stained my lips.  She dressed my hair in a low bun at the nape of my neck, but fixed a gold ribbon across my brow.

“Where is your necklace, my lady?” she asked, puzzled.  I swallowed and stared at my strange reflection.

“It does not matter.  I will wear whatever jewels you deem appropriate.”  She looked as though she would say something, but instead shrugged and produced an ornate collar of what must surely be rubies.  The stones lay cold and glowing against my neck, but I could not find it in myself to truly admire them.

The Oathbreaker, Pt XII

There were no windows this time- just lanterns hung high around the walls- too high for me to reach.  I sighed deeply and waded through the straw to where a slightly-more-comfortable-looking stool peaked out, and removed the spindle that was sitting on it, replacing it instead with my skirt-clad bottom.

I stared at the spindle in my hands, considering my options.  I could call for the creature- except I didn’t know it’s name.  My mother’s words floated back to me: you must never accept aid from a spirit whose name you do not know, for they will always have the advantage over you, and that is a very dangerous thing, indeed.

I shuddered.  I had accepted aid from that creature, and although I had come away from the encounter arguably better off, I felt certain it was no mistake that it had mentioned no name to me.  Would it come if I merely cried help again?  And if it did… would I escape harm twice?  But if I did not call for help, I would most certainly be beheaded in the morning- and the inhabitants of my village not long after.  Mass execution by blade was perhaps better than being burned to death, or starving to death after everything else had burned, but not by much.

I felt tears welling up again, but I bit my lower lip and stared resolutely upwards in an attempt to forestall them.  And what would it matter if the creature came and saved me once more: the king would certainly insist that I perform yet another miracle.  My only hope was to somehow convince him to execute only myself.

This was not a heartening thought, and the tears slipped over.  I gave up fighting them and leaned forward, face in my hands.

“Why does it cry?”  I jerked my face up, and there was the creature, popped up out of a particularly high pile of straw like a vole in the garden.  The bits of straw caught between its ears should have, by all rights, made it look ridiculous- but somehow it remained faintly menacing.  Its voice sounded almost… eager.

“Oh,” I said.  “You came.”

“Yes, yes,” it said, then disappeared back down into the hay.  The stack shook a bit, and a few moments later it emerged again in front of my knees.  “It cries again.  It needs help?  Yes, yes?”

“Yes, yes,” I agreed, and gestured around the room.  “More of the same, I’m afraid.”  The creature peered this way and that, eyes narrowed, then gave a disgusted snort.

“No new challenge for one’s skillful hands.”

I sat in silence, stifling the absurd urge to apologize for my situation not being novel enough.  The creature gave a little wiggle and emerged fully from the straw.

“What has it to trade?”

I’d anticipated that, and had my answer ready.  “I have this fine gown,” I said.  I was loathe to be found naked in the morning, still more loath to lose the golden thread I’d saved for my village, but it was better than death, surely.

The creature let out a derisive snort.  “Worthless,” it said, making a dismissive gesture with its paw.  “A gown means less to it than a piece of straw.”

I could not contradict it.  “I have nothing, then,” I said.

“Yes it does,” the creature looked sly.  “It has something beneath the worthless gown.”

At first I did not understand- surely it didn’t mean my petticoats?  Then it reached out and tapped the silk corset twice.

“Here- close to the heart, it keeps it.”

My hand flew to my chest, and I felt cold.  It meant the miniature spindle, of course- worth far, far more to me than even my mother’s wedding band had.  The creatures eyes narrowed in pleasure.

“Yes,” it said.  “It understands.  It knows.  Greater pain, for a greater magic.”

Perhaps you will forgive me for brief moment I considered saying no.  Better to die that release that last piece of my mother.

But not better that others die.

I opened my mouth, but couldn’t make the words come out.

The creature helped me, holding out its paw.  “A room of straw-spun gold for a necklace?”

“Before the sun rises,” I clarified, voice shaking.

“Yes, yes,” it said impatiently.  “It agrees?”

I reached into my bodice with trembling hands and removed the small carving.  Kissed it.

“Do it,” I said, and placed it in the creature’s claws.

The Oathbreaker, Pt XI

If the girl knew what it was I gave her to sew with, she gave no indication, but worked quickly and competently to put me in in order.  The weight of the thread greatly increased the weight of the dress, but it was evenly distributed, and not that much of a bother.  The spool was nearly gone by the time she finished (there was so much to sew- how did ladies do this every day?  And did their maids pick out the stitches at night, or just cut them?  I shuddered at the thought of all that waste.) so I instructed her to use the remainder to dress my hair.  She wove it through braids, which she then twisted into a crown on my head.  She tried to take the wooden spindle necklace from me (“You need gemstones for such an outfit!”) but on that point I would not budge- it was now the only remaining momento of my mother.  In compromise I tucked it into my bodice where it would not show, and although it poked uncomfortably into my ribs, I found the pain a comfort.

For a finishing touch she applied a fine white powder to my entire face, (“Made of pearls, my lady,” she said in an awed tone,) and a touch of red paint to my lips.  It felt very odd, indeed, and I could not resist a look in the mirror when she’d finished.  Color of the dress aside, I looked like a fine lady, indeed.  Or at the very least, not like a kidnapped peasant.

There came a knock on the door as I contemplated my own bemused expression, and the girl opened it to reveal a young boy, who had been sent to fetch me.  I was escorted to small chamber, where the king lounged on an ornately carved chair.

“Ah!” he leapt to his feet when I entered, grabbing my hand and kissing my fingertips as I sank into a curtsy.  I managed- barely- not to snatch my hand back.  “The lovely miller’s daughter!  Why, I hardly recognize you, my dear,” he kept hold of my hand, and I did my best not to squirm.  “Although you hardly look a miller’s daughter now,” he said with approval, eyes lingering too-long on my decolletage.

“And yet that is what I remain, your majesty,” I did remove my hand, then, and smoothed my skirts as though I was nervous, and not merely wiping off his touch.  “Thank you very much for the dress: it’s lovely, but unnecessary.”

“Nonsense!” the king laughed.  “A royal guest must be royally dressed!  Besides, you have pleased me greatly.  Consider it a thank-you gift.”

I inclined my head.  “As his majesty wishes.”

“Now,” he grabbed my arm and tucked it through his own.  “Let us walk a while, and discuss the future.”

“What is there to discuss, sire?  Have I not fulfilled my obligations to the crown?  Is it not time for me to return to my village?”

“You certainly did well,” he said, giving my hand a patronizing pat, and steering me through a door hidden behind a curtain, and down a long, torch-lit hallway, “But of course I knew you would not disappoint your king.”

“Of course not, sire.”

“As for returning to your village- well.”  I waited, but he did not continue as we went further down the windowless hallway, and my blood ran cold through my veins.

“His majesty promised not to exploit me,” I said, hating myself for the way my voice whispered in panic.

“Of course we will not exploit you!” the king said.  “But surely- surely you would do as much for your kingdom as you can?  To refuse aid would be treasonous,” his fingers suddenly crushed mine, and tears sprang to my eyes. “And I do so hate treason.”

We came to the end of the hallway at last, and he opened up a door to reveal another stone room, larger than the last, and containing far more straw.

“The problem with traitors,” he said conversationally, “Is that while they might seem to come from nowhere, they are, in fact, carefully nurtured by a community of traitors.  That’s why, when I find a traitor, I don’t just kill him- I root out his entire line before the poison can spread to other villages.  It’s safest for the kingdom, you understand.”

I did not answer.

“Good!” he said, and gave me a little push through the door.  I stumbled, tripping over the edge of my gown, and barely caught myself before falling face-first into the knee-high straw.  “Now,” he said, “if you spin all of this into gold before morning, I shall know you and your people to be loyal citizens!”

With that he closed the door behind him, and again I heard the bolt slide home.

The Oathbreaker, Pt X

There was much bustling about at that point, but in the end I was given a large meal, full of delicacies I’d only ever heard tales of, and a light sweet wine that I was careful not to drink too much of, and shown to a room with a comfortable bed where I could sleep.  A nightgown was even laid out for me, but I opted to keep my clothes on as I crawled beneath the covers.

They let me sleep myself out, and when I woke there was a girl in the room, perhaps a handful of years younger than myself, eyes wide with awe.

“I’m to help you dress, m’lady,” she whispered.

“I’m not a lady,” I said, sitting up and gesturing to my bodice.  “And I am dressed.  But thank you.”

“No,” she said, turning red, “I mean for your audience with the king.  You’re- you’re to wear this,” she gestured to a voluminous silk gown the color of bright yellow pansies, trimmed in finely stitched, gold embroidery.  I wrinkled my nose.

“I’d look terrible in that,” I said.  “It doesn't suit my coloring at all.”

The girl looked wretched.  “I know that, m’la- miss, but you have to wear it.  The king sent it and said you must be suitably dressed.”

I scowled.  “My dress was suitable enough for him to drag me to this place, and lock me in a tower to perform an impossible task.  I think I’ll keep it, thank you very much.”

“Oh m’lady, please,” she said, a note of panic creeping into her voice.  “He’ll be so angry if you’re not wearing it, and I was told to help you dress.  He’ll say it’s my fault,” she was crying now, and as loathe as I was to put that wretched dress on, even if it had been a flattering color, I was even more loathe to let my stubbornness lead to this poor child being punished.  If he was willing to destroy an entire village because I couldn’t spin straw to gold, what might he do to a servant who didn’t accomplish an entirely rational duty?

“Fine,” I sighed and rose from the bed, eyeing the fabric with distaste.  “But I don’t need your help.  I don’t have a maid at home, you know.”

The girl gulped, and took a step back.  “Not to contradict m’la- miss, but this dress isn’t like what you or I would wear, even to a dance.  You have to be sewn into it.”

“What?” I raised the dress to stare at it in disbelief.  “How absolutely ludicrous!  Trust the nobility to deliberately design something so impractical.”  I turned to face her, and as I did so, the spool in my pocket bumped against knee.

Oh right.

“But I suppose I have no choice,” I said, and slowly lowered the dress.  “What will you use to sew me into the dress?”

She held up a spool of glittering embroidery thread.  “To match the embroidery, miss.”  I eyed it narrowly.

“Is that gold wrapped around a cotton core?” I asked.

“Silk, miss,” she nodded appreciatively.  “It’s stronger, you know.”

“Mmm,” I said.  “I’d rather you use some of my thread, if you don’t mind."

The Oathbreaker, Pt IX

I wedged myself into a far corner to watch the creature work, as out of the way as possible, but try as I might, I couldn’t actually see what the creature did- how it managed to spin the straw.  But one by one, plump spools of shining gold yarn appeared next to its taloned feet, and gradually the piles of straw began to shrink.  I must have fallen asleep at one point, lulled by the familiar dropclick of the spindle, for I found myself waking to a sharp nudge to my ribs.

“It must undo this,” said the creature in disgust, holding out the straw I’d braided earlier.  “One cannot spin something so large.”  I sat up, and rubbed my eyes, half with sleep and half with wonder- the piles of straw had completely disappeared, replaced by three piles of neatly stacked spools.  I picked one up, awe struck, and it weighed so much I almost dropped it.

“This is- incredible,” I whispered.

“Yes yes, one has done such lovely work,” the creature said impatiently, “But the bargain was the entire room, and the bargain is not kept until this last bit is spun.  A bargain must be kept!  Nothing for free, nothing.  It must undo it’s work!”  It shoved the braid into my hands, and I, realizing the amount of predawn light streaming in through the window, quickly unbraided it.

The creature snatched the handful back, did… whatever it was it did, and one final, smaller spool was set atop the smallest pile.

“One’s work is done.  The bargain is kept.  One must not tarry.”  So saying, it twirled around and vanished into itself until there was nothing left but a wisp of pungent-smelling smoke- and even that soon dissipated, as the sunlight grew stronger.

I cradled the spool I’d picked up carefully in my two hands.  This- even this much gold could have fed my village for an entire year.  And this was just one of perhaps a hundred such spools.  The kingdom would never want again, with such riches in its coffers.  Perhaps good would come of this, after all.

The door swinging open interrupted my musings, and almost without thinking I slipped the spool into the pocket of my skirt.  I smoothed it, then looked up to see a pair of fully-armored guards gaping at the room with expressions so ridiculously disbelieving that I had to laugh.  This seemed to bring them back to their senses, and their faces slipped back into the masks one expects to see on royal guards.  They moved to flank the door, and pounded their polearms on the stone floor twice.  I giggled again, feeling almost drunk with relief that neither of them would be using their swords on my neck today.

“Has she gone mad, then?”  It was not the king’s voice that came from around the door, but that of his advisor.  Apparently the king could not be bothered to see the results, himself.  Or perhaps the royal person simply didn’t arise with the sun.

“No more so than anyone else in this place,” I said coldly.  I stood as straight as I could after a night spent sleeping on stone, and wrapped my arms around my chest.  Let him keep his eyes anywhere but on my skirt.

The advisor stepped into the room, and his face took on the same comical expression the guards’ had had.  I stifled my snicker behind my hand.

“You… you… you... you’ve done it!” he gaped.

“I told you we were not liars,” I said.  “Now I’ve done as the king asked- you must release me!”

He shook his head.  “I… forgive me, my lady, but I came expecting to prepare you for execution, not… not miracles!”

“And yet that is what you’ve found,” I said sharply, “And you must release me!”

He shook his head again, still staring at the gold.  “That is not within my power.  Only the king can do that.  And he will be… he will want to see this, himself.”

My heart sank.  The last thing I wanted was to spend another moment in that horrible man’s company.

“I am cold, hungry, and exhausted,” I snapped.  “I have done what was requested of me- can I not at least have a rest?”

His eyes finally focused on me, and he blinked rapidly.  “That- yes, that is within my power."