PROLOGUE
Whilst his father made his case to the palace guards, Rumpelstiltskin drew his hood down lower and dipped his head. He was about to set foot in the royal castle for the first time in his entire ten years and he didn't dare look up. His father – Malcolm, as Malcolm insisted to be called- had trained him well. Never look at anyone and never let anyone see your face… unless I give you permission, the man drilled into him.
Hiding within the shroud over his head was also for his own good. If someone were to see what you looked like, they could take you from me. You wouldn't want that, would you? His father asked. You would be alone and you would never see me again. Therefore the hood stayed up. Only to be pulled down when his father dictated.
Malcolm snapped his fingers, bringing Rumpelstiltskin back to reality. "Come now, don't drag your feet."
Rumpelstiltskin scurried after his father, amazed the man was able to manipulate the palace guards into permitting them entrance. Over the years he had seen his father worm his way in and out of trouble. Malcolm was not a good man - not by anyone's standards - but he did what he did for the greater good. Malcolm explained time and time again that if he did not con people out of their hard earned shillings, that the two of them could not stay together. It was the only way.
And now this. Malcolm said they would have an audience with the king and queen and the royals would take a fancy to them.
Then we can go honest and be together forever, his father vowed.
The only thing Rumpelstiltskin had to do was perform his trick. The rest would take care of itself.
The guards ushered Malcolm and Rumpelstiltskin through the foyer, their mud encrusted boots clicking against the tiled floor. They left a trail of dust behind them. The boy was tempted to peer out of his hiding place and gaze upon the beauties of the castle, but that would ruin everything. They needed the element of surprise on their side.
Two huge doors swung open and Rumpelstiltskin made certain to hide behind his father. He had only a small gap in which to see the king and queen were perched upon their thrones. King Leopold was a plain looking, middle-aged man with nothing to recommend him aside from his royal robes and a simple crown upon his head. Queen Eva, however, was beautiful. Adorned with silks, she was bejeweled from head to toe. No doubt their union was arranged, for she was at least twenty years the king's junior.
Rumpelstiltskin tugged on the collar of his homespun tunic and trousers. His clothing wouldn't be good enough to polish the floors of the castle, let alone be worn in the king and queen's presence. Yet this was all he had. A single set of clothing to his name.
"Your majesties, Malcolm the Spinner, at your service." His father offered the royals a sweeping bow at his waist. He straightened to his full height. "I have something that may interest your majesties. Something very unique and powerful. Something that will benefit you and your kingdom immensely."
King Leopold raised his brow. He and the queen swapped a skeptical look. "Is that so?" he asked.
"Yes, I am all ears." Queen Eva gave a simpering smirk.
Rumpelstiltskin gulped. The king and queen appeared unimpressed. No doubt they had encountered their share of cocky showmen before. He prayed to the gods above that this would work. This was their last chance.
"Better for me to show you, otherwise you would never believe me." Malcolm's voice raised an octave. It was his paltry attempt to make his secret sound tempting.
"Make haste." King Leopold sighed. "We do not have all day."
"Come now, boy." Malcolm stepped aside and motioned the boy. Rumpelstiltskin shuffled forward a few paces, but when fear began to overtake him and his knees began to knock, he froze in place.
Malcolm jerked back his hood, revealing Rumpelstiltskin's face.
A collective gasp echoed throughout the throne room. The palace guards - the strongest and greatest of men - quaked before him, a mere child.
"The gods protect us!" The queen crossed an invisible "X" over herself, as a means of protection. She grasped her husband's arm and cried out, "A demon spat up from hell! Make him go away. Send the beast back where he belongs!"
"Sir, what is the meaning of this?" The king grimaced.
Rumpelstiltskin felt like crying, but blinked his tears away. He knew he was a monster; he had been told so many times by Malcolm and by any other who paid to see him. His skin was like that of a snake, scaled. At least he didn't shed his own skin. His eyes were large, twice the size of a normal pair of eyes. Rather than the white teeth of humans, his were yellowed, sharp, and crooked. His hair was kinky, wiry…a crop of frizz. Then there was his voice. A strange, raspy guttural sound that made the hairs on his own neck stand up on end.
"This is Rumpelstiltskin. He was born like this, damned by the gods themselves. Or perhaps a darker force." Malcolm rested his hands on his shoulders and nudged him closer to the king and queen. "That is not all, I have saved the best for last. Have you a spinning wheel and straw handy?"
Queen Eva recoiled in her seat, as though she feared he might contaminate her.
King Leopold, however, studied him. He stroked his chin, morbidly curious.
Rumpelstiltskin gulped and tossed up a litany of prayers to the gods that he wouldn't let his father down. That his fear wouldn't get the better of him.
#
Flanked by two armed guards, King Leopold, with the queen in tow, escorted Malcolm and Rumpelstiltskin to an upper room in one of the towers. It was enclosed, aside from a barred window for a single view. Off to the side was a pallet on the cold, cement floor.
A large spinning wheel was positioned in the corner. Next to it was a small mound of straw. Rumpelstiltskin hurried to it, feeling more comfortable near that contraption than in the company of the people watching him. He laid his hand on the wheel and whirled it.
He exhaled. The spinning wheel always calmed him.
Looking back to his father and the royals, he hoped they would reassure him. That no matter what, everything would be all right.
"Show them, child," Malcolm said.
Rumpelstiltskin took a few strands of straw and fed it through. He took a seat on the bench and he went to work. What had begun as crispy straw was transformed into a glimmering strand of gold.
He picked up the strand and promptly brought it to the royals, offering them his best attempt at a smile. The queen ducked behind her husband whereas the king took the golden strand.
King Leopold examined it, holding it up to the candle light.
Rumpelstiltskin had done this little trick hundreds of times. Maybe thousands. First to benefit his father and then for the "performances" before crowds. Malcolm thought people would love to watch a goblin child turn straw into gold. His father spun fantastic tales; almost as fantastic as the gold Rumpelstiltskin could spin. At first folks were awestruck, but the more people saw him and his monstrous countenance, the more they were convinced that he was practicing a darker magic. That he really was a demon. They were chased out of the last village and barely escaped being burned alive.
Malcolm then decided that they needed an audience with the king and queen. They needed protection.
"All of your kingdom's financial woes would be solved." Malcolm's voice broke through the silence. His father gestured towards him, his fingers trembling from excitement. "Rumpelstiltskin can be yours... for a price, of course."
"Is that so?" The king asked. "What do you require?"
"Knighthood and financial security." Malcolm said.
The Queen Eva peered over her husband shoulder. "You have financial security via the gold he produces. Why give him up?" she asked.
Rumpelstiltskin swung around to his father. He waited for the man to correct the queen. To make that snooty lady understand that they were a package deal. Malcolm had promised that nothing would separate them.
Papa… Rumpelstiltskin mouthed the word, knowing better than to say it aloud.
Malcolm looked down on him. There was no love in his eyes. Nothing at all. "I never wanted him. Fatherhood doesn't suit me." His head snapped back up as he addressed the king, "Will you take him off my hands? This is the best chance for us both."
Rumpelstiltskin's face crumbled and he wheezed out a cry. This couldn't be happening! He hugged himself, wishing - but knowing better of it - that one of these grownups would hug him. No one wanted him, let alone to touch him.
"Very well. We shall take him." King Leopold crossed his arms. "You will be knighted, provided with a home and a living. But keep in mind, sir, that I find nothing more reprehensible than a man who sells a child." He nodded to the men off to the side. "Guards, escort Sir Malcolm out."
The guards stood on either side of Malcolm and escorted him out. His father didn't so much as cast a backwards glance.
The royals gaped at him, for a moment unsure of what to do.
Once more the queen grasped her husband's arm, tugging on it frantically. "Leopold, we cannot have this creature in our home. He could eat us in our sleep. What will he do to our future children?"
King Leopold broke away from the queen, approached Rumpelstiltskin. The man put his hands on his hips. "Rumpelstiltskin, do you promise to never eat us or our future children?"
Rumpelstiltskin gave a meek nod.
Queen Eva scowled. She lifted her skirts and hastened from the room.
"Very good, lad." King Leopold patted his head, as he might a little pet. "There is no need to be afraid, you are quite safe here. As long as you obey and behave, we will get along just fine. Now, can you speak?"
"Yes, sir," Rumpelstiltskin croaked out.
"Good. Let us find you something to eat. Non-human, of course."
Rumpelstiltskin felt like crying again. He might look hideous, but why did everyone think he would eat humans? He could barely utter more than two words to another human being, let alone eat one.
"We shall have to work on that." King Leopold shook his head. "Laughter."
Rumpelstiltskin nodded and mutely followed the royal to the dining room.