Koshijirou is a miller. He didn't necessarily enjoy his work, but he loved the mill anyway. The mill that had been passed down for generations ensured that he married the woman he loved because he had proof of a livelihood to provide for her. After his wife died, the mill gave him a means to provide for his daughter.
This, however, did not mean that he was rich or even well off. In fact it was just enough to feed themselves and have a couple new outfits every few years. Kaoru, his daughter, had tried to help him in the mill. Unfortunately, it ended up just as her cooking did. Horribly damaged beyond recognition. He still had no idea how the flour turned black and moved on it's own.
After those disastrous results, she was banned from the mill. Kaoru, desperate to help provide, turned to sewing. This was where her talents truly lay. It seemed almost overnight that her skills with the needle became known throughout the town as legendary. She became proficient with spinning high quality threads from flax straw, and dyed them into beautiful vibrant colors.
This, of course, only bolstered the rumors. Soon the rumor became that she could spin straw into gold. Which she could in a roundabout way. If one were to count her selling her finished products for gold. At this point men began paying attention to her. Many who had never glanced her way when she and her father barely made ends meet, suddenly fell over themselves for a chance to speak with her.
Kaoru refused them all in the politest way she could think of. By offering to teach them the womanly arts of sewing. All they had to do was become a eunuch. One would not be surprised to know she had no men take the offer she had so graciously extended. Shortly after the rumor of her turning straw into gold, Koshijirou was invited to the palace of their king. When he came back to Kaoru, it was with an escort of palace guards and news that would change their life forever.
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"You did what?" Kaoru is so angry that she feels the entire house will burn down with it. Her normally imposing father sheepishly looked at her. "Well, the king asked if you were truly able to spin straw into gold. I thought that the king had called me to prove that our new wealth was legitimate. I never thought that he truly believed the rumor." Her face flushed red with rage as she screamed so loud that the people of their town swore those of the neighboring town had heard it. "YOU IDIOT!"
She was still screaming insults as the guard bundled her into the carriage. "Kaoru, I don't think the king will be unreasonable. You just have to clear up the misunderstanding. It's not like he's going to behead you over this." It would had made her feel better had one of the palace guards not wolfishly smirked at her with narrowed yellow eyes. As the carriage pulled away, they sat in silence before one of the palace guards whispered to the one she had decided to name Creepy Wolf Guard.
She looked through the carriage window while straining her ears to hear. Kaoru had been brought up knowing that it was rude to eavesdrop, but does it count as eavesdropping if she's not looking at them? Probably, but it's the thought that counts. "Do you think the king will kill her?" Kaoru narrowed her eyes at the reflection of Creepy Wolf Guard's smirk. Well this is just fantastic.
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The audience with the king goes just as well as everything else did that day. The king is actually a ten year old boy that preferred to be called Your Highness, King Yutaro. She doesn't even manage to get a word in before he proclaims that she must spin a room full of straw into gold or be beheaded in the morning for obtaining her new wealth illegitimately.
So now Kaoru sits in a tower with a room full of straw and a spinning wheel. She is nearly ready to seriously consider murder. Instead, she plots revenge. After hours of being angry, she gives up peacefully sitting and begins screaming unintelligible curses out the window. Like a crazy person.
After screaming until she's hoarse she flops back onto the straw and stares at the ceiling. Still plotting revenge. Like hell she's letting this go- Where did the man in the corner come from? Kaoru gapes at the redheaded man in the corner before taking the spindle and waving it at him threateningly. "I was given until tomorrow to spin this straw into gold. My time isn't up yet, so get out!" The man blinks large violet eyes at her before tilting his head. "You can spin straw into gold? That's an amazing talent for a human."
Her eye begins twitching dangerously. "No, you idiot! I cannot turn straw into gold which is why I'm going to be beheaded tomorrow. So I would very much like to be alone for my last night. Now get out and leave me alone!" Kaoru's fists tremble at her side. "How did you even get in here?" The redhead looks exceedingly confused at this point. "You called me of course." He cocks his head. "What is beheaded?"
It's enough to confirm Kaoru's suspicions. This man is also an idiot. "It means they take you to a public stage and chop off your head. Blood everywhere. Sometimes it even takes a few tries for them to chop it all the way off." Satisfaction fills her as his face pales. "So now that you understand. Leave. Me. Alone."
"What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?" Again, Kaoru gapes at him. "What?! Redhead, humans can't make straw into gold." Now, he looks shocked enough that she doubts he realizes that it's impossible. "Oro?" Her eyebrow flies up her forehead. What on earth does oro mean? The redhead looks at his clothes before looking back up at her. "Nobody has ever thought I was human before."
This man is not an idiot. He's just crazy. For a moment, everything falls into place and is right with her world. Then she notices the pointed ears and bright pink clothing worn draped across his body. Her brain stutters to a stop because why why is a redhead wearing pink? He edges closer to her. "What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?" Kaoru's brain is still stopped when she replies. "I don't have anything except my dress right now. I don't know what I could give you."
This time, it's his eyebrows that shoot up to his hairline. "Not even a ring or a necklace?" He casts a speculative glance at her appearance before his eyes settle at the top of her head. "I'll do it for the ribbon." Numbly, she hands him the ribbon and watches him spin straw into gold. He finishes in the wee hours of the morning, and as soon as he looks as though he'll leave, she stops him. "If he's not satisfied with a single room of gold, how do I call you again?"
He slides a bracelet onto her wrist. "Just tap this to the floor or ground. I'll find you no matter where you are." She deliberately ignores the feeling of loss when he leaves. His leaving was none too soon. For as soon as he left the doors opened, and His Highness, King Yutaro attempted a sweeping walk into the room with the Creepy Wolf Guard. His Highness, King Yutaro looks amazed while Creepy Wolf Guard looks amused and smirks at her. "So how soon can you make me another room of gold?" And such began Kaoru's descent into straw hell.