Story : (the brother's point of view)
I wasn't born in a wealthy family. My father was a miller, my mother was a laundry maid and I was their son. I wasn't able to study until I was the age of 5. By the time I was 7, my mother gave birth to another child, a baby girl.
Then a small squabble between kings turned into a raging war between 2 kingdoms. I separated from my family and became a fugitive. I was soon taken in by a rich family as a laundry helper. I worked for them until I was 15. I then decided to leave thinking I earned enough money to live on my own. I didn't. I only had a few shillings left then I got hired to be a blacksmith, making swords, armor and horseshoes for the king. I didn't do anything right at first, but as the years passed by, I was one of the best workers.
One day though, while I was buying lunch for my co-worker and I, I heard a rumor about a little man who helps people. All anyone had to do was call out to him and he would help you. Although, he only came to those people who could give him something of his liking.
As time passed, the rumor poked at my curiosity for days. So one day, I went to the forest and called out for his aid. I waited half an hour nothing came. I wasn't surprised that he didn't come; it was just a rumor after all.
"Did you call me?" A voice called from behind me. I spun around. A little man, about half my size, was staring at me.
"Yes, I did." I answered, slowly.
"What do you need?" He asked, impatiently. I didn't know what to ask for. I could've asked for money, but I didn't really need it.
"Can you take me back to the town I came from?" I asked, filled with curiosity.
"Of course" He replied, almost bragging. "But I will need a fair payment."
I thought for a while. "What do you want?" I asked.
"You're a blacksmith, correct?"
I nodded.
"Make me a sword that can cut the softest of skin to the hardest of wood."
"But what would you need with a sword?"
"That's for me to know, isn't it?"
I nodded once more.
"I shall return when it is finished."
He then ran into the forest and he was gone.
I worked on the sword for 3 days. It was the best sword I've ever made. I waited in the forest with his sword. After an hour, the manikin came back skipping and humming a happy tune like he had just won a war.
"Here's your sword." I said, handing it to him.
"This will do, I guess." He said, sounding as if it wasn't good enough. "Follow me then."I followed.
We came across a path I've heard of. Many people used to use it but hardly ever nowadays since it takes 2 to 3 hours just to cross.
"Hurry up or we'll lose the light." He said. We would probably get there by nightfall, since it was already 4 in the afternoon. I kept up with him anyway, not saying a single word.
After a while, I got tired but didn't mention anything to the little man. I wondered how many hours had passed, if any hours did pass yet. I also wondered why the sun hadn't started setting yet. I continued walking anyway. Soon, we came to a hidden door, nearly covered in vines. He felt for the knob and opened the door. I walked through and saw my hometown, bustling as ever, carriages passing by, merchants selling to each other and much more. I realized that for more than half of my life, I hadn't been here. I noticed the sun hadn't set yet.
"How come the sun hasn't set yet?" I asked the manikin.
"Is this all you need?" He asked, completely ignoring my question.
"I guess so." I wanted to see my family badly, but if taking me here cost me an entire sword, how much would directions cost me?
"There's something bothering you, isn't there?" He asked with a smile on his face.
"Yes, but--" I started.
"What do you want?" He asked. His voice was too persuasive, sweet as honey and slippery as oil.
"I want to see my family" I said.
"What will you pay me in return for this?" He asked. I had only brought a few shillings with me. I brought them out.
"This will do." He said, counting them over.
He led me to my old house. I saw my mother, picking cotton from the cotton plants. I saw my father, spinning thread. What I didn't see was my sister, who was supposedly 16 by now. My mother spotted me and ran towards me. She hugged me tight. Soon, my father joined us and we began talking about our lives before the war happened. Soon enough, I gathered enough courage to ask about my sister. They looked at each other regretfully.
They told me about my father's audience with the king and how he told the king how my sister could spin straw into golden thread. They told me how she was locked up in a room full of straw just to make our greedy king richer. They told me how she had to do it for 3 days by morning or off goes her head.
I had to help, so I called for the manikin. He came. "Please help my sister." I started. I told him what happened. He told me he would help, but, "I do expect a fair payment, though."
I had nothing left to give. I was stripped of all my money and quit my job. So I took all the cotton my mother had picked in the whole week and gave it to him.
"Your request will cost more than just than just this." He said, holding up the fat bag of cotton. So I also gave him all the thread my father made in the week. "This is enough." He finally said.
I waited. Night fell quickly. I decided to try to get into the palace. I found a servant line entering the back of the palace. I grabbed a bag of sheep's wool and lined up. I then got a new job as a servant.
Once inside, I went straight to where the king held my sister captive. Before I could try and open the door, I heard the manikin talking to my sister. She had been crying. She begged him for help, he asked for something in return, he gave him her necklace, and then he made all the straw into golden thread. I expected the king to release my sister since he got what he wanted, a room full of golden thread.
But instead, he transferred her to a bigger room with twice as much straw as the other room. So I called for the manikin again, I asked him to help once more. "Your payment?" He asked, expectantly. I gave him the bag of sheep's wool and the block of round cheese I stole from the king. He joyfully accepted. The same thing happened again.
She asked, he expected a fair payment in return, she gave him her ring, and he spun the straw into golden thread. Her life was spared. The next day the king locked her in a much bigger room than the last one, with thrice as much straw as the last one. "If you can do this last room, you shall marry my son and become the new queen." I heard the king say to her. She had no choice but to accept once more.
I hated to do it, but I called once again for the little man. I asked him to help her once more. Before he asked for my payment, I informed that I could no longer pay him; all I had was a few pieces of golden thread. He accepted but warned me that my sister would pay a bigger price this time. I agreed.
The next morning, the room as filled with golden thread, the price for my sister was that she give him her first born child when she was queen. I wouldn't allow it, but what could I do? My own sister didn't know I existed and no matter how many times I would call for him, he wouldn't come, I had nothing to give to him as payment. After a few months, my sister was wed to the prince and became the new queen. Soon enough, I became her loyal manservant.
A year later, she bore a small baby boy. The next day, on my way to the queen's chamber, I heard distant skipping coming towards the queen's chamber. I hid and saw the manikin go into her room. Before I could barge in, I heard them conversing to each other.
"I'm here for my payment" The little man said.
"I'll give you all my riches but please spare my child's life." She begged of him.
Having pity on her, he said "I'll make a bargain with you. I'll give you 3 days, you must guess my name. If you fail to do so, I get your baby. If you manage to get correct, you can keep your baby and I will leave you alone forever." The queen agreed.
On the first day, the queen started guessing with the names of the magi and ended with the name Bernard. All were incorrect.
She then sent a messenger to search for names across the country; the messenger came back with over 150 names. She began with the names of the 12 apostles and ended with Caros. All were incorrect.
On the night before the third day, the messenger agreed to help me pick herbs that only grew deep in the forest. Soon enough, we came across the little man singing and jumping around his mound of treasure, I saw the sword, I heard my shillings jingling in his pockets, I saw my mother's cotton, my father's thread, my sister's necklace and ring, my bag of sheep's wool, my block of cheese and my small clump of golden thread. He was singing joyfully:
"Today I bake, tomorrow I brew,
The day after that, the queen's child comes in;
And oh! I am glad that nobody knew
That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin."
The next day, the messenger reported to the queen the manikin's name. Her face lit up with happiness, she thanked him dearly. When the manikin came, he said "Start guessing."
"Is your name Adamson? She asked.
"No."
"Is it Afton?"
"No."
"How about Rumpelstiltskin?"
His face glowed red with anger. He shouted, "The devil told you that! The devil told you that!"
In his anger, he ran away and disappeared into the forest. A few months later, soldiers had found his body in half, for reasons unknown. They decided to file it as suicide.
My sister may have never known me, but I enjoyed serving her. So in the end, she got her happily ever after and in another way, so did I.