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The sun raised behind soft white hills. It slowly ascended in the sky and stretched its golden fingers through valleys and mountains. But its warmth barely touched the ground. The North Wind breathed ice, a cruel freezing breeze. The cold blanket of snow glittered under the sun rays, but refused to soften and melt away. February had arrived and winter promised to stay for another day. Trees were naked and frozen, the earth dead, the world hungry. The violent storms from January had prevented ships to sail in, so the village received no new provisions. The winter stock was quickly going down, even if the little food was daily rationed. Even animals suffered from the severe winter, raiding the small village at night, in search for the food they could not find in the woods.
While people slowly returned to their daily lives, with little or nothing to save from the winter, the Duke grew daily more desperate. He stood on his small castle's balcony and watched the villagers mend their homes, restore bridges and roads, rebuild the harbor. As their Landlord, his duty was to protect them and provide them with the needed capital for these works. And so he financed the needed repairs. But bad news was received daily. A lot of cattle had not survived the freezing weeks. Farmers made clear the grounds were infertile and a bad crop year was predicted. The prices of goods had climbed scarily, as other lands suffered too the toll of a hard winter. Provisions had to be imported, but the villagers had no goods to sell in return. And so, the Duke saw the economy of his little Land fall in an addictive spiral.
The Duke sighed worriedly. He had heard tales of magnificent kingdoms collapsing due to the roughness of nature. He had heard the tales of people going mad from hunger and disease. He watched the villagers from distance and wondered how long they would remain this peaceful. Because the first incidents had already started. Small things, like throwing stones at his castle's strong walls. Or insults and spitting when he came to inventory the damages. Guards and soldiers were harassed daily by children, women and old men. Small things he could easily punish. Make them spend a couple nights in the dungeons or a give them a public display of lashes. But when he would sentence the culprits, he would see hate instead of fear in the villager's faces. And that terrified him.
Sure he had guards. Sure he had militaries. Sure he was safe behind his stone walls. But he didn't dare to underestimate the power of a mob of hungry villagers. Oh yes. He had heard the tales of fallen kings. He was scared. He was desperate. And he could not allow having such a horrible fate. So he did the only thing he could do.
"You summoned the Dark One."
The Duke turned around with a shudder. He quickly entered back into the throne room and froze for some seconds. Opposite to his great chair stood a hooded man. He looked at the guards. They stared back at him with the same surprise. Nobody had seen the man enter the room. The Duke took a few deep breaths, feeling his heart beating fast, fear pumping his veins. Yet he wished to transpire nothing. So he walked calmly towards his throne, slowly sat on the great chair, trying to look as cool and dignified as possible. His eyes didn't leave the mysterious man one second, who didn't move an inch during the process. He stood exactly opposite to the throne, so they could face each other directly.
"Yes, I did." The Duke answered.
"It wasn't a question." The hooded man coolly replied. The Duke didn't like the tone of the man's voice. It was low, but clear. Calm, but mocking. And there was a slight accent he swore he had heard before. The fact he could not see his face was working on his nerves. He was not very tall and had quite a slender body. That he could make out. An awkward silence filled the room. "What is it you want?" The hooded man finally asked.
"My crops are destroyed. I fear for a year of hunger. I am worried about my people. They will suffer…"
"You care nothing about your people!" The hooded man accused, his voice only slightly raised. He started pacing slowly in the empty space around the throne. "No. You are scared." He almost whispered. "You are afraid the people will turn against you. Afraid for a revolt." The Duke swallowed dry. How the man knew his fears confused him. It frightened him terribly. His hands were clenched on the arms of his throne. He dared not to move them. They were becoming sweaty and were shaking insanely. The man stopped walking when he had stopped talking and was facing him again. The awkward silence had reinstalled itself in the room.
"I need my crops…" The Duke spoke weakly.
"What? You'll have to speak louder, dearie!"He hooded man demanded, raising his hand dramatically, making his point. "What is it that you want, m'lord?" He whispered in a teasing and menacing voice.
"I-I need my crops to be restored. I need a good harvest year. The lands, the trees, the cattle!" The Duke spoke in almost a high pitched voice, panic threatening to break his cool façade. Although the Duke could not see the man's face, he knew he was grinning.
"There will be a price." The hooded man spoke like if he was tasking something sweet.
"O-Of course. Just name it." The Duke answered.
"You are in possession of a magical object." The hooded man declared, while he started pacing again in the room. The Duke shifted uncomfortably on his throne, already knowing what the vile creature would demand. "A certain table, to be more precise. The one that has made sure that belly of yours would remain this impressive!" He said mockingly, pointing directly at the Duke's fat belly.
The Landlord became instantly pale and had enough of the mockery. He stood up and walked upset to the man. He expected the shorter male to budge, but instead he stood firm on the ground and did nothing to avoid him from removing his hood. The Duke gasped and took a steps backwards. Staring back at him was a familiar face. But the look in his eyes was new. It was deprived of fear and instead was challenging him.
"No… Who are you?" The Duke said while he pointed at the man, who grinned satisfied. "W-What was your name?"
"Have you forgotten me already? What was it you used to call me again? Spindleshanks? Hobblefoot." The spinner said, the fire of anger reaching his eyes.
"You…You are Rumpelstitlskin!" The Duke said shocked.
"So you do remember." Rumpelstiltskin said with a low treacherous tone. The Duke felt his blood boil. This poor spinner, the village coward, dared to come to his castle, impose himself as the mightiest creature in the world and make a fool out of him. He clenched his teeth. Rumpelstiltskin had ridiculed him. Now, he would pay dearly for his distasteful joke.
"You are not the Dark One! You are nothing but a miserable spinner!" The Duke yelled outraged, causing an uncharacteristic wicked grin on the other man's face. "Guards! Kill him!" A bunch of five low class soldiers rushed inside the room, waiving their long swords in the air. Rumpelstiltskin didn't move an inch. "The coward. He's paralyzed from fear!" The Duke mocked. But the moment one of the soldiers was to slice the spinner in two, he smiled and vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Everybody stared surprised at the empty spot and looked around searching him.
"Over here!" He called grinning, from a different part of the room. The soldiers ran to him, swords pointed at his heart. Again he didn't move and again he disappeared into thin air. The Duke watched petrified as the cunning spinner kept disappearing to appear again somewhere else. He watched the soldiers run from one side of the room to the other like idiots, always missing him at the last second. Anger was burning in the Duke's veins, this ridiculous game driving him insane.
"Enough!" He screamed and the soldiers halted immediately. Rumpelstiltskin reappeared opposite the Duke.
"You're right. Shall we go back to business now?"
"I'm making no business with you. You are not the Dark One!"
"I was sent by the Dark One." He said, revealing his ring with the tower and the rose. The Duke took a quick glance at it, but was enough to recognize the Dark One's seal. He had heard the rumors of Rumpelstitlskin's desperate deed, but he never believed in them. He always thought the man had abandoned his son, moving to another village, like the coward he was. But now Rumpelstiltskin was standing before him, deprived of fear and doing magic. The Duke was sure now, the rumors were true. "And the Dark One requires the magical table."
"What does the Dark One want it for?" The Duke asked upset, not willing to depart from his magical table.
"Maybe the Dark One will give it to the villagers and share some of your greediness." Rumpelstiltskin spoke with enormous poison.
"I had enough of you. Slay the vermin!" The Duke ordered again. But this time, when the soldiers tried to attack Rumpelstitlskin, he sent them flying through the air with the single raise of his hands. The soldiers landed on the hard floor and stared surprised at the slender man. The Duke looked shocked at them and then felt all the blood go down his face. Rumpelstiltskin was standing right in front of him with an expression of pure scorn. His eyes were dilated and had gained a strange color. His hair was becoming wavy and his skin was gaining a sickening shade.
"How about a little fealty? Kiss my boot." He uttered in a deep and low voice, each word spoken with extra care.
The Duke, feeling tears of terror wanting to escape his eyes, his whole body shaking of distress, bend until he was on his knees. Rumpelstiltskin grinned wickedly, relishing the unknown feeling of power and victory, when the man's lips touched the leather from his boots. The Duke gasped when he raised his head and saw Rumpeltstiltskin's hand come in his direction. Suddenly a soldier put himself between the two men, to shield and protect the Landlord. The Duke thought his heart would jump from his mouth, when Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the soldier's head with one hand and turned his neck with a fatal crack. He picked up the dead soldier's sword to slay the other men, one after the other, in cold blood. He was going to kill a young soldier when he suddenly stopped. The boy was barely twenty and had one trembling hand up, protecting him from the blow. Rumpestilstkin's eyes shrunk a bit and he rested his sword on the floor.
"Get out." He said to the young soldier, who blinked surprised but ran off as quickly as he could. Rumpelstiltskin turned around to face a very terrified Duke. His former Landlord watched him in his full transformation and his whole body was trembling from terror. The Primordial took a few steps in his direction and the Duke felt something warm run down his pants. He looked down at the wet spot between his legs, tears running freely from his eyes. Rumpeltstiltskin stared at the humiliating scene with disgust. "The magical table." He demanded.
"It's yours! T-Take it! I don't care, just take it and go away!" The Duke desperately yelled, holding his weight on his throne, his limbs threatening to give away any moment. He watched Rumpelstitlskin wave his hand in circles and the magical table appeared next to him.
"The deal is struck. Congratulations! You saved your people. You will have a year with good harvests, plenty of milk, honey and fruit." Rumpelstiltskin announced. He took a step closer to the Duke, who desperately tried to hide behind his tall chair. "Who's the coward now?"
And at this, Rumpelstitlskin and the table vanished. The Duke was left alone in a room, under sweat, tears and piss. He looked around and saw the blood stains on the floor, the pools of red liquid around his slaughtered soldiers. He sobbed in anguish. Never in his life had he experienced such fear. He let himself collapse and released a scream of agony. The image of the man with greenish skin and evil eyes wouldn't leave his mind. But above all, it was the one question that haunted his thoughts: What the hell was Rumpelstiltskin?
…
"Baelfire! Baelfire!"
A teenager was spinning wool in the fashion his father had taught him and quickly got up when he heard the shouting. He came outside to see a young man running to him. Baelfire recognized him as Jason and smiled. They were neighbors for years and since Jason had been chosen to be one of the Duke's personal guards, he barely ever saw him. But his smile quickly faded when Jason reached him, looking as pale as a ghost.
"What happened?" The younger boy asked. Jason stood bend, resting his hands on his knees for a few moments, restoring his breathing after his mad run.
"Y-You won't believe who I just saw." Jason said between his panting. Baelfire stared at him expectantly. "It was your father. But it was not quite him." Baelfire's eyes grew wide.
"My papa? He's he aright? Where is he?"
"Something happened to him…He's changed. He recognized me, otherwise…" Jason felt the first tears run down his face. He still could see the cold way Rumpelstiltskin slew his fellow-guards. He still could see the blood. He still could see the yellow-greenish eyes staring at him with pure hate. "Baelfire, your father is capable of doing magic. And it somehow changed him."
"Jason! Please tell me what happened!" The teenager asked with a meek voice, his heart racing with fear.
"His appearance changed. He looked really mean and then…then he killed the soldiers, one by one. Baelfire, I'm sure if he wouldn't have recognized me, he would have killed me too. There was something in his eyes. Something dark."
Baelfire stared wide eyed at his neighbor finding it impossible to believe in his tale. His papa would never hurt anybody, even more kill. He suddenly was very concerned of what the Dark One did to his father. And more than ever, regretted his father's choice.
I so much enjoyed writing this chapter! My personal favorite so far!
By the way. The magical table is from the Brothers Grimm tale "Table be set"
Here a quote to refresh the minds of those who might not remember (or know) the story: "When I set it out, and tell it to set itself, the most beautiful dishes immediately appear on it, and wine also, which gladdens the heart. Just invite all our relatives and friends. They shall refresh and enjoy themselves for once, for the table will fill them all."
And you? What did you think about it?
Please, do review ;)