Spinning Gold
Chapter Three: Into the Castle
Note- I'm sorry if the grammar is awful, I tried, really!
I gulped nervously as I walked through the courtyard. It was littered with fine ladies, all glaring at me and then turning to whisper behind their silk fans.
My blood boiled at that thought. They had silk fans and if I had enough money for one I'd be fed for a month with new sheets for my bed and a new dress. It was sickening. The men were also horrendous, turning up their noses at us; they were fat as well, the older ones anyways. I avoided eye contact with anyone and walked with my back straight my head held high hoping that the telling red wouldn't seep into my cheeks.
We reached the door and the guard in front of us opened it and made us move thru. Inside was dull, lighted by candles and cold because for the stone. Another guard took my father and I down a hallway and to another door.
"Wait 'ere." He said to us. I said nothing, just looked around at the dull grey stone, until an idea hit me. Eben would be in there… well he was supposed to be…and I hadn't seen him for a couple of days…
"Try not to do anything stupid, and keep your mouth shut." My father said in his gruff voice. I felt hurt by his assumption, but then again, I didn't know what was going on and that was clue number one.
"Fine." Was all I said to him and he nodded his head. The guard opened the door and someone announced our names.
"The Miller John Banks and his daughter Aya Banks," I looked at the now king, he was sitting in a big chair looking utterly bored out of his mind, but when my name had been said he glanced up, eyes widening a bit in surprise.
My father and I walked up to his royal highness and I had to curtsy, but my eyes were looking for Eben. He wasn't anywhere to be found and I felt a bit of bitterness towards him, of course he'd ditch me when I needed him most.
"Yes?" was all the King said. It was hard not to just say Prince Derek in my head. He was just the King…. Odd. Also odd how his voice sounded familiar, annoyingly so like I head it last week…damn me and my bad memory.
"Sire, times are hard pressed for me and my daughter." My father began. I said nothing, just feeling relief that maybe, just maybe my father would get some salary or something out of this. The king nodded his head, showing that he was listening, but I felt his unsettling eyes one me and I refused to look up.
"So, as it is so I can't keep my daughter's talent hidden any longer." I went rigid- talent? I could sing, but that wasn't too big of a deal…and besides everyone knew it…
I could feel the King's shock and a couple of the men standing about. They were all young, good looking and not fat. A woman was there too, in an impeccably low cut dress.
"What talent?" the king asked and I could see the wheels tuning in his head. My cheeks grew hot; everyone was looking at me carefully, seeing what the peasant girl could possibly offer to the king other than her body and her voice.
"Well sire, she can take wheat and spin it into gold." My father stated this fact clearly and my hand gripped convulsively at my dress, several people gasped and there was some murmuring. I glanced up to gauge the king's reaction.
His eye brows where raised and his lips perused. Isn't he hot in that? I thought, looking at the heavy clock on his shoulders and the rich coat and pants. And of course that crown had to be heavy…I mean solid gold…
"Can she?" he asked. My father nodded his head vigorously. His voice had changed. I noted, it was still muted, gruffer then it had been a second ago…why had he suddenly changed it…?
"Yes! Yes she-" he cut my father off.
"Is this true Maiden?" he asked me. I bit my lip and looked up at him.
"Yes." I whispered. How the hell was I going to get out of this one?
"Alright, why don't we put your claim to a test miller?"
"Yes sire?" my father asked. My fingers where starting to hurt form how hard I was gripping my dress.
"Aya, you must prove yourself three times. Tonight you will spin one room full of wheat to gold, the night after a bigger room and the night after that an even bigger room.
Should you fail tonight you will be killed for your lies. Should you successfully spin gold all three nights then you will marry me and you and your father will have claim to what ever you wish him to." I looked up surprised, okay everything but the marriage made sense. A king marrying a commoner…I mean, c'mon!
"Yes your highness." I whispered and curtsied. How was I going to spin wheat in to gold? How? How? How?!
"Show Miller Banks to the door, he may see his daughter in three days, unless she fails her task." A guard escorted my father out and the king motioned to a woman near by.
"Get her fed and into something halfway decent." He said to her.
She nodded her head and curtsied and moved over to me. She hooked her arm through mine and we moved away and I heard him telling a page to get a room filled and then he told everyone to shoo. And I still hadn't seen Eben.
***
"I do hope you aren't lying." The woman said as she led me down the hallway her stride elegant…maybe she was a higher class of whore? Or maybe her father had made her maid dress her as such so that she could catch the king's eye?
"I'm not." I whispered hoarsely. She pursed her lips.
"I'm Tess by the way." She said.
"Pleasure." I replied. She smiled and dragged me through a door.
"Alright, what color looks best on you?" she tapped her lip and surveyed an array of dresses.
"Oh, you really don't have to…I mean."
"Nonsense!" she said pulling out a simple green dress.
"That had better be cotton." I told her she laughed and nodded her head yes, but I could tell from looking at the fabric that it was satin. I sighed and let her dress me. I refused the shoes and she sighed.
"You are such a worry-wart!" she told me with a laugh.
"Well, you would be too if your life was threatened." I told her.
"True. Okay so no shoes…let me do your hair and then we will get you something to eat." She said.
In the end I won another battle where she just put my hair into a low bun on my neck. I sighed when she was done and followed her down another stone corridor, the cold stone making my feet ache. We reached a door and she opened it. Inside was a small table spread out with four places. I sat at one and she left to get someone.
"Well, never thought I'd see you here!" a man's voice said behind me. I turned around quickly and saw Eben standing in the door way leaning against the frame with an easy smile lighting up his face.
"Long story," was all I said. He pushed off and came to sit next to me.
"I've got time." He replied with an easy smile.
"I bet you've heard it already." I told him he shrugged.
"Maybe."
"I can spin gold." He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled.
"Yeah, I heard that." He said quietly. I had to lean in to hear him because his voice was so quiet already. Tess came back out and stopped short when she saw Eben it looked like she was debating something.
"Tess!" he said quickly. "The king was just looking for you!" he told her. She looked at him confused. "In the library." He said. She raised an eye brow and walked out of the room. A woman came from where Tess had been just a second ago.
"Well 'ello young mizz, 'ow can I 'elp you?" she asked me. Eben smiled at the old woman.
"How 'bout some soup and something else of your choice?" Eben said. The woman smiled and bustled back to the kitchen. Eben turned back to me his green eyes catching the light and seeming to turn a bluish gold.
"So, do you think you'll be able to do it?" he asked me.
"Do what?" I replied as two pieces of toast with cheese between them and soup was placed in front of me.
"Spin the wheat."
"Maybe." I said taking a bite out of the insanely good sandwich. I finished that off before he spoke again.
"Like it?" I nodded my head vigorously. His fingers dance over the edge of the dress I was wearing. "You look beautiful in green." I swallowed and blushed a bit.
"I guess." He sighed and rubbed his side, grimacing.
"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.
"Yes, fine, still a little hurt form the fall I took last week." He grumbled. I laughed.
"What did you want me to do? Run into your arms and beg you to take me away?" I asked him. He shrugged.
"Maybe."
"If your looking for a kiss, keep trying." I told him. He grimaced again.
"Damn, I thought I was close!" he said. I laughed and nudged him playfully and then turned my attention to the soup, once again he said nothing until I finished it off.
"Damn it, I have to get you to that room." He whispered.
"No, you don't." I said raising an eyebrow. He looked at me surprised.
"Well, what do you have in mind?" he asked me. I blushed.
"Nothing. But if I gotta go I gotta go." I said.
"You gotta go." He replied.
I laughed and stood up and he stood with me and led me out into the hallway and then down a network of other halls, stairs and corridors. He was quiet, thinking about something and I was contemplating my mortality. He stopped out side of a door.
"Here you go." He said. I sighed and put my hand on the knob.
His hands dropped to my shoulders and he looked at me carefully.
"You'll be fine." He whispered as if to assure himself.
I nodded my head yes, agreeing with him. And then he surprised me by gently touching his lips to mine.
It is amazing how a touch can mean something, if you touch skin it is nothing, but if you touch lips it is just so significant.
My hand loosened from the door knob and my arms went around his waist, he pulled back and gave me a hug.
"You'll do just great." He whispered, opening the door and I stepped into the room lighted by candles, not looking back at him and focusing on the piles of wheat in front of me.
"Damn it." I whispered and collapsed to the floor, wondering what type of wood my coffin would be made out of or if I'd even get a coffin…
***
A/N~ Another update, all in the same day, yes, I'm amazing! (Amazingly horrible with updates!) Comments, Questions, Concerns, Complaints- all welcome, you know how to reach me!
