At the castle, the good King was in something of a tizzy, which was unusual for a calm and collected man like him. He was pacing the floor of his throne room and muttering to himself while his most trusted advisor and a few guards watched him, unsure of what to do.
"Are we supposed to say something?" One guard whispered to his companion.
"I don't think so." The other replied.
"Ugh, Your Majesty, please! Will you give the pacing a rest already? You're making me dizzy." A woman with graying brown hair and holding a black cat said in exasperation. "I don't even get what you're so worried about. I'm sure the Prince would be thrilled."
"You don't know that, Carmilla." The King said as he stopped pacing. He turned to face the woman. "While I do wish for my son to marry, I also want him to choose who he marries. I can't just pick somebody for him."
"Of course you can! Arranged marriages are still a thing." The woman, Carmilla, argued, putting her cat down on the floor.
"Does it have to be arranged, though?" A young lady with brown hair said as she stepped forward. "I think the Prince should at least have some say in who he marries, right?"
Carmilla scoffed. "Don't be silly. The boy needs a woman of substance, refinement, grace, and poise as a wife. And who would be better to choose a bride than his own father? And when he becomes King, he needs to—"
"No, no. Eve is correct." The King interjected. "He does deserve a say in the matter. When the Prince arrives home, I'll speak with him myself. Perhaps you should listen to your own daughter more often, Carmilla. She has a good head on her shoulders."
Eve smiled meekly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Carmilla grimaced and said with a curtsy, "Yes, Sire." She then narrowed her eyes at her daughter in annoyance. "Not another word." Her black cat companion hissed in agreement.
Eve's smile quickly faded before a guard burst into the room and ran up to the King.
"The Captain and Lieutenant have just returned, Your Highness." He said with a bow. "And they bring… visitors to see you; the Miller and his daughter."
"Really? Well, this is most unusual." The King said. "Send them in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard said before making his leave.
"The Miller? Here? What does a simple miller want?" Carmilla asked in disbelief, placing a hand on her hip.
"Carmilla, please. The Captain of the Guard bringing the Miller here is indeed strange, but I'm curious to see what this is all about. For all we know, this could be a very important issue. So I expect you to at least try and be respectful to our guests."
"…Very well." She rolled her eyes.
"Of course, Your Majesty." Eve said.
When Isla and her father arrived at the castle, they could hardly believe it. The castle was enormous and so beautiful; ivory colored stone walls, pristine marble floors, tall cavernous ceilings, beautiful carpets and furniture, fine paintings and tapestries lining the walls, and servants running about making sure everything was neat and tidy. It was like a fantasy. Isla had only seen the castle from a distance and always wondered what the castle was really like, but now that she was actually here and seeing it for herself, it was more than she could've ever imagined.
'Would you look at the size of this place.' She thought as she and her father followed the Captain down the grand hall.
A pair of gilded double doors opened and there, sitting on a fine throne, was the King himself. Carmilla and Eve were standing on either side of him; Carmilla had a distrustful look on her face while her daughter bore a calmer and more welcoming expression. Isla took her father's hand and Odie huddled closer to his mistress as the Captain and Lieutenant entered before them.
"Your Majesty, the Miller and his daughter." He said before stepping aside.
The pair anxiously walked in, hand in hand, not sure of what to expect. Peasants would only dream of going to the castle and seeing the King in person, but actually doing it was another story.
"Announcing His Highness, His Royal Majesty, King Alexander IV." A guard declared.
The Miller and Isla approached and each took a knee before the King.
"Please, rise. Both of you." The monarch said; they did just that. "Welcome to my palace. It's not very often I meet with my subjects so close and personal. So, who will be announcing whom?"
The Miller cleared his throat and said, "Oh! That'd be me. My name is Paul and I run the mill outside the village, Your Highness. And this fine young lady is my daughter, Isla." He gently shoved Isla forward and she reluctantly gave a curtsy.
The King turned to look at Isla and was pleasantly surprised by her beauty. "…My, what a lovely child." His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by an unusual sound; it sounded like yapping. His eyes glanced to the source of the sound. "Um, pardon me, but who is your little friend attempting to chew on one of the tapestries?"
Isla turned her head to see Odie jumping up and down and trying to grab hold of one of the tapestries hanging from the wall. She gasped, ran over to him, and scooped him up.
"Odie, please!" She turned back to the King. "Forgive me, Your Majesty."
"No, don't worry about it. No harm done." He said kindly as he stood from his throne and made his way over to her. He chuckled and gently scratched the dog's chin as Odie wagged his tail. "He's a cute little fellow, isn't he?"
"I think he likes you."
Carmilla cleared her throat.
"Oh! Apologies." King Alexander cried, turning his attention to his companions. "Please, allow me to introduce my most trusted advisor, Duchess Carmilla, and her daughter, Eve, and her cat, Constantina."
The Miller and Isla bowed their heads. The cat, Constantina hissed at Odie before he let out a tiny yap in fear.
"Pleased to meet you." She said as she set her pup down on the floor.
Carmilla remained silent, but Eve returned the greeting with a curtsy of her own. "The pleasure is mine."
"Yes, yes. Now that introductions are out of the way, would someone please care to tell me why these peasants are here?" The Duchess rudely asked.
"Mother!" Eve gently scolded. "You'll have to excuse her. She's… having a bad day. You know how it is." She turned to give her mother the stink eye. Carmilla and Constantina turned their noses up and each gave a tiny 'hmph' in response.
"But the Duchess does have a point. What is all of this about, Captain?" The King asked.
"Oh, right. Almost forgot." The Captain said, taking a step forward. "Your Majesty, you're not going to believe it. The Miller says his daughter…" He pointed at Isla. "…can spin straw into gold!"
The King, Carmilla, Eve, and the guards gasped.
"Straw? Into gold?" He asked in disbelief.
"Straw to gold?" Eve chimed in.
"Straw to gold! That's what he said!" The Lieutenant exclaimed.
"Uh… that's right!" The Miller rushed to his daughter's side and grinned, trying to look confident. "My little girl has always been so crafty and good with her hands, and she's as clever as she is beautiful. Why just the other day, she—"
"Hold it! Hold it!" The Duchess approached the girl and narrowed her eyes at her in suspicion. This made Isla very uncomfortable. "You do realize this is a very serious claim. Don't you, child?"
"Indeed, but intriguing as well." The King said. "Tell me, my dear. If what your father says is true, how do you perform such a marvelous feat?"
"Uh, um…" Isla stuttered nervously.
"Mind you, His Majesty doesn't take kindly to liars. For no one makes a fool of the King." The Duchess said, raising an eyebrow. "How do you do it? Hmm?"
Isla turned to her father who was giving her a pleading look. He wanted her to say that she could spin gold from straw and was silently begging her not to rat him out, especially not in front of royalty. She hated lying more than anything and that was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but in that moment, she felt like she was caught between a rock and a hard place. And she realized if she didn't, then she and her father would both be punished. So she took a deep breath and with a nervous grin, said,
"It's… an old family secret."
The court gasped again.
"So it is true!" Carmilla cried before getting an idea. "And to prove it, she's going to spin us a whole room full of gold!"
"She is?" The King and the Miller asked in confusion.
"I am?" Isla asked in terror.
"Of course she is!" The Duchess cried. "A room will be set aside with a bale of straw and a spinning wheel; you will spend the night in that room and you'll spin that straw into gold."
"But… but what if I can't do it?" Isla nervously asked.
"Well, if we discover that this was all a lie, then you and your father will be punished… with death. It's simple, really."
"Duchess Carmilla! You are out of line right now. You have no right to—" The King argued before Carmilla yanked on his arm, pulling him closer to her.
"The girl must prove herself, Sire. Like I said, no one makes a fool of the King. And what better way to prove her claims than this, hmm?" She said. "And if you don't agree, I'm just going to keep hounding you until you say yes. Your choice."
The King finally relented, knowing all too well how forceful the Duchess can really be. "Fine. If it will put your mind at ease." He turned to Isla. "My apologies, child. I promise it's nothing personal. But tell me. Are you truly willing to be put to this test?"
"I… I…" Isla stammered before hanging her head. "…I'll do my best, Your Majesty."
"Then it's settled! Guards!" The Duchess turned to a pair of guards and clapped her hands; they stood at attention. "Prepare a room with a spinning wheel and a bale of straw." They went off to do just that before she turned to face the girl. "We expect that straw to be spun to gold by tomorrow morning. And remember the penalty if you fail."
"Uh… of course." The poor girl replied.
The Lieutenant then grabbed her by her shoulders and he was about to leave just as Phillip came walking on. He and Isla made eye contact as they passed by each other.
"Isla?" He asked.
"Phillip?" She asked.
"Quiet! That's no way to speak to His Highness, the Prince." The Lieutenant barked.
'Prince?!' Isla thought, realizing that the boy she talked to earlier that day was the Prince himself.
"Wait, what?" Phillip asked before turning to the King. "Father? What's going on?"
The Captain stepped forward and said, "Your father and the Duchess have given that girl a test, Your Highness. To see if she can spin straw into gold."
"Straw into gold?" Phillip said in surprise.
The Duchess looked very pleased with herself, but the King and Eve gave the Prince awkward smiles. They all had some explaining to do.