“Did you do this?” I asked, gesturing to the bed.
Rumpel nodded, and I was touched. Even when we were fighting, he had looked out for me. I didn’t deserve his friendship, or his help. My desire to break his curse was reaffirmed. He deserved it.
I approached him slowly, prepared to apologize for my temper. “I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight. Thought you might give up on me.”
Something between a laugh and a grunt came out of Rumpel’s mouth. “Honestly? I debated it. But I promised myself I’d protect you. So that means I stay.”
His need to help me still baffled me, but I was grateful nonetheless.
“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” Rumpel said. “When my time comes, I’m not sure how much of me will be left. I don’t know if I’ll be able to spin for you, but I don’t want to take the risk of leaving you helpless. So, on my last day, I’d like to take you away from here, to Vernes or Tilburr, if you’d like. Anywhere that you’ll be safe from the King’s reach.”
I couldn’t even consider it. “I can’t leave my family like that.”
Rumpel looked at me with soft eyes, and I knew he understood the pain of being separated from family. “If I leave you here, even with your family, they will find you and drag you back. It’ll be significantly harder to convince them that you can’t spin gold after all this time.”
He had a point. They wouldn’t believe me now. And they knew where I lived. There’d be nothing stopping them from coming through the tavern, day after day, until they found me and pulled me back before the King. My heart felt heavy as I considered his offer. It was crazy, dropping me off in a random kingdom to start over, but it was likely the best option that I had.
“Let’s just worry about breaking your curse. Then none of that will matter.”
Rumpel nodded, not saying any more. He was near finished with the straw, but I lowered myself on the floor beside him to help him finish. We had settled into a nice routine together. I knew when he wanted more straw, exactly how much he liked at a time, and how to place the straw so he could use it best. I had memorized his hand motions so thoroughly that I could mimic him perfectly, though no gold would come out for me, had I tried.
When we worked, we worked as a team.
For some reason, my mind flew to Clarissa, and I wondered how much like her I was. Did Rumpel see any of her in me?
“So,” Rumpel glanced up from his work. “How was your day with Conrad?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “It was perfectly lovely, thank you.”
Rumpel looked like he didn’t believe me, but he turned back to his work without saying anything more. His attitude fascinated me. As far as I knew, Conrad was the only one who made Rumpel scrunch his nose like that. I had to find out why.
“I want to know why you don’t like him. What did he do to earn you as an enemy?” I asked as I twisted the straw in my palm to give him.
Rumpel took the straw as he knitted his eyebrows together. “I’m not sure how much I should tell you.”
That didn’t seem fair. “You seem to think that I’m planning to align myself with the prince, so I feel any information you have should be shared.”
Rumpel smiled at this. He had a little dimple in his cheek when he smiled. “Alright, I’ll tell you. You know how the war has dragged on for years? Well, Westfallen aligned with Vestalin early on. It seemed like a good union; we had money and they had numbers. But then they came into money through their mines, and suddenly we weren’t as valuable to them.”
I listened intently; I didn’t know any of this.
“In fear of losing our allies, we needed to gain more soldiers. Problem was, very few men could leave their families.”
It was true, I didn’t know many people who could spare a husband or a son. Everyone was needed to keep food on the table.
“So, Conrad came up with his own solution. He stole the soldiers.”
I furrowed my brow. I didn’t understand what that meant.
Seeing my confusion, Rumpel explained. “He travels to towns to recruit. He gets them excited about the idea of war and brotherhood formed through it. Not many can say no to a prince.” He gave me a look at that. “But if some of them decide not to enlist, he forces them to. Threatens them, drags them here, whatever it takes to get his army. Without giving them a choice, he enlists these boys to a life of hunger and pain. In return, he leaves little more than a note to their families as if from the son, saying they chose to go fight.”
My jaw dropped. That didn’t sound anything like the Conrad that I knew; Conrad was kind and considerate. He knew the gardener’s name, and the health of his cook’s family. That man wouldn’t rip apart families to send their sons to war. He had just greeted everyone at dinner by name, asking about their families, their children, their hobbies. He couldn’t be the same person.
“That can’t be true.”
Rumpel sighed. “I’ve seen him do it repeatedly. It worked. We kept our alliance with Vestalin and are in a position to win the war, especially with the money from this gold to pay the soldiers.”
I thought back to earlier, when Conrad spoke of his plans for the country. He wanted to heal the country, restore its beauty. Someone wasn’t being honest with me, but neither Rumpel nor Conrad had given me any reason to doubt them or their intentions. Could Rumpel be mistaken?
“You’re telling me,” I said, trying to process his words against the man that I knew. “That Conrad is kidnapping boys to force them to fight in his army?”
Rumpel nodded. “He brings the boys to the army, convinces them that it’s their duty to fight and they would be cowards to run back home. Standing among soldiers tired from war and a powerful prince, it’s hard for young boys to argue.”
I felt tears spring to my eyes as I thought about kids being ripped away from their families to fight in a cruel war.
“He just today told me his plans to make Westfallen a strong country,” I said quietly, unsure it I was talking to Rumpel or to myself. My mind felt upside down and my thoughts were spinning.
Rumpel snorted. “I’m sure he did! He’s determined to be the greatest king of Westfallen, he’s okay with whatever path gets him there.”
If this was true, it was no wonder that Rumpel didn’t like Conrad. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I didn’t realize how close you’d be getting to the prince.”
The way he said that sounded condemnatory. I quickly defended myself. “We aren’t that close. But it’s nice to have a friend who doesn’t hide when someone else comes around the corner.” I looked at him accusingly.
He tilted his head with a quick smile. “It’s an adventure, being my friend.” His smile faltered. “Still, you should choose your companions more carefully.”
My head shook, still unsure if I could believe this. Rumpel did have the means to follow Conrad and get proof. And the prince would never have known that Rumpel was nearby, watching his every move. Rumpel had the means to do just about whatever he wanted, including save those boys. He was powerful enough, he could have stepped in and done something. I pointed that out to Rumpel, who stopped spinning and twisted his body to regard me with wide eyes.
“Have I done something to offend you? Are you set on hating me for some reason or other? Why is it that when I tell you of this awful thing that Conrad does, you ask why I let it happen?”
My cheeks filled with color. “I didn’t mean it like that. I have nothing against you, truly. I actually like you.”
Rumpel raised an eyebrow. “You sure yell at me a lot for someone who likes me.”
“I didn’t yell this time,” I pointed out.
“Cosette, you just yelled at me this morning.”
I buried my face in my hands. “I promise I’m not usually so temperamental.” Once again, Rumpel didn’t look like he believed me, but he let it pass.
He was still for a while, save for his hands as he worked. He kept his back straight and head angled down. The sp
inning wheel creaked, but other than that, there was no noise.
After several minutes, Rumpel sighed and turned toward me. I was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “I did try to help a boy once. A young lad Conrad stole away whose spirit reminded me of Clarissa’s.” He shuddered as a tear spilled down his cheek. “I returned him home to his family. Somehow Conrad found out, and he personally went to the boy’s home to fetch him back. Afraid that the boy would expose his secret, Conrad killed him.” Another tear fell. “Because of me, that boy died. That’s the last time I helped anyone, until you.”
Chapter Eighteen
We made a silent rule to avoid talking about Conrad after that night. Over the next couple of months, we talked about everything until I felt he knew me better than I knew myself, but we didn’t speak of the prince. Rumpel would hang out with me most mornings until Conrad came by to fetch me after his morning meetings, narrowing his eyes or pursing his lips before disappearing just as Conrad arrived. I would see Rumpel later that evening and he would act as if nothing was wrong.
But something was wrong. If what Rumpel told me was true, then something was very, very wrong.
I hadn’t found a way to ask Conrad yet about Rumpel’s accusations. Hey Conrad, I know we don’t know each other well, but I was just wondering if you kidnapped boys for the war in your free time?
I knew he wouldn’t willingly offer that information to me, even if I asked. Despite the prince’s kind exterior, I believed Rumpel’s story. While I wasn’t sure how, I was determined to do something about it.
My focus was split between that and Rumpel’s curse. After weeks in the library reading books and brainstorming, we were no closer to breaking it than the day I’d started looking into it.
Rumpel was sitting stiffly in a chair next to me, looking bored as he flipped through pages. I had tea next to an empty plate, three books sitting on my lap with a fourth open on top of them. Spells and enchantments filled the pages, but nothing like the curse that Rumpel had described. I had already looked through this book, but I was getting so desperate for an answer that I was rereading them all.
Rumpel closed his book and threw it across the room. He ran his hands through his hair, lips pulled tight.
He was getting more on edge every day. He only had four months left until his curse was finalized. While he had appeared at peace with the fact two months ago, I think the seriousness of it was dawning on him as the end loomed in sight.
In four months, Rumpel would be gone. All that would be left was his spirit, as an essence of magic.
He took a deep breath, throwing himself back in the chair and covering his face with his hands. I gave him his space as I brought my teacup to my lips.
“So, have you ever been in love?”
The sudden question almost made me choke on my tea. “What?”
“I need a distraction. You asked me the same question before. Now I want to know.”
I held my cup with both hands as Rumpel peered at me, waiting for my answer.
“If you must know, I’ve been in love recently.”
Rumpel perked up. “Yeah? Is it with some devilishly handsome man, with blonde curls?” He shook his hair for effect, and I laughed at him.
“Not you.” I mocked him with a disgusted face. He pretended to pout before growing serious again.
“Please tell me it’s not Conrad.”
I shook my head. “A boy from back home. Aiden.” His name felt odd on my lips, as if I was saying a stranger’s name. I had been so distracted, I hadn’t had time to think of Aiden.
Rumpel urged me to tell him more. I sighed at his enthusiasm, but I was grateful for the distraction too. My books were getting me nowhere. Leaning back, I recalled our story for Rumpel. “His family moved to our village when I was twelve. That first spring, their roof leaked. Knowing that they had no friends yet, Papa insisted we go help. I was over there every day for months, helping fix little things, or playing while our parents talked. We didn’t see each other for a while, until that summer when we were low on food. His parents somehow knew, and they came over often with meals. They brought Aiden with them.
“Aiden saw Papa’s stool for storytelling, and he sat there and sang a song for us. I was enchanted. That’s his Gift, singing. It’s beautiful. Mama thought so too, and hired him on the spot, though we couldn’t pay much. He came over constantly after that. I guess life put us together? Our friendship was easy, but it took almost ten years for it to develop further.”
Rumpel’s jaw dropped. “Ten years? It took you ten years to decide you liked the bloke?”
I blushed. “We were so young at first, a friendship was the only option! After that, it felt like a big deal to make it into something more.”
Rumpel crossed his feet and arms. He squinted his eyes at me. “And how long was it more than a friendship?”
I shrugged. “Half a year before I was brought here to the castle. We’d just ended it.”
Rumpel’s eyes narrowed. “Have you cried since?”
I laughed. “I’ve cried plenty, but not about that. I’ve had other things on my mind.”
Rumpel threw up his hands. “You weren’t in love!”
I drew my chin back and stuck my hands on my hips. “Of course I was! How would you know?”
Rumpel moved over to the couch and sat down next to me. “When you’re in love, you think about that person constantly. You can’t help it. Nothing could keep you from them, and you couldn’t imagine your life without them. When you’re in love, it consumes you, and when it ends, even if you’re the one to end it, it kills you. That’s love. I’ve spent every day with you for months and this is the first I’m hearing about Aiden. That’s not love. You might have liked him, but you weren’t in love.”
My lower lip jutted out. “We had other things to talk about besides who I love. That’s why I didn’t bring him up.”
Rumpel snickered. “Cosette, I know your favorite kind of tree for each season. I know you refuse to eat soup unless you are sick. I know that when you’re in trouble, your papa calls you Cosette Victoria, and despite the fact that it should incite fear in you, Victoria is the name of the main character of a book you would write, if you knew how to write. I know more about you then I know about anyone else alive. There have been plenty of times you could have brought him up, but you didn’t.”
He was right. I could have brought Aiden up if I wanted to. Honestly, Aiden didn’t feel like he had a place here. He was part of my old life, my life of working hard for enough to feed us, wearing old dresses and shoes with holes. He was a part of my life at the tavern, scrubbing counters and stealing moments to read in the corner.
Here, Anna did my hair and picked out my clothes each morning. I had a fresh bath drawn whenever I liked, and more food than I could eat in a lifetime. I walked in soft shoes down tall hallways with painted glass and stained tapestries. I took strolls with princes in the afternoon, dined with the king and his counsel, and watched a magic man spin gold at night.
Where did Aiden fit into that?
Although it had only been a few months, it felt like ages ago that Aiden and I had talked. I wondered how often he still thought of me. Had I begun to slip his mind, like he had mine? My thoughts flickered to our last conversation, where he begged me to wait for him and let him change my mind. I wondered if he still held me to that promise.
“Tell me your love story, if it’s any better than mine,” I urged. I was curious to hear more of his life before the curse, and eager to move away from the topic of Aiden.
Rumpel lit up. “Ah. That is a good story. We were engaged at birth, but neither of us knew it. Our parents wanted us to fall in love on our own. When I was little, I remember when she’d come to visit with her father. She was shy, so was I, so we didn’t interact much. I thought she was pretty, but that was all there was to it.”
He sighed as he tilted his head back. “I didn’t see her for several years. Then, she came. She came without her parents to spe
ak to our council. She had changed. She was taller, her hair was thicker, and her smile was sweeter. She was beautiful. She stood in front of that council as a woman and spoke with confidence. I was blown away. She didn’t notice me, but I fell in love with her that day. I pursued her after that, sending her flowers and letters and sweets and gifts. I held nothing back. She was all that I could think about during the day, and she haunted my dreams at night. It took her a few months, but after relentless letters she agreed to meet with me. I guess I got lucky, because she fell for me too. Then our parents told us we were engaged, and everything fit into place.”
A pang of jealousy shot through me. I had never been pursued or loved as Rumpel loved Clarissa. I didn’t know if I ever would be.
My silence must have given away my thoughts.
Rumpel reached for my hands. “I’m sorry, I should have been more considerate. I didn’t mean that your story wasn’t beautiful.”
I looked at his hands wrapped around mine. “No, I know that it isn’t the same.”
“You’ll find it someday.”
“Maybe,” I said as I nodded, but my heart ached. As I looked at Rumpel’s hands on my own I felt a strange pull at my heart, something other than jealousy. It was a feeling so small that I couldn’t be certain of what it was at first, but I recognized it from when I was with Aiden.
Fear gripped me, and I worried my jealousy was more than wanting someone to love me the way Rumpel loved Clarissa.
Did I want Rumpel to love me, as he had Clarissa? Is that why my mind hadn’t been on Aiden? I pulled my hands away from his, hoping the sudden feeling would dwindle as soon as our hands no longer touched, but it stayed like a candle in my heart. Uneasy, I excused myself. Rumpel watched, baffled, as I stood up to leave without an explanation.
I wouldn’t let myself fall for him. There was nothing there for me. In a few months, when his curse was set, Rumpel would be gone.
The Storyteller’s Daughter Page 11