The Storyteller’s Daughter

by Victoria McCombs

  “You suggest I marry her so that people won’t talk?”

  The King cleared his throat again before settling his eye on his son. He grasped Conrad’s hand in his. “Gossip is a king’s ruin.”

  For a moment, Conrad looked like he was debating it. I knew how strong of a king he wanted to be. How far would he be willing to go to maintain his reputation?

  I found my voice. “I won’t marry him.”

  “Then you agree to my test?” The King looked delighted, as if this is what he’d wanted all along. “You pass my test, you go free. If not, you marry Conrad.”

  I felt he was missing the important part. I was no use to his son. “But I can’t spin gold.”

  “Father, you’ve lost your mind. You’re not well.”

  The King waved his hands again at Conrad, pushing him back. He found more strength now and he shifted in his seat. “She signed a contract agreeing to marry you. I am the only one who can declare said contract as void. If she wants to leave, she has to pass my test.”

  As soon as he was done speaking, Rumpel turned to me. “Cosette, you don’t have to do this.” He moved back to the King and held his hands out. “Sir, I’m offering my life in exchange for hers. She is of no value to you. I will give you gold and save your life if you let her go free.”

  The King laughed. It sounded bitter to my ears. “I still plan to hold you to your word. The gold, my life, and her freedom. If she can pass my test.”

  “You’re playing games, Father. Let her go.”

  “Test me. See if I’m playing a game. I guarantee you that I am serious. If she can’t pass my test, she marries you.”

  “But then we get no more gold.” Conrad tried to reason with his father. He ran his hands through his hair and looked around wildly, only realizing it for the first time. “You’ve lost your mind.”

  All the people were out of their seats now, moving about the room, hiding their faces behind their hands as they whispered, trying to get the full story. If the King thought the wedding could resume as normal, he was crazy. The people were already talking, and I had no faith that the story would remain inside these walls.

  Suddenly I felt ashamed of myself for letting it get to this point. I should have fought the King harder that first night. I shouldn’t have let Rumpel spin for me. I should have told Conrad sooner. For six months, I’d dodged the truth and let Rumpel cover for me, while the pit in my stomach grew along with my fear of what would happen when the King found out that I couldn’t spin gold, and I let that hold me back from telling the truth. I rationalized my actions by convincing myself that I was saving my life and that the situation was out of my control. I spent so long caring what others thought of me that I didn’t stand up for myself.

  I stepped forward. “Tell me your test.”

  A slow smile spread across the King’s face. Fear took hold of my heart, but I kept my chin up. His voice scratched my ears. “It is a simple question, with a simple answer. What is my name?”

  “Father, you’ve lost your mind. She doesn’t need to play your games,” Conrad said, but I put up my hand.

  Fates had passed me over for a Gift, denied me good looks, gracefulness, or charm, and deprived me of the one thing they’d given to everyone else. But they blessed me today, because I knew the answer to the King’s riddle.

  I read his name in a book when I was searching for Rumpel’s story. The bizarreness of the name stuck with me, so much so that I remembered it clearly.

  Now it was my turn to smile, first at Rumpel, then at the King. “Your name is King Bellifusa De’mentaro.”

  His face fell into a scowl. Rumpel breathed a sigh of relief and sprang to his feet, embracing me at last. I breathed him in as I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his note move in the fabric by my shoulder as I did. It made me smile; I had been so distraught this morning, convinced that I would never see Rumpel again. Now I held him in my arms.

  “We should have thought of this sooner. I could have set you free so long ago,” Rumpel spoke into my hair.

  “She played your silly game. Can she go home now?” I heard Conrad ask.

  The King grunted. “Yes, but the gold man stays.”

  I clung to Rumpel, realizing that I was about to say goodbye all over again. “I’ll come visit you,” Rumpel said quickly as my eyes looked around wildly. The King was motioning for guards to take me. I dug my hands into Rumpel, not wanting to be parted from him again.

  “Take her back to her village,” the King commanded. “And bring straw for our new friend.”

  My breath caught in my throat as I looked over Rumpel’s face. I could see all his love through his eyes. I wanted to kiss him, but I felt my arms being tugged away.

  “No.” I pulled against my captors, but they were stronger. My hand slid from Rumpel’s arm until we were separated and my breath caught in my throat. “No, I don’t want to leave him.”

  Rumpel snapped his head around to the King. “Do I not get to say goodbye?”

  “My generosity has been extended enough today. I have no more patience for the girl.”

  Conrad’s expression held no generosity either. He stood in his wedding attire, rejected as I got pulled away. The room was in an uproar now, and it was hard to hear anything. Rumpel turned his head back toward me. The guards had brought me almost to the side door.

  “I love you!” I called out in vain, unsure if Rumpel could hear me. My only reply was a shut door.

  Having no desire to be dragged off, I cooperated in my removal from the castle. I was led directly to the stable, where horses were mounted to a carriage. The mud squished beneath my shoes and dirtied the end of my wedding dress as the horses whined around me. Rumpel will visit soon, I repeated to myself. Maybe he would come that evening.

  We planned on not seeing each other during his last week, because I would be on my honeymoon with Conrad and I wanted Rumpel to find some sort of peace before he was gone. But as I headed home while he stayed at the castle, I had no doubt that he would slip away every day to visit me until he couldn’t anymore.

  I feared what the King would do when Rumpel left next week, but Rumpel was smart and Conrad was kind. Rumpel would get the King to agree to my continued freedom, and Conrad would leave me be.

  I was loaded into the carriage with two guards, and we started the long trip home. I stuck my head out the window to watch Westnut Castle get further and further away.

  When it was out of sight, I breathed deeply at last. It was over. I was free.

  But I was broken.

  Chapter Forty-One

  We arrived at such a late hour that the tavern was empty. The guards did little more than stop on the tavern road and let me out. Reluctantly, I offered them room for the night, but they declined. We’d already endured a painfully long ride together, and I was eager to be rid of their company anyway.

  Quiet as a mouse, I snuck toward my room, but Anika heard my noises and came to check. After that, the whole family was woken up and gathered in my room to hear my tale. I was quite a sight in my wedding dress stumbling in after dark. They kept asking if I was home for good, and I reassured them several times that I was.

  I tried to tell my story with as little emotion as possible, but I teared up as I told them about Rumpel. I couldn’t capture my emotions in words, nor could I explain to them how deeply I had fallen in love with him. I could only tell them how he was cursed and would die next week. It was the first time I said that word out loud, and it felt like poison on my tongue. They comforted me through my tears, but I reassured them that I would see him again before he left.

  Truthfully, I had hoped he would be waiting for me when I got home. I supposed he knew how late it was and that I would need my sleep. I told myself that I would see him in the morning, and there was nothing to worry about.

  My family promised me more of their questions in the morning, but they let me have my night. The heavy dress slid off my shoulders as I replaced my life in the castle with my life at the t
avern, and the itchy clothes that came with it. Rumpel’s note got tucked into a drawer with my few socks and shoes. His words would comfort me in the morning, and soon he would be here too.

  But Rumpel wasn’t there when I woke. He didn’t come all day. I tried not to fret as I explained to my family why I didn’t invite them to my wedding, but by nightfall the worries consumed me. Anika comforted me, saying he was probably busy, but my fears persisted.

  When he didn’t come the next day, I started to fear the worst. Chores were the only thing that eased my mind, and I threw myself relentlessly to them. Seamstress Kira agreed to continue seeing me, but I needed time before I could face her house and the spinning wheel that lay within, reminding me too much of Rumpel.

  The one good thing I brought home was news that the war was almost over. It spread quickly, resulting in a celebration at the tavern that night. Many lost sons would soon be coming home. Aiden was at the tavern the second night, and his body went stiff when he saw me. Dressed in one of my plain dresses and sitting on my usual stool in the corner, it was almost as if nothing had changed.

  Almost.

  He crossed the room to me and I gulped. The last time I saw him, he had told my secret to the King and almost cost me everything. Now home safe, those feelings of anger toward him began to simmer down, but my heart wasn’t ready to forgive. Still, I cordially shared my tale with him while he shook his head in wonder.

  Finally, he threw up his hands. “I still don’t understand, but you’re home for good now?”

  I nodded.

  He rocked back on his heels. “I’m really sorry about everything.” His voice was low but I felt the sincerity in his words. I pulled my lips back as I shrugged.

  “It happened, it’s over now.” If I stayed in this village, I’d see Aiden often. There was no use holding a grudge when no one got hurt, but I would never let him back in my heart.

  We stayed in the main room with people gathering at tables around us. It all looked so normal: the smell of ale, the cheers from tables, the sight of Aiden, the grins from my parents. This was home, yet I didn’t belong anymore. The long months had gone and taken me with them, leaving behind someone I hardly recognized. It would take me a while to get to know this new person.

  I prepared myself for Aiden to ask about our relationship, and if we could pick it back up again, but he never did. I think he finally recognized it was over. He moved away soon to talk with other folks, who could no doubt hold a conversation better than I could right now. All I could think of was Rumpel.

  Anika approached me a few minutes later, shaking off her hands and plopping herself down on the stool next to me. She followed my eyes to Aiden and made a little sound. “Ah yes. Poor lad will never get over you, I’m afraid.”

  I prayed that wasn’t true. I hoped that I hadn’t turned him off to finding love. He deserved it, and I knew several girls who would be happy to find it with him.

  In a very un-Anika-like gesture, my sister reached for my hand. “Come with me.”

  “What?”

  “I haven’t wanted to bring this up while you are mourning your lost love, but I want you to come with me when I leave for the manor. I don’t like the thought of you wandering around here alone. You can start over. The manor is near the Vestalin castle, and we’d be welcome at court. It’ll be a great sister adventure.”

  I dreaded thinking of all the trouble that Anika could get into living on her own and attending court. They had no idea what was coming for them. I pulled my eyes away from Aiden to study her. It was a tempting offer. “I don’t want to leave Mama and Papa alone.”

  Anika waved her hand at them. “They’ll be fine. They deserve a life away from us, and I think we’re old enough to take care of ourselves.”

  “They’re hesitant to let you go without me, aren’t they? I’m your chaperone?”

  Anika grinned. “Yes. But I meant what I said about the sister adventure. I think it’ll be good for us.”

  She had a point. Looking over the tavern, I realized that I didn’t want to live in the shadow of my old life.

  “Alright.”

  “You mean it?” Anika sounded surprised. “Because I had several more arguments ready.”

  I laughed. “I’m sure you do.”

  She leaned back against the bar, her eyes on Papa. “It’s good to have you back. They were overbearing while you were gone. I got my way a lot, though. Do you know I was this close to getting a gambling table put in?” She held her fingers an inch apart.

  “You know how to play cards?” Her mischievous smile answered that question. I laughed. Of course she did.

  She slid off the chair, turning to give me one last grin. “We are going to have so much fun together.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  My tears kept me company all through the night. It was the fifth day, and Rumpel hadn’t come to visit me. It was all too clear why. He had been off on his calculations. His curse had ended, he was gone.

  Rumpel was gone.

  If the King wasn’t a madman who would likely kill me if I showed back up, I would have run all the way to the castle by now to look for Rumpel. A small part of me held out hope, but as each moment passed that hope flickered dimmer, until it was too small to comfort me.

  My sorrow felt like a deep hole carved into my chest, pulling at my insides and making it hard to breathe. My promise, on leaving the castle, was that I would see Rumpel again. Our last interaction replayed in my mind. I wish I would have known it would be the last time I saw him; I would have held on to him longer. I would have kissed him. Why didn’t I kiss him?

  My one consolation was the note that he wrote me, which I reread until it was memorized. The edges of the paper were rubbed soft and I was worried the note would fall apart at the rate that I was handling it.

  I had to limit myself to keep the grief from swallowing me up and would only allow myself to open the note once a day. I couldn’t drive myself mad that way.

  I was slow to pack and get all my things ready to leave. Mama and Papa agreed that going to the manor was the best thing for me, and our timeline moved up. Anika was ready and waiting for me by the front door, but I took my time. This room looked foreign to me now, while it once kept me so safe, and it felt strange to abandon it now. My leather bags loomed in the corner, waiting to be picked up.

  I broke my rule and opened Rumpel’s note again. I wanted his words to comfort me as I left my childhood home.

  I love you, Cosette, and I would give up everything to be with you.

  His words never failed to bring tears to my eyes. I tucked them into my pocket before picking up my bags. It was time. I needed to leave.

  I grabbed one bag and pushed the other over to the door with my foot, where I reached with my free hand to pull on the handle. Anika appeared in the doorway with her arms crossed. She donned a riding jacket on over her dark dress, and her hair was braided and wrapped around her head. Though only seventeen, she looked incredibly grown up when she put effort into her appearance.

  “I’m sorry I took so long, I’m coming now.” I huffed as I hauled my second bag up over my shoulder.

  “I’m glad you know I want to leave. Keep that in mind. There’s someone at the door for you.”

  Anika must have been too free in telling people we were leaving. Perhaps Aiden caught word and wanted to talk before we left.

  “I’ll make it quick.”

  Anika didn’t offer to help with my bags as we walked. I wondered if the horses were there yet. Some neighbor had heard where we were going and offered two of their horses for the journey. The horses belonged to their cousin, who lived near our manor, and we were saving him a trip by bringing them ourselves.

  We stepped into the main room of the tavern, in view of the front door. Papa and Mama came into view first, sitting in a booth by the east wall. Their backs were to me and Papa’s head moved as if he were talking, but he wasn’t looking at Mama. With a few more steps my angle shifted, allowing me to see
our visitor.

  The golden hair came in to view first, then the thick eyebrows and long nose. I gasped, dropping my bags.

  Rumpel. My Rumpel was here.

  My head whipped around to Anika who stood behind me with a smirk on her face. She knew! “Anika, why didn’t you tell me?”

  She shrugged, not giving me an answer. I didn’t wait for one, turning to Rumpel instead.

  “And you, why didn’t you come sooner? Do you know what you’ve done to my heart?” I clutched my hand to my chest.

  “I’m sorry about that, but I’m here now.”

  He slid out from the booth and stood up with a big smile on his face. He was dressed in a plain shirt and riding pants, with his hair wild as if he had in fact ridden a horse to get here. There was cracked mud on his shoes, chipping off as he strode toward me with his arms up. “I tried; I couldn’t come right away.”

  Emotions were flooding through my veins. I spent the last week crying each night, haunted by visions of Rumpel dead. I drove myself mad thinking that he was gone, replaying our last times together and wishing I had more moments with him. I thought he was gone. But he was here in my parent's tavern coming toward me.

  “I thought you were dead.” My voice came out in a gulp. The distance between Rumpel and I closed, and he wrapped his arms around me, letting my tears fall on his shoulder. The familiar scent of him filled my lungs, calming me.

  “Those darned horses are taking their time,” Anika said, tapping her foot at she stared out the window. I ignored her, pulling back from Rumpel so that my eyes could drink him in.

  “How long can you stay?” I asked. If his calculations were right, he should only have a day or two left at best. My hands clenched his arms tight, unwilling to let go, as if the second I did he would vanish forever. My eyes blinked rapidly as they held back tears. Was he really there in front of me? How long did I have before he was truly gone?