Rumpelstiltskin and the Miller’s Daughter
E. D. Telford
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 E. D. Telford
Discover other titles in The Princess Collection by E. D. Telford at Smashwords.com:
Ella and the Prince
Princess on the Glass Hill
The Fickle Princess Isabel
Trudl and Trudeliese
The Doll Princess
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Once upon a time in a remote village, a poor miller lived with his beautiful daughter. Day in and day out, Miller Gustav ground dry kernels of wheat into white powdery flour. Though he worked long hours, he spent much of his time telling tales instead of grinding wheat. His poor neighbors loved his tales as well. So, instead of working, they dreamed of growing rich and told one another how wonderful life would be when they no longer had to work for a living.
Each neighbor had his favorite tale. Franz, in his deep, booming voice, boasted heartily about his fine fields of corn, even though he barely scratched out a scanty living for his family.
Henrik filled their ears with lusty tales of his son who sailed the seven seas. “When he returns, I shall be the richest baker in all the land!” he cried.
“And how long has it been since you've seen your son?” Franz wanted to know.
“Five years,” Henrik replied, somewhat embarrassed at his son's long absence. Quickly recovering, however, Henrik remarked, “But when he returns, then I shall be the richest baker, no, the richest man in the entire village!”
Franz and Gustav laughed heartily, and Henrik joined in.
When the laughing died down, Gustav took his turn with bragging. He spoke about the one treasure in his life, his daughter, Christiane, whom he affectionately called Tina.
“My Tina bakes the finest tea cakes in the whole country!” Gustav crowed.
Franz guffawed. “So, my old friend, you now have sugar and butter in your house for making tea cakes?”
Franz and Henrik laughed heartily and slapped Gustav on his back.
“Go ahead, laugh, you buffoons,” Gustav continued, “but you can’t argue with the fact that my Tina is the most beautiful girl in the village.”
“Ja! Ja!” Franz and Henrik agreed.
“She’s pretty enough to marry the prince,” Henrik remarked, “but a poor girl has small chance of ever seeing a palace, unless you sell her as a servant, Gustav.”
Gustav groused, “Me sell my Tina? Never! Why, even if she could spin straw into gold, I wouldn’t sell her to our greedy king!”
“So now your Tina can spin straw into gold?” Franz asked with a hearty laugh.
“Well now, she just might -- if she had the right kind of straw,” Gustav explained, and then added, “and you wouldn't be lying if you compared her beautiful locks to spun gold.”
“Ja,” Henrik replied.
And so the tale grew. Each day as the men gathered in Gustav's mill, they asked about Tina and her spinning, and as they walked home, the tale continued.
“How much gold do you suppose Tina has spun today?” Franz asked.
“Well, it was a roomful yesterday, so I suppose she will have filled the attic by today,” Gustav replied with a satisfied nod of his head.
“Why don’t you sell the spools of spun gold instead of sacks of flour?” Henrik grinned.
“Because I’m saving them for her dowry when she marries the prince,” Gustav replied.
Unbeknownst to Gustav, Henrik and Franz, several servants of the king stood at the side of the rode, repairing a broken carriage wheel. They perked up their ears when they heard the words “spinning gold” and “marrying the prince.”
One of the servants strode over the Gustav and demanded, “What is this you say about your daughter marrying the prince?”
Gustav stammered, “I fear you misunderstood my words. I said she was lovely enough to marry the prince, not that she was going to do it.”
“And I heard you say that she spun a room full of gold,” another servant cried as he grabbed Gustav firmly by the shoulder. “What does she use to spin the gold?”
“A spinning wheel, of course,” Henrik offered. “What do you think?”
“You’re not helping the situation, Henrik,” Gustav groused.
“And what does she spin the gold from?” the servant demanded.
“Straw!” Franz boomed enthusiastically. “The girl spins straw into gold. What else would she spin in out of?”
“Be quiet!” Gustav reprimanded his friends. “You're speaking to the servants of the king.”
“Guards!” one of the servants shouted. The men who stood by the carriage surrounded Gustav and held him firmly by both arms.
“The king must hear about this,” the servant explained. “You are coming with us.”
“No! No!” Gustav cried. “This is all a terrible misunderstanding. I’m just a poor miller who grinds wheat into f lour, and my poor daughter cleans my house and prepares gruel for supper. She doesn't spin straw into gold. How could she? This is just a fanciful story I invented. Quick, Henrik! Tell the guards that it is not true!”
“It’s just a story,” Henrik stammered. “In truth, I’ve never seen the gold in Gustav's house -- only the spun gold his daughter wears on her head.”
“Gold from the spun straw?” the servant demanded.
“No-o-o,” Gustav wailed. “There is no spun straw! There is no gold!”
“He’s telling the truth,” Franz interrupted meekly. “Gustav is my best friend, and if there were any gold in his house, believe me, he would have shared it with me to feed my wife and seven children.”
“Greedy, are you?” the servant shouted as he forced Gustav onto his horse and tied his hands to the saddle. “We’ll see what the king says about that!”
“He probably doesn’t pay his taxes either!” the other servant sneered.
“Well, his room full of gold, along with the gold in the attic, will pay his back taxes, I dare say,” the first servant remarked.
“Go find Tina!” Gustav called to Franz. “Keep her safe!”
The servants grinned at each other. “Good idea, miller. We’ll bring your daughter along, too, and see how well she matches up to your story. Now, take us to your cottage.”
“No, I won’t do it!” the miller cried.
The servant struck him with his hand. “Defying the king, are you now? Take us to your daughter!”
Reluctantly, Gustav led them to his humble cottage. Tina heard horse hooves and looked out the window.
“Papa!” she cried as she ran out to meet him. “What is wrong? Why have these men tied you onto a horse?”
“Oh, my dear Tina,” Gustav wailed. “My bragging is my undoing! I told Franz and Henrik you could spin straw into gold, and now they want to take us to the king!”
“Papa, how could you?” Tina cried.
“I want to see the gold!” the servant shouted.
“No!” Tina shouted back. “There is no gold!”
“What’d you do with it?” the servant demanded. “Bury it? You’ll never get away with this! All the gold in this kingdom belongs to the king – and if you buried what you spun, you’ll just have to spin him some more!”
With that, the servant reached down and pulled the poor girl onto the horse with him.
“To the castle!” he shouted, as the four of them thundered off on the dusty old road with the guards riding ahead and behind the entourage.
As they rode along in the dark, the castle glistened in the distance, lit by a thousand lanterns. Tina called over to Gustav, “Father, why did you tell them I could spin straw into gold?”
“It just came out, Tina,” the miller replied sadly. “Everyone brags about something. I brag about you. My friends grow tired of hearing about your beauty and your charm, so I add interest to the stories by telling tales of you spinning straw into gold. I wanted to feel important.”
“You’ll be important if it’s true,” the guard sneered. “And if it’s not, you’ll be dead – both of you!”
Gustav gasped and cried, “Dead? From telling simple stories?”
Tina hung her head and cried, “Oh, Papa, I'm too young to die!”
“Quit talking!” the guard shouted. “I don’t want to hear any more weeping and wailing from either of you for the rest of the journey.”
The only sounds heard for the rest of the journey were the constant clap-clapping of the horses’ hooves on the cobble stone streets and Tina's muffled sobs.
Once at the castle, the servants and guards turned Gustav and Tina over to the prison guards.
“Keep them under lock and key until the king calls for them!” the chief servant shouted.
The guards untied Gustav’s hands and pulled him from the horse. With a little more care, they helped Tina off her horse.
“Into the prison!” the guard shouted as he shoved them towards the prison entrance.
Prince Friedrich, who had been on a fox hunt, arrived at the castle the same time the servants, Gustav and Tina.
Across the courtyard, the prince watched as his guards pushed the poor miller and his daughter towards the prison entrance. Entranced by the beauty of Tina, Friedrich dismounted from his horse and handed the reins to a servant. “Take my steed and feed him,” he commanded, and then he strode quickly over to the prison.
“What crime have these peasants committed?” the prince demanded.
“They’re ragamuffins who haven’t paid their taxes,” one servant explained.
“And they’re hiding gold from the king!” the other servant added.
The prince gazed into Tina’s deep blue eyes and said, “I think the only crime this fair creature might be guilty of is stealing the heart of a prince.”
Tina blushed and looked demurely away.
“Your highness,” Gustav began, “it was all a misunderstanding. . .”
“Save your pitiful story for the king!” the guard thundered and pushed Gustav towards the door.
“You will not put this lovely maiden into the prison house!” Prince Friedrich stated firmly as he reached for her delicate hand. “She belongs in the house of the king, not in stocks with wenches and knaves!”
One of the guards pulled Tina firmly away from the prince. “With all due respect, Your Highness, she is a prisoner and you would do well to tend to your horse and fox hunts, and let us tend to the prisoners.”
Another guard stepped forward and said, “Prince Friedrich, this is not a matter for you, but for your father, the king.
Prince Friedrich stood tall and pushed out his young chest. “Then I demand that this princess be seen at once by the king!”
Tina and Gustav stared at each with surprise.
The guard shook his head. “Listen, your highness, this girl is not a princess. She’s a prisoner. Please, go and do whatever it is you do and let us take care of our duties.”
“No!” the prince said firmly. “This girl is coming with me!”
“Can my father come, too?” Tina begged.
Prince Friedrich gazed into her sparkling, clear eyes and his heart melted. “Yes, of course, my dear,” he said. “Both you and your father shall sleep in the castle and shall have audience with the king tonight.”
“What?!” the guard cried. “Prince Friedrich, please don't interfere.”
“I am the crown prince,” Friedrich reminded him. “I can do whatever I want, and I want these two prisoners to have audience with the king – tonight!”
The guard threw up his hands, and muttered, “Have it your way, Sire.”
“Yes. I will,” he replied. Extending his arm to Tina, he said, “Come with me, princess.”
As they walked across the courtyard, Friedrich asked, “Tell me what your name is, my dear, and what wicked lies were told about you.”
Tina blushed with pleasure at being treated so cordially. She smiled with self-importance and whispered to herself, “If only Gretchen and Maria could see me now!”
“What did you say your name was?” the prince asked. “Gretchen Maria?”
Tina laughed and replied, “No, Sire. Those are names of my friends. I am called Tina, but my given name is Christiane.”
“You mean, Princess Christiane,” the prince corrected her.
“Could be,” Tina beamed. “I’d believe just about anything tonight. I’ve never felt so wonderful in my whole life!”
“Tina,” Gustav chided her. “Remember who you are, and why we are here.”
“Oh, yes,” Tina remarked dreamily as she placed her hand delicately on Friedrich’s arm. “Your servants claim that I can spin straw into gold.”
Friedrich stopped abruptly and turned to face her. “And can you do that?” he asked.
“Oh, my goodness, no!”
Friedrich grew very serious. “Then why did my servants say that you could?”
“Because my father told so,” Tina replied.
The prince turned to Gustav and asked, “Did claim that your daughter can spin straw into gold?”
Gustav squirmed and answered quietly, “I did say that, your highness, but I did not mean it. I mean, what girl is there in the world who can spin straw into gold?”
Prince Friedrich glared at him and said, “For your sake and hers, she had better be the one who can do it.” He paused and then added, “Lying to the king is a serious crime. If Tina cannot spin straw into gold, then both of you may lose your lives.”
He turned to Tina and said, “Although I am entranced by your beauty and charms, Princess Christiane, my father may not be. I advise you to try very, very hard to spin straw into gold or you may lose your pretty head.”
“But why? I thought you liked me!” Tina cried.
“Oh, I do,” Friedrich explained, “but the king loves gold more than anything else. He will not take it lightly if he was told that you spin straw into gold and then you refuse to do it.”
“But I would only refuse because I can’t!” Tina cried.
“Well, you’d better think of something quick,” Friedrich remarked. “The servants have awakened my father, and he’s never in a good mood in the middle of the night.”
“Then why did you demand that he be awakened?!” Tina cried. “Because I thought they brought you here on false charges, and I wanted to spare you a night in the damp, cold prison.”
“I do thank you for that,” Tina replied, “but the fact is, I was brought here on false charges – charges that I can spin straw into gold.”
“A thousand apologizes for having the king awakened before you explained yourself properly,” Friedrich explained as they walked into the throne room, “but the fact remains that he is awake.” He nudged her forward and whispered, “You’d better come up with something quick, princess.”
“Aren’t you going to help me?” she whimpered.
Friedrich shrugged his shoulders. “How can I help? I can’t spin straw into gold.”
Shaking her head, Tina turned and faced the king. He sat disheveled on his throne, wearing a long purple and ermine robe over his royal pajamas.
“This had better be worth my time, son,” the king muttered to the prince. “The last time you had me awakened, you were sure a frog was a princess – and made me sit and watch while you kissed it. You had warts on your mouth for a month.”
“Ew-w-w,” Tina groaned.
Friedrich shifted uneasily. “Sorry about that little mistake, Father, but I assure you that this time you will be delighted that I disturbed your sleep.”
“I sincerely doubt it,” he crabbed.
“Just listen for a moment, Father. You'll never believe what this princess can do!”
“Turn into a frog?” the king groused.
Friedrich laughed brightly and said, “No, Father, that would be silly. She is already a princess.”
King Roderick harrumphed and stared at Tina. “You don’t look very much like a princess.”
“Help me out here, Friedrich,” Tina pleaded.
“What do you want me to say?” Friedrich mouthed innocently as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Say something!” the king snapped. “I want to get back to sleep.”
Gustav stepped forward. “Your majesty, this is all my fault. I told my friends that my daughter could spin straw into gold, and your servants overheard me say it. One thing led to another, and…”
“Stop right there!” the king shouted enthusiastically. “This is fantastic! Son, why didn’t you wake me up sooner?”
“I woke you up the minute I found out,” Friedrich answered with a forced smile. He glanced over at Tina and whispered, “Sorry.”
Tina rolled her eyes, and drew her across her throat. “Thanks,” she mouthed back to Friedrich.
“Let's begin at once!” the king cried. “Guards, fill the drawing room with straw and bring me the biggest spinning wheel you can find.”
“Your Majesty, this is all so hasty,” Gustav implored. “Why don’t we all get a good night's sleep and then discuss it tomorrow, or better yet, next year?”
“Nonsense, man! We’ll start tonight!” King Roderick replied. Turning to his guards, he shouted, “Hurry! Hurry! We haven't a minute to lose!”
Gustav stepped forward, trembling, and asked, “Your majesty, what if my daughter is not able to spin the straw into gold?”
“Then it's off with her head – and yours as well!” the king answered without a blink of his eye. “Guards, take the girl to the drawing room, and lock her father into the spare bedroom down the hall.”
As the guards took hold of Tina, she called out to him, “Your Majesty, I have a name. It is Tina. I'm not just a girl or a common scullery maid!”
“Yes, yes, of course,” the king remarked with a wave of his hand. “And if you spin the straw into gold, you can call yourself Princess Tina, for you will be the bride of my son, Friedrich. Now, hurry along to the drawing room where you will be locked in for the night. By morning I expect the room to be full of spun gold or you and your father will not be eating breakfast.”
“You’ll starve us?” Tina asked.
“No. Your head will no longer be attached to your bodies so you’ll have no need for breakfast,” the king replied.
Tina shook her head in dismay. “Your Highness, please just send us back to our village. We mean you no harm. All of this was a simple misunderstanding.”
“I’m afraid it is not so simple, Tina,” the king said, emphasizing her name. “You see, if you do not spin gold for me, you will be charged with treason – and that is worthy of death.” He leaned forward on his throne and hissed, “May I suggest that you start spinning.”
Before Tina could protest any further, the guards forced her into the drawing room and bolted the door shut. The guards then dragged Gustav to the bedroom prison and bolted his door shut as well.
Prince Friedrich stood motionless in the throne room for a few moments and then blurted out, “Father, what are you doing?”
The king glared at him. “What do you think I'm doing, Friedrich? I've imprisoned your friends to catch them in their lies.” He paused and then added, “Either the girl will spin me gold, or she will die. Either way, Friedrich, perhaps you’ll think twice before awakening me in the middle of the night, for I am rarely in a good mood.”
With that, King Roderick stormed from the room and slammed the door behind him.
Friedrich started at the sound. “Oh, Tina,” he cried, “what have I done to you?” Quickly, he ran towards the drawing room. He stopped short when he saw a burly guard standing at the door, sword in hand.
“Don’t even think about it, Prince Charming,” the guard snarled.
Friedrich had no choice but to go to his room and wait out the night. Back and forth he paced without once lying down to sleep. Anxiously, he listened for the chimes in the clock tower to signal that the long night had passed. Ten bongs. An hour later, eleven. At last it was midnight, but the worried prince did not sleep.
The servants of the king were not the only ones to hear Gustav brag about his daughter that day. A wicked little dwarf, who had come to the village to steal bread, also heard Gustav’s brash claims. The amazing story of a girl who could spin straw into gold piqued the dwarf's curiosity because he thought he was the only one who could do such marvelous tricks.
As the dwarf quietly followed Gustav to learn more, the king's guard suddenly forced the miller onto the king's horse and demanded that he take them to his cottage to get the girl.
Not wanting to miss any of the happenings, the little dwarf grabbed his magical, over sized stirring spoon and climbed upon it. The spoon enabled him to fly through the air much the same way as a witch rides a broom. He then followed behind the king's servants and Tina and Gustav as they slowly made their way to the castle.
Once they arrived at the castle, the dwarf listened carefully to the claims of the servants and the whispered stories from the girl and her father. He soon realized that the miller's daughter could no more spin straw into gold than she could jump to the moon. An evil plot formed the dwarf's mind as he watched Tina and the prince walking arm in arm to the castle.
“At last,” he cackled gleefully, “I’ll get the one possession I covet most in life, but thought I could never have!”
As Tina lay on the straw in the drawing room, she wailed, “Oh, Papa, why did you tell such an outlandish story?” She wept some more and then she cried, “He could have bragged about my biscuits or my sewing, but, no, he had to tell everyone that I spin straw into gold!”
“But you can!” a thin voice cackled behind her.
Tina turned and saw a small dwarf standing on the heap of straw behind her.
“Excuse me?” she asked. “What did you say?”
“I merely said that you can spin straw into gold – with a little help from me, of course,” the evil dwarf crooned.
Tina moved instinctively away from him, sensing the evil surrounding him. “No,” she cried, “I cannot spin straw into gold, and I don’t want any help from you!”
“Then you’d rather lose your pretty little head?” the dwarf asked, “and the head of your father as well?”
“It was all a misunderstanding,” Tina argued. “I’m sure the king will be reasonable once he learns the truth.”
“Dead men and women can’t speak for themselves,” the dwarf remarked as he moved towards the window and parted the curtains. “See that hill with all the stones?”
Tina stood and stared out the window.
“Below each stone lays the grave of those who challenged the king – and lost. You and your father will be there tomorrow, forgotten and unheralded with only a stone marking your shallow grave. Tsk, tsk. It is rather sad, my dear. And all I wanted to do was help you.”
Tina squirmed uneasily as she lifted her hand to her throat.
The dwarf inched his way towards her. “And such a pretty neck you have, too. It’s a pity the prince will never have a chance to kiss it – while it’s attached to your head!”
Tina shuddered with fear and moved back against a wall. “Get away from me!” she shouted. “I don’t want or need your help! I fear evil will come to me if I allow it!”
“Tsk, tsk,” the dwarf replied as he fingered the spinning wheel. “And it would take me such a short while to spin this entire room into gold!” He paused at looked over at her with narrowed, dark eyes. “And all I want in return is your pretty necklace.”
The room spun around her and she felt hot and dizzy. Her head pounded put her hand to her forehead. She felt warm, and her head pounded. She felt her knees buckled and she slumped to the floor. Every ounce of her being cried out to tell the dwarf-demon to leave, but she feared so desperately for her life – and for the life of her father.
She shook her head, unable to think or speak clearly.
“All I want is your necklace,” the dwarf said again.
Tina lifted her hand to her neck and felt the small shell necklace. Henrik's son, Leonhard, had given it to her five years earlier before he left on his last, fateful voyage.
“It's just a simple shell necklace,” Tina mumbled. “It has no value really, except to me.”
“And to me,” the dwarf cackled. “The boy who gave it to you is gone – drowned in the bottom of the sea.” He paused and added, “The king's son fancies you and you will be his bride, but not if you are dead.”
The room spun in circles, making it hard to think or reason. “All right,” she said at last as she held out the small, shell necklace. Spin the straw into gold, and then leave!”
“Certainly!” the dwarf crooned as he snatched the necklace out of her hand. Hopping and skipping, he reached the spinning wheel and sat down.
Tina leaned against the wall as far away from the dwarf as she could possibly get, and watched him. He hummed a strange little song as he worked the shuttle of the spinning wheel and spun the straw into fine, golden threads. Tina watched for several hours, but her eyes grew heavy and, against her weakened will, she fell asleep.
All night long the evil dwarf sat at the spinning wheel, turning bits of straw into fine threads of gold. Towards dawn, piles of golden threads filled the room. He had almost finished the task when he heard a tapping at the door and he heard the prince’s voice.
“Tina!” the prince whispered hoarsely, “I’ve come for you! Hold on while I work this lock loose.”
The dwarf quickly dragged the spinning wheel over by the sleeping girl and placed the last tuft of straw in her hand. The room gleamed with gold, and the dwarf looked upon it with satisfaction. With the shell necklace about his neck, he grabbed his magical spoon and flew out of the upper window. He glanced back just as the door flew open and the prince barged in.
Prince Friedrich stared at the room filled with gleaming gold, and then at Tina lying beside the spinning wheel with a bit of straw in her hand.
“You did it!” he cried.
Tina awakened and looked over at Friedrich, and then her eyes took in the room filled with gold.
“My poor darling!” the prince said lovingly as he hurried over to her. Kissing the top of her head, he cried, “You worked and toiled all night, and at last you fell fast asleep in exhaustion before you could finish the last bunch of straw!”
“But I . . .” Tina protested.
“Quickly, finish it now and let me watch!” the prince begged, “before the king comes in.”
Just at that moment, the king’s voice boomed in the hall, “Who opened that door!” he bellowed.
Prince Friedrich leaped to his feet and grabbed several spindles filled with spun gold. He ran to the door, shouting, “Look, Father, she did it! Princess Tina turned the whole room of straw into gold!”
King Roderick grinned from ear to ear as he rushed into the room. “Gold!” he cried eagerly. “Gold! Gold!”
Scooping the spindles into his arms, he shouted, “Guards! Servants! Come here and carry these spindles of gold to my treasury!”
Friedrich hurried over to Tina's side and helped her stand.
“Now do you believe her, Father?” he said. He paused briefly and said, “I’d like to marry Princess Tina today if possible.”
“No, that's not possible,” the king remarked. “Anyone could spin a small drawing room filled with straw into gold – but how about the huge dining room?”
“Uh, Sire,” Tina protested, “not just anyone can spin straw into gold. It takes a tiny bit of talent and magic – and a price as well.”
“Name the price,” the king conceded.
“My freedom,” Tina replied.
At the same instant the prince demanded, “Tina as my bride.”
“I’ll grant your requests after the straw in the dining room has been spun into gold – and not a moment before!” the king bellowed.
“Can’t I eat breakfast first?” Tina asked.
With a wave of his hand and a nod to his servants, the king said, “Oh, very well. Feed them.”
Tina and her father joined the prince at a sumptuous feast of roasted pork and potatoes, yams, berries and cream, huge chunks of bread, creamy butter and honey, as well as apples, oranges and pomegranates. Tina and Gustav ate until they were stuffed to the top of their heads.
“Come walk in the garden with me, Tina,” Friedrich begged. Together they walked hand in hand through the royal gardens. “I was worried about you, Tina,” the prince confessed. “I didn’t mean to doubt you, but you weren’t very convincing about your abilities to spin straw into gold.”
“Your Highness,” Tina began, but the prince cut her off.
“But there you were, straw in hand, lying next to the spinning wheel. I was going to rescue you and take you away from here just to save your neck, but you really outdid yourself.”
Tina turned to him and pleaded desperately, “Take me away, Friedrich. Take my father and me far away from here. You and your father can have the gold, but I just want to leave. Please help me escape!
The prince laughed and took her trembling hands into his own. “Tina, it’s just one more room full of straw. And when it’s done, we can marry and live happily ever after. Won’t that make you happy?”
“No,” Tina cried, “that won’t make me happy! I just want to go far, far away, Friedrich. Do you understand?”
“I do, but the king may not,” Friedrich replied.
“Ah-hem!” the king’s voice sounded behind them.
“So, Father, how’s the gold?” Friedrich asked nervously.
“It’s time,” the king said firmly as he took Tina by the arm.
“I’d rather not,” she replied.
“Oh, I think you would,” King Roderick insisted. “I think you’d rather keep your head than lose it, my dear.” He held her arm firmly in his grasp as they walked steadily towards the dining room which had been newly fitted with doors and bolts. “Your father will be in the room down the hall,” the king continued, “just as the night before. And the executioner will be waiting below in case you fail.”
When they reached the dining room, Tina spied her father. She broke away from the king and threw her arms around Gustav’s neck. “Father!” she cried, but the king’s guards pulled them apart. They pulled her, crying, into the dining room and the guard barred the door behind her. At the same time a guard shoved Gustav into the next room and slammed the door shut. For many minutes afterwards, the only sounds in the castle were those of Tina crying behind the barred doors. Friedrich stared at the guards who kept Tina from him. At last he hung his head down and slowly walked to his room.
After the tears stopped, Tina looked around the great dining hall. The room appeared twice as big as the drawing room, and she felt sure that more than three times the straw lay piled into it. As she looked around the room she feared that the funny little man might not come to spin the straw into gold, but mostly, she feared that he would. Even though the thought of death terrified her, facing the evil dwarf again seemed an even worse fate. She knew what she must do. Drawing in a slow breath to steady her heart, she walked to the door and raised her hand to knock upon it.
“Don’t do that!” a harsh, cackling voice screamed behind her.
Tina turned and saw the dwarf standing beside the spinning wheel.
“I don't want your help,” Tina said, facing him boldly.
The dwarf laughed fiendishly. “Surely, you jest! You'd rather lose your pretty head when the prince is so close to marrying you?”
“He does not love me,” Tina remarked sadly. “He is too much like his father. All he wants is the gold.”
“Oh, no, little princess, you are wrong. He loves you far more than Leonhard ever did.”
“How do you know about him?” Tina cried. “No one knows how much I loved him!”
“But I know, little princess. I know many things. For example, I know that he gave you that pewter ring on your finger. Leonhard won't care if you give it to me, for he lies sleeping in the bottom of the sea.” The dwarf stopped speaking and stared at her with black, beady eyes. “When you marry the prince, he will be jealous of your love for that ring. Give it to me – and I will spin this whole room into gold. Give it to me, and enjoy the spoils of marrying a prince!”
Tina slumped to the floor of the dining room, sobbing fitfully.
“Fine, don't give it to me!” the dwarf snapped. “I'll simply hop on my magical spoon and leave you sitting in this smelly room full of hay!”
He hesitated briefly, then on his spoon he hopped.
“It's not just you who will suffer,” the dwarf cried, as she flew around her on his magical spoon. “The king will be angry and throw a terrible fit. He will call for the executioner, and not only you and your father will die, but Prince Friedrich as well!”
“The king wouldn't touch his own son!” Tina cried, terrified that what the dwarf said might be true.
Spurred on with the hope that he could convince her, the evil dwarf continued. “Oh, but he will, he will! If you don't let me spin this room full of straw, all three of you will die!”
Tina stared at him, too upset to even cry. “I don't believe you!” she screamed.
“Fine. Don't believe me. Let the prince's blood be on your head – along with Leonhard’s.”
“What did you say?” she cried.
The dwarf glared at her with his beady black eyes. “Leonhard would still be alive if you had not refused him. It was you who forced him to go back out to sea.”
Tina looked up, trembling with fear and hopelessness. At last she pulled the simple pewter ring from her finger and held it out to him. “Spin the straw into gold -- please.”
The dwarf grinned, showing a mouthful of crooked, yellow teeth. “Please,” the dwarf mocked her. “I like hearing the sounds of a princess groveling to me.” He swooped over on his magical spoon and snatched the ring out of her hand.
“Done!” he dwarf cackled victoriously. “You can watch or you can sleep, but I have work to do!”
With wild-eyed frenzy, the dwarf grabbed at the straw and spun it into gold with lightning speed.
Tina ran to the corner and threw herself upon the straw and bawled loudly.
“A little quieter, please,” the dwarf called over to her. “I’m busily spinning to save your pretty neck and you don’t even seem to appreciate it!”
“What’s to appreciate?” Tina shot back at him. “You’ve taken my two most precious possessions from the only man I ever loved! I don’t care if I live or die!”
The dwarf stopped spinning and glared at her. “Then why don't you knock on the door to summon the king?”
Tina hesitated, then answered quietly, “Because I don't want my father or Prince Friedrich to die.”
“Ah,” the dwarf replied as he resumed his spinning, “then you do have feelings for the prince.”
Tina glared at the hideous dwarf and then turned away from.
Tina sobbed quietly as the dwarf silently filled the spindles with golden thread. At last he spoke again. “I don’t know why you’re so sad, Princess. Tomorrow you’ll be married to the prince. You might just as well, now that Leonhard is gone.”
“Did it ever occur to you, or to anyone that I don’t want to marry the prince!?” Tina answered bitterly.
“Foolish, foolish child,” the dwarf crooned as he spun the golden thread. “You may not want to marry the prince, but he wants to marry you, especially with your talent of spinning straw into gold. Somehow, I think that makes me very valuable to you.”
“Stop it!” Tina screamed. “I’m only doing this for my father!”
“So sweet,” the dwarf cackled. “So very, very sweet. I wonder if he would do the same thing for you.”
“Of course he would,” she answered, but the little man simple hummed and smiled a wicked smile as he continued his spinning.
“What aren’t you telling me?!” Tina demanded, but the dwarf refused to talk anymore. At last Tina, weary from crying and fear, slumped down on the floor and fell asleep.
In the morning she awoke as the sunlight streamed in through the window. The dining room lay filled with gleaming gold. She looked down and saw and a tuft of straw tucked into her hand.
“Augh!” she cried, and threw the straw on the floor.
Just then the door flew open and the prince, the king and her father ran into the room.
“Gold!” shouted the king.
“You did it!” Friedrich gushed.
“My Tina!” cried her father.
Prince Friedrich hurried to Tina and put his arm around her waist. “Father, now can Tina and I get married? She did everything you asked, and except for this last tuft of straw lying on the floor, the entire room is filled with shining golden thread!”
Tina grabbed her father’s hand. “Excuse me, Prince Friedrich; I need to talk with my father, privately.”
The prince nodded, and motioned for them to go to the next room. When they were alone, Tina said, “Father, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to marry the prince.”
“But you have to, Tina,” her father explained in a low whisper. “Last night a funny little man came to me and told me that if you didn’t marry the prince, he would have you exposed to the king as a fraud and you would be killed!”
“Then let me be killed, Father,” Tina replied. “I don’t love Friedrich. You know I love someone else – and always have.”
“But, Tina, Leonhard has been lost at sea for five years! He can’t come back and marry you when he is dead.”
“Don’t say that, Father! Never say that he is dead! I have to hope, I have to believe that he will come back for me!”
“My dear, Tina, I promised the little man that you would marry the prince if he spun the gold for you.”
“When?” Tina demanded. “When did you promise him, Father?”
Gustav squirmed uncomfortably. “A long time ago – soon after I started making up the stories about you spinning straw into gold. The little man, the dwarf, promised me untold wealth if I would give you to the prince as his wife. He said that I would not want for the comforts of life in my old age.” Gustav paused and then added, “I didn’t believe it could be so, Tina, but here it is. The prince wants to marry you – and we will not want for anything as long as we live! Doesn’t that make you happy, my dear?”
Tears trickled down Tina’s cheeks. “So that’s what he meant,” Tina replied sadly.
“What?” Gustav asked.
Tina shook her head. “Oh, Papa, I just want to go home.”
Just then Prince Friedrich poked his head around the edge of the door. “Are you through talking, my sweet?” he asked with a broad smile. “We have a little surprise for you.”
Tina looked sadly at her father and walked out of the room with Friedrich. As he took her hand in his, he said, “Father has an announcement to make.”
King Roderick cleared his throat. “As king of this land, I hereby give my consent for Prince Friedrich and Princess Tina to be married – just as soon as the grand ballroom, which will soon be filled with straw, is spun into gold!”
“Father!” Prince Friedrich objected. “That wasn’t what we discussed! I want her to be my wife now! You have enough gold!”
“There can never be enough gold, son,” the king replied. “Guards, start bringing fresh straw in from all over the countryside and fill the ballroom to the ceiling!”
“No, Your Majesty, I won’t do it!” Tina said firmly.
“Tina!” her father protested. “You have to!”
“No, I don’t,” Tina replied.
King Roderick cleared his throat. “Perhaps you didn’t hear me clearly, Tina. You will spin this room full of gold and you will marry my son, Friedrich. Is that understood?”
Tina trembled as she spoke, but she steadied her voice as much as possible and answered, “With all due respect, Your Highness,” Tina said with a deep curtsy, “I do not wish to marry your son – and I really do not wish for this straw to be spun into gold. What I do wish is to return to my home in the village, and leave you two here with the gold that you already have.”
King Roderick’s face turned red from anger. “Guards!” he cried. “Take Tina and her father to the gallows!”
Tina gasped. Gustav’s face grew as pale as death. “Oh, Tina,” he whispered hoarsely, “please reconsider.”
Tina’s heart pounded wildly. “Papa, I can’t do this,” she whispered.
Friedrich smiled nervously. “Why don’t we all sit down and talk about this calmly.” He knelt before her, still holding her hand. “Tina, I have been hasty. You don’t even know me. Why should you want to marry me – just because I am a prince and can give you whatever your heart desires? Marriage shouldn’t be based on money and possessions, my dear. I love you and want to marry you, but I will give you time to see if you will change your mind.” Friedrich glanced over his shoulder at his father who was still fuming. “However, my dear, I must tell you that my father is not as patient as I, and I fear that if you do not consent to spin the straw in the ballroom into gold that he will send you to the gallows. That would break my heart, Tina, for I really do want to marry you, but I cannot change the decrees of the king.”
Tina’s eyes brimmed with tears. “If I do this, Friedrich, if the room is once again filled with spun gold, may I go back home and think about your proposal?”
“Yes! Yes! Of course, my dear,” Friedrich gushed happily. “Isn’t that so, Father?”
“No, that is not so!” the king boomed.
Friedrich stood and walked over to his father. “What is it you want, Father? To see this poor child hang from the gallows – or to have another room full of gold? I can win her heart. It’ll just take some time.”
King Roderick paused and stroked his gray beard. “Oh, all right. Tina, if you will spin this last room full of gold, I will let you and your father return to your village.”
Gustav grabbed Tina’s hands and looked at her hopefully.
“Your Majesty,” she began slowly, “I will do as you ask, but I beg of you not to press me further, for if you do not allow me to return to my village, I will take the gallows rather than spin any more straw into gold.”
“I give my word,” King Roderick consented.
Gustav whooped for joy and hugged Tina then ran over to hug the king. However, the king’s hand went up to stop him, so Gustav hugged the prince instead.
Prince Friedrich beamed happily. “Come, Tina, let’s get you some breakfast before you begin your spinning ordeal.”
Together they walked out of the room with Gustav following closely behind.
After a hearty breakfast, Tina was once again escorted to the room filled with straw. The ballroom doors slammed loudly behind her. Tina heard the bolts fit noisily in place. She turned and gazed fretfully at the huge room filled almost to the ceiling with straw.
“What am I to do?” she wondered. “I have nothing else to give the little man should he choose to come and rescue me in my plight.” She sighed then added, “I should have taken the gallows.”
No sooner had she uttered these words than the little dwarf flew in through the ballroom window on his great spoon.
“My, my, my,” he said with a wag of his head. “What have we hear, my dear? This room is five times as big as the last room with ten times as much straw! It will cost you dearly to have me spin this room full of straw into gold.”
“I haven’t anything else to give you,” Tina answered simply. “You have my shell necklace and ring which were given to me from the only man I’ve ever loved. I have nothing, nothing at all of value that you could possibly want.”
“Oh, there is something,” the little man cackled as he flew over to her on his big spoon. “There is something which you possess that I very much desire. It is a small thing, really –in comparison with spinning all of this straw into gold.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“When you become queen, I want your first child,” the dwarf replied.
“You can’t be serious,” Tina cried. “That is a ridiculous request. Not only will I never become queen, but I would never, ever give you my child even if I were! I’ll take the gallows.”
“No doubt you wouldn’t mind sacrificing yourself, but are you willing to have your father hang as well?”
Tina looked deep into his beady black eyes and shuddered. She felt the coldness of his heart in his eyes. “I could never consent to such a thing,” she replied. “It would be better for both my father and I to die on the gallows than for you to take my child.”
“Did you hear what I said,” the dwarf asked cunningly. “I said, if and when you become queen, then I will come for your firstborn child.”
Tina paused as she considered his words. “What are you saying?” she asked. “Do you mean to say that if I never become queen then the agreement is off – that you will not take my child?”
The dwarf nodded. “That is exactly what I mean,” he cackled as he rubbed his hands greedily together.
“So if I marry someone else, you will leave my children alone?” she asked.
“Of course,” he crooned. “I only want the child of the queen.”
Tina felt a deep sense of foreboding as he spoke those last words.
“I don’t know,” she said warily. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”
The little dwarf grew very red in the face as he jumped off his great spoon. He stomped furiously up and down. “What do you mean you can’t trust me? Did I not spin two rooms full of gold for you? Have I not done everything I said I would do? Why do you not trust me, you selfish, selfish girl!?”
Tina drew a quick breath. “I–I’m sorry,” she said. “I trust you, I think.”
The little man calmed down. “As well you should. I will spin this room full of straw into gold, and then I will leave. You won’t see me again until you, as the queen, hold your first born child in your arms.”
“And if I never become queen?”
“Then you will never see me again,” the dwarf snapped.