beautiful blue and black striped rock. “However, I will need help spinning and working the straw into the spindle, since I must hold onto my stone and concentrate somehow to create the gold.”
“So that is your secret, a little rock.”
“Yes.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Now you know everything.”
“Not quite.”
“Close enough. At least you know the most important parts. Well, are you ready to spin some straw into gold?”
“Yes!”
CHAPTER TEN
IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIES with both of them working together to eventually settle upon a system that would wholly spin the straw into gold. Aubrynn noticed quite early on he was right. As long as he did the spinning of the wheel and she fed the straw in, the magic would work. He had to be concentrating on the actual spinning for it to transform the straw into gold. So, she would feed the straw on the string as he continuously spun the wheel.
Once they became used to the task and got a bit quicker, they soon saw that the gold would come out in long strands and curl itself upon the floor, before hardening into the curled shape. It was still a very complicated task, one Rumple, especially, would have to concentrate extremely well to attain the transformation. Never before had he worked so hard for so many hours in a row to achieve the same outcome over and over again. It was tedious and difficult and worth every single smile Aubrynn would give him as their momentous miracle and chore began to truly transform the room.
Every half an hour or so, Rumple would stop to stretch his limbs, and using the magic stone he would lift the heavy gold off the floor and stack it in new piles where the hay had been against the wall.
One of the remarkable effects they noticed was that it would take approximately three or four pieces of straw to form the same size of gold. So the piece that he had initially made, they soon figured must have been at least four sizes as long on the gold end as it was now. It did not matter, since it allowed them more room to walk about the place as they continued to alter the large piles of hay into smaller stacks of gold.
By sunrise their unattainable task was nearly attainable. Both Rumple and Aubrynn had formed blisters upon their fingers—hers more so, due to the direct contact her knuckles and thumb had with the string, but his palm was quite worn with its consistent pushing of the wheel. They were cramped, emotionally and physically exhausted, but amazed at all they had accomplished. There was just one smallish sized pile of straw left. Approximately to the size of Aubrynn’s knees in height and the same in width—but she was simply too fatigued to even attempt getting it.
“Do you think the king will notice that little pile of hay when all the rest of the gold is gleaming before him?” she asked as she plopped down upon the floor once she had fed in the last of this collection of straw into the needle. Her back ached from leaning over the spindle for all those hours.
“Aubrynn, are you well? Do you need to sit here, on the seat?” Rumple made to move, but as he stood his right leg gave out on him. In a flash he tumbled down—sprawled crookedly facedown upon the floor next to her bed.
“Rumple!” She scrambled to her feet and knelt down beside him. “Are you hurt?”
He groaned in response and slowly flipped himself over. “Mayhap. I will let you know later.”
She half attempted to chuckle as she looked down at the wonderful man below her. “What happened? You were standing one moment and the next—”
“And the next I was slumped upon the floor looking the fool in front of a charming maiden.”
“You are not a fool! My goodness, who does not stumble every now and then? We all do.”
“Yes, well. Me more than most, I am certain.” He attempted a grin.
Her eyes caught his; there was great pain within their depths. “Rumple, are you hurt? The fall must have damaged something. Your knee perhaps? Your ankle?”
He shook his
“So that is your secret, a little rock.”
“Yes.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Now you know everything.”
“Not quite.”
“Close enough. At least you know the most important parts. Well, are you ready to spin some straw into gold?”
“Yes!”
CHAPTER TEN
IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIES with both of them working together to eventually settle upon a system that would wholly spin the straw into gold. Aubrynn noticed quite early on he was right. As long as he did the spinning of the wheel and she fed the straw in, the magic would work. He had to be concentrating on the actual spinning for it to transform the straw into gold. So, she would feed the straw on the string as he continuously spun the wheel.
Once they became used to the task and got a bit quicker, they soon saw that the gold would come out in long strands and curl itself upon the floor, before hardening into the curled shape. It was still a very complicated task, one Rumple, especially, would have to concentrate extremely well to attain the transformation. Never before had he worked so hard for so many hours in a row to achieve the same outcome over and over again. It was tedious and difficult and worth every single smile Aubrynn would give him as their momentous miracle and chore began to truly transform the room.
Every half an hour or so, Rumple would stop to stretch his limbs, and using the magic stone he would lift the heavy gold off the floor and stack it in new piles where the hay had been against the wall.
One of the remarkable effects they noticed was that it would take approximately three or four pieces of straw to form the same size of gold. So the piece that he had initially made, they soon figured must have been at least four sizes as long on the gold end as it was now. It did not matter, since it allowed them more room to walk about the place as they continued to alter the large piles of hay into smaller stacks of gold.
By sunrise their unattainable task was nearly attainable. Both Rumple and Aubrynn had formed blisters upon their fingers—hers more so, due to the direct contact her knuckles and thumb had with the string, but his palm was quite worn with its consistent pushing of the wheel. They were cramped, emotionally and physically exhausted, but amazed at all they had accomplished. There was just one smallish sized pile of straw left. Approximately to the size of Aubrynn’s knees in height and the same in width—but she was simply too fatigued to even attempt getting it.
“Do you think the king will notice that little pile of hay when all the rest of the gold is gleaming before him?” she asked as she plopped down upon the floor once she had fed in the last of this collection of straw into the needle. Her back ached from leaning over the spindle for all those hours.
“Aubrynn, are you well? Do you need to sit here, on the seat?” Rumple made to move, but as he stood his right leg gave out on him. In a flash he tumbled down—sprawled crookedly facedown upon the floor next to her bed.
“Rumple!” She scrambled to her feet and knelt down beside him. “Are you hurt?”
He groaned in response and slowly flipped himself over. “Mayhap. I will let you know later.”
She half attempted to chuckle as she looked down at the wonderful man below her. “What happened? You were standing one moment and the next—”
“And the next I was slumped upon the floor looking the fool in front of a charming maiden.”
“You are not a fool! My goodness, who does not stumble every now and then? We all do.”
“Yes, well. Me more than most, I am certain.” He attempted a grin.
Her eyes caught his; there was great pain within their depths. “Rumple, are you hurt? The fall must have damaged something. Your knee perhaps? Your ankle?”
He shook his
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