Queen of Gold and Straw: A Rumpelstiltskin Retelling by Shari L. Tapscott

Author:Shari L. Tapscott [Tapscott, Shari L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads: 41456389
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Published: 2018-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

Part II

New Love

Chapter 19

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but as I understand it, a person must eat to live,” Conrad says as he joins me on the bench in the tower, the one that looks out over the forest. “Tell me, are you trying to starve yourself?”

I turn to him, listless, too broken to breathe, much less eat. For the third day in a row, I’ve done nothing but shuffle things around on my dinner plate.

“He left you, didn’t he?” the king says matter-of-factly, looking down at the thick forest below.

“Who?” I ask, playing dumb.

Humor shines in his eyes as he turns back to me. “Your elf, the man who saved your life—the man who spun the gold. You don’t really think I’ve mistaken you for a witch, do you?”

I stare at him for several long minutes before I finally give in. “You know.”

“It’s the only logical conclusion to draw when three rooms full of straw were turned to gold, and you’re here, acting as if your heart has been ripped from your chest.” He shrugs. “And there is the small detail that we had the pleasure of meeting in the forest that evening you found the troll.”

“You are callous,” I say softly, looking away, not even caring if he puts me to death for the insult. After all, what do I have to live for?

The king sighs, a soft sound of resignation. “And yet, that is not my intention.”

I turn back to him, my eyes flashing. “You knew I loved him, and you chose to keep me here as a prisoner?”

“What kind of life did you expect to lead with him, Greta?” He cocks his head to the side, narrowing his eyes, his tone calm enough I want to slap him. “Did you think his people would embrace you with open arms? They wouldn’t.”

“We were going to run away,” I admit, but I don’t know why. The words sound foolish to my own ears. I look down. “Travel to the far north, make a life for ourselves.”

“A cold life.”

I whip my head back to him, pinning him with my gaze. “A happy life.”

He studies me for several moments. “And you don’t think I can make you happy?”

I’m opening my mouth to respond when I pause. There’s something in the king’s expression, something painful underneath the nonchalant mask. I’ve hurt him, though why my indifference should mean anything to him, I don’t know. But I can’t tear him down just because I am torn. I can’t wound him just because he’s wounded me.

Taking a deep breath, I rein in my temper.

The castle has been in a state of turmoil for the last week, and not just because the king has a new bride. Several advisors were put to death, others were sent to the dungeons. I’m still trying to work out for myself how much of my time in the towers was the king’s doing and how much was the men who had him under their thumbs.

Because I don’t know, I can’t destroy him—no matter how I hurt.

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