A Princess longing to prove herself to be as brave as any prince, a sorcerer hired to save an ailing kingdom by spinning straw into gold, and a spinning wheel.
A fairytale unlike any you have heard before.
* * *
When a magical mishap leads to Rumpel...
Rosa sits cross-legged on the floor of the spinning room, brow furrowed in concentration as he focuses on his hands. He had been practicing for hours, trying to summon the light strings that Rumpelstiltskin had helped him create. But despite his efforts, the glow remained elusive, brightening the tips of their fingers without moving past the skin.
The frustration gnawing at their insides, mingles with a sense of guilt that Rosa can't shake off. A small part of him is glad they can't fix the wheel straight away.
The guilt weighs heavily on Rosa as he continues to practice, mind swirling with conflicting emotions.
Those two days outside have given Rosa so much to think about, gifted them with memories they will cherish for a lifetime: The feeling of grass under their feet, riding without the fear of falling, and even the pain of conflict.
Although the war is over, it's only been a few months and Turen is the wealthiest city in the kingdom; Rosa knows the rest of the kingdom must still be suffering if they're raising the prices of food in Turen. Fixing the wheel so Rumpelstiltskin can spin the gold should be Rosa's top priority.
But Rosa likes the way he feels. He likes how people don't look at him with awed subservience or pity. Rosa likes their new strength; these hands are strong, stories of travel and dangers overcome written in the callouses and scars decorating their skin. Rosa feels a strange desire to add to those stories, become a part of them before they lose them.
A gentle glow draws Rosa out of their thoughts. Shimmering strings of pearlescent energy connect their fingers.
They have succeeded.
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Over the next few days, Rumpelstiltskin visited Rosa each night and whenever they could sneak away from the maids with some clever excuse, offering guidance and encouragement as Rosa struggled to master magic.
The strings of light would appear at Rosa's command, but only if they were attached to two objects at a time: sticking from Rosa's hands to the floor, the walls, a stick, her other hand, etc...
Despite the difficulty of the task, Rosa looks forward to each lesson, where Rumpelstiltskin would teach him about glyphs, the difference between wild and controlled magic, and about the (often physical) price that came with wielding such power.
Each visit brought with it a mix of emotions for Rosa.
They love the opportunity to learn. The feeling of magic is exhilarating; and they wish their nanny could be here, could see their story come to life.
Rosa can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watches Rumpelstiltskin move with ease and confidence in his old body, a stark contrast to the tense and snappy person they had first met. But at the same time, they feel a sense of pride and happiness seeing a confident outspoken version of the kingdom's princess, (a version they believe the kingdom deserves).
