Monday, August 13, 2012

"What If..." Fairytale Madness Blogfest: Rumplestiltskin


It's time!  The "What If..." Fairytale Madness Blogfest is here!  To participate, we had to write a 300 word scene(s) that illustrated a new detail of a fairytale to change the perspective of the reader.


The four categories for this blog fest are (listed with their respective judges:


Team Tragedy: Leigh Covington
Team Comedy: Mark Koopmans
Team Plot Twist: Cassie Mae
Team Love Story:  Morgan Shamy

Late Saturday night, hyped up on a Starbucks Latte and a significant amount of Diet Coke, I got down to work.  I picked Rumplestiltskin, because I've always felt sorry for the poor guy, and landed squarely in Team Love Story.  I hope you enjoy the story!  I sure had fun writing it!

Rumplestiltskin

The miller’s daughter, now Queen and mother, searched the darkness for his return.  Her entire pregnancy was a calendar for their reunion.  Each month the child grew brought him that much closer to her.

“Rumplestiltskin.”  She tested the name, the memory.

Her father had brought her to the castle, innocent and young.  When all hope had fled, and she cried in fear of her impending death, Rumple had come to her--wiped her tears and held her close.  While he spun hay into gold, he told her of the King’s greed, and offered to take her away.  Stupidly, she trusted the King to free her, and refused.

Rumple returned the next night.  To take her mind off her troubles, he’d shared tales of faraway lands.  She remembered how his brown eyes danced and the curve of his smile.  Before he left they shared a kiss so tender the Queen’s heart ached.

The third night she waited for him, eager yet burdened with sorrow.  The King planned to marry her if she produced more gold, and threatened to kill her and her father if she didn’t.  She couldn’t leave the King now, but she was determined that love would have first claim upon her body.

In the early morning hours of the bittersweet evening, the Queen’s tears poured onto Rumple’s bare chest as she explained her future.   He’d listened, somber, and then made a request.  He wanted any child that might result from their union.   The King would have her, but he would have their love.

Sobbing, she'd agreed.

Tonight, he came to claim their daughter.  She watched for him, her heart pounding with anticipation.

The shadows beside the castle walls stirred. 

“Rumplestiltskin.”  She ran to him, their child in her arms,  never to return to her golden prison.

*****

Thank you Leigh, Mark, Cassie and Morgan for coming up with and hosting such a fun and creative blogfest!





46 comments:

  1. Ahhh. And I thought Rumple was a bad guy. I've been reading that one lately with my daughter, so it's fresh in my head.

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    1. I had to reread it before I wrote the story. The last version I saw was the muppets version. If you can find their Fairytale Theatre on DVD, it's a must have for anyone with kids. It's hilarious!

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  2. Cuteness. I love that you made him the romantic guy!

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  3. Ah, I love the romance in this, so good!

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  4. Aw, you've managed to make me fall in love with Rumplestiltskin! This beautifully written love story has captured my heart, and-- you've succeeded in creating a plot twist along with a love story. Well done, Lara!

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    1. Thanks, Denise. I kind of fell in love with him, too. I see a totally different guy in my head now.

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  5. A twist, indeed! Great job spinning such an interesting new yarn, Lara! ;-)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and reading! I'm glad you liked the story!

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  7. Love triumphs greed and power. Indeed, a proper twist for our time. To quote a fairy-taled wise one, "Enjoyed it, I did."

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    1. Besides having the same name as me, you get extra points for a Yoda reference! :D

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  8. Awesome Lara! Love it!
    It's fun to see the changes that can take place in a story. Very cool that she loves Rumple instead! Great job!

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    1. I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories so far. Each person's take has been so interesting!

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  9. This was so well written! :) Great job!

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    1. Thank you for the compliment! I was afraid with all the narrative, the "Show Don't Tell" gods would strike me down!

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  10. Wow, nice job, Lara.

    I'm not the big romantic (reader) but now I'm like what happens next!!!

    *thanks* for participating - this was a lot of fun to read :)

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    1. What comes next? Happily ever after, of course! ;) Thanks for coming by and reading!

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  11. Lara this was beautiful. Love what you did with the new version. Never looked at Rumplestiltskin as a loving type. :)

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    1. I always felt sorry for him. It always seemed to me he was rejected because he was different and just wanted company, kind of like Quasimoto (if I spelled that right." I was happy when he turned into a cool guy in my story! :)

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  12. I love that you made Rumple a love interest. He's always painted as such a little troll. I love what you've done here.

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    1. Thanks, Rena! I looked up "manikin" and it turned out it just meant a man of short stature. Short guys can be romantic too!

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  13. Wow! Rumple as a love interest! Very different. Love it!

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  14. Ooh, I love Rump. Great twist in this one!

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    1. Thanks! I wondered which category to enter the story, but decided to stick with love!

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  15. This is a unique love story. I could feel the emotion and it's nice you made Rumple likeable. Thanks for reading My Entry, by the way.

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    1. Thanks, back! I loved your entry. It was unique, as well. Very enjoyable. :)

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  16. Interesting twist, Lara. Great imagination.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, David! I'm glad you liked the story!

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  17. Eeeee!!!! I love it! I love how we're so cool together on the same wave length! But yours rocks because Rumple is a dashing romantic! Lara, really fab job here! <3 <3 <3

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    1. You mean I get to be cool! Yay! I'm not usually cool, so you must be loaning me YOUR coolness! :)

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  18. Wonderful love story! Tingles of romance, nicely done Lara!

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  19. The ending made me ache. Well done, Lara!

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  20. I LOVE the ending! This was great! I've never really liked Rumplestiltskin, but this time I actually felt sorry for him. Thanks for sharing!

    Samantha
    Writing Through College

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  21. Rumple doesn't normally get a good rap. I love this take on him! Very nice romantic feel to the whole thing.

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  22. Oooh, I like this version of Rumplestiltskin. We all have an inner good side, don't we?
    Great post!
    A2Z Mommy and What’s In Between

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    1. I have to admit, I never really got what Rumplestiltskin was doing anyway. He just shows up and then wants a kid? Talk about a story with plot holes.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave your comments below.

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