Gold

The Second Night of Fret

Aurelia was growing sleep deprived, pacing the halls of the castle, and trying to remember every name she'd ever heard of. The straw was out of question. She couldn't spin it into gold. No one could.

But she could figure out his name. Yes that was her only hope.

She made a list of as many elven names as she was able to collect. Crookshanks, Shimbleshanks, Cinderstiltks, Upenzelns, Yugintkizkins, whatever was the oddest combination of letters seemed to be trend with elves.

"None of those are my name, your majesty. And I see you've got no gold for me. Pity. You're growing desperate. Not a good look on you." Mr. Gold hissed.

Aurelia ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm not- You're the desperate one, Mr. Gold!"

"Hah! Petty taunts will get you nowhere." Mr. Gold hissed.

He vanished without another word.

Aurelia sat down in the straw surrounding her. Tears threatened to spill, and she was so desperate about not letting them, but the entire situation was so utterly hopeless. She covered her face with her hands and wept.

"Look at our queen." A woman's voice spoke.

"I would never have pegged her for a quitter." Another said.

"Where's the brave young woman who acted like she had nothing to lose? Same face, different person." The third woman said.

"She's has something to lose now. A lot to lose actually." In all the strangeness that had happened throughout her life mythical strangers appearing out of nowhere had begun to stop phasing her. Aurelia looked up, only to find the Fate sisters.

Nona huffed. "You had plenty to lose before. Your life, your family, your love, your best friend, your sanity, your voice..."

"You had plenty to lose. You just didn't realize it until they were in danger. Mind you remember our last visit." Decuma stated.

"Well now I have an entire kingdom to lose along with my children. My reckless behavior last year is exactly what got me in trouble now." Aurelia snapped. "I had to grow up."

"Hmmph..." Morta rolled her eye, still sporting the same hairstyle that only allowed one to be seen. "You seemed pretty mature last year. Perhaps you should speak with your best friend about this matter."

"Husband seems like a more appropriate term now." Nona smirked. "I always knew there was something between you."

"We can see the future, you dolt!" Decuma swatted at her sister's arm.

"I have discussed everything with Lucas. Nothing is working out. I don't know what to do." Aurelia threw up her hands in a huff.

"Take our advice." Morta suggested. "Go dancing, think long and hard back to last year, and you'll find your answer. Back to a time where you put your own sanity into question. You've known it all along."

"I don't see why dancing is going to solve anything."

"And I thought Lucas was the skeptical one." Nona mumbled.

"Are you going to take the advice of three full blooded seers or not?" Decuma hissed.

"Well I-" Aurelia began. But there was nobody to argue with. The women had vanished.

"I hardly think now is the time for dancing, Aurelia." Her husband replied when she told him what the sisters had said. She'd found him in the library with large circles under his eyes and a pile of books on top of him, all of which related to names or elves or curses.

"Well this is as close to divine intervention as we're going to get. Perhaps we need to loosen up to figure something out."

"Neither of us have ever found dancing the most relaxing thing..." Lucas grumbled.

Aurelia rolled her eyes, grabbing her husband's hands. One slid down to her waist, the other remaining in her hand. She placed one hand on his shoulder.

Lucas let out a hollow chuckle. "So we're just going to dance in the library, without music?"

Aurelia smiled, weakly, before humming a familiar tune. She pressed her body against his, trying to make the dancing much more relaxed than a typical ball would.

"I remember that song." Lucas mumbled. "That song was playing at Midas' ball, the first time we had a proper dance together. That was the first time I..." Lucas blushed. "It was the first time I realized that maybe Serenity was right and my feelings for you weren't as friendly as I hoped."

Aurelia smiled. "I was so convinced that you could never like me like that. You had to be in love with a princess. Not some peasant girl who tagged along with you on your adventure."

"It was always you, Aurelia." Lucas smiled.

Aurelia took a break from the dancing to wrap her arms around her husband's neck, gazing in his cornflower blue eyes. She loved this man and she knew that she wasn't going to lose him. She pressed her lips against his. He slid her hands around her waist.

Lose him... No she wasn't going to lose him, but there was a time when she did think she was going to. The Fate sisters had mentioned that he was something she could have lost.

That night at the lagoon. The night after midnight at the ball. She'd dreamt of the lagoon and of the future.

She broke away from Lucas, her emerald eyes wide. She took a deep breath.

"What's wrong? Did you figure something out?" Lucas wondered, in a rush, still somewhat breathless.

Aurelia nodded, gasping. "I remembered- I know Mr. Gold's name."