Dinner ended and Aurelia was whisked away to a room alone. She didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to anyone she had met. Aurelia saw Lucas give her a sort of sad look as she was taken by some servants. He must have known what was in store for her. He knew she couldn't actually spin straw into gold.

The room wasn't very big, or at least didn't appear so with how much straw laid inside. It was probably the size of four closets with three closet sized space filled with straw. In front of her stood a little spinning wheel.

Aurelia felt her breath halt. She had only a few hours until her doom would come. Would they let her say goodbye to her family at least? How exactly would they do it? Hanging? Guillotine? Burning at the stake? She didn't want to think about it.

Aurelia couldn't keep a brave face no longer. She sat down on the straw covered ground. Tears started to stream from her eyes.

It wasn't fair! She hadn't been a bad person in life. She was always helpful! What had she done to deserve this fate? Was lying really what caused a death penalty to be placed upon her?

It was a hopeless situation. Aurelia mustered the last bit of hope she had left and glanced at the spinning wheel in front of her. Maybe if she just tried...

No, it was impossible. She didn't have a chance.

"Excuse me, Miss, are you all right?" A voice sounded, echoing through the room.

Aurelia looked up and peered around the room. She was supposed to be alone. Was she hearing things?

"Is someone there?" Aurelia felt like an idiot talking to the room. "No, of course not..." She said hopelessly.

"You are mistaken, Miss." The voice said. A short man with pointed ears popped out of a stack off straw.

Aurelia leaped back at the surprise, landing in some more straw.

"What are you doing here?" Aurelia wondered.

"I am here to make your problems go away." The man told her. She gave him a confused look.

"What? You can't possibly solve my problems." Aurelia sighed. The man smirked.

"Oh, but I can. It'll cost a small token, but I can."

"How?" Aurelia wondered, using her sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I can spin straw into gold." He smiled. His bright gold eyes sparkled with possibility and mischief. Aurelia didn't know what to make of the man.

"That's impossible." Aurelia told him. He shook his head.

"It is not. I'll do it, but what'll you give me in return?" He asked.

Aurelia decided that it couldn't hurt to play along. They were both stuck there after all and she really had nothing to lose.

"I'll give you my bracelet." Aurelia told him. It wasn't anything expensive or very pretty, but it was what she had. Aurelia took off the bracelet to show him.

"Deal!" The man jumped up and snatched the piece of jewelry from her hand. He jumped onto the seat of the spinning wheel and began working, much to Aurelia's shock.

Straw was put on and gold came off in little spools. The little man was a very fast worker. Aurelia simply stared at the little man as he did the impossible. Then she watched him in hope of learning.

Sunlight eventually beamed through the the tiny window that the room had, illuminating it in a golden gold and lighting up the stacks upon stacks of spools of gold.

There was the click of a key in the doors lock. Aurelia turned to the little man who had just finished.

"Thank-" She paused as the door opened. The little man was gone.