A new story! I FINALLY FINISHED IT! Oh my god, I had this idea in my head since March (my birthday to be exact) since I saw the the Once Upon a Time Episode the Miller's Daughter. A fan on DA suggested a Rumplestilskin fic but i could never create a plot for it until that episode, which gave my this brilliant idea!

It took FOREVER to write though! First i wrote it out long hand than I reread it and found I didn't like the style (and after re-reading the Fanfic One Night in Bangkok) it encourage me to go back ad change the style so its a combination of a fairy tale style and a darker more imageistic style. So I spent a weekend rewriting it, the ending took forever! When I wrote it it took 3 STINKING DAYS! but when i started typing and redoing the story I ended up redoing the whole thing, and edited it one day so overall this took like TWO MONTHS from start to finish to do, but IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!

So here it is! the next installment of my Fairy Tale Collection featuring Rumplestitskin...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, this was inspired by Rumplestilskin by the Grimm brothers, the Once Upon a Time episode The Miller's Daughter by Disney (I think), and several lines and styling was inspired by Once Night in Bangkok (AWESOME fic); I also forgot to mention, Jareth's line from Labyrinth also inspired a scene, and the story-scene at the end was actually inspired by the Grimm Comic Book Rumplestiltskin (awesome comics but very dark so not for everyone).

Dedications: To ~DARKAMY1 whose request put the idea in my head ^-^ Enjoy it girl!

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions, flame if you have a point (those without will be blocked) and have fun!

WARNINGS: Slightly evil Yugi and evil Yami, Yaoi (not TOO heavy but still lot of sexual stuff so no like no read), tea, vivian and rebecca bashing (didn't know who else to put in those rolls)

CHAPTER THEME SONG: Daylight-Maroon 5 heard this in the car and fell IN LOVE! It SCREAMS this story:Remember to remove spaces and dots:

www dot youtube dot com / watch?v=q1q9ojtZqiI

Threads of Gold

The history of the abandoned kingdom and the old castle is an interesting tale, indeed. Much more dramatic than most and far less heroic, the history inspired many a tale, and the tale inspired a story. It happened so frequently you see: history becomes legend, legend becomes myth, and myth inspires the stories. Facts are changes to suit the teller's desires. Truth becomes distorted, and the true hero of the hour becomes lost in the chaos. It is really quiet sad: how a heartbreaking tale can become childish nonsense.

That said, let me tell you the real story. The one that includes the bloody coup and the horrible betrayal. Of course, that all happens before the tale begins…but it is history nonetheless.

This story is about the pursuit of power and the triumph of justice, but, of course, it is in the guise of revenge. Yes, this is a dark tale. Do you know it also tells about the false nature of promises? And the pursuit of happiness? And the choice between power and love, if there is a choice at all? Oh yes, it's quiet a tale, the truth is. Let's begin shall we? This is the story of magic and curses, of trapped towers and a greedy king who needed to be sacked, and a kingdom in debt and peril after a horrible coup sparked a civil war. I'm sure many of you know the tale at first: of a girl locked in a tower and an imp who teaches her to spin straw into gold. Oh? So you do know it? Of course, you probably know it by a different name, but that is only part of the tale and not the good one either, for as I said, history is far better than the children's tales. And this is our history in its darkest time.

And it all begins…With an avaricious King who, so strong was his greed, that no amount of power was enough for him; A man so poor and desperate that his envy knew no bounds and twisted his tongue with lies; And there is an imp, a darkling, cursed with a strange form and stranger powers, both extraordinary and testimony, and a very wicked sense of justice; But most of all, it starts with a miller's child for whom this history might never have been born had he not desired to be something more…

Now as it was, when this kingdom was young it was very poor: drained of finances, depleted of profit, and held under the heel of its current king who had stolen his throne in a bloody coup and civil war. A stranger to such, the kingdom has no choice but to concede and was left in heavy debt and with no gold or lands to pay for them, the people grew very poor and very miserable.

The worst of the poor was a Miller and this miller had a child, a son, who was very beautiful. So beautiful that all who beheld him despaired. Slender, small, beautiful, fragile and young of eighteen-years. Skin so soft and fair, cheeks round and held a pink flush, and tresses soft, shiny, star-like ebony sparkling with ruby and bangs of spun gold. But most beautiful of all, were his eyes: bright, twinkling amethyst stars so round and delicate and innocent they clashed and betrayed his worldly will, for no fragile soul was the Miller's son's.

For the Miller's son was bright and he was clever and he was ambitious. For the mill was old and the Miller was lazy, so it was Yugi who braved the thick, syrupy heat of the old mill to grind the flour and keep their profits, for though he hated the mill, Yugi hated being poor more. All his hard work and he received no reward nor gratification nor condensation. His blood, his sweat, his tears, his misery and hard work, his aching bones and sore limbs and honest heart: all broken and wasted. His soul desired nothing more than to become more than a miller's son and on the day in which his father sent him to town to sell flour; he was determined to do just that.

There was nothing for him in the town except streets aligned with beggars and trash. Skeletal peasants dressed in sacks and frocks and barely a penny for bread. Overcrowded streets, rundown houses, thieves ripping at any spilled food and all while he stood on the edge of the chaos, his innocent beauty seeming misplaced among the grizzly setting. Yugi knew he would sell no flour here. Not in the kingdom of a greedy king.

But he was clever. Only one place would pay him handsomely for much needed flour. He lifted his cart and pushed it up the path to the palace and around the gate to the kitchens and it was there he saw the King was hosting another fine party.

A ball was set up boasting the finest lavishly to the company that had just arrived. All women, some lovely, some not, some young, some not, all dressed in fine silks, and their hair and arms and throats adorned with jewels. Some wore crowns of sovereignty; others had crests of fine houses. Many were foreign, few were local. All were rich. All were women. No doubt, it seemed, the King who was very much in debt, was searching for a rich young princess to make his wife and pay his debts and warm his bed.

A roll of his eyes and a snort and Yugi was off to the stables where he addressed himself as the Miller's son, and offered to sell his flour for a handsome price for he knew they were very much in need of making pastries and desserts for the King's spoiled guests. But they did not want to pay his price and tried to bribe him with a smaller sum. Yugi, however, was very clever and knew they were in desperate need of his flour and refused to relent until they promised all, and Yugi left with a sack of gold in his packet and enough to flee the mill and his cruel father and start someplace new.

The bag of gold juggled in his hands, and a proud curl of a smile on his lips, the Miller's son set for lands unknown. But in the query he heard obnoxious giggling and arrogant chatter. Three princesses bragged amongst themselves how it would be them who would be made queen. A roll of his eyes and a shake of his head in disgust was Yugi's only reply. Foolish girls. For they will have no power and be nothing but miserable if they were to become the King's wife.

But as they bragged about their beauty, they saw Yugi attempting to leave unseen and their vanity surfaced and gave way to mean-spiritedness. Seeing him and judging his heavy rags, worn coat, and thick cloak covering his face: they laughed maliciously and said "You there boy! Come here and remove your cloak so we can see how hideous you are."

Yugi ignored them and se on his way for he felt no need to humor neither their vanity nor their stupidity. Now these princesses, were very spoiled and were very used to getting their way, so when he refused them, they had become very angry. They arose with terrible intentions in their eyes and flexed their terrible claws and the harpies descended and said "You boy! Stop and come here! We demand that you remove your close so that we can see how hideous you are!"

Again, Yugi refused and evaded their claws and tried to run, but this only made the princesses angry and they grabbed his cloak and pulled him back an trapped him with their claws and he could see that they were very pretty.

One, tall, slender, blue-eyed, rosy-cheeked and fluffy brown hair and perky bosoms, donned with jewels and white silks and with nothing to offer a King but beauty and birth. The second, fair and lean, pinned up black hair and pouty lips, and arched eyes that spoke of wicked pleasures and cruel delights, and he pitied whatever land it was that she became its Queen. The third was petite and young with cascading blond curls, flashing emerald eyes, and speckled cheeks and every inch the fairytale princess but there was a sharpness to her tongue and an arrogance in her stance, and Yugi knew she would be perpetually frustrated if she became the Queen.

All at once, the girls cackled "We are princesses, boy, and you are but a beggar boy, now obey us! Remove your cloak and show us how hideous you are!"

Angered and no longer willing to remain silent in his pride, Yugi threw them away and smirked as they fell down with a shriek. "Now why should?" laughed the Miller's son with the corners of his lips curling into a smug smirk. "Princesses you may be with your rich silks and fine jewels but you are not but spoiled children! Spoiled and useless and pathetic. You have no power over me!" And he laughed and turned away.

But his laughter turned to furry in their ears, for no one had dared speak so to the three girls before. Clouded by rage, despair, and shame, the fair princesses descended. The banshees' shriek was Yugi's only warning before he felt the claws of the humiliated girls tearing at his cloak and hair and once they ripped away his cloak, the pride of their victory died in gasps of mortified horror and shocked despair as they beheld the face of the Miller's son. Even his rags, his cheeks scratched, his hands and face stained with dirt, and straw in his hair; the Miller' son was terribly beautiful. So beautiful that the Princesses despaired, for though they were very pretty, almost lovely, compared to one another, in the presence of this pauper boy, even they could not deny that they were plain and bland. So great was their distress that they began to scream and weep and tore at his clothes.

"What's going on?" Demanded the King Marik very distressed by the commotion ruining his ball.

The princesses turned to the King and with pouty lips, glassy-eyes of fake tears, and trembling fingers gripping his cloak they cried "Oh this cruel, cruel boy! Did you hear him insult us so? Did you see him attack us? Did you see him refuse us when we asked him questions? Oh this cruel, cruel boy!"

"That is a filthy lie, you stupid wrenches!" spat the Miller's son, gathering his profits, securing his cloak and leaping to his feet. "How dare you accuse me of such things that you are guilty of! You're so vain you think yourselves worthy of my attention and attack me when I do not give it! Then run crying to your king! Ha! You are not but spoiled children."

"Watch your tongue boy," spat the King, his narrowed eyes and sharp words enough to send the most powerful of men to their knees. "These girls are Princess Tea Von Lily, Princess Vivian Le Wong, and Princess Rebecca Hawkins; they are honored guests in my home and you will obey them."

"I will not," protested he with a laugh. "They are not but children!"

"You see?" cried the Princesses "See how he insults us so!"

"You will obey your princesses, boy!" spat the King.

"They are not my princesses." Yugi's words were as proud as his stance. "They have no power over me."

"You are but a miller's son," snapped the King. "You're a commoner and they are royal. They should always have your respect and obedience, now kneel to them and apologize."

"I will not!" Yugi yelled, filled with disgust at the King's order. "I would rather die!"

Overcome with rage at such defiance, The King poised to strike, but Yugi did not notice until the force of the blow collided with his cheek and he fell to the ground more angered than stunned that he has been struck.

"You are in my kingdom, and I am your king," snapped the King with arrogance in his eyes and chuckle. He did not like anyone challenging him and sought to make an example of the boy and grabbed him by the back of his neck and said "I order you to apologize or I will cease your home and your earnings and leave you even more worthless than you are."

Furry. Unquenchable, combustious rage was all Yugi felt as he glared at the king. Anger grit in his teeth and narrowed his eyes to sharp, dangerous slits. He wanted to argue, to deny that he was worthless. He cared nothing for the mill, but knew without his earnings he'd have nothing and could never escape.

So when the King threw him to his knees, he begrudgingly bowed his head and with venom in his words said "I beg your pardon, Princesses, I meant no offense." A lie, they all knew, but it was his surrender they craved, the satisfaction that they had won. The King's victorious smile burned into his back the girl's smug pearls of laughter filled his ears and the King words "Now stay on your knees until we're gone," were a whiplash across his side.

When Yugi raised his head, the King noticed when he was quiet and obedient, he was very beautiful. "If only you were not a miller's son," he said oblivious to the boy's defiant stare and how it burned with hate. "For you are so beautiful, I might consent to make you my wife."

Those words above all else were the ones the Miller had heard when he happened upon the commotion, while seeking to speak with the King and give him consequence. The Miller saw the lust in the King's eyes. Lust for his son and all he saw was the promise of a great reward if Yugi pleased him. So with a rush in his step, he gleefully lied "Oh, he is much more than a pretty face, this boy is so clever that he can spin straw into gold."

Horror. Unspeakable, overwhelming horror so severe that Yugi could not speak. Yugi couldn't if he wanted to for his father had ceased him when he kneeled and covered Yugi's mouth and held him firm. It was nothing compared to his horror when he saw the King's eyes flash with delightful greed. "Now that is an art that pleases me well." The King licked his avaricious lips. "If he's as clever as you say, bring him to my castle, that I may put him to work and show me proof."

The King and Miller bartered as men would at the market. Yugi could not protest, try as he might. Could not deny it, try as he might. For before he could object to such outrageous treatment of his person, he was dragged to the King's palace and thrown into a room high in a tower yielding no hope of escape save for a tiny window barely big enough for himself to fit through. Dank and murky and drenched in blood or slime or both and filled with straw and in it was only a small stool and a spindle.

"Now set to work, Miller's son, and if by early morning you have not spun all this straw into gold than you shall be sent to the block."

Without another word, the King was gone and Yugi was left alone. He tried the door but it was iron and bolted shut.

Escape. It was his best choice. He had no notion of how to spin straw into gold, and he would not die in here in this cramped stone cell with only a window to welcome him to the outside world. The window was small and the room was in a tower and too high to jump but Yugi did not want to die. He would take a chance.

A gust of wind knocked him backwards. He landed with a painful smack to his bottom.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to escape that way, Miller's son." Greeted a rich, amused baritone.

And Yugi spun to meet the intruder and oh, did his mind rebel against him when he did, for he was the strangest man Yugi had ever seen. Hair, thick, unruly and wild swirling ebony, sparkled with ruby and strikes of gold. Lean, slim and young, and chiseled features, but strangest of all was his skin: so impossibly pale, and all dusky and encrusted with rough, flecks of gold. Flashy eyes, enlarged and brilliant and bloody red, and so impossibly bright, flames flickered beneath their surface. The slightest hint of a smug smirk curled his firm lips, cooling the sharpness of his cheeks, the curve of his skin, and the roughness of his gold-dusted skin. Gorgeous, arrogant, calm and lethal and with all the easy, restless grace of a jungle predator even as he sat one leg folded across the other, on the wheel of the spindle weightless and with no fear of losing his balance. Nails, long and black and curled like the talons of a predatory bird, sprouted from slender fingers gripped the base of his seat.

"Good evening, Miller's son." An easy, airy leap and he floated to the ground. He landed in a gracious bow. Flashy crimson eyes widened as they fell upon him, sharp with cat-like curiosity and touched by ruby darkness and golden light.

"Are you an imp?" asked Yugi, "or a darkling? Or both?"

The imp smiled, a slight twitch of his lips beaming with pride and amusement, but so slight Yugi thought he must've imagined it.

"Why, yes, I am," said he with a giddy giggle in his voice. "How very clever you are, miller's son."

"My name is Yugi," said he, unable to look away from the imps' face: all hypnotic eyes and playful smiles, sparkling with mischievous delight. "And what is your name?"

"I'm afraid, I cannot tell you," chuckled the imp, propped upon a mountain of straw, legs folded beneath him, a delicate chin braced in the tip of his thumb and forefinger. "For it is lost to me, my true name and memory."

"Something to call you then?" asked Yugi.

"You may call me Yami, little one." Those hypnotic eyes were upon him again, curious and calculating, a kitten scrutinizing a new toy.

"Why are you here, Yami?"

"Me?" Ruby eyes sparkled with mischief. "I merely have a proposition for you."

"Proposition?" Yugi questioned softly, casting the stranger a wary glance.

"Yes, for a price, I shall spin all this straw into gold, and you never have to see the dimwitted Miller or those prissy princesses ever again."

Of course, at first, Yugi did not believe him nor did he know how the imp knew so much, but the darkling, whose name was Yami, giggled and said. "Oh don't fret, little one. Nothing happens in this Kingdom that I don't know about. It is but one of the many magics I can perform."

To drive the truth home, Yami hopped upon the stool fed the straw into the spinning wheel and before Yugi's eyes he spun the straw into a singular yarn of gold. Whirr, whirr, whirr! Three times round until the bobbin was full. Glittering gold sparkling even in the darkness of the night.

Amazement was all Yugi could feel as he watched, until caution became of him. "What is the proposition then? What is it you want?"

"You still do not believe my intentions then?" Laughed the imp, who was all alluring eyes and pleasant smiles, but Yugi was clever and hardened by experience. "Then you are very clever." The imp purred for he liked this charming little creature. How long has it been since he met such a worthy challenge, who taunted and defied him and didn't shriek at the sight of him. "As I said, I have a proposition for you, little one." And the darkling swooped before him so close Yugi felt his breath tickle his cheek. "You see, I saw how you spoke to that idiot king and those annoying girls. I think you are very clever and terribly beautiful, and much too willful and, like me, you crave more than this cage of youth. I think we are of a kindred spirit, and I think you are the only one who can help me regain my memory that has been locked away and break the curse that has me trapped."

There was no lie in those hypnotic eyes, only a curved smile and a delicate leer and despite himself Yugi felt himself color for the first time since his youth. "All I ask in exchange is something personal from you."

The darkling grinned and licked his lips at the oh so delicate blush. Oh yes, how long had it been since he found such a delightful companion. For Yugi was all softness and sweetness and sharp as thorns and frazzled as a cat. And oh, he wanted this pretty creature, wanted him more badly than he dared even to himself, to admit.

And Yugi met his inquisitive gaze, as intimate as a caress and twice as promising and three times as dangerous.

"Something personal you say? And how personal must it be?"

"Hmm, what will you give me?" teased the imp leaning close until their lips barely touched and he was quiet surprised when Yugi stopped them with a press of his forefinger and shoved him away. "Is a kiss your price?" he said with disgust "For I am no flirt or a harlot if that is your price."

Yami was even more surprised and smiled. "Not at all, little one. If I kiss you, it is because, as I said, I think you are very clever and very beautiful and very willful. But I still demand my price, and what I want…" so curled was the darkling's smile that it slit his face. "Is your first born child."

So surprised was he by this, that Yugi could not speak, but once he found his voice. "Why do you want my first born child? Who knows when that will ever be? Or if it shall ever be?"

But the imp's fierce scarlet softened wine, and his smile became gentle as he said "I want a child to hold, and to love, and rear and raise, and rock to sleep and comfort when it cries, and scold it when it is wrong so it may know the difference, and reward it when it behaves, and nurture and raise as my own. For I am very fond of children and would rather have something living than all the riches in the world."

"And you would love it and raise it and never treat it as my father did me?" asked Yugi for he did not like giving away an unknown child he may never have to this darkling who he'd just met, unless he was certain it would be loved, as his father never loved him.

And with no lie in his eyes and a voice so grave he spoke more than a thousand truths, the darkling bowed his head and said "You have my word, I will love and raise it as my own, and if you wish it, I shall not keep it from you." And Yugi saw no lie in his heart and said.

"Very well, you shall have my first born child to love but in exchange, I do not want you to spin this straw into gold. I want you to teach me how to."

"Ah, what?" Yami spun around quiet surprised and very shocked at what he'd just heard.

"I will give you whatever you please, but you must teach me your magic so that I can be more than just a miller's son," he begged and pleaded with such distress that he fought against himself not to weep.

And Yami tilted his chin and looked in his eyes. Sadness. Desperation. Longing. Oh yes, they were kindred spirits: this boy and he. Trapped and alone and desperate for an escape, to rise above and unable to do so on their own.

Gentle, soothing fingers brushed his cheeks and strong thumbs wiped away his tears and gentle lips pressed softly against his and said "You are already so much more than that, but I will gladly teach you all my magical arts."

Now, Yugi was quiet stunned by the kiss, but even more by the softening eyes and sweet smile on the darkling's face. Intense and passionate despite how gentle the kiss actually was. Only for him, he realized. Curious, nimble fingers brushed his kissed-bruised lips. For he had seen the greedy leers and lustful snared of those unwashed, twisted men of the streets who craved a warm body, and they hated him for making them feel so. He's seen the envious stares and jealous snarls of the local ladies who could only woo with pretty words and coy glances and who hated him for being so when beautiful when he was just a miller's son.

But though the darkling was very strange and his skin flaked with scales of dusky gold, he was very handsome in Yugi's eyes, and beautiful. Beautiful like the darkness and just as deadly. But he did not mind a kiss from him. He knew he should be frightened but he was not. Perhaps that was the most terrifying thing of all.

"And you will stay with me all night?"

"All night and should you need me, I shall always come." The darkling promises all.

His darkling. Yugi very much liked the sound of that. "Do we have a deal?"

"It's a deal," said he to the imp, who pressed a delicate caress of his lips to Yugi's cheek and all at once, he was again sitting at the wheel and Yugi watched him carefully as Yami spun the straw into threads of gold.

Curious eyes and a calculating mind processed his every move. Scrutinized every gesture of firm, slender fingers as they pulled. Analyzed every twitch of his brow and tap of his foot. Observed his every action, but for all his cleverness, Yugi could not figure how Yami was casting his magic when he appeared to be doing nothing more than spinning. Seeing his frustration and confusion, Yami spun to him and said with a sly smile. "'Tis not words or gestures that generates magic, little one. Magic is not intellectual thought. It is emotion, raw earnest feeling. Everyone has that spark inside of them, but they never invoke it. And to turn straw into gold, you must with your very being, feel, envision and will with all your soul, the transformation of something worthless into something precious and valuable, and it shall be done."

"How did you do it?" It was a curious question. It was an earnest need to know. Innocent, really, but it still invoked the worst of his memories and Yami could only frown. His hands stopped, his shoulder slouched. Everything about his posture reflected his mood and his mood was one of sad times and grief he'd sooner forget.

"Do you want to know how I became this way, little one?"

It was a test. Yugi could hear it in his voice. Did he truly wish to know the truth behind his darkling? The beautiful, dark, alluring creature he'd met only hours before.

"Yes." Yugi nodded and Yami saw no lie in his eyes.

"It is not a pleasant story, little one. It does not have a pleasant ending," he warned but once again his eyes were sad.

"I'd still like to know," said Yugi with earnest concern and determination.

The darkling smiled a small, pinched smile and confessed all. "I do not remember who I am or who I was but what I do remember is that before I was cursed to this fate, my life was charmed and my power was unchallenged. I had a wife who, I adored with all my heart, but lost to childbirth. But I had my son whom I loved with all my soul, and my best and truest friend who was my most trusted companion and advisor. I was loved by all and my life was so blessed that I was blind to the fact that someone sought to take it all away. This man craved my power and thought me weak and foolish and unable to properly use it, and fool that I was, I ignored his rants and so was my downfall. For he had aligned himself with a being of dark magic and persuaded him of my fictitious evil deeds, and so he had this man place a horrible curse upon my body so that my form became the reflection of what you see now," his terrible claws clicked together with a terrible sound as he spoke.

"He stole all of my power and then commanded his brother, my own advisor and best friend; to rule with him so it would be there family that commanded all the greatness they were denied. But oh, my loyal friend refused, he called this man who'd robbed me of everything a coward and a monster who cared for not but his own renown and said that I was more his family than this wicked, greedy man could ever be, and so harsh were his words that they filled my assailant with a rage so bitter and brutal that the man who called himself my advisor's brother, plunged a blade into his heart, and so savage was his rage and grief that he accused me of corrupting his brother who, for all this man's wickedness, he loved as fiercely as I had loved my son. And so, he sought to answer treachery in kind by taking my only child from me."

"What did you do," Yugi had asked without thinking, his voice all breath and so engrossed with the story was he that it brought tears to his eyes.

The imp frowned and lowered his head so his unruly bangs had shadowed his eyes, and continued "What happened next I would give anything to forget. I begged and pleaded for him to spare my child whom I loved, for I cared not for pride or wealth if the price was his life, and this is where my something horrible and worthless comes from. For he told me he would spare the life of my only child if I kissed his boots. And so, to spare my child, I sacrificed my honor and my pride and did what he asked, for all my love and my terror had made me foolish enough to believe his word. But instead he laughed at me and told me I was a fool, for I had taught all who served me to love me and love was a weakness and to drive his lesson home, he killed my sweet child and told me as I held his broken body, had I known the true meaning of power I'd have never done what I did to spare his life, I'd have simply let him be, for if my child meant nothing to me than there would not have been a reason for the man who was now my hated enemy to kill him. And so blinded was I by my rage and my despair that I sought this man's demise but my curse had transformed me into an imp and little more than a Phantom whom he struck away and as my curse took hold, I fell into darkness and when awoken, I could remember nothing but how I came to be like this.

"I had expected my death and so I was transfixed to see the face of my savior had been the very same sorcerer who cursed me to my fate, and his face was so marred by guilt and devastation by what he had done that he confessed all, and said he'd been told I was a tyrant who intended to let my people starve and sought to free them from my wrath and only after he cast my curse did he realize that he had been deceived. Though he could not undo my curse he told me how it may be broken and how one must guess my true identity with no hint from me and my memory would be restored, but that the name used to seal my fate must be uttered by the one whom the curse must be transferred and, to further aid my cause, he taught me all the magic that I now possess.

"And the lesson that allowed me to do as I teach you was this: transform a lump of coal, he told me, into something precious by recalling the worst moment of my life, when I myself felt cold and worthless, and I did. I recalled the man I hated and what he made me do before the eyes of my son and I imagined what I'd do to him in turn and what evil things they were, but then I realized none of them were a fit retribution. Then I imagined once my power was capable of doing so, I would control his body and make him get on his hands and knees and lick the mud from my boots, but it would not be in front of his son or anyone else, but when we were alone, for after that, even if all the world adored him and hate me, he would know what he had done. He would know what I made him do, and he could fool all the world but himself, but only he and I would know how truly powerless and useless he truly was. And once I willed that thought with my whole soul, I opened my hands and gone was the ugly lump of coal and a sparkling diamond was in its place. Now, do you understand little one? It is emotion that creates magic. You must feel what you want and will it so with all your being, but this particular talent is not crafted by rage, or hate, or bloodlust…"

"It is retribution," finished Yugi, who now understood the moral behind the darkling's tale. "Then above all else, I must use my magic to help you break your curse," Yugi declared proudly.

And Yami smiled and laughed "That is all fair and done, little one." And he spread his knees upon the stool and patted his lap, leering "but the night is short and we have much straw to spin, now come here and tell me how you plan to turn it all to gold."

And Yugi slid into the darkling's lap. He welcomed the other into his seat with the faintest of caresses to Yugi's hips, and Yugi allowed himself to fall against the rough chest of the darkling who was his for the night, he weaved the straw through the spindle, but try as he might, feel as he might, all he managed to spin was straw.

And so frustrated was he, he did not notice graceful arms encircle his waist, until he heard "Relax." An intimate murmur purring against his ear, and he shivered but it was neither from fear nor cold.

"Now close your eyes and tell me how you plan to spin all this straw into gold."

And with the threaded straw in hand, Yugi obeyed and closed his eyes, pressed himself deeper against the strong chest. And as he spun the straw he said, envisioning all "He made me kneel, that terrible, greedy, King. He made me kneel and apologize to those spoiled, foolish girls even thought I had done nothing wrong and had done nothing to draw attention to myself."

"Then what?" came a half-purr in reply, that nuzzled pleasantly against his neck, then his neck, then his collar.

This time Yugi was the one who purred. "They attacked me because I refused to answer their stupidity and acknowledge their vanity but I didn't care if they humiliated me and called me worthless or if he called me a potential wife. I was about to leave this place and never come back. I was about to be free and then because of those stupid girls, that greedy king, and my cowardly father, it was all gone. And I realized as they dragged me to this cold, dark tower, that no matter how hard I worked, or how hard I tried or what I did, I would never become more than what I was…powerless," he said through angry teeth. "And do you know what I wanted?"

"Tell me?" one arm looped loosely about his middle, tightened; the other encircled his shoulders and dragged him back towards the strong, firm chest.

The reminiscent of a smirk slit Yugi's face as he spun the straw."I wanted nothing more than to become more than them, better than them."

"And what do you want to do?" Slow kisses slid hungrily down his skin and Yugi soon realized he was trembling from delight. Or delirium. Maybe both.

"I wanted," said the Miller's son with a dark, alluring smile "To make them bow. I wanted to make them get on their hands and knees and grovel and I wanted them to stay like that and I wanted them to know that they were worthless and that neither their beauty, nor wealth, nor birth would give them dignity or earn them love. And I wanted them to see that though I was a poor miller's son, I had more power and freedom than they would ever have as the wife and queen of that greedy, lecherous king."

All at once, the imp stopped him and when curious eyes opened, he saw to his delight that no longer was their straw between his fingers but glimmering, glistening threads of lustrous gold. And do delighted was he that he felt the magic spiraling between his fingers and in his very being. Yami laughed and holding him tightly said "You have accomplished your first lesson, my witty one." And he pressed his chin to Yugi's shoulder and purred in his ear. "Now come and show me how clever you are." And his dark eyes were ember bright and smoldering and oh, how they made Yugi tremble with every touch but Yugi was clever and he held no illusions of what this imp, this darkling was. All sharp smiles and painfully alluring and darkness. Beautiful, shadowy darkness and power that swirled around him like a living being. But to him it was neither cruel nor frightening, but mirthful and frolic, and devilishly sweet like shadowy black kittens, all pawing and purring for their master's attention. And all for him: those smoldering eyes, those coltish smiles, those nimble, gentle fingers caressing his cheeks with the very lightest of touches, that only served to make him shiver.

And so charmed and jubilated was Yami by this sweet, sweet and oh so witty creature that no amount of grief could mar his smile, and so delirious with rapture was he, that when his arm slouched down and touched the straw, it strung itself on its own and set to work preparing itself to be spun. And only when they turned to see, did they notice on its own the spindle and straw spinning itself into bobbin after bobbin of beautiful, precious gold,

"Well, well, my witty dear," panted the imp, each word laced with charm. "Now do you see, just how truly special you are?"

And Yugi spun in his lap and crushed his lips to Yami's with so much force that they fell from the stool and fumbled in a pile of threaded gold. Both mewling, panting, kissing, fingers sliding enticingly, devouring hungrily. All the while their fun and play spelled the straw to spin. Whirr, whirr, whirr! Three times round until the bobbin was full and when it was it, popped off it went and came another. Whirr, whirr, whirr! Three times round, until that one was full and so went on until morning when all the straw had been spun, and all the bobbins filled with gold and resting upon a pile of glittering thread, slept the Miller's son and his darkling worn and tired from their night of spinning, and teaching, and play.

When the sun rose and morning threatened to come, the imp gently woke his sleeping companion and said "I must take my leave now, little one. For the sun is rising and the king shall be coming for you soon."

"When will I see you again?" asked the Miller's son who sensed his urgency but was none the less saddened.

"You will see me when you need me for I shall always come to you" promised the imp who then stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead.

"Do you promise," asked Yugi.

"I promise," and the imp promised all and with that he vanished in a whirl of gold smoke.

At sunrise came the King Marik and when he opened the door and saw the gold, he was very much astonished and very much rejoiced. So rejoiced that all at once his greed become a sickness of the mind, and overcome by his avarice that he dragged the Miller's son away to a much larger room that was filled with straw. Just as cold, just as dark, and just as dank and lonely as the first, and filled with even more straw. The King told him to set to work and that if he valued his life, he would spin it all into gold by the night's end.

Only when he was alone did Yugi voice his displeasure for he was tired of spinning straw into gold, but he wanted very much to see his darkling, and so he sat by the window and called his name and while he waited sat at the stool and willed the spindle to spin the straw into gold.

Then the window burst open, and following a strong gust, slender hands seized his shoulders and spun him around in his stool. Fingers grasping, ghosting over hips and up his sides, and familiar lips cutting off his cry with a rough kiss: thick with fervent, and want, and sharp brilliance, and piercing need, and deep longing.

"I missed you." The imp purred and intimate murmur and his leer just as ember bright as before.

"Did you really?" Came the coy reply.

Fingers ghosted up his thigh. "Would I lie to you?"

So alluring was he. Alluring and darkness and terrible secrets and wicked delight, but oh, so very alluring that Yugi swallowed a nervous gulp. "You would."

Smoldering crimson softened to wine. A touch feathery soft and barely visible and more intimate than any before, brushed his cheek. "Aa…not to you, never to you."

"How can I be sure," asked he, for though he very much liked his darkling, he had no illusions. This creature—painfully alluring, ruthlessly so, but darkness swirled around him, promising all, but did nothing to curve his uncertainty.

""Because I would never make a promise to you that I couldn't keep." Soft eyes, a gentle smile, genuine trust and affection and promising all and Yugi could see no lie in his face.

"No, you wouldn't. Not to me. You'd better not to me." It was a promise and at the same time a threat.

Dexterous hands cupped his cheeks and there was so much blatant desire in his smile that he felt Yugi shiver. "Iie, never to you."

A warm smile. A sweet laugh. Clasping golden fingers from the frame of his cheeks and weaving them between his own. "What will you teach me tonight, my darkling?"

Yami chuckled, low and warm and deep in his throat "I see that greedy king was not as satisfied with the fruits of our previous night's labor?"

"No," snorted Yugi "Now he wants me to spin all this into gold, but I would rather learn a new lesson before the night is through."

Yami smiled and slid into his seat, positioning Yugi in his lap, arms trapped over his shoulders, urgent little fingers spidering delicately over tiny hips and a soft thigh. "Then let us begin for I have much to teach you. And tonight, I will teach you the power of a name."

"A name," asked Yugi.

"A true name," smirked the imp. "For the sorcerer taught me that one's true name, from beginning to end, holds the greatest power of all. With it you can control all that they are." Smoldering crimson, ember-bright and shimmering locked with lust-hazed amethyst, and Yugi couldn't help but shudder at what he saw there. "Remember my words, little one, magic is not intellectual focus, it is emotion. If you feel them obeying your every whim and put that emotion into the words you speak, in this case, their name, than that name can do anything. Even seal a curse."

Venom was how he spat that final say, and all at once Yugi understood. "Is that how you were cursed and why you do not know your name?"

And the imp stopped and suddenly became very firm. "Yes, little one." His smile was impressed. "For during my time, my name was known to all and spoken by all and though I was called everything but the name I was born with, it was so vastly known that I could do nothing to keep in hidden from my enemy. And to cast my curse, my own name was used as its seal, so that I could not recall my true identity, and a new name was given to replace it. The name that was used to cast the curse, and to break it, it must be transferred to the one who says this name, but only if it is spoken in my voice and not to them."

"That does not sound fair," scoffed the Miller's son, but his darkling merely chuckled.

"'Tis a curse, little one, it is not meant to be fair," said he. "Now make haste, for morning will rise and there is much straw to spin."

And the Miller's son pouted and said "How about we set the wheel to spin, like before, for I do not want to waste our precious time weaving the King's gold." Lust-glazed violet bore deeply into ember-bright scarlet and as his fingers brushed the wheel and all at once, it started to spin.

And before the imp could reply, Yugi had spun in his lap and was kissing him again, hard and warm and wet and sweet and soon, the warm willing body perched in his lap and grasping his chest with tiny greedy, hands was all he cared for, and so alive felt he, that the room itself, was alive with magic and with a powerful flash, all the straw had become glistening, glittering, priceless gold.

"Hmm…" the imp licked his lips when Yugi pulled away. "Very well, my Yugi."

Yugi took in every inch of his pretty darkling, all smoldering eyes and cheeky grins and mischievous laughs, and beautiful, alluring and dark as a midnight rose. "Where did you come from?" he wondered aloud a firm chest cuddling against a soft, subtle cheek.

"Here, I think?" Came the curious reply. A curious hand running through soft, soft hair, a slender arm looped about his waist. When had they ended upon the floor, amongst the threaded fields of gold? "All of my memories are of here and I can recall seeing other places and lands, but I cannot recall living anywhere else? What about you my sweet darling?" Came an inquisitive murmur, a sheer, mischievous flirtation. "Or am I to assume you truly did fall from paradise?"

A giggle was his reward. "I lived with my father, a grandfather, a grandmother, and mother and a home. At first it was pleasant, but as my grandpa told me stories of other kingdoms and exotic places, I wanted to see them. But as things became harder and harder at the mill and we grew poorer, my grandparents died, my father became lazy and I grew to hate the mill and wanted to become so much more than my lazy father."

"And you mother? What became of her?" A comforting stroke of his hair petted the bad memories away.

"I don't know. She left the mill when I was young and I never saw her again. I never forgave her." Came the dark reply.

"For what?"

"Leaving me behind." His words were cold, but he scooted up Yami's chest, wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him forcefully, claiming the imp greedily. Tasting spice and sweetness and mystery. "But it doesn't matter now." Another kiss. They broke apart, breathless, flushed, and panting. "I have you."

"Yes, you do." The imp promised all, for his Yugi was such a tantalizing little creature. And oh, how Yami wanted him. This would never be enough, just his little one's touch, his kiss, left him moaning and aching and, oh so wonderful. "Only you." He cried into their next kiss, wanting more, but morning was about to come, and he knew they needed to stop. He kissed Yugi's forehead and said "I'm sorry, little one, but the morning will come and I must leave."

"Will you come again?" Breathless, lust-glazed and not a question at all.

"Of course," said the imp. "Call for me and I shall always come to you." And with that he vanished in a puff of smoke through the window.

At sunrise came the King and his spectators who did not believe he had spun the gold. Not a poor miller's boy. Not he could be so special. All at once they came upon the room of Yugi's tower and found it, filled with gold. The king was rejoiced beyond measure, but the foreign girls were my much displeased.

"If he can truly turn straw into gold, let him show us how!" said one.

"Yes! Yes! Make him spin the gold before our eyes," said another.

"Yes! Surely, it is something else, one as worthless as he cannot be so clever."

Unfrazzled by their anger and eager to test his new skills, Yugi said "You do not believe me capable, you silly, incompetent fools. No, of course you don't. How could ones so stupid ever hope to master the cleverness to spin straw into gold?"

He returned to the stool and started to spin, and how the King rejoiced and the girls despaired when they watched each string of worthless srtraw become glittering, golden thread.

The darkest, slightest curl of a smile slit his face. The authoritative gaze bore into each girl. Satisfaction from each of their dreadful shivers. "Now, that you know that I am superior to you…bow to me." His tone was sharp and dark and absolute. "Princess Tea Von Lily, Princess Vivian Le Wong, and Princess Rebecca Hawkins bow to me and show me how worthless you are."

All at once, each girl dropped to her knees. Stomachs pressed to dank, dirty stone, arms spread long and wide and straight and each released a terrible shriek frozen in place and body disobeying. And they stayed bowing to the Miller's son, begging, pleading, all to the dark satisfaction of he. And when he released them from his spell, he laughed as they ran away quickening with tears and fear.

Now this delighted the King, for all he saw was Yugi spinning straw into gold. When he did, his sickness grew, and all he wanted was more gold. Such an audacious, avaricious, unworthy king.

All at once, he seized the Miller's son and dragged him to a room so large Yugi could not see the ceiling, an ordered it to be completely filled with straw and said. "This too, must be spun in one night, and if you accomplish it, I shall give you the greatest reward of all, and make you my queen!" For he thought Though he is but a miller's boy. I will not find a richer prize in all the world.

Shock and horror had rendered him silent, but once Yugi was alone and trapped did he fall to his knees and weep. Surely, there was no crueler fate than being the greedy King's wife.

"Yugi?" Yami appeared for a third time, a shiver of horror and surprise at Yugi's tear-stained cheeks and wet eyes. "Oh little one, whatever is the matter?" And he fell to his knees before the Miller's son.

Soft hands slid up his cheek. Gentle thumbs rubbed away the dampness and lifted his chin. And his caresses were so tender and warm, his eyes so loving with worry, that Yugi's eyes flooded with tears, and he buried his face in Yami's chest. A shiver of confusion ran up the imp's spine, and his soft hands now stroked the boy's back but his darling one said nothing, only cried. "Oh little one, please tell me what's matter?" And he looked around and saw this room was the largest room he'd seen and that it was filled to the brim with straw and said. "If you are worried about the straw, we can spin it—"

"No!" cried Yugi fervently protesting with a continuous shaking of his head. "If we spin this straw into gold, then the King said that he would make me his wife! And I would rather die than be his queen."

All at once, Yami could not speak. He felt consumed. Shock and horror and anger and jealousy and possession and all at once, his eyes slit with jealousy. "I won't let that happen!" Growled the imp, arms tightening with protectiveness and possessiveness around Yugi's slim waist. His Yugi, his tantalizing little creature who was sweetness and strength and light and pride and freedom swirled about him, and that fiery strength would shatter with just a single, unwelcome touch from that greedy, lecherous King. "I won't let him have you."

Suddenly, Yugi became very angry and shoved the imp away. Upset and angry and terrified he growled "Is this why you wanted my first born child for your own? Did you know I would only have it after I became Queen?"

"Of course not!" Confessed the imp. "I meant what I said I wanted a child to love and raise, but I would have never asked if I thought even for a moment, your child would be his, for I would not wish such a fate on the worst of my enemies." His accent was thick with tears and truth, and so strong was his conviction that Yugi fell to his knees and his eyes flooded with tears.

"I don't want to be his wife if that is the price I must pay for the power I seek. I don't want to have his child…" And as he cried, he buried his face in Yami's chest and wove his fingers in his shirt. "I only want to be your wife and have your children. You're the only one I want." Yugi confessed all, and lifted his head. Tears still burning his eyes and he took the elegant hands from his face and wove his own slender fingers in between golden fingertips. Their gentle grip was firm, and sweet. Yugi's soft cheek brushed Yugi's knuckles and all Yami wanted was to say 'yes'.

Beautiful amethyst frozen in misery and heavy with desire bore deeply and pleadingly into deep, warm crimson. A curve of understanding and longing molded his lips. A gentle softness kissed away his tears. It was so gentle and foreign and sweet and heartbreaking. Promising all, but unwilling to expose one so loved to the terrible, terrible burden.

"You're all I have ever wanted, my darling Yugi," he breathed, a heartbreaking whisper. "All I've ever needed, you don't see me as a monster, or as a beast. You're so clever and witty and pretty and strong and all I've ever wanted and more…" Fingers tightened their grip. He forced himself to face the floor. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling and taking his darling with him.

"But I cannot give you what you want. I cannot make you a queen, or give you a castle and servants to obey you and subjects to admire and bow at your feet, for with such power as I posses, I can only invoke misunderstanding and fear. I can only offer you isolation and darkness, and restless nights and constant flight when fear becomes hate. I cannot give you the power you wish."

A fervent shake of his head protested and with earnest eyes he said "I don't want that power. I don't want to be like that greedy king and awful girls because it's fake. The admiration is forced, their positions are merely show and that awful king who thinks he's so above me and thinks no one can control him, but he is just as poor and so blinded by his greed that he cannot see he has none at all. He needs a rich wife, and others constantly seek to control him. That is the nature of that power…the more powerful you think you are, the less power you actually have. It is unstable and unsecure and never, ever safe, never content and never enough. His life is unfulfilled and I don't want that power, my loving imp." Amethyst understanding clear and brilliant and bright, never looking away from the imp's gaze, never letting go of his hands. Only a smile, rich with desire and delight. "I have my own power, the power you taught me, and I have you. You showed me that I never have to feel the way the king and those awful girls made me feel ever again, show me that I don't need a castle or servants or approval to feel strong."

Slim hands pulled away. He stepped forward, fingers curving desperately around silken shirt, cheek pressed to a firm chest, smiling more, when desperate hands pulled him closer. "I have our power. I know, even if you leave me, I never have to feel worthless again, and if isolation and a life on the run is that price, than I will pay it, as long…" his chin rose, Yami's head bowed. Blazing amethyst and lustrous red showing only devotion. "As long as you can give me love. Can you?"

"Yes, my darling," he vocalized the promise. "I want to give you love."

"I want that," said Yugi. "What is being a queen when I have the heart of the most magical being in all the world. And what is the admiration of all the world without someone to share it with."

Yami kissed him. Hard and rough and frantic was their union and before Yugi could kiss back, the imp pulled away, rich crimson dark with desire. "Yugi, what if I amend our contract, thus instead of your random first born, since with your new magic one power that you shall have is the ability to create life within you, that said will you instead give me my child, who we shall love and raise together as one?"

No words. No stretch of the imagination could describe how pleased Yugi became. So pleased he pressed his warm, heavy body enticingly against him and purred. "I would gladly make that deal." Hands slid under Yami's shirt. Nails raked up velvety skin. His reward was aloud moan and a trembling chest. Seeking fingers started stroking claiming, urgently pulling at hips and sliding down to his thighs.

Heat and touch and kiss and moan and so much want. Oh, how Yami wanted this delectable little creature, but it wasn't enough. He wanted needed all of him…needed to be buried in that sweet warmth. Needed to be pressed against that soft body. Needed Yugi tight and sweet and moaning, screaming, writhing underneath him, begging, pleading, promising. Needed him frantic and wanting and his, only his. His to claim and take and kiss and love: his and his alone forever.

Yugi was in his arms with a single lift. Their kiss never broke, neither noticed the spindle and straw beginning to weave and weave, and whirr, whirr, whirr, so fast the bobbins couldn't keep up and mountains of thread quickly replaced the straw. And he set his precious, precious one on a bed of golden thread. With the gentlest parting, he pulled away and said "Stay with me." His words were barely a whisper and looked into mirrored longing and a silent plea. "As long as your heart is mine, than mine is yours. Stay with me, love me, do as I say, promise me and I will be your slave. Whatever you want, the moon, the world, the stars? Tell me, and you'll have them on a silver tray. Just promise me you love me."

And Yugi paused for a moment, bewilderment was all he read. Then his eyes softened and half-lidded and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Fingers curled around his shoulders, the grip firm and pulling, his breath danced up the imp's neck, his cheek to the shell of his ear. An odd gesture of affection, but Yugi knew its effect and whispered "Instead of my slave will you be my husband, and promise until the end of time, I'll be your wife?"

A smirk was his reward. His words dispelled any and all clouds of doubt. Gravity, unyielding, and loving and absolute, danced playful and severe in each word. "Yes, I will be your husband. I will make you my wife, my lover, my queen, my co-ruler of the world. Be mine and make me yours until the end of my days and I will do anything to make you smile."

"Do you promise?" Came Yugi's playful ponder with a coy smile and a tilt of his chin. "What can I have?"

"Anything!" The imp pressed his lips to Yugi's temple, the words a whispering promise more sacred than a prayer. "You need but ask." Oh, his tone was deep and husky and made Yugi shiver in delight. "Anything?" he teased, full of adoration.

"Anything," Yami stressed against him, soft noses tickled the other in an Eskimo kiss and looked into fiery eyes. "Make love to me, Yami" said he. "Make love to me so that when morning dawns and the King comes for me, I'll be no one else but yours."

The loving imp beamed so wide his smile slit his face and with leering eyes and a powerful kiss he said. "You need but ask."

They fell together, intertwined in a bed of threaded gold, locked in a kiss meant to last an eternity. Hands wondered over slim curves and up firm muscles, slipping under cloth and purchasing skin. Discarding rags and cloths. Yugi, soft, pale, smooth and slim body crashing against Yami's, strong, and firm, and lean, and all rough and scaled between Yugi's fingers and dusky, dusted, flecks of gold, but Yugi cared not for the imp's appearance so long as he was his.

Naked flesh, wet lips tasting, teasing, kissing. Hands seizing fingers and Yugi moaning. Firm fingers stroking his hips and thighs. Warm lips nipping his thighs, kissing his belly and oh, so skilled was his darkling.

Yami pulled away to lick his lips and smiled greedily devouring the sight displayed before him. His precious, precious Yugi, too good for anyone else, even him, but who wanted him all the same. So soft and warm and trembling and wanting and willing beneath him. Beautiful. Beautiful and vulnerable and unashamed. Yugi eyes slid halfway closed and he praised his open arms, and Yami knew he was lost.

He descended into willing arms. Lips eager to taste and ready to devour. First Yugi's neck than his collar, down his chest to his belly, strong hands held him in place. Tender thighs spread wide and inviting.

"Yami." A desperate, urging moan and his own hands began to wonder. "Yami."

"You don't know how beautiful you are?" They fell together again, intertwined, arms embracing the other, hips locked, legs tangled, flushed and panting and eyes shaded by love and want.

Desire so strong, they ached and needed more.

"Yugi?" Softly cupping hands, patiently waiting. Hips shifting, position, but never morning.

"Yami?" he questioned but all at once understood. "Yes," he nodded. Pleasepleaseplease.

"Aaah." Thighs parted. Blunt pressure entering, enveloping sweet, sweet warmth. Twin lips parting, mewling, gasping. Pleasure and pain and foreign and familiar and tears prickling the edges of brilliant amethyst, but he was quick to kiss them away.

Relax. Loving scarlet urged, promising and trusting.

A whimpering scream, a desperate kiss. Impatient hands over gold-dusted flesh. "Please, please, please."

He needed but ask.

A pleasured scream, a desperate groan. Limbs locked, backs arched, hips locking, breathless pleas.

"Yami…"

"Yugi…"

He thrust deeper, velvet warmth parting, inviting, enveloping desperately. A scream and a kiss when they pulled a part. A scream and a kiss when they united again. They danced on their own accord. Yugi whimpered and moaned as his darkling, now his lover, pushed deeper. Breathless and ghosting his name over heated, naked skin. He positioned his hips, thrusting up as Yami pushed down, taking him deeper. A grasp was his reward.

Slim arms enveloped Yugi's body, holding him steady. Yami, rough and wild with want, thrust harder. Yugi buckled his hips with a cry. He couldn't have asked for a sweeter reward. He moaned and thrust, wild with passion. Driving deeper and deeper into velvet warmth, never once looking away from pleasure glazed amethyst eyes.

Yugi. The very word was sacred now. Had he not promised to made him smile?

Yes. Yes. Pale fingers latched onto his arms, kiss bruised lips cried out his name. All at once he understood. He moved faster, thrust harder slammed frantically, inside his precious, precious lover and soon he was trembling.

"Yugi…"

He looked into ruby eyes, dark and clouded and softening just for him. Yugi pulled himself up and kissed him hard. Yugi pulled himself up, and kissed him hard. Knees locked around Yami's hips. Positioning himself, he bounced in Yami's lap, thrusting deeper, urging him to push harder, and oh yes, his darkling agreed.

They kissed and thrust, hard and deep and gentle and true and the steps were their own. Heat built, unbearable and undeniable, and too good to deny and neither of them wished too.

"I loved you," the darkling whispered as darkness enveloped them. "I love you so."

"Forever," agreed his consort, eyes wet with ecstasy and love. "I love you forever more."

A desperate hug, a last final frantic act of love-making and cry of completion. The other branded in their essence: they tumbled together marked and claimed and for no other, still intertwined and lying on a mattress of spun gold.

"I love you." This time Yugi spoke first.

Yami smiled and hugged the darkling lying on his chest and wrapped his arms about his waist, so he was nice and secure in his lap.

"Forever, I love you from now until then."

They lay together. Yugi curled against the darkling's chest and Yami's fingers twirling in his hair. Content to stay like that, but morning was fast approaching.

"Yami?" asked Yugi, a gentle finger traced invisible patterns on his chest. "Can we really have this: power, freedom and love?"

"We can," the imp sat up, Yugi still bound in his arms and lap. "But first we need to get you out of this tower. Now, that I've had you I do not plan to share you with the King."

"The King." Venom was in Yugi's words. "We can't leave until he's had his retribution." His eyes were fierce and determined and commitment compelled his lover to listen. "He humiliated me and I know it was he who hurt you, and we can never be free unless he's vanquished."

"You're so clever, little one," said Yami and placed and impressed kiss on his cheek. "But how? Even with his name it would do little if he does not know it is me…"

"Name…" All at once a brilliant plan formed in Yugi's mind. "I know how we can scold the King and free you from your curse."

When the morning came, King Marik returned and found all done according to his wish, he was so overjoyed that he said "We shall be married at once!" But before his will could be done and with the greatest haste, the Miller's son was overcome by dread and pleaded "Wait, you mustn't marry me for if I lose my virtue then I will lose my powers and all the gold I've spun will return to straw."

The King was very much distraught for he was very avaricious and did not want to lose his gold, but as well, he did not want to lose the Miller's boy for he was very beautiful and the King wanted him so, and he could not risk the boy leaving and spinning gold for anyone else but him. Unwilling and unyielding, he ceased the Miller's boy by his arm and said. "Is there a way to prevent that? There must be! Don't lie to me!"

So scared was the Miller's boy that he confessed all and said "There is a way, you must wait for three days for the spell to settle and the wedding must be held at noon on the fourth day because the gold was spun at night."

"Very well," said the King, consumed by greed and glee and caused the preparations for their wedding to be held at once. "Then in three days time we shall be wed!" commanded the King, who seized the Miller's boy by the wrist and led him out of the tower, down the stairs through the castle and up more stairs until he came upon a separate room, larger still than the previous three and vastly different from the last. Large and lavish and expensive and fit for a queen. Plumes of silk and fine embroidery, a large window framed in gold, canopy bed draped in silk and a throne of pillows. Bureau, vanity, and wardrobe filled with the clothes of the finest fabrics and riches embroidery.

"This room will be yours until we are wed. Now, bathe yourself and change out of your rags." He commanded, leaving Yugi to his own devices and left to count his bobbins of gold, and he counted well into the night, laughing at his good fortune.

Suddenly, he heard laughter from the room of his bride-to-be and all at once he became suspicious. Voices. Not one but two: one that of the Miller's boy, the other familiar and strange that said "Just two more nights until the spell is cast."

"And then will you tell me your name?" The voice was that of the Miller's boy and so full of adoration that the King became enraged.

"You know I cannot, for if I reveal my true name and you speak it a loud, I will be forced to leave you forever," said the stranger just as longing. "Now, sleep my dear, you're going to be a bride and all at once the King heard the stranger chant…

"Today I break, tomorrow I brew

"And the day after that my bride comes in.

"And oh, I'm glad that nobody knew

"The name I'm called is—"

And when he heard "bride", the King stormed in but the room was empty accept for his future bride was asleep on the bed. He shook the boy awake and demanded. "Who was here? I heard voices!"

And the boy sleepily awoke, confused and said "I'm sorry, but no one is here but me. I just finished the chants I need to ensure your straw remains as gold."

Now the King was weary but at the mention of his gold, he became delighted and left the boy to his own devices. And the next day as preparations continued, and the King greedily went to count his gold but as he passed his future bride's room, he again heard voices and spied him through the door and watched him all night, until with a guest of wind appeared a terrible, terrible being, so hideous and horrible, it must've been a demon. And he watched as its eyes fell upon the Miller's boy. Wickedly bright, blazing demonic red and smiling with devilish delight, it slid upon the Miller's boy upon the bed and said "Only one more night, my love." The terrible imp seduced the Miller's boy with a stroke of the cheek. "Then you shall come away with me and become my bride."

And the Miller's son giggled in delight, and teased the imp. "How am I to be your bride, if I do not know your name?"

And the imp frowned and said "You know the answer to that. My name is cursed, if I recite my name and the one who ears it, speaks it aloud than I will disappear forever, and I don't ever want to leave you." The imp cupped the boy's hands and affectionately rubbed their noses together. A gesture so fake the King felt sick.

All at once, he became enraged. How dare this arrogant, horrible, terrible, terrible creature come to his castle and seduce his poor, naïve bride into wrong doing and all at once he thought to fling himself upon the brute until the Miller's boy said. "Can I guess your name? That way you never have to say it out loud?"

And the imp blinked once, then smiled and said. "Oh how very clever you are miller's child, very well, if it shall please you than you can guess my name."

And the King listened as his soon-to-be-bride beginning with "Casper," "Melchior," "Balthazar," repeated every name he knew and when his efforts bore no fruit, he repeated all the most names, singular and unusual, rare and imaginative, but the terrible imp's answer was always the same: "That is not my name," until well into the night, it said "Now sleep, my dear, for tomorrow we wed." And all at once the Miller's son collapsed into slumber.

Laughing, dark and arrogant, and rejoicing in his victory the imp danced, fervent and wild and every inch a demonic creature that the King could only watch and listen as it sang:

"Today I break, tomorrow I brew

"And the day after that my bride comes in.

"And oh, I'm glad that nobody knew

"The name I'm called is—Rumplestiltskin!"

And vanished with a puff of gold and red smoke.

All at once, the King was overcome with delight. A wicked plan forming in his mind. Gold forgotten, confronting his bride no longer priority. Triumph in his smile, his hands clapped with glee. At once he caused his plan to be set in emotion. Soon his bewitched bride would be free, and the awful imp would be trapped and gone.

And when the third night came, the King was ready at his bride's room, the Miller's boy naïve to his presence and into the night they both waited. The Miller's boy perched by the window waiting and the terrible King waiting in the shadows.

The window flew open and in a spiral of wind and gold, he appeared. The terrible, terrible imp looking at the Miller's boy with blazing, lustrous, leering eyes.

The imp approached the miller's boy and said "Now, Mr. Queen, it is the third night, the spell is cast and set." His words were a lullaby, he held out his hand to the boy and the King was consumed by rage when he saw the boy who would be his bride and make him a rich king, take it. And his hypnotized bride said "Yes, the spell is done. Now all that's left is for us to marry at noon, because the gold was spun at night."

"Yes," nodded the imp, who pulled the boy into his arms and kissed his nose. "Come my bride, let us leave this place and be forever free."

"And when we are, will you tell me your name?" asked the Miller's son. And the imp smiled and said. "Very well, my darling, if it will please you, I will tell you, my name is—"

"RUMPLESTILTSKIN!"

Choosing the cruelest moment to utter his curse, and claim his win, King Marik emerged from the darkness eyes wild with conquest, his laugh victorious as he spoke the name and in his face, the shadow of satisfaction. "You are called Rumplestiltskin, and now that you're name has been uttered aloud you are no more!"

The King's arrival had shocked them both in place and his words filled them both with dread. And with these words a look of horror consumed his face to the King's delight. His triumphant, arrogant laughter echoing in the imp's ears as his body began to fade and vaporize into a cloud of golden dust and vanished on the wind.

"No!" cried the Miller's boy, desperate hands grabbed at the dust but the wind avoided his grasp and to his knees the Miller's son fell, and oh, how he cried, and no doubt would until the terrible imp's spell was gone, concluded the King.

The King's harsh hands grabbed him. Angry eyes glared commanding any cruel and victorious. "Now, my dear, that I have thwarted your plot you shall become my bride and make me a rich King."

And he threw him on the bed and said. "And now that you are free from the monstrous demon's influence, you are truly mine. Remember that!" And he left the boy alone, to prepare for their wedding, laughing and counting his gold and ordered wine and drank himself so full of relief he felt sick from it, and with great anticipation ordered entertainment to celebrate his victory and celebrate his wedding that would be held at noon.

And when morning came, the preparations were made, the entertainment gathered. Servants poured into the room of Yugi, who in a few hours would become a Queen. They awoke him, dressed him in white, adorned his hair, arms and throat with jewels, did his veil with flowers and led him from the tower and into the throne where the King was impatiently waiting.

The Miller's son put up no resistance. He had no fight, as he was brought and told to sit upon the throne, reserved for the Queen. Good thought the King, tipsily. He was learning. The Kingdom had no need for anyone but a meek queen.

Triumphantly, he smiled at his bride who sat quietly in his seat, and ordered entertainment to celebrate for the dwindling hours before noon. As courtiers spun in a dance that imitated a properly oiled machine, ladies gossiped of dark plots and illicit affairs, men and lords quarreled and bragged about their lands and holdings and ladies and bartered like men at the market. Musicians played a tune that was only jolly and excited to those who were happy that they were not the bride, the Miller bragged about his increased fortune, the King delighted in his drink until the relief and pride of his victory made him sick with it, the foreign princess despaired. All enjoyed the pre-nuptials but the bride who sat quietly with his head bowed and his nails digging into the arms of his throne, impatient fingers tapping so loudly against the wood one could dance to the beat; and a strange figure draped in shadows and visibly in nothing but his raggedy, cloaks of black.

Suddenly, the queen perked up, the shadow figure weaved his way through the crowd. Swift and practiced and dancing about the wheels unnoticed and rolling like mist across the sea. Lean and mysterious and the beautiful darkness of his cloak dancing about his form in tassels of shadow, and he approached the throne with such grace even the most polished of hunters would gawk in envy.

The King, so drunk with relief and wine and greed and his own victory, said "And how shall you entertain my future bride"

The figure smirked beneath the shadow of his hood. He spun around, spread his arms like raven's wings, and his voice boomed "Now, my sired, I bring you a tale from a far off land."

And Yugi smiled with delight as the stranger recounted his tale, his voice boomed and the King sipped his wine.

"Once upon a time, a selfish and greedy man who foolishly coveted power envied a young King and all who loved him, and so envious was he that even his own brother loved this wondrous King. For he foolishly believed that he deserved the throne, unaware of the limitations he was placing upon himself and how it was neither beauty, nor name, nor wealth, nor titles that granted one power. And so terrible was his greed that he sought the aid of an honest-hearted Sorcerer and factiously painted the King as a tyrant. So, the Sorcerer set a curse upon the poor, unsuspecting King, transforming him into a corrupted reflection of himself with terrible eyes, whose largeness blazed with fire and uncertainty; and terrible skin scaled and encrusted with gold, and terrible claws, so long and black and sharp from each finger. And the greedy man slain the King's son, ceased his throne and threw the poor king away with no memory of who he was only how he was cursed."

And the courtiers "oohed" and "ahhed" at the tale. The soon to be queen's smile widened and his eyes lit with pleasure, while the King paused his drink to ponder the tale.

"Too late did the Sorcerer realize he had been tricked and unable to fix his mistake, in penance, he rescued the King, now an imp, and taught him the secrets of his arts, as well as the way to break his curse…" The figure smirked and raised his hood.

The King's glass dropped from his hand as he stared into blazing, smoldering eyes as crimson as blood, and heard the delightful laughter of the imp's conspirator sitting next to him in the throne meant for his Queen.

The shadows danced around him and the imp smiled as his cloak fell away reveling smug smoldering crimson eyes as wicked and wild as flames, gold encrusted skin, and claws as long and black as talons.

At the sight of him ladies shrieked, men cowered, and wheels of spinning dancers fell apart and swooned with faint.

"YOU!" Screamed the King so overcome with rage and horror and shock he lunged himself forward only to fall when the imp vanished in a blaze of smoke, and to the horror of all, he appeared slouching in the King's throne. And there, giggling with delight and satisfaction, sat the bride in his lap, arms around the imp's neck and the imps' looped loosely about his hips.

"Love…the dress," A drag of the first word, enlightened Yami's compliment as he nuzzled his nose against Yugi. "But I do not believe you should be wearing white, Yugi."

Yugi laughed triumphantly and looked at the stunned and horrified King and said. "How silly is it, that all brides must be snow white on their wedding day." A coy smile and the King realized all at once that he had been tricked. "It is so foolish and silly."

"Indeed." The imp scooped the boy into his lap, arched his back with pride, his eyes locked on the King and, commanding the crowed, boomed "I come to reclaim what has been stolen from me: My kingdom, my throne and my bride."

"WHO ARE YOU!" The King narrowed his eyes, furious and commanding, and his voice so shaky and full of hesitant authority.

"Do you not know?" spat Yugi, who ripped off his veil, revealing a dark smile and a triumphant glare. "He is the King of this tale, the King, who your brother loved and whose son you murdered and whose throne and life and family you took, and the true ruler of all these lands: King Atemu Yami Sennen."

Gasps filled the room. Many women swoon from distress, other simply just fainted. Men stumbled, tipsy with horror and shock. Many remained unnoticed as they slipped away, the Miller among them, sensing something terrible about to happen. Yugi couldn't tell is they were cowards or smart. But none was more surprise then Yami himself, the imp who was actually a King and suddenly, he felt the first of his seals break. All at once his memory returned, and he remembered being a child and running through the garden and playing in the spring, and pouting through lessons and learning to dance and to rule and of his mother who taught him to be kind and treat others well and that a King was made by the people who follow him, and of his father who was kind and just and taught him to fight and be strong and to never relent and to be ruthless, but to be wise and diplomatic and how diplomacy carried its own dangers equal to that of war. And he remembered himself as a young man who had become king and he remembered another woman, now long gone, and her kind eyes staring at him before she departed this world, and he remembered a child whom looked like him, but with eyes like the sea, and he remembered the man who was always at his side and made him smile and who above all else saw him as a man and not a king. And remembering all, he now knew who he was.

He smiled at Yugi lovingly and said "You are very, very clever, my wonderful darkling.

"NO!" Screamed the furious, mad, and drunk King who grabbed Yugi and said "I don't care who you are! I am the King and he will be my bride and make me rich and-" And he spun on his heels when Yugi delivered a sharp blow across his face and so stunned with shock was he to the ground he fell and too frightened was he to get up and too ashamed that he had been struck by a miller's boy, who only laughed and said "Do you want to know how the King broke the curse?" A devilish smile and eyes so confident the King felt an emotion bubble in his belly that hadn't in years—fear.

"To break the curse it must be transferred to another and to seal the pact," the imp now stood, commanding the attention of all in the room. "This person has to utter a single word—the name used to seal the King to his curse—a name so bizarre no one would ever be able to guess it."

Vaguely, the King remembered the night before, dimly he recalled the conversations that had been acted, horrifyingly, he understood the scheme, and when he looked at them and they looked at him, a smile slit both Yami and Yugi's faces and the trap snapped closed.

"Rumplestiltskin."

"NO!"

But it was too late, and suddenly the evil King Marik transformed into a terrible, deformed creature with terrible eyes sharp and slit like a snakes, terrible claws yellow, and decayed, and scales became his skin.

There were more screams. The courtiers ran. Those who remained were either too scared to leave, too stupid to, or too proud to be branded as cowards.

The true King fell as the smoke vanished from his body. He swooned forward and was caught by Yugi who looked at his lover and saw the imp was now a man, and his gold-dusted skin was now smoothed and ivory-gold, and his claws were short and pink and no longer long, and his blazing eyes that were impossibly bright were no longer flaming but still crimson, still beautiful and still filled with so much love and so delighted was he, that he was still the wonderful man he'd fallen for, that Yugi kissed his lover and hugged him tight.

A moan disturbed them. They gazed at the pitiful, growling creature who was Marik on the floor. Thought he did not deserve it, the new King took pity on him and said "Marik, you murdered my son, stole my throne, oppressed my people, squandered all your riches and taxed those less fortunate than you, enslaved my lover and sought to force him to make you rich and then to marry you against his will. You are a greedy, selfish monster who deserved death, however, I am a just man, so using your name, I change your curse. You will remain in this form, powerless and weak and never able to set foot in this palace or on these lands again, and only unless you learn what true power is and to overcome your greed, you shall never be human again."

And with that he sent the beast away and it vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. Then he lifted his bride into his arms and sat back on his throne. And so the King and his bride stood before the crowd and said "Now, we came here for a wedding and so one there shall be?"

And after the wedding the courtiers and the poor gathered about. Their faces wide with fear, some with disgust, others with confusion and disbelief. Their confusion was evident, as was the whole kingdom in the aftermath that was to come. For they were thrilled to be free of their terrible, selfish King, but all at once, they believed their first King was dead and did not know what to think of this new, powerful creature and his equally magical bride.

And so confused were they when the King and his bride rode into town with a cart of spindles, each one filled with threads of gold, and to their kingdom they said. "People, you have been oppressed long enough, but your King has been gone for so long and he knows not if he can continue to rule, so we offer you a choice. We shall give each family a bobbin of gold, to do with as you please, and with it you will have more than enough to leave this place and start somewhere new, or to remain and continue your lives in however you see fit. The choice is yours, no matter what you choose, you shall not be harmed, nor shall we allow you to come to harm, but the terrible King is gone and he will not come back, and neither the King nor his bride wish to return to the corrupted world of Kings."

And so the people pondered their options and took their bobbins of gold and many choose to leave for their kingdom had diminished under the reign of the terrible King, for so poor were they that they had no reason to stay and those who did were too poor to leave. And though they were grateful to this strange King and his strange bride, they knew too well the dangers of changing political ties, and feared the uncertainty of magic, and with no memories or ties to the dying kingdom they decided to there was no reason to stay.

And within a year, the dying kingdom was abandoned leaving on a castle who belonged to the King, who preferred to be called Yami, and his bride, who was called Yugi. And there they stayed left to their own devices to enjoy the early times of their marriage as husband and life.

It was no wonder that tales began to be told, or how it came to be distorted. Though it is quiet surprising how the tale became warped to tell the tale of the Evil King's curse, and the good King's freedom and the fate of the Miller's son. It's really to no one surprise that along with the multiple telling the roles were warped. But they cared not for the stories or for the tales or for the truth. It truly was such a silly thing to ponder, what the rest of the world thought when the truth was already known.

One night tangled in their sheets and naked limbs, the kissed and laughed and pondered.

"What shall we do now, my love?" Yugi giggled to his new husband, and pressed his cheek to his hand and lied on his side.

"Hmm…" pondered Yami, his fingers tapping his chin, free fingers twirling in the soft, silky tresses of his beloved bride. "We can do anything and everything." An arm slipped about Yugi's waist and dragged him back against a warm, firm chest, and tickled his exposed belly. "All you have to do is ask."

And Yugi pondered his words with a small smile and a content sight. What else could he ask for? What else could he ask of his wonderful, wonderful lover? His lover who had freed him from death, taught him all he needed to know to be strong and free? Helped him earn his justice and gave him all the passion he craved and all the love he wanted.

"What about you?" asked he, spinning in Yami's arms. Small hands pressed to Yami's check, pulled himself up and pressed his nose and forehead against that of his lover. "You have done so much for me, how could I possibly ask for more?" He said, eyes half closed with passion and gratitude and so much love. "How could I ask any more of you?"

Soft lips pressed against his and the passionate kiss entrapping his senses was his answer. Once more he was on his back, his trembling form entangled in his lover's arms. "I beg to differ, my little one," Yami pulled away. "You have saved me in more ways than one. I owe you everything and you are everything to me, and I promised until the end of my days that I would so anything to make you smile."

"But me too!" protested Yugi. "I don't want you to be my slave and spoil and feel indebted to me. I want to make you happy to."

And the imp blinked, then chuckled then laughed and said. "Oh, my little one, "He cupped his cheek and looked deep into amethyst eyes. "We want the same thing: we want the other to be happy and we want to be the one who makes them smile, because we love each other, but is that not the nature of love? To do everything within your power to make the one you love the most smile because just being with them makes you so happy you feel your very heart may burst?"

And Yugi felt his eyes damped at his words and with a loving smile, entangled a pale slender hand with firm, golden fingers. "Yes, it is, and that is the most terrifying and invigorating of all."

"Then let us love each other, my little one." He squeezed his hand and held him close. And it was Yugi who pressed his lips to his husbands and let him pull him close and set him down again, and they kissed and petted and tumbled with so much passion, that all they could do was laugh and smile, and when they paused in their play, Yugi rolled onto his lover's chest, the point of a pouty chin set in the curve of his folded hands and with big, innocent eyes he said. "Let's go some place, just you and me and let's see everything." With a slight lean, the promised was sealed with a kiss.

"Hmm, I'd like that," Yami moaned into the kiss. "But first I have a request."

"Anything," promised Yugi.

"I want you to visit my son's grave, for when he saved me the Sorcerer who cursed me took his body and gave it a proper burial in the forest by his home and promised me it would always be safe and remembered in that beautiful groove of trees. I want us to visit it, for I know he would have loved you, as I do."

And Yugi smiled at such heartfelt words and asked. "Of course, but tell me, what was his name?"

And Yami smiled, sadly but with fondness at the memory "Yusei, for when he was born, he was the single star that saved me from the lonely darkness of losing my wife and the lonely world of being a king."

A stray tear that he did not notice slipped from his eyes, but Yugi's comforting kiss wiped it away. He found his head resting on the boy's shoulder and his trembling body in the boy's comforting arms, and smiled at the comfort.

Coyly, he pressed a hand to his little one's belly and said. "You know, I still want my child, little one. Our child."

And Yugi giggled and plopped on the mattress and said. "Yes, so do I, but…" he paused and stroked his belly. "When it is born, can we name it Yusei?"

So stunned and happy was he to hear Yugi say those words that at first he could not speak, then with wet eyes he hugged his little wife and said. "I would be honored little one."

And Yugi giggled and with a coy smirk, he shoved his husband to his back, and so surprised was he that he fell back without protest and looked up to find his little wife leering at him. Coyly, Yami smirked and said. "But what do you wish for now, little one? You need but ask?"

"What I want?" Yugi leaned forward, teasingly. He answered with a rub of his nose, and blazing, fervent eyes. "I want you to kiss me, Yami. Kiss me, hold me, and make love to me until dawn breaks."

And they did all those thing, and without fear they traveled to many places and learned many skills and learned many spells, but it was a lonely life for many feared their magic and they could not stay in a singular place for long. But they made friends too, friends who loved them and cared not for their strange magic. And when it was time to return home, they returned to that abandoned castle and Kingdom and they lived in that old castle that was the place where they met and loved and lost and gained so much. And when their child was born, a beautiful little boy who looked so much like Yami, but with eyes so big and bright and a cross of blue and violet, they named him Yusei, after the son who Yami had lost, as a symbol of their new lives together. For they were the star that saved the other, and during those lonely times when the world rejected them, this little one was their reminder of the beauty and freedom with existed within isolation and darkness.

And they did not care for the conflicts of the world, for they had all they needed and all they ever wanted and as their son grew, they told him the story of how they met, and told him about the true power that they had learned and obtained. And how true power comes not from titles, or lands or wealth or from others suffering. No, it comes from one's self: for freedom is true power and having someone to make it worthwhile is more valuable than any price of gold.

Like I said, this one is VERY different from my others and i LOVE the twist. Like i said the Once Upon a Time episode inspired this! i always loved Cora as a bad guy so her story made SO much sense! Especially the origin of her brawl with snow white's mom: i think the reason Eva was so determined that Snow be "good" is because she regretted her own "bitchiness" as a girl (and boy was she) but I LOVED the idea of Rumplestilskin and the Miller's daughter being a pairing and come on who could NOT see Yami as a mischievous, fun-loving and magic-using imp with gold dusted skin? I based his appearance loosely based off Rumplestilskin in the show (personally I don't think he'd that bad looking) anyway, the one thing that bugged me: The King who was an ass told her to choose between love or power, yet SHE had HIS heart in her hands (literally) and she chose to take out her own heart? One thing I didn;t get, why couldn't she have both?

So i changed that ending...

Anyway I wanted to change the theme of Greed in the original fairytale and stick with the theme of power (or what people think it is) and that ended up being a theme throughout and honesrtly I think true power is what you make it: its the freedom to be yourself, when you take away people's ability to think they're better than you, you take away their power, of course, I won't lie being financially secure is also a sense of power and freedom in its own right, but if the world's economy is any indication that's not a guarantee either: hence why all that noise was also a theme in this story.

Personally i'm very proud of the ending since that took the most time and i wanted to make it clear that it was Yami Yugi loved and not his magic and vice-versa and i think it worked ^-^