The Adventures of Rumpelstiltskin

The New Queen

I spent the night sleeping in an empty stall in the king's stables.  It wasn't the best sleeping situation I've ever been in, but it was far from the worst.  I'll never forget the time I spent an entire night in a sewer under New York City.  Never mind.
Anyway, I was awaken by an angry groom at dawn.  
"Hey, what are you doing here?!"  He exclaimed.
"Sleeping.  Go away."
"Get outta there!"  He picked up a pitch fork.
"Okay, okay.  I'm going!"  I hopped out of the hay and scurried toward the door, but not before he gave me a swift kick in the butt.
Outside the stable, there was a great deal going on.  I could see the girl being led from the castle by the king and several guards.  I followed them through the castle gates.  A large crowd, the entire town, stood before the castle.  The girl's father stood in the front, his face pale.  He was waiting for bad news.
"Congratulations sir," the king said.  The man stared.
"W-what?"  The man stuttered.  The king turned to the crowd and pulled the girl forward.
"I am here to announce the wedding of Margaret and I.  We are inviting the entire kingdom  We will marry tomorrow at noon."  The girl's father stared at him in disbelief.  Then he turned and looked at his daughter with a questioning look.  She just shrugged and smiled.  
I climbed to the top of a stack of hay bales and waved toward her.  She smiled and winked at me.  Unfortunately the king saw me as well.
"Who is that little man climbing on the hay?" I heard him say to her.
"Who?" said the girl.
"That little man.  You see him."
"Oh that's- he's just a friend," she told him.
"Just a friend?  What is his name?" Uh-oh.  Now she was stuck.  She stared at me.  I quickly mouthed the first name that came to my mind.
"His name is Bryan," she told him.  The king looked at me once more, than turned back to the girl.
"Let's go.  We have much planning to do."

The wedding the next day was absolutely splendid.  There was flowers, streamers, and people everywhere.  The largest wedding cake in the world was just arriving, along with food of every kind.  Everyone there was wearing the finest clothing, making me look dirty in my ragged outfit.  We were all escorted to the large meadow where the ceremony would take place.  There were thousands of expensive seats.  I quickly found one that was just my size.
The ceremony began.
The girl, whom I had found out was named Jacqueline arrived with her father.  They made their way towards the king, who was looking magnificent in robes and a golden crown.
After the ceremony, there was a grand party.  The king had hired a hundred of the best musicians in the land and the food was prepared by the greatest chefs.  I stuffed my sack with bread, cookies, and muffins to save for later.
The party lasted all day and night before the king and his new queen returned to the place.  I slipped away and headed back home.