Chapter 85

"I don't know that story," said Alexandra.

"A miller was a boastful man, and there was nothing that anyone could do that he couldn't do better, or, if not him, then his daughter. She was a quiet girl and kept to herself. She loved to spin, and would sit by the fire and listen to her father boast while she spun wool into thread. One day a King rode through their village and stopped by the mill for a drink. Sure enough, the miller filled the King's ears with boasting, but the King just ignored it all. Finally, desperate for a response from his royal guest, the miller claimed that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. That got the attention of the King, for who has ever known a King who didn't need more gold? He told the miller to send his daughter to the King's palace. He would give her a room full of straw. If she could spin it into gold, well and good he would make her his Queen. If she failed, then she and the miller would die."