Friday Fictioneers – the Miller’s Daughter

~ neilmacdon

Fancy sharpening your skill with writing exercises? The Scrivener’s Forge offers a new exercise every month to hone one aspect of your craft. Take a look at this month’s exercise here

crook3
Photo Prompt: (C) Sandra Crook

Sound accompanied Yasmin’s days – sails creaking, gears clanking, and grindstones gnashing. Yasmin feared silence. Though the wheels inside her made no sound, sometimes she gritted her teeth.

“I’m not pretty,” she acknowledged to her suitor, “but I won’t sell myself cheap – I know the worth of my inheritance.”

“Silly girl,” said Damasos, and his mirth was like wind in sails. “Mills hold no interest for me. Our fate together lies in palaces far away.”

A Prince! As the soothsayer foretold!

Sitting together beside the hearth, old and content, Damasos laughed his laugh. “Did I actually say I was a Prince?”

 

Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find It here.

84 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – the Miller’s Daughter”

    2. I’m echoing Michael on this one — he might have initially intended to defraud the miller’s daughter, but it sounds like it worked out pretty well for both of them!

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  6. Once again, Neil, you got me with that great descriptive power of yours. Metaphors … LOVE ’em! That ending you supplied was great … how any frogs have we all had to go through?

    Five out of five Blue Djinns.

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  8. Perhaps he can still qualify as the Prince of Deception. But I suppose we can all fit that bill at different times. The hearts that hold out for the best can usually get tripped up by pretenders. I like this much Neil!

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  12. Well, that does sound like a fairy tale – The Prince and the Miller’s daughter. So glad they were content in the end, despite his fraudulent princley claims! Nice tale Neil

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  18. Loved this, Neil. I particularly liked your line: “Though the wheels inside her made no sound, sometimes she gritted her teeth.” This describes me so well. The wheels are always turning in my head. I also find that my role in our family has somehow become some sort of sponge where the rest hurl their bad moods and I’m expected to turn everything magically around and not respond most of the time. I understand the rest of the family has their stressors but they seems to forget that I am human as well with my own feelings and not some kind of robot. Then again, when I keep silent, how will that change? How will their awareness improve?
    I am constantly reminding myself not to clench my teeth.
    We’re about to leave for a family holiday to Tasmania where we’ll be shut in the car together much of the time. This could be interesting. I am already planning diversions.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

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  20. Made me think of Steven Erikson. From a few of your pieces it sounds like fantasy is somewhere you enjoy writing. It’s somewhere I also like to venture as both reader and writer. Happy New Year, and all the best for 2017.

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    1. Interesting you should feel that Paul. I know why you’d think that but in fact I’m not a big fan of fantasy. I am though very interested in what might be called fabulism – exploring the tropes of fables

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