Rumpelstiltskin vs Miller

Then she began to explain her plan.

"I'm sure he thinks, 'She doesn't know Elfin so how can she guess my name?'

But Moe (as Millicent turned toward him), he doesn't know that you know languages.

Surely you know Elfin too. Don't you?"

"Yes Ma'am", came the unhesitating reply.

"Good.", the Queen responded, "Then you will think of every Elfin name you know of, write it down and tell me how to say them. All you have to do is put his name on the list and the problem is solved."

"Yes Ma'am, very good Ma'am.", but even as Moe repeated the standard affirmative reply of a Royal Policeman a negative thought occurred to hi and he asked, "But what if his name is not on the list?"

"Then", Millicent answered, we go to step 2 of our plan. You are to follow this elf, watch him, and listen to him until he speaks his name. He says no human can follow him, but I don't think he's ever had someone like you on his tail."

"Thank you Your Majesty for your confidence", Moe said, "I believe we will justify it. He can't live far from here or he couldn't just walk to the palace. And we know he didn't have a horse or carriage. So distance shouldn't be a problem in following him but there is the language angle. We do need another Elfin speaker...", and Moe now paused in thought then turned to Joab and continued. "Well this is unusual, we don't have a man for the job but we do have a woman. Your wife the scholar." That startling point finally moved the silent brooding warrior to speak.

"Debael? A woman doing a man's, a bodyguard's duty?" But he then recalled how he met her, seeing her sneak up on the sleeping General Erasis and kill him and said, Well if any woman can do a man's work it's her and besides she's the only other Elfin speaker available to perform this mission." So it was decided and Millicent let the two men leave to make their plans.

Moe also prepared a list of Elfin names which the Queen was very happy to see. She couldn't help but feel pleased with herself. She had a list of names at hand and had arranged if necessary to have the elf followed and his name found by her spies. This was the way for her to operate. No more useless crying. That wouldn't accomplish anything. The thing to do Millicent reflected was to remain calm. Life had so many twists and turns that you'd go mad if you got excited over every little problem. Better to be calm, have your soul at peace, your mind active and use it to solve life's problems.

She then began pondering what she'd do whenever she got the elf's name.

The young Queen did some analytical thinking that would have done credit to a man many years her senior. She now realized that was only the beginning for she would have to make proper use of this information and the key to that was understanding that once she had the elf's name the tables would be turned and she'd have power over him. No more nonsense about an elf holding power over a queen. The Queen would have her rightful authority over the elf and it'd be up to her to magnanimously decide how he'd be rewarded. But what if he still was unreasonable or threatened to expose her to the king?

No problem. Millicent would tell Yvan first. She'd finally figured it out.