Avonlea, the once beautiful and prosperous kingdom by the moutains and the sea had completely fallen to the savagery of the ogres, and nobody knew what to do, not even Princess Belle.

But that was just as well, because even if Belle had had an idea, nobody would have listened to her, anyway.

Belle was engaged to Prince Gaston, from the neighboring kingdom of Kaeslara. She had been engaged to him since the day of her birth, and they were friends as children, but when they grew up, he became groomed to be the king of Kaeslara, but along with that, he became stupid and vain, and for fun, he enjoyed hunting, a hobby that Belle grew to find repulsive because she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of killing an animal for sport. On the other hand, while Belle became trained in the ways of learning how to be a wife, she became wildly intelligent by spending most of her spare time by reading books. By the time she was fifteen, in fact, she was fluent in several foreign languages. Gaston thought it was a waste of time (as did his parents), while Belle's father was indifferent about how smart his only child was becoming. As for Belle's darling mother, while she was alive, she encouraged Belle to learn as much as she could because being smart was the key to her finding her own happiness in places other than Avonlea or Kaeslara.

But every day that Belle remained her father King Maurice's castle and saw the fires of the battlefield off in the distance where young children were fighting and dying at the hands of the wretched ogres, she remembered that she was trapped.

She felt even more trapped by the fact that Gaston had moved into the castle three years ago to help King Maurice with battle plans. He wasn't even at their castle for a month before Maurice promoted him to second in command, and because Belle was to be his wife and he didn't want to miss a chance, they started having children right away. Sons mattered more to Gaston than being married.

Belle agreed because she always wanted to be a mother, and also because she felt that being a mother would give her a distraction from the craziness in her life. (She also didn't want to ever be married to someone like Gaston, so it made no difference to her about having illegitimate children because she wouldn't love them less) She wanted a daughter because she wasn't sure if she could bring a son into the world because that meant that meant that Gaston's family line would carry on, and she didn't want to be responsible for that, not when Gaston had come to start treating her like his personal property. All Belle wanted was a daughter.

Her wish came true: nine months after they tried for a baby, Belle gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl. Belle adored her daughter, but Gaston, upset that Belle hadn't had the son he so desired for his heir, tried again with Belle, only for her to miscarry. When they tried again, she carried the child to term, although it was another daughter.

Downright upset by Belle's apparent 'inability' to have sons, Gaston turned abusive and punished Belle sexually to the point where the princess was pregnant yet again at age twenty-one, and beginning to feel broken.

This was no way to live, and her children didn't deserve this life.

She needed to get out of Avonlea with her, possibly to The Enchanted Forest for asylum.

It was just a matter of coming up with a way to get out.

"You wanted to see me, papa?"

It was evening, now and Belle had just put her daughters to sleep. She also had to give herself a pat on the back because she'd made it through another day of hiding her pregnancy. It had been intention to go to bed because she was feeling extremely nauseas due to the baby in her belly, but her plans became derailed when a servant appeared, telling her that her father was requesting her presence.

She couldn't refuse him, so now she found herself in the war room, standing at the head of the table, waiting for her father's response while also ignoring the stares of the other members of the council.

"It is no longer safe in Avonlea for you or your children; it is time for you all to go somewhere safe."

His tone made her feel uneasy because she had a feeling that his response to her next question wasn't going to be something she wanted to hear.

"May I ask what our destination is?"

"The castle of King Irving and Queen Beverly."

The two people in question were Gaston's parents, and if Gaston didn't like Belle, his parents were even less than fond of her because she hadn't given them any grandsons yet. Living at their castle would spell misery, all the way around, but Belle also knew she'd never be able to feel right about going to her future in-laws' realm at all because they were said to be allies of Regina, the Evil Queen. She wouldn't feel right about raising her children in a place where someone like Regina could come strolling through the door on any given day of the week.

"Father, no!" Belle cried. "I can't go to them; I just can't!"

Signaling some of the other members of the war council to hold Gaston back as he tried to lash out at Belle for her adamant refusal, Maurice responded to his daughter with an air of dismissal.

"You are due to be married, as it is, Belle, so this is just as good a time as any to go to Kaeslara."

Belle opened her mouth to protest further, but her father arched an eyebrow at her, and she stayed quiet. Rare was the occasion when Belle gave her father any backtalk, but when she did, she was easily silenced. Tonight was different, though, because she had a feeling that it could mean the difference between a normal way of life and total misery.

"Not another word, Belle. Go on and pack, or shall I send a servant to help?"

"No, thank you, papa." Belle said quickly. "May I go back to my room now?"

Maurice nodded and he and his men returned their attention back to their battle plans.

By the time she got back to her bedroom, she realized that it was now or never: she was going to take her children and run. Tonight.

Working quickly, she found a rucksack pouch and filled it with the absolute necessities that she and her daughters would need before closing it and tying it to the belt on her dress, keeping it nearby. She also found a warm long-sleeved cloak to wear and put that on, too.

After that, she found some warm clothes for her daughters to wear during their journey. As an afterthought, she found a sling for her baby daughter to rest in so she'd have her hands free and fastened it on her body before sitting on her firstborn's bed with her.

"Violet, my sweet." Belle cooed to her three-year-old as she scooped her into her lap and planted a few smooches on her cheek. "It's time for up again. Come on, baby girl. Come on."

It took a few moments, but Princess Violet woke and gave her a heart-melting smile. "Is it morning, mumma?"

Belle shook her head and pulled Violet into a sitting position as she began to dress her. "The sun still has yet to wake, but I've decided that you, Jade, and I are going to go on an adventure."

Violet was immediately more awake. "An adventure?"

"Uh-huh. There you go."

Belle had outfitted Violet in a clean outfit, stockings, and her favorite sleeved cloak. As Belle fixed her daughter's hood on her head, she felt herself turning to mush because Violet was her spitting image and was looking at her with all of the love and the trust in the world.

"I love you, mumma." Violet kissed Belle on the cheek. "So much."

"And I love you, too." Belle hugged her daughter. "The most important part about our adventure tonight is that it will only work if we don't tell anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Violet said seriously, catching her mother's drift. "I'll be good."

"Thank you." Belle told her sincerely. "Please get your shoes on while I get your sister prepared."

Genuinely excited about their adventure, Violet headed off to do as she was told.

Luckily, at four months old, Jade was a very easygoing baby, stirring just for the briefest of moments when she became settled in her sling; the new cocoon of warmth was even warmer than her crib had been. Feeling her mother's heartbeat and body heat was the cherry on top that allowed her to sink into an even deeper sleep.

Before they all disappeared together through a forgotten secret passageway along the back wall off Belle's room, the auburn-haired princess found a lantern and lit it before extinguishing the rest of the candles in her bedroom.

The secret passageway led to a road outside that the peasants used when coming from neighboring villages or kingdoms to come trade at the marketplace, which was conveniently located in the courtyard of King Maurice's castle.

After awhile of traveling down the deserted lane, her way lit by the light of her lantern and the moon overhead in the sky, Belle's ears perked up at a particular sound, although it wasn't a welcome one. Off in the distance, back at the castle, she could hear the angry yells of the Gaston and the guards; they had all just realized that Belle and her children were missing, and they were leaving the courtyard gates on horseback to recover them.

At that same moment, a woman dressed for traveling and sporting a bright red hooded cloak for warmth was just up ahead on the path. She had been at marketplace all day and well into the night, running her stall of wares. She'd actually made a decent profit and when the market closed, she deconstructed her stall and loaded up her horses; she wanted desperately to go straight home to her family, but the trading had gone longer than she'd expected, so she was going to stay at an inn for the night. The inn wasn't too far away, and she was looking forward to a hot meal.

She had heard what Belle had, and in the gloom, she saw the princess freeze as she tried to figure out what to do. Hungry, but deciding that a rescue was more important, she tied the reigns of her horses to a nearby tree branch and proceeded to double back. The woman moved stealthily through the underbrush until she was about eight feet away.

Between Belle's hearing the sounds in the people of her former home and the mystery woman coming back for her, less than two minutes had elapsed, and that was as long as it took for Belle to realize that someone else was in the immediate vicinity with her and her children. When she turned, she saw the woman in red beckon to her.

"Come quick, Princess Belle!" she stage whispered to her. "Quickly!"

Something was vaguely familiar about this woman to Belle, and since she wasn't posing a threat, she decided to trust her and hurried over to her with Violet and Jade. The second they reached their new ally, she blew out the candle in Belle's lantern and pulled them all in to the tall grass to hide with her.

Moments later, the guards came thundering past on horseback, Gaston in the lead. None of them had stopped to consider that Belle could have hidden on the side of the path, so they were gone as quickly as they'd come.

When Belle's rescuer signaled that it was alright to speak again, the princess exhaled a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"Wow! Thank you for that!"

The woman pulled back her hood, and the moonlight shone on her face, illuminating it, and Belle's heart skipped a beat because she was convinced that she was looking at the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You're quite welcome, Princess."

Belle smiled kindly at her. "You saved my children and me; you've more than earned the right to call me by just my name."

"Then I'm honored, Belle. Does this mean that we're friends?"

"Most definitely. What is your name?"

The woman gave Belle a beautiful smile that came naturally to her. "My name is Red."

"What a beautiful name."

Red nodded towards Violet and Jade, and Belle's heart leapt as she remembered that none of people who lived outside of the castle walls knew she even had children. Gaston had been adamant that none of the peasants know that they had children until they had at least one son to be an heir to throne of the kingdom of Kaeslara.

Red was more interested in the little ones than upset that this was the first time that a non-royal or non-noble was finding out about the kingdom's littlest royals.

"Who do we have here?"

"This is Violet, and she's three." Belle touched a hand to the sling. "And Jade is asleep in here; she's four months old."

The infant in question slumbered on while on the ground, Violet was nodding off (she'd reached her limit of being awake) and blew a kiss to Red before succumbing to her sleepiness and falling forward. Red caught her and took her into her arms to keep her from hitting the dirt.

"Belle," Red said. "Where were you going?"

"Anywhere that isn't Avonlea... My endgame is The Enchanted Forest."

Red shook her head. "That's a bad idea; the place is in disarray."

Feeling like she lived under a rock, Belle asked her friend, "Why?"

"King Leopold was murdered a few weeks ago, his daughter is rumored to have run away, and the king's wife..."

Belle connected the dots. "She's this 'Evil Queen' there's been whispers of, huh?"

Red nodded. "Yes, and she wouldn't have a reason to be interested in you unless you've done something wrong to her... have you?"

"No." Belle answered honestly. "I've never even met her, but Prince Gaston's parents are friends with her, though."

Even though Red technically lived in The Enchanted Forest, she still travelled to Avonlea often enough to know that Belle and Gaston were engaged, and from what interactions she'd had with him, she'd gotten the impression that he wasn't as prince-like as he presented himself. Red couldn't blame Belle for wanting to run away.

"Then come with me."

Belle was taken aback. "Pardon?"

"I'm going to an inn about a mile away, and I'm going to have dinner and stay the night before I return to my village to return to my grandmother and my little girl." Ruby explained. "I'm friends with the owner at the inn, and if I ask her to, she can give us one of the private rooms and not say a word if anyone comes asking for you or your children. In the morning, you can come with us and I can give you a horse and supplies to take with you further on your journey."

Belle suddenly felt an intense rush of affection towards Red. "You would do that for me? We just met."

"I haven't had a friend in a very long time, and you're a mother. I want to help."

Red stood, balancing the fast-asleep Violet on her hip and held her hand out to Belle.

"Westgate is on the border of The Enchanted Forest, but if you change your mind about going on, you're more than welcome to stay with us."

Belle already liked Red as it was, but hearing how close Westgate was to her destination 'sealed the deal,' so to speak. "Alright, then. We'll come with you."

Belle took Red's hand and allowed her to pull her up, although when she stood, she had a small vertigo episode; apparently the baby in her belly didn't like when she moved suddenly.

"Are you alright?" Red asked Belle when it passed.

Already herself again, Belle nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Red nodded towards Belle's middle, which the princess was now resting her free hand on, and smiled kindly at her.

"How far along are you?"

Belle became taken aback. "H-how did you know?"

"I'm the village midwife." Red winked. "I'm a trader, too, but my true passion is bringing babies into the world."

Belle couldn't help but smile at that. "I'm three months along, and nobody knows... except for you."

Red arched an eyebrow. "The baby in your sling is four months old, but the one in your belly is three months into gestation?"

"I'd rather not talk about it..."

"Alright, then." Red nodded in the direction from whence she'd come. "I've got a pair of horses up ahead. Come on."

Belle peered in the same direction, too, before she and her companion locked eyes again. "But Red, it's dark."

Red winked again. "I can see in dark very well; it's a sort of talent. Give me your hand so we don't get lost on the way back to the horses."

Belle held up her hand to show Red, and she giggled. "We're still holding hands from when you pulled me up."

Even in the dark, Red's face turned to color of her name and tightened her hold on Belle's firstborn. "I've got Violet; do you have Jade?"

Belle cradled Jade in her sling, holding her close. "Yes. She's a very good sleeper."

Red gave Belle's hand a squeeze. "Then let's go."

"Lead the way, then."

And so Red led Belle back to the horses, telling the princess about herself since the danger had long passed. Belle was coming to like Red even more, the more she learned about her.

This was the start of a beautiful friendship.