Hello, new story here! I'm not going to say much up here but there will be some more info at the bottom!

Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I Disclaim


Once upon a time, not that long ago in fact, there lived a baker. A simple man was he, uncaring of the riches of the world, content with his small bakery and the love of his beautiful expecting wife. Their home was a small town of Vardø in the grand country of Wyrona, known for its beauty and elegance, the baker took great pride in his country. Yet the winters were harsh, ice and snow plagued the land, quite often than not descending upon it and the villagers like a vast silvery beast, ready to wreak havoc. One year was particularly bad, the cold lasting longer, ruining the crops and harvest.

This is where our story starts.

For due to the harsh weather the young baker could harvest no grain and there would be no travelling traders to buy from, therefore no bread would be made, no bread sold and no money for the young baker or his beautiful expecting wife. Slowly, steadily they fell into a dire state of poverty, for the next eight harvests brought little to no yield, at the time of the second harvest the baker's wife bore a precious baby boy, with crystal blue eyes and rosy red cheeks. The baker wept in joy at his newly born son, yet he also wept in sorrow that he would not have the money to provide the best, as he would have wished.

Unsuccessful harvests came and went as years rolled by, the baker and his family succumbing to the clutches of poverty even more so. The couple lived with their six year old son in the empty husk of what used to be their home, void of possessions since they were sold long ago, the only thing remaining were the cloths on their backs, a small bag of wooden marbles owned by the child and a little wooden cart, used for moving around logs, kept out behind the ramshackle house in the yard.

One icy evening, during the baker's daily journey into the forest to gather fire wood he came across a beggar woman, hunched was her back and gnarled was the hand that reached out to him, looking for purchase. The baker, kind and humbled by the years of poverty and misfortune, instantly dropped the fire wood he had been cradling and clutched the woman's hand, supporting her weight. Once she had been steadied she spoke.

"I have been wandering for many days, and have had none but grass dew to drink, please do you have some water?"

The baker immediately seized the small leather flask containing the last of his water and handed it over to the beggar, she drank heartily then handed the flask back once she had been quenched.

"I have walked through storms and over mountains with nothing but worms and beetles to eat; please do you have some bread?"

The baker reached blindly into his crude cloth bag and fished out a small, slightly moldy chunk of bread, the best his wife could find for his lunch. Once again he handed it over to the woman and she gobbled it down eagerly.

"I have marched distances that no man would brave with old bones and no rest, please lend me your back to the edge of the forest?"

Without hesitation the baker turned and knelt on the damp dirty ground before the hag, she quickly scrambled on to his back and clung tightly. The baker rose and began towards the forest edge, towards his village.

Many hours later, when the sky was darkening, the baker and the woman arrived at the edge of the forest. As the woman dismounted she spoke again.

"You have been very generous, young man. But I must ask one more thing of you, and then I shall reward you for your kindness. I ask for what is resting behind your home, in the yard."

The naïve baker believed the hag was asking for his cart, for what else did he keep in the yard? So quickly agreed, he did not need a reward, he just wished to help the old woman. Yet before his eyes the old woman was no more, an enchanting and beautiful lady stood where the hag had once been, looking down upon the baker with malevolent golden eyes. Deep red hair, the colour of blood, swirled around her form. The young man realised too late that he was faced with the Devil.

She smiled, "Your generosity shall be repaid in kind, everything you willingly gave to me shall be returned in wealth. However, I shall come back and claim what is rightfully mine in ten years."

With that she turned and strode back into the forest, the shadows bending as if to call her to them.

The baker slowly looked down to find that the cloths on his back were no longer rags but made of the finest linens, intricate designs and delicate stitching laced its way over the soft material. Quickly the baker turned to his bag, which was now leather, and looked inside. Where there were once moldy bread crumbs now sat ripened fruits, dried meats and cheeses all packed into the small satchel. He took a swig from his previously drained flask only to find it filled with sweet tasting wine.

The baker ran home quickly, full of joy and happiness, but what he found was not what he left. The previously desolate home was now rebuilt, full of life, gold and possessions that they had sold, his wife standing in the doorway in a beautiful dress looking bewildered. The baker joyously retold his tale to her but haltered as she grew pale and wept. When he ask what worried her so she grew silent, she slowly took his hand and lead him out into the courtyard without a word, and what he saw broke his heart.

Resting peacefully unawares behind the cottage, in the courtyard was the baker's young son, curled up in the little cart, surrounded by a field of Saxifrage, Anemone and Baby's Breath with one single bright yellow Daffodil clutched tightly against a small chest in tiny little fists.


Please Review!

Places:

Norway=Wyrona - Y-row-nah

Meaning of the flowers:

Anemone- indicates fading hope and a feeling of having been forsaken. On a positive note it symbolizes anticipation.

Gypsophilla– innocence purity of heart

A single daffodil foretells a misfortune

Saxifrage -National flower of Norway

Thankyou.