Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite-ed, and followed this story.
I also would like to thank everlarkrecs for coming up with the THG Fairy Tale Challenge, this has been a lot of fun!
Although most of all I would like my lovely and talented betas Court81981, and kismet4891. Thanks to them this story has turned into something special. Thanks ladies!
Not only are they wonderful betas they are very talented writers. I suggest looking up there works if you want something excellent to read!
The Baker's Noble Son
Chapter 2
During the next six years, Peeta clung to the memory of Katniss and cherished it. The thought of the dark-haired huntress would get him through many trialing times. His stepmother worked him to exhaustion, and her sons were cruel to Peeta. He would sometimes think of leaving and finding Katniss at the castle, but he could not abandon his father who had become ill and only Peeta tended to him. As the years passed, Peeta became tall and broad and very strong as well as and a master baker. In the spring of his eighteenth year, sadly, his father died. The day that the baker was buried Peeta's stepmother threw him from the house and the bakery, allowing him to take nothing but a few days worth of bread, a skin full of water, and the clothes on his back.
Peeta was sad and full of grief, but he remembered Katniss's offer many years prior, and so he had an inkling of hope. He imagined that he would be able find her in the castle's employ as a huntress and that she may be able to recommend him to the cook and perhaps he might be able to find a place in the kitchens. Maybe with much luck, he may find her unattached and that over time he may win her heart.
Peeta set off into the forest and soon heard cries of distress; he ran towards the commotion and soon found a nobleman on a horseback being robbed by three vagabonds.
"Hey, stop, I say," Peeta commanded of the thieves.
They laughed at him and one asked, "What will you do, peasant? You do not even have a weapon to stop us."
"I will make you a bet," Peeta said confidently. "If I can best the strongest of you in a wrestling match then you can have all that both this man and I have. If I win, you will let us go unharmed."
The three laughed, released their hostage, and discussed amongst themselves. While they were talking, the man who they were trying to rob stumbled to Peeta; he was short and stocky and had unkempt hair and reeked of rye and wine. His clothes were expensive, but were stained and soiled. He grumbled to Peeta, "Do you know what you are doing, boy?"
Peeta looked at the olive-skinned man and stared into his grey, blood shot eyes; he thought that they were familiar, but dismissed the notion. "Yes, sir I do," he confided in the man, "I used to have to wrestle both of my stepbrothers at one time, and sometimes also their friends. These men will be nothing."
The drunken man huffed and shook his head. "Good luck boy. Much rides on you."
The three thieves chose the largest among them to face Peeta; he was a head taller than Peeta and looked very fierce. "Go get him, Brutus!" they cheered.
Peeta quickly bested the larger man, who had made the mistake of underestimating the boyish-looking baker's son. Soon the giant of a man lay on the forest floor after Peeta gripped him around the throat and caused him to pass out. The other two thieves became enraged, and they jumped in to fight also. He was able to throw one into the woods as if he was nothing but a sack of flour, and he twisted the other's arm until it snapped. The two men grabbed Brutus and drug him away into the woods.
The drunken man, who Peeta had defended, chuckled in disbelief and slapped Peeta on the back. "Well, boy, you did it. Come and rest and I shall share my meal with you."
Peeta sat with the man, and they spoke for a while as they shared meat, white bread, and wine. "What is your name and where are you heading?" the man asked Peeta.
"My name is Petrus Mellark," he replied, "and I'm headed to the king's castle."
The man appraised Peeta and inquired, "Do you go to compete for the princess's hand?" Peeta shook his head in ignorance; his village was isolated and on the furthest reaches of the kingdom. "Have you not heard!? The king's eldest niece and heir, Princess Katarine Teresa, is a stubborn sort of lass who has rejected all suitors presented before her."
"I have always heard the crown princess was beloved by the people," Peeta commented; stories of the crown princess always pronounced her to bekind and generous, yet somber.
"Oh, she is beloved by all who know her, although she butts heads with her uncle. He demands that she chooses a noble bridegroom who will someday be king, as the law commands. She has agreed, but only on the condition that the man must win her hand. She has proclaimed that she will only marry a man who could pass the three challenges of her choosing. Many have tried and failed—noblemen, knights, and princes alike. I thought perhaps that a strong young man such as you would go to try to win her hand. That would be a very fine achievement, indeed."
Peeta smiled and laughed. "No, I go to seek employment in the castle's kitchen. I have no lofty goals such as becoming king, I am a baker's son and not a nobleman," Peeta explained. "My stepmother has thrown me from my house and has given my father's bakery and my livelihood to my stepbrothers. Once, many years ago, I met a dark-haired girl in the woods that lived there, and she said would find me a place there if I ever had a need."
The drunken man smiled wideand then asked, "Tell me boy, what was the name of this girl?"
"Katniss," Peeta replied dreamily, thinking of the maiden that had grown and matured in his dreams as he had.
The man laughed and took a long draw from his flask. "I know this maiden, the huntress. For, I too, live in the castle." Peeta assumed that the man must be a servant of the king. The man removed a ring from his finger and handed it to Peeta; it was a golden signet ring with the relief of a bird carrying an arrow in its mouth, the seal of their kingdom. "Here take this ring with you to the castle. I see you have no weapon, so please also take this dagger," the man said and untied a jewel-encrusted scabbard from his belt and gave it to Peeta. "It will ensure that you have a safe and prosperous journey." Peeta tried to refuse but the grey-eyed man insisted. "Give them back to me when you arrive at the castle."
Peeta put on the items and the drunkard gave Peeta directions to the castle, directions that seemed very far out of the way. He asked, "Is not that portion of the wood haunted and filled with magical creatures? I have heard stories of a wicked gnome who gobbles up children."
"Yes, his name is Snowbeard. Anyone who kills him and brings the king his whiskers would be celebrated," the man confirmed, "But you have nothing to fear if you are pure of heart. The ring belongs to King Haymitch the Victor whom the malevolent creatures of the forest fear. The dagger is made of blessed silver and can dispatch the evil beings."
Peeta walked down the appointed path, and soon he found himself on a darkened trail. He heard the shrill screaming of a child and saw a small, ugly man with a long beard, gnashing his teeth, knife in hand, trying to climb the tree from where Peeta heard the crying child. Peeta drew his dagger. "Snowbeard, leave that child be or I will kill you."
The vile little creature sneered at him."'Tis only a little gypsy girl. Let me eat her, and I will give you a sack full of gold coins."
"Gypsy or royalty it does not matter. I say let her go!" Peeta demanded.
Snowbeard cackled wickedly. "I am an immortal and can only be killed by an innocent with a silver blade." The creature lunged up the tree to get the girl.
"Then your fate has come!" The baker's son grabbed the nasty little man by his long white beard and then slit his throat and then cut the beard from his face. A sack of coins fell during the struggle. Peeta picked it up and put it in his pocket along with the gnome's beard.
When he looked up into the tree, he found the gypsy girl with large brown eyes. He consoled the child. "Do not cry…all is now well; the gnome is dead and will not harm anyone anymore."
The child sniffled and looked at him wearily. Peeta could tell that she was unsure if she could trust him or not.
He raised his arms to her to help her from the tree andsmiled at her. "Fear not, sweet child I will help you to find your family. My name is Petrus Mellark, but you may call me Peeta like all my friends do." She relaxed and allowed him to help her out of the tree. He posed to her, "Tell me your name and how you came to be in that tree."
"My name is Rue, my prince," the girl whispered."Snowbeard lured me into the enchanted part of the forest pretending that he was my father injured in the woods. I ran from him and climbed this tree once I knew who he truly was," she sobbed. "I am far from my family's camp, I have lost my shoes in the chase, and I am cold and hungry."
Peeta laughed at being called a prince, and despite the bitter cold, he removed his cloak and wrapped her up in it, "I am not a prince or even a noble man. I am but a poor baker's son." He shared with her his bread and water and then carried the child and helped her to find her camp. As he carried her, Rue told Peeta that her parents were traders of fine materials and cloths and fortune tellers, as was she.
Peeta teased her playfully, "Then why did you not see that I am a peasant's son and not a prince."
Rue giggled knowingly. "Ah, you're not royalty now, but you will be soon."
Peeta thought it was simply a fanciful dream of a lost, frightened child and dismissed her comment, and soon he found her camp. There was a brightly painted wagon and a beautifully dressed couple who raced to greet Peeta and Rue. They were Rue's parents and were overjoyed to see her safe and sound. Rue told them the tale of Peeta and Snowbeard. Her parents were horrified and thanked Peeta and entreated him to stay and eat with them. He tried to refuse them out of modesty, but they insisted. He agreed only if they would share gnome's gold with him. Peeta thought since Rue had been Snowbeard's intended meal that she should benefit from his demise girl's father, Cinna, asked that Peeta allow him to sew a new garb for him in return for bringing Rue back to them safely. He admitted to Peeta, "Most men of your kingdom would not have bothered with a little gypsy girl."
"I am not most men," Peeta humbly said.
The girl's mother, Portia, insisted on telling Peeta his fortune. He never believed such things but he listened anyway while Cinna measured him for a garment. "You look simply for a vocation and chance to be near your beloved, a huntress, whom you hardly know and have not seen in many years. You shall be rewarded tenfold for your simple acts of kindness, bravery, and integrity, if you can pass the test that lay yet before you yet."
"Will I find the huntress, and can I win her for my bride?" Peeta asked hopefully.
"You are fated to become ruler of this kingdom," Portia said consciously, "and you have already won the princess's heart and she will love none but you, although she will not recognize you until you are wed."
Peeta was polite and withheld his laughter he reminded himself that he was nothing but a village baker's dispossessed son. The best he could hope for was to find a position that would afford him room and board. He had never in his life met a princess, let alone had one fall in love with him.
With his belly full of delicious food and after many cups of ale, Peeta was exhausted and curled up next to the fire and fell asleep. When he woke, it was late in the morning and Cinna, Portia, and Rue were already packed and gone. Peeta thought for a moment that it all had been a dream, but at his feet, he found a bundle of clothes. There was a crisp white shirt, cobalt blue tunic, and warm black breeches—all of the items were made of the finest, most expensive cloth Peeta had ever seen. They were so impeccable that Peeta resisted putting them on, but his clothes were threadbare and Rue must have kept his tattered cloak and a silver one lined with white fur was left in its place. Peeta put on the handsome clothes, which even included tall black boots and warm hat. He was as well dressed as any noble man. Peeta braided the gnome's beard into a belt, and he hung his bag of coins and the silver dagger from it. Portia must have refilled his knapsack because it was full of food.
Peeta continued on his way. After two days of walking alone, he came upon a shallow river and stopped to refill his skin and rest. When he bent down, he noticed a lovely noblewoman's dress hanging from a tree branch along with a sack heavy with coins. He though it a curious thing and wondered where their owner was.
Peeta heard the voice of a woman said in surprise, "Alas, stranger, I hope that you are not here to do harm to me, for I, but a maiden, am all alone and defenseless."
He then saw from where the voice was coming: a beautiful, auburn-haired woman rose out of the water, as naked as the day she was born. She looked at Peeta with large doe-like eyes and a mischievous smile. Peeta carefully met her gaze and ripped his eyes away from her alabaster skin and pleasing form. "You know you could take all you wanted, and I would be powerless to stop you."
"Dear lady," Peeta spoke confidently, "I do not wish to take anything that is not rightly mine nor that I could return."
"Even if I give it to you willingly?" she inquired and batted her eyes at him as she approached him.
"Yes," Peeta returned pleasantly, when she stood directly before him, "even if I am offered it freely. I have done nothing to earn it."
"It would be simple," she smirked, and ran her hand across his chest,"to steal my purse full of silver and take my virtue."
"My lady, I have not earned your money nor if I took your virtue could I ever return it, so I could not take either one," Peeta reiterated and ignored his body's reaction to the gorgeous naked woman. "Please now, lady you must be cold; let me offer you my cloak until you can redress. While I would not harm you, I cannot say for others in the forest. I ran into vagabonds and an evil gnome during my journey, and I would not be surprised if there were more wicked things about."
The woman laughed gleefully and then snapped her fingers, and she was instantly dressed in her gown. "Peeta Mellark," the woman announced, "you have passed the test."
"What test?" Peeta exclaimed and was shocked that the woman knew his name.
"Are you witless?" the woman questioned. "I am Johanna, a fairy of this forest. You three times resisted taking my virtue and my silver. I also know of your other good deeds. You are truly a good and noble man; you are to be rewarded."
"I do not deserve a reward for simply doing what a good man ought to do," Peeta admonished.
"I beg to differ,"she told him firmly yet happily, "and you shall accept my gifts if want to claim your huntress' heart."
It was Peeta's deepest wish to gain Katniss's affections; he nodded his head. "Yes, milady."
Johanna whistled loudly and a large chestnut colored stallion galloped up to them with a richly detailed saddle and reins. "This is one of your rewards. You cannot hope to impress a huntress without a good mount." Johanna winked and nudged Peeta in the ribs. He blushed when he realized her dual meaning. She rolled her eyes at him."Ah, innocents… you are nearly as pure as your love." Johanna then clapped her hands and a bow and quiver appeared out of nowhere and into Peeta's hands. She told him, "This is an enchanted bow and arrows; you will always hit your mark as long as your intentions are honorable."
"I thank you, Lady Johanna," Peeta said softly. "How can repay you?"
"As I said, you are deserving of all this," Johanna assured him and handed him the sack of coins. "You earned it by saving the rich man, ridding the woods of Snowbeard, comforting the lost gypsy child, not to mention how you endured your awful stepfamily and cared for your dying father."
"How do you know of Katniss?" Peeta wondered aloud.
"I've seen your meetings in the wood all those years ago. I know your huntress very well; she is often in my forest,"Johanna tells Peeta in all seriousness. "She is an obstinate maid."
"You make it sound as if you don't like her," Peeta chuckled.
"I do like her." She shrugged her shoulders. "I feel akin to her, both of us being ladies of the forest. Although I must warn you that she thinks that she has found a way to outsmart her own heart."
"How do you know all this?" Peeta asked.
"I know all that happens in this forest," Johanna said authoritatively. "Katniss was hunting in my realm when she vowed that she would never marry except if he were her one true love, the boy with the bread." Johanna smiled at Peeta. "She made this vow knowing that a marriage between her and the boy was all but impossible."
"Why would such a match be impossible?" Peeta naively asked. He feared that she may already be promised or perhaps even wed.
"Don't not worry yourself with that question now, for all will be known in time," the fairy explained. "All you need to know is that in a few days time you will be holding the girl that you've dreamt of since you were six years old."
Peeta rejoiced and whispered to himself, "Thanks be to God, I am meant to be with my Katniss and the gypsies were wrong about me marrying the princess."
Johanna cleared her throat, letting him know that she'd heard him. "Oh, no, the gypsies were right too."
"How can you and the gypsies both be right?" Peeta askedin disbelief.
"When you go reach the castle you shall see," Johanna taunted and then disappeared, leaving her gifts behind her. Peeta stowed the purse and the bow and arrow, along with his other possessions, mounted the horse, and rode to capitol of his country where the king's castle stood.
Thanks for reading! Please remember that reviews are very much appreciated.
In fact the more reviews I get that faster I tend to update (I'm just saying). This story is already written, and is 6 chapters long.
You can also find me at tumblr and Ao3 as izzysamson.