The Baker's Children
Chapter 1: "Beginnings"
Present Day
The Baker household was the strangest of all families. The family of seven lived two villages away from the Royal Castle. Their small bakery almost thrived in the prime location of their village square, though their profits grew more insufficient each year. 'Who could blame them,' thought the villagers. Charles Baker, the current head of the family, suffered from an unknown ailment that slowed his work. His wife was from a far away, bustling town and she was generally unliked and untrusted by their neighbors. The children were rarely seen, besides the oldest daughter. The girl had inherited her mother's foreign looks, and was the envy of all in the village. The villagers thought it a waste to have such a pretty face if it was always covered in flour or hidden inside a book. The bread wasn't all that great, either. If any villager lived long enough to tell, they would remember that there hadn't been a good baker living in that residence in hundreds of years. That was the stigma that Charles and his family grew up around, and when opinions are voiced so loudly in the streets, they tend to creep into our own thoughts.
Baker children were raised on the stories of Benjamin Baker, their great ancestor who supposedly made cakes and bread for the king. It is that very tale that Margie Baker begins our story with as she tells her children of the ordinary Benjamin who somehow found fame and fortune from his talent. The rocking chair creaked and creaked as Margie rocked the youngest of the Baker children to sleep and recited her story from memory. Rosemary was the prettiest baby that anyone had ever seen, though no one but the family had laid eyes on her. She had large tufts of black hair growing from the top of her head and large blue eyes. Because she was a baby, she didn't have many distinguishing features or a personality, but enjoyed sleeping, crying, and eating.
Aster Baker was the second youngest of the group and sat on the floor in front of the bed, letting her older sister comb her light brown locks. She was seven at this time and very interested in the story, though she had heard it at least ten times, which she knew because her older sister was teaching her to count. Aster was as pretty as any young girl was expected to be, and spent most of her time tending to the animals out back. She looked up to her sister and loved her unconditionally, even if she was jealous that Azalea got to meet young boys and she did not.
Audrey and William were the twins of the family and both at ten years of age. They could tell Benjamin's story backwards if they wanted too, and lied on their bed together playing stick knights. Audrey had brown hair like their mother, but William had inherited the dark hair of their father, just like Rosemary. The two never left each others side, and passed the long summer days playing various games they invented. Audrey was brilliant and William was downright competitive.
Sitting on the second bed in the room was Azalea, the oldest of all the Baker children. She sat diligently combing her sister's hair, which she was quite fond of and liked more than her own dark brown hair. She was listening peacefully to their mother's tale. Having heard it the most of all the children, she sought comfort in the familiar rags to riches tale. Many responsibilities often fell on Azalea's shoulders because of her mother's ineptness and her father's aching bones. Mostly she looked after her sisters. Azalea knew she was the envy of all the other girls in town for her charming looks, but didn't know what to make of the information. At fifteen, she should have already had many suitors or even a husband, but because she was needed at home and perceived as odd, she was all alone. She longed for a life of adventure, where no one knew her and she had no responsibilities. She'd give almost anything for that. But seeing as magic was quite rare and taboo, she was content to take care of her family.
Soon, all the children were asleep, except Azalea, and Margie left the room after kissing each child on the forehead. Once Margie was gone, Azalea lighted a candle and held the handle over a book she had pulled out from under the bed. She stayed up many hours into the night, reading about princes and princesses. Her mother thought stories were ridiculous, unless based in truth, so Azalea hid the books she secretly bought from traveling salesmen. This particular book had cost almost half a year's worth of saving. A constant tapping distracted Azalea's mind from the words of her story and she gave up reading for the night. She thought it was the wind, but when it got louder, she decided to discover the source of the noise. Little did she know she was about to meet the person who would change her life forever.
Outside the Baker's house was a girl only a few years older than Azalea, crouching behind a small bail of hay. She beckoned Azalea forward, who despite all the warning signs, met the stranger.
"Can I stay in your barn tonight?" The girl whispered in a very nonthreatening way. Her voice was sweet and gentle.
"You don't have to ask. We would have never noticed." Azalea answered truthfully, bringing the candle forward. The girl wrung her hands together.
"I'm sorry. I'm still new at this." The orange light that was cast upon the stranger made Azalea notice things she wasn't able to before. The girl before her was wearing an expensive gown and had jewels woven in her hair. She noticed Azalea staring because she stood and began backing away very slowly. Azalea immediately knew who she was.
"Snow? Don't be afraid. My family believes that you're the true Queen." Azalea reassured the princess. Snow hesitated, but seemed to trust her. Azalea held out her hand for Snow to take and led her into the barn where their donkey, Patches, slept in the corner. "Stay the night. Stay as long as you want."
"I can't. The Queen, she'll find me." Snow trembled, sitting down in the dirt like she was glad to rest her legs. Snow White looked completely out of place in their dirty barn.
"I'll get you a blanket... And maybe a change of clothes. You'll easily be spotted in what you're wearing." Azalea offered, not believing the kingdom's princess was in her family's barn.
"Do you have anything I can eat or drink? I haven't had anything in a while." Azalea nodded, sneaking back into her home. She grabbed a blanket, her own set of clothes, a bottle of milk, and some old bread from the bakery. She found Snow in the same spot, staring out the small window.
"It must be very hard for you, being so far away from home." Azalea said by way of greeting as she kneeled next to Snow. She offered her basket and was glad that Snow didn't scoff at what she had brought.
"Thank you. I don't know what's home anymore." Snow said solemnly, taking delicate sips of the milk. "My father is gone. My kingdom has turned against me... My stepmother despises me." She was still staring off as she bit hungrily into a roll.
"More of the kingdom is with you than you think." Azalea said, resting her head against the wall of the barn. "The Queen has put out a huge reward for your head, but from what I've heard, at least in this village and the one over, is that you're innocent."
"Thank you. That means more to me than you'll ever know."
"I'm no one special. I'm not going to play a big part in anyone's story. I'm just glad I could help." Snow reached out a hand to touch Azalea's knee.
"You're very inspiring. Look how you've helped me, knowing the consequences if you're caught. You've truly affected my life, so I would never say you're not special." Snow's sincerity touched Azalea, who found a few tears coming to her eyes. "Oh no, don't cry. I'm the one on the run." Snow said, removing her hand and looking worried. Azalea chuckled.
"I'm not going to cry. Thanks, though. It means a lot." They both laughed again then sat in silence. "Change into those clothes to wear as a disguise. Tomorrow, I have to take bread to the village over, so you can hide in the wagon. You'll be on your own from there, but I think another village won't be too far off."
"Thank you. Tell me your name so I might return the favor one day."
"Azalea Baker."
"Thank you, Azalea. It is nice to know I have allies. Goodnight."
"Night." Azalea said before leaving. As she closed the barn door, she had one last look at the princess, who was finishing off the last of the rolls. She didn't understand how anyone could be so evil to such a sweet girl. The minute her head hit the pillow, Azalea fell asleep. She didn't think twice about being a traitor to the queen. Her thoughts were with the innocent princess hiding in her barn.