Al Drin Hoshizora: Was it that shocking?
I am a burglar: It'd be spoiled by then.
MrScourch: The Queen's personality is supposed to be reflected upon by the state of the castle.
LilactheDryad: Indeed.
Finding a job in the town had proved relatively simple for Red. She had been taught baking and confectionery by her mother from a young age, and had managed to find herself a job as an assistant confectioner, despite her young age.
"I can't believe I've found a job already," Red whispered to Woody. Turning to the baker, she said, "I'll make sure you're really proud of my work!"
"Just get to work," The baker ordered. He was a rather rotund man, and Red couldn't hep but think he was the kind of man who stuffed his face full of sweets on his off days. She said nothing about it, though.
As the baker exited the room, Red turned to Woody. She had some experience with baking, but she wasn't sure Woody did.
It appeared that the woodcutter understood what she was thinking. "I'm going to go cut some trees down," He said, pointing rather awkwardly to his axe. Red nodded and waved him off.
As Woody turned to leave, he said, "We haven't seen Mr. Wolf all day. What do you think he's up to?"
Red shrugged. "I don't really care as long as he stays out of trouble," She replied, scratching the back of her head. "I hope he doesn't come here, though. A wolf in a bakery is bound to cause nothing but problems."
Woody blinked. "I do think he's trying to help," He mumbled.
"Yeah, but he's a wolf," Red pointed out, still skeptical. "The dwarfs told us not to attract attention to ourselves, and I'm pretty sure walking around with a wolf next to you is going to draw a lot of attention to us."
The woodcutter didn't respond. He just gave a shrug of his shoulders before exiting the room.
Red let out a sigh. She tried to push the Wolf out of her thoughts as much as possible as she went to work. She prayed the Wolf was smart enough not to cause trouble in a kingdom as large as Grimm.
"I saw a wolf!"
Red let out a deep sigh. It appeared her prayers had not been answered.
She had just been finished baking a rather large batch of cupcakes when she heard the dreadful sound from outside the bakery. Judging from the voice, it was coming from a child.
Since the cupcakes were finished, Red got up off the chair and walked out through the room to see what all the commotion was about. She also reminded herself to chew out the Wolf for revealing himself so quickly the next time she saw him.
On the streets, a young boy was standing around, jabbering to a crowd. Red stood at the door of the bakery, pulling her red hood over her head.
"I tell you, it was a wolf!" The boy was shouting, a panicked look on his face. "It was, like, ten feet tall! It had black fur, and yellow eyes, and teeth the size of swords! It ripped apart one of my sheep, I tell ya!"
Red could tell the boy was rather traumatized by the experience. In his fragile state, his fragile must have exaggerated the Wolf's features. However, she was more perplexed by the reaction of the townsfolk.
"Nice story, kid," One rather short man said sarcastically, waving the young boy off.
"You're not fooling us this time," A woman from across the street sneered at the boy. The rest of the crowd all started mumbling at the boy, a few hurling insults.
"I'm telling you, it was a wolf!" The boy cried out. "For real, this time! Why won't you believe me?"
Inside the bakery, the baker chuckled and said, "That boy never learns, does he?"
Red turned to stare at him. "What do you mean?" She asked, somewhat confused. "Why won't they believe him?"
"That boy is always crying wolf," The baker said, putting his hands on his large belly. "Must be a sick joke of his. We stopped listening to his yacking a few days ago, and I'd suggest you do the same."
In the back of her mind, Red was somewhat relieved. If the boy was a pathological liar, at the very least the Wolf's cover wasn't completely blown, and a panic wouldn't start. She hoped he'd be more careful next time, though.
Out of the corner of her mind, Red noticed a guard walking up to the boy. He was wearing black armor, and had a small goatee and bushy eyebrows. Red's eyes narrowed in curiosity.
The guard jabbed the boy on the shoulder to get his attention. "Some folks are saying you've been causing quite a ruckus, kid," He growled. "Mind telling me what the commotion is about?"
The boy turned to face him. "I saw a wolf!" He shouted to the guard. "You have to believe me!"
The guard's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed. "Hey, I know you," He said, frowning. "You're that boy who's always crying wolf. This has been the fifth time this week, lad."
"But I really saw one this time," The boy pleaded, backing up a bit. "For real."
"Now look here, kid," The guard said, grabbing the boy by the wrist roughly. "You've caused enough trouble in this town already. I'm not tolerating it anymore." With that, he began to roughly drag the boy down the street.
"Wait, stop!" The boy cried out as he tried to pry himself from the guard's grip. "Somebody help me!"
Red watched on in horror. As she looked around at the multiple of townsfolk nearby, she expected somebody to speak out. However, to her disbelief, every man and woman watching just turned away and ignored it.
Red's mouth hung open in shock. How could anyone tolerate such cruelty?
She wouldn't, she thought to herself. Quickly, she dashed out through the door and onto the street. She could hear the baker calling out to her, but she ignored it.
Racing down the street after the guard and the boy, she called out, "Hey, mister! Unhand that child right now!"
The guard stopped, and turned around to face Red. "Is there a problem, miss?" He asked, eyeing the teenage girl. The boy immediately stopped struggling in his grip.
Now that she was at arms length of the guard, Red suddenly felt intimidated. This guard wasn't as big as the ones she'd met earlier, but he still stood a head taller than her.
She gulped a bit, then found her voice. "I was just going to. . . uh, tell you to release that boy," She said, taking a step away. Close by, some of the townsfolk watched on in disbelief, shocked that the girl had spoken out against the guard.
The guard himself looked stunned, but his eyes quickly narrowed. "Are you going to make me, lass?" He challenged, taking a step forward, the boy still in his grip. Red steeled herself not to run.
"Well?" The guard questioned, his free hand reaching for his sword. "Are you?"
"I, uh. . . well. . ." Red stammered, her courage fading fast. Suddenly, the guard let out a howl of pain when the boy unexpectedly slammed his foot down on the guard's boot. The boy took the opportunity to dash down the street.
"Hey boy!" The guard shouted. "Come back here!" But the boy kept running.
The guard turned to Red, his eyes filled with rage. "You seem to be knew here, so I'll let you off this time," He warned her. "But you better not cross me again, ya here?"
Red nodded quickly, just wanting the guard's glare off of her. The guard sneered, then turned and ran in the direction the boy had dashed off to, shouting for him to come back.
Red breathed a sigh of relief, and turned around to the other townsfolk. They all avoided her gaze.
Red shrunk down. She'd never felt so embarrassed in her short life. Dejected, she walked back towards the bakery, where the baker was waiting for her, a stern look on his face.
Red didn't dare look him in the eye as she entered the bakery and returned to the confectionery room.
The two guards stood at the door to the Queen's room. In their hands, the little girl shook fearfully, tears streaming down her face.
Slowly, one guard knocked on the door. For a moment, there was no response. Then, the doors opened by themselves, and the two guards stepped into the room, dragging the girl behind them.
The Queen was standing, facing the mirror on the wall. She didn't even turn to face the guards when she asked, "Why have you come?"
"We have something that delights you, Your Majesty," One of the guards said, and presented the young girl to the Queen. The young girl's eyes grew wide with fear when the Queen turned to face her, and smiled.
"Such a beautiful girl," She whispered, walking to the girl. Her hand reached out to take hold of the girl's face. She lifted the child's face so that she was looking the Queen in the eyes. As they made eye contact, the girl stopped crying. Her red face turned white, and her eyes grew heavy. Her face turned blank and expressionless, and almost tired.
The Queen grinned, then looked up to stare at the guards.
"Light the oven," She commanded them.
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.