The woods were a dangerous place for a young lady to be alone.

Laurel had never been afraid of the woods; they were just trees. In the daytime she had watched through the palace nursery window at the horses that charged towards the castle. Every now and then she imagined that one of the people on the horses had been coming for her, and that they were taking her away to another kingdom, where she would be treated like royalty. Of course those follies died in her mind and looking back on them she realized how foolish they were. Instead of working she had spent time wishing.

The woods were very different once you were in them than they were when you were just looking at the trees from a window. She heard howling of wolves and questioned whether or not to turn back. No, there was nothing for her if she turned back. She had written out the reason for her departure—Father, I have realized there is nothing for me at the palace and soon Rachel will be married, and I no longer wish to be a hassle for you, your older daughter, Laurel—and left it for her unfortunately illiterate father. Certainly they would understand that a written note meant that she wasn't coming back…

Laurel watched the branches above her head break in space to reveal the moonlight shining all around her. Not too far from where she was she saw a little house in the woods, a quaint little cottage right between the palace and the nearest village. There was a little tuft of smoke coming from the chimney and she wondered if, perhaps, she could charm her way into the person's home just long enough that she was protected from this ever-howling wolf she heard. She knocked on the door and hoped that someone would answer.

An older woman with white hair and a red robe opened the door, looking at Laurel with a smile and adjusting her glasses. "Can I help you, my dear?" She asked, looking at the blonde teenager carrying a small carpetbag. "Have you lost your way?"

Had she lost her way? I had no way to lose… "I'm sorry, ma'am, I shouldn't have bothered you… I haven't anywhere else to go, and there's something howling out there…" The old woman looked around, checking for the wolf, and quickly ushered the teenager inside. She took her bag and threw it on the kitchen table, locked the door, and pulled her towards the fire. The heat was refreshing to Laurel, sending a chill up her spine unexpectedly.

"I've got some extra soup on the fire, and an extra bedroom." The woman said without much introduction. Laurel wondered why a woman would be so prepared as to have so much extra space. "You must stay the night. That wolf's always prowling the woods for a little lady to lunch on. It won't be safe to go out again until tomorrow morning… follow the path, don't stray… it'll lead you to the next village." The woman came over and served Laurel a bowl of soup, and she inspected it before eating. Tomato soup, with a crust of bread to sop up what she couldn't get with her spoon… it smelled delicious, but it was only right to make sure the food wasn't poisoned. What was this woman, and did she know she was passing through the woods and would seek shelter with her… "Oh, I hope my daughter followed the path… she's so forgetful sometimes…"

"You have a daughter?" Laurel asked the old woman.

She nodded, sitting in her rocking chair and stitching some ribbons onto some red fabric. "Yes, not too much older than you, and she visits me from time to time. She and her husband live two villages away. She came by just yesterday, and I guess I still cook like she'll be coming back every meal… she has her own family take care of now." The old woman seemed disheartened by her daughter's unfortunate aging. All children grew up, Laurel had watched the little princesses since they were infants, and now they were five and three. The real question was would Laurel's mother have been proud of how she grew up? She couldn't help but wonder. The subject quickly turned on Laurel. "And what of your family? Do you have one?"

Yes, Laurel thought, and tried to figure out the right things to say. I have a sister that's bound to marry a prince, a dead mother who left me her job, and a father that believes I need to do everything on my own and my sister needs to be doted on. "No." She lied, choosing the simpler answer. "I mean, I'm sure they're—you know—" The old woman just nodded knowingly. Laurel took a sip of her soup. "Thank you, by the way. How kind that you took in a stranger for an evening."

"I'll appreciate the company." The old woman grinned. Laurel continued to drink her soup, not really wishing to break the silence. She didn't want to say something to offend the woman, and she wasn't a particularly great conversationalist it seemed. She spoke well, but what was appropriate to speak about? There were so many things she still didn't know: she had read as many books in the palace library as she could get her hands on, she knew many little skills that she figured would be useful, but she didn't know anything about the real world. The woman watched her eating and was ready to break the silence herself. "You must be famished, aren't you? You look like you've been running for a week. Where did you say you're from?"

I didn't, Laurel realized and then began to think. "Not that far away, actually… I was a servant to a wealthier family not too far from here… I've been gone a day or so." The woman nodded and pretended to understand. Laurel just figured she didn't really get it, but was it possible that she did? Was it possible that there was more to this woman than there appeared to be? There was more to Laurel than what was on the surface. Certainly there had to be someone else who saw that beauty was just skin deep…

Not too long after she had finished her soup, the woman showed her to the guest bedroom. There was a nice bed with a metal headboard and a thick feather mattress, a homemade quilt, and a fluffy pillow at the head of the bed. The chest-of-drawers, once she looked into it, were filled with mostly unworn clothing. Looking into the bright glass mirror she saw herself as she was instead of how she saw herself in the castle pans and plates. She was a mess, and she could finally see that. The woman closed the door and left Laurel with a candle to light the room. What a sight am I, Laurel thought, disheveled and dirty… Laurel reached into her bag and pulled out one of her mother's old nightgowns, tucked herself into bed and tried to go to sleep.

Her mind wandered. What was to become of her? She couldn't return home now that she had left. She refused to go crawling back to the palace to be treated like dirt when she could actually make money for doing half the work she was doing. She wouldn't have to do the work of her and her sister while her sister pretended to flit around like a fairy. Laurel had no doubt that everything would be fine—her father could take care of Rachel, it's what he had been doing for a long time. And Rachel would be fine, she didn't need Laurel to protect her. No one needed Laurel… did they? The prince made it very clear she wasn't wanted. She wasn't pretty like a princess should be, she talked too much, and she didn't take directions as well as she should have. For some reason she stumbled upon this old woman's house in the woods and out of kindness the woman let her in. Was it fate that she was supposed to meet this woman? Was this where she was meant to be? No. She was meant to do something great, she just didn't know what yet…

If she slept on it, she figured, she would have strength to continue her journey and find her place in the world. It wasn't in a cottage in the woods, she knew that, but it had to be out there somewhere.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's the second installment of the story! I've decided that it was very possible that the Baker's Wife, before she became the Baker's wife, possibly met some of the other characters before her beloved Baker. Please review, I'd love to hear more feedback on the story! I hope to have the next installment up speedily!