A Baker (Beauty and the Beast)

The Castle

Belle pounded the bread against the table, shutting out the noise of the kitchen around her. Everyone was sprinting from place to place. No one wanted to be accused of doing nothing on such a busy day.

Belle was pushed to the side by the laundry boy. He followed the action with a brief apology, pulling the linens off the ground. She rubbed her hands on her apron as she crouched down to help the poor boy.

He was unlucky enough to be the only boy in the laundry and he certainly didn't need to get the attention of his superiors. He thanked her silently. Both of them knew that if they contributed to the hubbub and roar of the kitchen, they'd be in the line of fire for certain. Belle pushed herself onto her haunches and back onto her feet.

She turned her attention back to the dough, knowing that she needed to finish the loaves before supper. People of worth from all of the kingdom had travelled to the city for the weekend's festivities. The King had extended the invitation to other realms, all of which had sent representatives as was customary.

Belle pulled the round of bread from the oven. She replaced it with the next batch before beginning on another. A bag of flour was deposited on her bench to restock her supplies. Belle didn't glance at the person who had dumped it at the end. She had to keep her head down and keep working if she wanted to get this finished before nightfall.

"Belle," Helen interrupted her composure, banging on the table to get her attention. "Where are the loaves for the feast?"

Belle motioned towards the baskets, watching her mother's friend's eyes open wide. "You made rolls?" She questioned, reaching for one.

"I was under the impression that large loaves were not suitable," Belle murmured, Helen taking her by surprise as she launched herself forwards.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried, releasing Belle from her iron grasp.

Belle was hardly given a moment to recover before the next calamity called Helen to the unfortunate cook. Belle stepped to the pastry bench, expertly manoeuvering the bread into the most delicate of shapes. It wasn't long before the task of shaping was delegated to her and a chain was formed.

The mayhem only increased when the feast began, the pressure on the kitchen to restock food mounting. Belle slipped into the background as she helped where she was required. It wasn't long before more bread was required. She rotated her time between helping others and kneading dough, sending up a steady stream of rolls.

When the dancing began Belle let out a deep breath as everyone relaxed. Laughter returned to the kitchen, Helen's body shaking with mirth. She didn't like to see anyone stressed, much less her mother's friend and in the past few months her close friend.

It had been a few spans since her ma had need to be worried for money. Helen had offered her a position in the castle kitchens. It had been extremely generous of Helen, to allow an untrained girl into her regimented kitchen that was ruled with precision.

The standards of admission to the staff were the highest in the kingdom. Helen had proved herself to be more than a good friend. She had become Belle's advisor and taken her under her wing. She had insisted that Belle resided in her lodgings and that she need only pay in kindness.

Belle was more than happy to help Helen out as she had helped her mother. It was scarcely a burden for Belle to care for one of her most dear friends.

The carriages were beginning to leave when Belle and Helen trudged to their lodgings. They did not live far from the castle, though Helen had decided in her youth that she wished to live where she could never see the castle from her window.