The Princess and the Baker

By Heather Geobey

Princess Natalia lives in the Kingdom of Colour where she balances nature to make sure her people have enough of everything.
One day she saves a sapphire bird from choking on white goods. Not native to her own kingdom, the presence of the bird threatens their balance. Natalia begins a quest to return the bird to the other side of the Velvet Vines, the mysterious curtain separating the Kingdom of Colour and the world beyond. She takes the nastiest creature in her realm, Rizzle, to help keep the balance. Natalia is shocked by the despair she discovers outside her own kingdom. She enters a kingdom ruled by a gluttonous enchantress called Millenia who has enslaved her people. Princess Natalia must avoid entrapment by the fireflies, save Rizzle from the brink of death and return the white goods to the baker. Realising the people enslaved by Millenia have little, if anything, to call their own, Natalia knows she cannot continue her own comfortable life while ignoring their plight. With the help of colour, a little magic, Rizzle, the baker and her dearest lion cub, Princess Natalia sets out to bring happiness to this new kingdom. When you have everything and others have nothing, restoring the balance is always the right thing to do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781915229304

Heather Geobey

This is the first book for older childre by Heather Geobey.

Book preview

The Princess and The Baker

By Heather Geobey

For my family, here, and those gone but not forgotten, who love and support me

Contents

Title Page

Dedication

The Princess and the Baker

Copyright

Beyond seven mountains and beyond seven rivers lay a land of nature, true and pure. The shining sun in the bright blue sky warming life to awaken. Trees grew tall and broad, providing home to many creatures. A beautiful Princess made from goodness and kindness tended the green lush land. Princess Natalia loved to roam wild and free, her long white-golden hair, tipped with every colour of the rainbow, flowing behind her. She strolled freely yet purposefully maintaining the balance of harmony in her kingdom.

Little did she know, on the other side of the Velvet Vines, a different day would be hatching. One more miserable, more constrained and utterly opposite of her happy, carefree one. For there was darkness and despair conjured by a wicked enchantress on the other side of The Velvet Vines. From the day the Vines were drawn, the people had ended up one side or the other. Those unfortunate souls on the other side, lived in fear of the enchantress. Slaving every day to satisfy her gluttony. The crops they grew in charcoal soil yielding abundant harvests to their surprise. The people nervously cooked family recipes and new concoctions. They tried anything to survive the day. Nothing had passed through the green curtain since.

That was until the day a baker met a Princess.

The Kingdom of Colour, where Princess Natalia lived, was one of six kingdoms entrusted to Barbreeze – the true spirit of nature. As the mother of the kingdom, Barbreeze bestowed gifts upon the worthy. She provided the breeze, the wind and the force in measured necessity. Barbreeze was gentle and kind, true and lovely. She may be wild if needed but so far the Kingdom of Colour and all those who inhabited it had never seen this side of her. Each kingdom had a Royal family. Each Royal family had a daughter, a Princess. Barbreeze had bestowed the gift of colour upon Princess Natalia on her first birthday. Throughout her childhood, Princess Natalia loved nothing more than to be outside, playing with the whimsies and tending to the flora. Barbreeze was always there to guide and help her in the ways of nature. She taught her to channel her inner colour and bring vibrant colours to her surroundings. Princess Natalia also brought warmth and light to everything she touched due to her kindness and tenderness. The kingdom thrived in her presence. Barbreeze watched and listened as Princess Natalia blossomed into a young woman. When the time was right, Princess Natalia left the Royal Family home to take her rightful place amongst the people.

Barbreeze whipped up the most magical rustic home for the Princess. It was a bright and cheerful place to live. The yellow stone walls were topped with a thatched roof. The round windows are symmetrical on either side of the blue front door. A path of pebbles led from the door to an archway. The small cottage was blessed with a beautiful garden where fruit trees gathered in the corners. Flowers grew wherever they fancied, and a grassy lawn added the finishing touch. Princess Natalia had made this her home where she lived with her companion Mareep, the most adorable flower, lion cub.

Each sunrise, Princess Natalia welcomed the warmth and beauty of a new day. Her sun yellow dress, laced at the sleeves and waist was swaying in Barbreeze. Flutterbies danced alongside her, their wings delicate in flight, while small whimsical creatures played at her toes. As she wandered through the meadow, buttercups opened, and daisies unfurled. Buds blossomed and leaves glistened in her presence. Channelling colour into the powder blue bells and red field flowers, Princess Natalia ran her gentle fingers through the sweet yellow headed grass that straightened at her touch. Stopping to fuss the hoppities bounding through the grass, she buried her fingers in their curly fur before scratching their long ears. The hoppities were small round creatures with strong legs and shining eyes and Princess Natalia loved them. Scampers scurried in the long grass camouflaged by their peppered fur save their multicoloured tails.

Nature was her friend. Colour was her gift. Princess Natalia’s destiny was to maintain colour and harmony in her kingdom, just as the Princesses before her had done.

The Gobies, the people who lived in the kingdom of Colour, were at peace. They lived in small family groups looking after one another. Each family group lived in a house with curved walls and woven roofs. Their wooden furniture was functional yet appealing. Cushions and patchwork blankets softened and warmed the interior. Every Goby dwelling had a games table at the heart of the family living area. They spent much of their evenings playing word games, storytelling, riddling, bobbing or guessing the mime. Their beds always gave a good night’s sleep. Their food was the same nutritious, healthy meals every day. For breakfast they ate cereal pops, lunch was a feast of cheese and crackle tarts, and supper was vegetable munch medley. Puddings and snacks were the fruit yielded by the orchards.

Four or five family groups would live together, known by the fruit crop that adorned their gardens. Each member of the family has an important role in order to keep the balance and harmony. The Gobies liked to keep their dwellings clean and tidy, their pantries full, their homes warm and their spare time full of laughter. Each Goby could turn their hand to any role for any family. This helped to keep their lives varied and fulfilled. One day a Goby senior might be sweeping the floor and cleaning the fire grate and the next they might be gathering berries and crops to share with the whole group. The junior Gobies would help the senior Gobies gradually taking on more responsibility in order to learn how to be a Goby senior. But in the afternoons, junior gobies played and explored the kingdom learning how to keep everything balanced. The infant Gobies took lessons with the Wiselet who was a teacher of sorts.

The Wiselet was a tall, slim man with orange hair and an orange beard. He wore a black silk shirt, black and white checked waistcoat and black trousers. He carried a floral bag full of knowledge. The smallest Gobies loved exploring the contents of his bag. Their curiosity knew no bounds. They participated in his demonstrations, loved his experiments and talked endlessly about his discoveries. They looked through his lens into the past to learn from where they had come and treasured his stories. They knew the true meaning of contentment. Nobody had too much, and nobody went without. One might call it happiness.

One sunrise, as Princess Natalia walked barefoot through the buttercup meadow with Mareep lolloping through the fresh field grass, she happened across a small unfamiliar bird.

Hello, little one, she said, greeting the tiny blue bird. Do you think it’s lost, Mareep?

The lion cub shook his flower mane, petals showering colour onto the green grass. He yawned contentedly then pawed near the delicate bird. Worried it might upset the meadow’s harmony as it was not native to her Kingdom, Princess Natalia ushered it gently eastwards. The bird looked helplessly at the Princess. She noticed it was struggling to breathe. Gently, she inspected the fragile being. Something appeared to be stuck in its throat. Carefully, she massaged the bird’s stomach and suddenly, the obstruction jumped from the bird’s open beak hitting Princess Natalia in the eye. Picking up the offending article, Princess Natalia held it between her fingers. She and the tiny bird examined it intently. Mareep, more interested in his paw scratching his ear, sat at her feet. The little bird pecked at it quizzically. It was white, crisp and about the size of a daisy flower at night. The Princess and the bird looked closer still. It had very tiny air holes in it and made no noise. Just like the bird, it was new to the Princess. The bird seemed to want the white object back and began fluttering anxiously. Princess Natalia picked up the strange white object and laid out her palm inviting the bird aboard. Taking the bird to the hanging Vines of Velvet, she encouraged it to fly home. Silently thanking the Princess for her kindness, the bird picked up his white goods and flew from her hand to the dappled light within the Velvet Vines. Princess Natalia ruffled the golden tuft of fur on Mareep’s head, noticing the pile of petals encircling him.

Have you been shaking your mane again? He nuzzled her leg. As she tousled his soft hair the petals all