Hi All! Here is the first story in my collection of Fairy Tales using some of our favorite Hunger Games Couples. Know that I am still taking suggestions as to what fairy tales and couples to use. I hope you enjoy this first part! : )

Hunger Games and Fairy Tales

The Baker-Part One (Adapted from Cinderella)

Once upon a time, in the faraway land of District 12, there lived a kindly baker with his wife. They loved each other very much, and tried again and again to have their first child. After waiting for so long, a baby was finally born, a boy with small tufts of blonde hair and blue eyes the color of the clearest ocean. They named him Peeta, and the two parents lavished their son with love.

Sadly, the baker's wife died suddenly when their little boy was still a gangly toddler. Although grieving, the father knew that his young son needed a mother's care. In time, he met a woman who herself had two sons that were now without a father. So, he married her, and brought their two families together. Peeta was excited to have a new mother and two older brothers to play with. He came running down as they entered the house.

"Hi! I'm Peeta. Are you my new family?"

The woman cast a nasty look at him, but quickly hid it. "Why yes, my dear. I'm Alma, your stepmother, and these are your stepbrothers Cato and Marvel. Say hello boys."

Peeta looked behind her to see two boys, taller and older than he, and looking him over. They both smirked at him. "Hello…Peeta." He suddenly had a feeling this was not going to be as easy as he thought. But, as he saw his father gleaming at seeing the entire family together, the young boy decided to make the best of it. He followed them all into the dining room for the meal.

From there, his new mother and brothers made every effort to be polite and loving in public. No one seeing them would ever suspect that they were anything but caring toward Peeta. In private, though, he was constantly scolded by Alma. Cato and Marvel would take his toys and tease him about any little thing they could. It made him feel miserable, but he continued to put on a happy face for his father's sake.

The only joy Peeta found was in helping his father at the bakery. He learned about creating the most delicious loaves of bread and buns. He was taught the best frosting techniques, where the baker eventually said was something his son was more skilled than he at. He loved the practice of designing and creating the most beautiful cakes. Sometimes, Peeta was even allowed to deliver some of their goods to the people of the district. He loved being able to meet new people and see their joy in the food he brought.

One day, his father asked Peeta to deliver a basket of cheese buns to the palace. It was a special request, so he was careful and spent all morning baking until he got them perfect. Peeta was to enter the gates and go directly to the service quarters, where he would knock on the door and give the basket to whoever answered it. Peeta was thrilled to be able to see the palace this close up. His excitement was so great that he practically skipped all the way. As he came to the gates, he let the guards there know that he was bringing a delivery from the baker. They allowed the boy to enter, and told him to go towards the left where the service entrance was. Peeta smiled and thanked them, walking in that direction.

He was halfway there, when he all of the sudden heard a voice singing to the right of him. If was sweet and clear, more beautiful than anything Peeta had heard before. He stopped to listen and see who the singer was. It was a girl, about his age, with dark hair braided behind her, and grey eyes the color of smoke. She was wearing pants with a leather jacket, and in her hands was a bow. She was picking up an arrow, and he could see the archery target yards in front of her. All the while, she was softly singing a tune of some sort. She was pretty, and her voice transfixed Peeta so that he was practically glued to the spot where he stood. While her voice was beautiful, it also sounded sad. He wondered why.

As she turned around, the girl noticed Peeta. He was afraid she would call the guards on him, but instead, she smiled and walked closer to him.

"Hello," she said softly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Peeta," He was hesitant about what to say to this girl, but he was so drawn to her, that he had to continue to conversation. "What is your name?"

"Katniss," the girl replied. Peeta did a double take and blinked in shock. This was no ordinary girl. This was the princess! He was unsure what to say next. He must have let too much time pass, though, because she spoke again.

"And what are you doing here Peeta?"

At least this he could answer. "My father asked me to bring an order of bread to the palace. Would you like to try a cheese bun? It would cheer you up." He held one of the tasty treats in front of him.

Her face lit up. "Thank you. That's really kind."

"It's easy to be kind to you," Peeta replied without thinking.

She blushed at his words, but took the bun and practically gobbled it up. The sounds that came from her told Peeta that Katniss really liked it. "That was the best thing I have ever eaten. I do feel better. How did you know?"

"Your song just seemed sad. I just wanted to make you happy."

The princess looked pensive. "My father is very sick. They tell me he might not make it much longer." Peeta could hear the worry in her voice.

"I'm sorry. I know what it is like to lose a parent you love."

Katniss smiled at him. She appreciated that he understood. "Do you know anything about archery?"

Peeta laughed. "No, but I would be happy to learn if you want to teach me."

She took him over to where she had been and put the bow in his hands, trying to show him how to properly hold it and shoot. He gave it a few tries, and eventually at least got the arrow onto the target, even if it was on the edge. Katniss clapped at his small success. There was an awkward silence for a moment between them as they both looked at the ground thinking of what else they could to each other. "Well, I better deliver the rest of these," Peeta said, although not wanting to really leave.

"Thank you for the bread…and the company. I guess I needed them both," she said to him.

"You're welcome, princess," he replied, proud that he could bring some joy to her. "I'm glad you liked it. I'd be willing to make them for you anytime."

"I hope you'll come back again," Katniss stated.

"I hope so too," and Peeta turned away to go about his task. Behind him, he could once again hear the princess taking up her tune. He noticed as she sang that even the songbirds above in the trees had stopped their own sounds to listen to her amazing voice. He went to the door and gave the basket of buns to the cook who answered the door. Peeta walked back out through the gate and couldn't help but turn his head to get one last look. His eyes caught hers looking at him, and she raised her hand in goodbye. Peeta smiled and did the same, and in his heart knew at even eleven years old that he was a goner.

He didn't dare tell anyone he was in love with the princess. What would the point be? There was never a chance he could one day win her heart. That was impossible. But it didn't stop Peeta from doing little things to show his affection. When an order came from the palace, he would always stick a few extra cheese buns with it. Sometimes, he would put in a drawing he had done, simply signed with a P. He hoped that Princess Katniss would find it and somehow know it was from him. He hoped that he would get to go to the palace again, but he was never asked to make a delivery again.

Peeta was in a pretty happy place at this point, until the unthinkable happened. His father suddenly got sick and before he knew it, the baker was gone. When he died, Peeta ran from the bedside to his own room and sobbed until the emotion was all drained out of him and he fell asleep. He was completely out until there was a rustling sound and a sharp beam of light hitting his eyes. He looked at his clock and saw that it was 5:00 in the morning. Trying to focus his eyes on the blurry figure in front of him, Peeta finally made out the figure of his stepmother.

"Get up, boy. You have to dress to go to work."

"Work? What do you mean stepmother?" Peeta was completely confused at what she could mean.

"The bakery. You need to go and open the store and begin baking all the goods," the woman looked at him like this should have been completely obvious.

"But, father died just yesterday. I didn't think we would open the bakery today," he thought his argument made sense. He couldn't understand how she could want to do this. Shouldn't there be some time to grieve?

"Well, you thought wrong," she spit at him. "Each day we don't open is money lost, so you get up, put some clothes on and go bake and sell." With that she simply walked out and slammed his door behind her.

Peeta didn't know what else he could do in the situation, so he got up to put on a simple white shirt and comfortable pants. Finding his baking apron, he headed downstairs and out to head to the bakery. When he got there, the feeling of loss hit him painfully, but Peeta made himself go in and start the ovens. The work definitely kept his mind busy and held back the pain, but he could feel his father's presence constantly as he kneaded the dough. People came in and would give him sad looks and their condolences, but none of them made him feel any better. He would curtly nod to them and continue his work. When it was closing time, Peeta settled the register, locked up, and headed back to his home. Alma, along with his stepbrothers met him at the door.

"Where is the money?" she immediately questioned.

Peeta held out a bag. "Here," he said. She immediately grabbed it from him and opened it to count it all up.

"We have already had dinner, but you can eat from the scraps in the kitchen," she told him without even looking up.

"Thank you stepmother." Peeta trudged away, overcome with the coldness of it all.

This became the routine of his life. He would rise long before dawn, heading out to begin the baking, and only coming home way after dark to only give over all that he had earned to his stepmother and her sons. They took every bit of money made and lavished themselves with fancy clothes and other luxuries, while Peeta just worked and his own clothes became worn and ragged. When he obviously had outgrown what he wore, he begged and pleaded with her to get him something new. Alma would find things that would fit him, but they would always be secondhand and used.

Peeta never got any time off, and any requests to hire help were denied. Alma expected him to work and work and work some more. He would be so exhausted some days that he couldn't even make it home, but would find himself falling asleep among the coal he used for the ovens. Cato and Marvel would see him in this state, with black soot and flour combined all over his body and in his hair, and tease him mercilessly.

"Look at Cindersoot! He's got so much dust and yuk on him that you can't even tell he is blonde anymore!" The two laughed and laughed and pinched their noses calling "Peeyew!" Peeta was so tired that all he could do was walk dejectedly to his room.

Over time, Peeta was such a fixture at the bakery that customers wouls just place their orders, never really paying him any attention. He was so forgettable that they could never tell anyone what he looked like, nor his name. They would simply call him The Baker. He still found a way to send extra treats to Princess Katniss. Her father had died not long after his, and tried to continue to send things that could bring her some joy. Peeta would always work especially hard on her birthday cake each year. He tried to deliver the cake himself each year, but because it was going to the palace, Alma made sure she took it personally to the princess.

Years passed this way, until it was Peeta's eighteenth birthday. Now that he was officially of age, he was planning to soon tell his stepmother that he was done working for her and his stepbrothers. He would leave and move to another district where he could open his own shop and run it the way he wanted to. His idea was to give it about two more weeks. That would be Katniss' birthday. He could complete a final cake for her as a way of saying goodbye. She was the only reason he wanted to stay.

His final customer of the day was just leaving. "Goodbye, baker! Have a pleasant evening."

"Thank you Mr. Darius. Goodnight." Peeta shut the door behind him and turn the sign to say they were closed. He cleaned up, checked the receipts and register, and then finally headed home. At least he had enough energy to at least go and be able to clean up tonight. He walked in the door and immediately handed the moneybag over to his waiting stepmother. This was such the practice now that she never even needed to ask for it anymore.

"At least you seemed to make some sales today," she said icily. The bakery had actually had a really good day, but no matter how well he did, this was never good enough for her. Peeta just sighed and began to walk towards the kitchen.

He was halfway there when there was a knock at the main doors. His mother gave him a glaring look that meant he should open it, even though Cato and Marvel were only steps away. Peeta sighed again and walked to the door. He opened them to reveal a finely dressed messenger. The man was in a purple suit and held an envelope in front of him.

"Her majesty the queen is inviting all of the eligible young men from ages 18 to 30 to a royal ball in honor of the eighteenth birthday of the Princess Katniss. At that time, there will be a reaping for a lucky few who will get a chance to dance with, and maybe win the hand of the princess."

Peeta's eyes lit up. A chance to dance with the princess? Even try to win her hand? He couldn't believe it. He watched as his stepmother took the envelope and dismissed the messenger. She read it over very carefully.

"It seems that it is true. The queen is looking for an honorable young man to marry her daughter, so that she can finally take her place on the throne now that she is coming of age. She is giving the princess one opportunity to make her own choice of husband at this ball. If she does not, then the queen will choose for her. The ball is in two Saturdays from now." He could see the wheels turning in her head, knowing that one of her two sons could be the young man to capture the heart of the princess. "This could be the chance for one of you two to become a prince!" The woman practically crowed at the idea. Peeta decided to make his voice heard.

"Stepmother, may I also go to the ball with my brothers? I am eligible now that I turned eighteen today."

Alma looked at Peeta as if she just remembered that he was there. She seemed to think about it for a minute, and then gave a kind of smile to him. "Well, I suppose that you are still a part of the family and of age. I guess that it is only fair that you get your opportunity as well."

Cato and Marvel couldn't keep their mouths closed at this. "You? What would Princess Katniss see in you? All dirty and stinky from working all the time. She wouldn't' give you two glances."

"Never you mind that," his stepmother stopped them. "Peeta has a point. He should be allowed to go. That is, if he can get home and be ready from work on time. We still have to keep our hours. We will leave the house at 5:00 sharp. If you are not here, we will leave anyway. We can't be late for such an important evening."

Peeta felt all the excitement rush up in him. "I'll get finished and be ready, you'll see." He literally ran off to the kitchens, smiling all the way. If nothing else, it would be a chance just to see Katniss again before he left, even if he never got to dance with her. He would have to find a suit. Probably one of his father's old one's could be fixed up enough to wear. He found one in a chest in the attic and hung it up in anticipation for the evening.

In the meantime, Peeta put everything he had into his work with renewed vigor. He smiled almost all the time, and lost track of it too as he daydreamed while he kneaded dough. Two weeks seem to fly by in a flash, and the day of the ball arrived before he knew it. When he walked into the bakery, Peeta thought that nothing would get him down today.

He was wrong, after such a great start, everything went downhill from there. He was bombarded with special orders, and one customer had a custom cake due for the next day that they wanted to change at the last minute. Peeta found himself working at least an hour and a half after the usual closing time to complete the work.

He headed home, reaching the door two hours late, and finding that they had already all left for the ball. There was no way for him to be cleaned, dressed, and find a way to get to the palace in time for the reaping. Peeta walked outside and into the garden behind the house. He sat on a bench and looked up at the stars.

"I really wish I could go to the ball tonight," he said into the air.

Suddenly, sparkles of light seemed to float down from the sky. They twisted and twirled, until they finally seemed to all come together to make some kind of figure. Peeta watched at all of this with interest, until he finally made out that the figure was actually a person. She had satiny brown skin and wild kinky blonde hair that. Silver stilettos were on her feet that matched the silver dress she wore. What truly amazed him, though, was the fact that she had wings and was holding a wand in her hand. The woman turned around and looked at him. She glad a glowing smile from her shiny lips.

"Hello, Peeta. I'm Portia, your fairy godmother. I'm here to help you go to the ball."

-End of Part One-

I was planning on making these stories all one shots, but this just got to be too long! This story will be completed in Part Two! I hope you like it so far and will look forward to bringing the ending to The Baker soon. Please please please review and let me know what you think so far! Lots of love to all.