Three Hazelnuts for Sarah - A Harm and Sarah Wintry Fairytale

AN: JAG and its characters (even though JAG itself won't make an appearance) belong to Bellisarius Productions. No monetary gain is made by this endeavor. I'm just borrowing them for my and hopefully other people's entertainment. And credit where credit is due – the basic idea stems from Brothers Grimm, and the story itself from Božena Němcová's movie 'Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel'.

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I wrote this for my friend Leo:

Dear Leo, Happy Birthday! This story is for you; I'm sure you know exactly where I'm going with this just by reading the title. I started this before Christmas, when we were talking about the movie, but it took time to finish so I decided you would appreciate it as a birthday present. As presents go, this is a bit unusual, but I hope you will like it nevertheless. Much of the story will be somewhat familiar, but I intended to make it a bit more 'grown-up' and I hope I succeeded. Have a wonderful birthday, may all your dreams come true – you certainly deserve it! Love, Colie

AN: Before you start reading, please be aware that this story is really very AU. There's no JAG, no lawyers, no Tomcats, no guns etc… it's basically our two favorite characters plucked in a different time and place.

This is a fairytale, plain and simple. I'm aware many of you might not like this, seeing as how the story has nothing much to do with JAG at all. I won't be offended if you don't. And I won't abandon writing 'normal' JAG stories.
But I believe that even as grown-ups, we all need a good fairytale from time to time! If I haven't scared you away yet, or if you give me the benefit of the doubt and start reading anyway, I hope you will discover a little story full of wintry magic and sweetness – at least, that was my intent. Let me know what you think, and please enjoy!

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Three Hazelnuts for Sarah

Chapter 1

Leaning her upper body closer to the horse's neck, Sarah sped through the wintry woods. Snowflakes and an icy wind raced past her ears, ruffling her hair and chilling her cheeks. Her fingers that were clutching the old halter started numbing from the cold, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered when she was sitting on her horse Nicolas, flying through the forests that surrounded the manor where she lived. It was the only time when she was all by herself, when she could forget about everything. For just a few moments, the horrors of her daily life faded from her mind and she felt free.

She had escaped all the chaos and excitement that beleaguered the manor today. The royal family was supposed to pass by the estate for dinner, and everybody was in a flurry to perfect supper. Her stepfather, of course, had ulterior motives. He wanted to introduce his daughter to the prince. Prince Harmon, she had heard his name was, was supposedly looking for a wife, and her stepfather was intent on assuring this perfect alliance.

Sarah would have liked to see the pompous royal succession, but of course her stepfather didn't allow it. Ever since her mother had died, she was treated worse than a maidservant. It used to be her parents' estate, but her father had died when Sarah was just a baby. A few years later, her mother had remarried, and Sarah had gained a stepfather and her stepsister Lauren. Her mother had loved both girls equally, and life had been good. But then her mother had died, and everything changed.

Sarah had to sleep in a tiny chamber under the roof of the manor, the draftiest and coldest place in the house. Her stepfather made her do the heaviest work on the estate, and Lauren ordered her around as if she were her personal maid. Lauren always got dresses in the newest fashions, whereas Sarah's scratchy old clothes were always grimy, and her face and hands colored by ash and dirt.

Snow from under the horse's hooves flew off in every direction as Sarah raced on. Her horse Nicolas had been a gift from her mother, and he was the only thing she had left from her. She missed her dearly. Her mother had been amazing, and had taught her things girls generally didn't get to do. Sarah had learned to ride like the wind and she could shoot the crossbow like the best of them.

Normally, Sarah wasn't even allowed to go out and ride on Nicolas, but in all the chaos today, she could get away unnoticed. So even though she wouldn't get to see the royal procession, at least she could ride, which was at least as beautiful.

She stopped cold when she had reached her favorite meadow. A hunter was in the clearing, his crossbows aimed. Sarah swung off Nicolas, her feet sinking almost knee-deep into the snow, and crept closer so as to remain unseen.

The huntsman was dressed in the fanciest hunting uniform she had ever seen. It was Prince Harmon, she was sure of it. The royal blue uniform was a dead giveaway. Shouldn't he be with his parents right now, in the procession? Her stepfather would certainly be annoyed when his matchmaking plans were spoilt by the prince's non-attendance tonight. She led her gaze sweep over him. Strong, muscled arms held up the crossbow; unmoving, he stood deep in concentration. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart suddenly beat faster when she noticed his eyes. They were a greenish-blue, the exact color she had always imagined the ocean she had read about must look like.

The she noticed the object of his aim – a deer. Prince or not, she couldn't fathom the deer being shot. She pondered what she could do without being noticed. She grabbed two handfuls of snow, formed it into a ball and threw it into a tree close to the deer. Snow trickled off the branches, and in an instant, the deer took off and ran out of sight and deeper into the woods. Sarah had to giggle when she noticed the dumbfounded expression on the Prince's face, then quickly made her retreat.

For a few seconds, Harm simply stared at the spot where the deer had just stood. What happened? He knew he hadn't made a movement; he was an excellent hunter and he would have hit the animal for sure. He scanned his surroundings, and a movement caught the corner of his eye. Something, or someone, was rushing through the snow. He shouldered his crossbow and quickly took off in the same direction. Footsteps told him he was following a person, not some animal, and he was determined not to let whoever it was get away. He had gone hunting to clear his mind, get away from his parents, and the interruption angered him. Racing through the trees and over snow drifts, he finally caught up to who had spoilt his hunting pleasure. He didn't expect what he saw though.

He scanned her up and down. She was probably just a maid; her clothes were plain and she was dirty. Even her face was smudged. His anger dissipated as quickly as it had come though when he took her in more closely. Currently, he considered all women a nuisance; they were all silly and he resented the pressure his parents exerted, trying to get him to marry one of these silly creatures. This one, however, was quite beautiful and, judging from her behavior so far, rather feisty.

"My my, it's just a little girl," he mocked when he stood in front of her, and then he grinned.

Inwardly, Sarah was steaming at the word 'little' and even more so at 'girl' – she was a woman after all! Yet she almost forgot her ire when he flashed that heart-stopping smile at her. Only almost though. She was determined to make him believe that he wouldn't get anywhere with her based only on his charms. She decided to brazen it out.

She smiled in return and ever so slowly sauntered closer to him. His grin was still firmly in place, but his eyes were easily readable, and what she could see in them was intrigue. Now that she was nearer though, she lost her momentum. She was considered tall, but he towered above her by more than a head, and her heart beat wildly when she looked up into his astounding eyes. She felt as if he could look right into her soul.

All seemed to turn quiet as they stood facing each other. It was as if a spell had been cast over them. Harm had never experienced anything like what he did looking into her face. Her eyes, big brown pools of warmth. Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink from the cold. Smudges of grey on her forehead and chin. Her hair mussed up and tousled by the wind. Her lips glistening. It was as if he was being pulled closer and closer to her, with no escape. He had never seen this girl before, didn't know her name, hadn't even heard her voice, yet he felt something he couldn't describe, some sort of a connection.

Suddenly, almost all space between them had diminished, their bodies all but touching. Her smile had faltered under his intense gaze. Stunned, she could only watch as he leaned down, his face coming closer, until her eyes drifted shut and she felt his lips on hers. She couldn't believe she let a total stranger kiss her, even if he was the prince. Warm and tender, his lips gently explored hers, and all coherent thought flew right out her head. This was magic, something one only ever read about. She felt his tongue tracing the seams of her lips, and it made her shiver. On their own volition, her lips opened to his intrusion, and she fell into the most intense kiss she had ever experienced.

Never before had kissing felt so right. Passionate. Invigorating. Life altering. Harm's hands wandered up to her face, learning its curves merely by touching. His fingertips traced her cheekbones just as he was exploring the recesses of her mouth, her beautiful, warm, sassy mouth. He let his hands wander down her arms, trying to grasp her hands.

Feeling him stroking down her arms brought some awareness back to her. Reality intruded forcefully. This could only lead to heartache, she suddenly realized. He was the prince, after all. And for all intents and purposes, she was just a maid. She had to stop this. Had to stop kissing him. Had to get away, and quickly. She brought her hands up to his chest and gently pushed, thus breaking the kiss. The expression in his eyes was just as stunned as hers; neither could believe the magic that had just bestowed them.

Even as she lifted her arm, she knew her escape route would be silly and girlish, but she couldn't think of anything smarter to do. She had lost all ability to think clearly. She brought her arm up to his head, and then quickly and forcefully pulled his hat over his eyes. In the stunned silence that followed, she turned, swung herself quickly onto Nicolas' back, and made him gallop as fast as possible, flying through the woods and away from him. Tears were streaming down her face, testament to the emotional turmoil the kiss had sent her into. She had just experienced what life could have in stow if things were different, but since they weren't and would never be different for her, it was a glimpse at a happiness she would never have.

Ripping the hat off his eyes, Harm just saw her hop on her horse and speed away. Dazed, he followed for a few steps in a vain attempt to catch up, until he realized that he couldn't possibly follow and catch her on foot. Unfortunately, his horse was tied up by the clearing he had come from. He stumbled back through the snow. By the time he had finally reached his horse and rode in the direction, the hoof tracks of her horse were almost invisible. The wind had picked up more forcefully, swirling snowflakes around in every direction and obscuring her tracks. When there was nothing more visible on the ground than clean fresh snow, he had to give up. Turning around, he headed back towards the castle, his mind a whirlwind of emotion he couldn't place.

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TBC