Disclaimer: The writing is mine, the characters and Harvest Moon universe are not. No money being made here.
Warnings: Slightly AU - I'm taking what already exists and twisting it a big. That said, I won't be following heart events and dialogue strictly. Where's the fun in that? I've also been reading too much high school manga for an almost 30 year old. So...brace yourselves.
Rest & Refuge
It was the first day of Winter and Echo Village had already been blanketed in a heavy layer of snow. It was to be expected, as the seasons in this part of the world were vehement due to their brevity. It was also easy to forgive, when the early morning light set the already quaint village in a warm glow, the now crystalline surfaces of the roads and shop roofs twinkling impishly. The two young men travelling through Echo that very morning had never experienced a landscape so magical, at least not in such a way.
They were dressed in a similar fashion, but anyone native to Echo and its surrounding region would have immediately noted the voluminous pants and strangely shaped shoes as foreign. And certainly not suitable for the current weather conditions.
"You should have stayed behind in the warmth of our new home, Master." The taller of the two, a sturdy yet lean man, said as he turned to look over his shoulder at his companion. "I could have certainly made this trip alone as your emissary."
The master furrowed his white browns and frowned severely. His slightly lined face formed the expression with ease, as if it was frequent donned. "I am not that cruel, Sanjay. Despite what Rashida says." While his companion muttered 'your sister thinks no such thing' behind the fabric of his head covering, the master continued, "Besides, you are not the only one who is curious about this farmer. Is she truly a woman? I can't imagine father allowing Rashida or Sari to endure such manual labor, or live so far from the palace – without a chaperone no less!"
Sanjay continued through the larger drifts, purposely taking additional time to widen the path. Puffs of snow glittered and gathering around his knees before the wind swept them up into the air. The cold spray caught him in the face as he blocked the icy breeze from his master. "There certainly seems to be more freedom here to do as one pleases, but don't forget that you, Master Amir, as well as Rashida and Sari, have specific responsibilities that those residing in this village do not."
Amir scowled again. "Of course I haven't forgotten. It is just unusual."
Sanjay smiled but it was unseen behind his scarf. "Perhaps Mr. Dunhill forgot to mention that she was attached to a man in town. She might even be already married, and we will not need to be as concerning for her safety."
"Perhaps."
A sliver of light slid through the heavily drawn bedroom curtains and down over the face of a snoring young woman. She groaned and threw a thick comforter over her head for just a moment before whipping it back onto the foot of the bed as she jerked awake. "Shit-shit-where is-" She pawed blindly for the clock on her bedside table while rolling off her pillow top mattress. "Gotcha." The green numbers on the clock face glowed in the darkness of the bedroom. 6:15. "Goddammit!"
The wooden floors were like ice beneath her bare feet as she ran throughout the farmhouse. She'd learned after her first year on the farm to not rely on her gas heat, but the charred logs in the fireplace held little warmth now after burning all evening. She threw on a pair of thick cable knit socks over the heavy insulated leggings she slept in and slipped a baggy sweater from her university days over her head, almost knocking her toothbrush out of her mouth and launching it across the living room. She sighed heavily and returned to her bathroom to salvage the hair she'd managed to toss and turn into a million knots.
"What a mess." She frowned at her reflection as she stood at in front of the bathroom vanity. Although admittedly never a morning person, once becoming a farmer it became a necessary habit for her to wake well before the sun. Klaus had said that she was wearing herself too thin these days. Her naturally fair complexion was missing the peachy warmth underneath the splattering of freckles inherited from her redheaded mother, and she couldn't ignore purple crescents forming under her eyes. While never conventionally pretty, she always considered her looks passable. She had a strong resemblance to her strikingly average father after all, as Dunhill seemed so keen to remind her.
The mirrored cabinet held a few bottles of stamina rejuvenation pills from the clinic, but Klaus often warned her that they were habit-forming so they went unused. She eyed them for a few moments before closing the cabinet. A cup of tea would make her feel better. Tea and bacon. Maybe after the chores she could -
A large thud came from living room and jolted her out of tea and bacon reverie. The farmhouse was quiet all for the wind whistling around it and occasionally jostling the shutters. Dunhill never knocked. No one knocked.
She slipped on her glasses and carefully padded to her bedroom where she kept a wooden baseball bat next to her bed. The weather was too poor for her usual visitors, and Dunhill wasn't expecting the special residents, for whom she had recently built a very elaborate house, for at least another week. Whoever, or whatever, was outside knocked again and she approached the door with the bat in her right hand, slightly hidden behind her leg. Her left hand was on the door handle and she took a deep breath.
The door flung open and ripped from her hand with the force of the wind, sending a pile of snow into her entryway and momentarily blinding her. She sputtered and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes.
"I apologize! Miss, are you all right? Here, let me."
A warm fabric was in her fingers and without reconsidering it she wiped the snowflakes that had entangled with her eyelashes.
"Miss Rachel?"
She could feel the cold seep through her sweater and her socks were sopping up the melting snow that was now on her floor. She rubbed her eyes again and blinked. "Ellie. Everyone calls me El-" At that moment she finally got a good view of the person disrupting her morning.
What a stunning creature.
He was tall, a good deal taller than she, and took up a most of her doorway, thankfully blocking additional snow from flooding her living room. His skin had a deep warmth to it that reminded her of freshly steeped tea and his hair, now damp and a bit haphazard from the wind, was the most brilliant white she had ever witnessed. It hung heavy over his shoulder in a long braid, escaping the fabric that had been wrapped around his neck.
Was he a winter sprite? A bit tall, perhaps, but...
"Ah...no, no. N-not anything so marvelous as that, uh Miss Ellie was it?"
Sweet goddess, did she say that aloud?
Ellie's face burned red. "Yes...I go by Ellie, but by given name is Rachel." If the floor would swallow her she'd be forever grateful.
The man smiled. "I apologize for startling you. My name is Sanjay, and my master and I will be living in the house that you recently built. May we come in?"
She was dazed for a moment, her frazzled brain trying to make sense of what he so clearly spelled out, before backing up to allow space for him to enter. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you would be here today."
Sanjay, who had never stopped smiling, reached for her but stopped before making contact.
"May I?"
Ellie blushed to her roots again. "Ah what-?"
"My scarf."
Ellie hadn't realized that she was still holding the fabric he had given her, or that it was attached to him and she was pulling him along. "Oh! Sorry!"
There was a light cough and Sanjay immediately moved away from Ellie to reveal a shorter but equally beautiful man with a stern frown and piercing blue eyes.
"This is Prince Amir, my master."
Amir was suprisngly delicate but fierce. His stare felt like a disection and Ellie braced herself for a reprimand she wasn't sure she deserved, but would gladly accept if it meant he'd look elswhere.
"I was surprised by the exceptional craftsmanship of the home you built. I would say your skill rivals that of my own builders. How is that possible?"
Should she have been offended? Ellie felt the burn of humiliation and anger bloom in her chest, but remembered that he was a guest, likely one of Dunhill's most favored, and was probably used to speaking to people like an asshole. What should she have expected from a prince? "Well...your kind words are certainly generous-"
"I'm not being kind. It is an honest critique."
Right. Ellie inhaled and tried again. "Thank you. I studied architecture for many years while at university and carpentry is a family trade. You could say it's in my blood."
Amir appeared to ponder her words for a short time before gracing her with a soft smile that she wouldn't have believed him capable of moments ago. "I see. A family business is something I understand very well. " Amir's shoulders loosened and his stature slouched slightly, making his stance more relaxed. "We will be living here for some time, so I would like to discuss your future projects while they are in progress. It is my hope that studying the success of this village will aid me with my own endevours in my homeland." His tanned hand was presented before her, palm slightly turned. "A deal is sealed with a handshake, yes?"
What was she getting herself into? Ellie returned his smile despire the curling of anxiety in her gut. "Yes, you're right." She slid her palm against his and was suprised to find it very warm, his fingers curling around her hand firmly.
"Good." His stern expression returned. "However, I do have one question."
Ellie swallowed. "Yes?"
"Do you usually great your visitors with that?" The hand he had used to shake hers was gesturing to her side where she still held the baseball bat.
Mother fuc- "Ah...no, not when I'm expecting them."
Amir huffed lightly. "And when you are not expecting them?"
"Sometimes."
The prince crossed his arms and glanced at his companion before piercing Ellie with another intense stare. "I see. Are you involved with a man?"
"What?" Ellie squeaked and stepped back instinctively and held the bat to her chest. "What kind of question is that?" A fluttering of blue caught the corner of her eye and she noted
Sanjay standing at her side with both hands raised, palms facing her.
"Master Amir would like to know if you have sufficient assistance, in cases where you feel a weapon necessary." He spoke in a deep, soothing tone and touched the baseball bat right beneath her curled fingers. She let it go when he grabbed it and set it on her sofa.
"I haven't found many threats in this village, but I like to be cautious." She frowned after realizing how easy she was to disarm and wondered if she'd proven their point unintentionally. "So far I've been very successful taking care of myself."
The tension lasted for only a moment because Amir chuckled. It was so light and boyish that Ellie found herself emotionally disarmed as well. When he glanced at her the chuckled turned into a full laugh.
"I see, I see. So defiant." The prince coughed into his fist and reclaimed his stern frown but there was a softness around his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Now that we have an agreement, your safety is my concern. Sanjay is my personal assistant and handles many matters for me, including protection if the need arises." He gestured to Sanjay and, as if sharing thoughts telepathically, Sanjay immediately knelt before her. "He will now assist you as well for the remainder of our stay."
Ellie inhaled sharply and stared in horror at the prince who had essentially just given her a person. "Ah...I'm honored truly...or something..." Was she getting a fever? She placed her cool palms against her cheeks. This was too much. "Please, Sanjay...don't..."
His head remained bowed, his long braid almost touching the damp floor. "If my master wishes, I will protect you with my life."
She was going to swoon, she could feel it. And she definitely wasn't that type. "Can you just...grab things that are too high for me to reach?"
Sanjay lifted his head and smiled at her gently before coming to his feet. "I can certainly do that as well."
Ah shit.
Two men trudged back down the long path they had made earlier. Their pace was leisurely, despite the violent gusts of wind that threatened to knock them into the quickly building piles of snow around them.
"Was that a smart decision, Master Amir? How can I effectively manage your affairs if I'm assisting another?"
The master was in the lead this time, following the carefully-made path with ease. "She's valuable to my plan. I have much to prove to father. He will be able to see things from my perspective when this is finished, I assure you."
"She was very embarrassed. It was wrong of us to alarm her so."
Amir smirked at Sanjay over his shoulder. "Oh? So that's what really concerns you? I'm surprised, Sanjay. You've never been interested in women before."
"T-that's not-"
Amir crossed his arms. "She is fairly plain, at least in comparison to what we're used to."
"That is unfair, Master. I am not interested, as you say, but she is certainly not plain."
It wasn't unusual for Sanjay to disagree with Amir, albeit not publicly, and the prince often valued the difference of opinion. But the topic of women wasn't shared often, as Amir was expected to wed whomever his family chose and Sanjay was too busy with Amir to bother forming any other attachments. Amir often wondered if he was selfish for holding onto his companion so tightly. "You are only saying so because she thought you were a handsome winter sprite."
Sanjay sputtered from behind him, likely melting the snow from the heat of his blush. Amir couldn't help but laugh heartily. Moving to Echo was certainly the best decision he had made in a while.