Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Ever After. This is purely for personal reading.
Some parts of my story may not be suitable for children under 16.
This is my first time writing any type of story or fanfiction. I hope you like it.
Chapter 1 – In Le Pieu's courtyard.
Danielle had just freed herself from Le Pieu. She couldn't believe that she actually did it. She was so scared, her heart was beating very fast.
Prince Henry and his guards galloped into the courtyard. He was hoping to reach Danielle in time. Ohhh God what was going to happen to her in the clutches of Le Pieu, that horrible monster? Everything was racing through is head from the night before at the Masque and how he treated her. Ohhh please Danielle, please forgive me, he thought. Henry started walking towards the castle. Suddenly he saw her. She was wearing a servant's dress and she was a bit messy but she still looked so beautiful. Thank God she is alright, he thought, but how did she escape, he wondered.
Danielle was walking into the courtyard and smiled to herself that she has gotten away. Then she saw him. It was the Prince. It was Henry. What was he doing here, she thought. Ohh no, maybe he is coming to have me arrested for impersonating a courtier. Well if that is my fate, it is much better than being a prisoner to that horrible Le Pieu. The thought of him made her shudder with disgust and fear.
The two got closer to each other and stopped. Hello, said Henry. Danielle looked at him and said hello. There was silence for a few seconds. What are you doing here, she asked? For a moment he was at a loss for words. He had a whole speech planned but couldn't remember much of it now because he was so nervous. I, uh, I came to rescue you, he said very nervously.
Rescue me? A commoner , she said as she rolled her eyes unable to believe that he would actually rescue her now that he knows she isn't the Comtesse Nicole De Lancret. Danielle turned around and started walking away.
Actually, I came to beg your forgiveness. I was a fool and an idiot for what I did to you. I offered you the world, and at the first test of honour I betrayed your trust…..please Danielle. He was pleading to her now.
She turned around and said, "Say it again".
He says, "I'm sorry".
No, the part where you said my name, and she smiles. Henry grins and says "Danielle". She smiles at him and her heart melts.
He looks at her with such love in his eyes and reaches around into his cloak and pulls out the shoe that Danielle wore the night of the Masque.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to help me find the owner of this rather remarkable shoe", he said with a smile.
She looks at him "where did you find that?"
Henry doesn't answer her question but he says, "she is my match in every way, please tell me I haven't lost her."
She starts to turn around and says, "it belongs to a peasant, Your Highness, who only pretended to be a courtier to save a man's life".
"Yes, I know, and the name's Henry, if you don't mind". Danielle sits down on a low stone wall while Henry kneels down in front of her.
With a loving look in his eyes, he says, "I kneel before you not as a Prince, but as a man in love and I would feel like a king, if you Danielle De Barbarac, would be my wife". He takes off her shoe and puts on the shoe that she wore to the Masque. It fits perfectly. Danielle begins to cry tears of joy and covers her face with her hands not believing what is happening.
Henry looks at her praying that she will say yes while his heart is beating so fast.
Danielle looks at him and smiles and throws herself into his arms. Ohh yes Henry, a million times, yes!! Henry smiles a big smile and picks her up and twirls her around while they start to kiss passionately.
After about a minute he sets her down gently. Henry is the first one to speak. "Danielle, I love you more than life itself." He takes his hand and gently caresses her cheek while looking at her and smiling. Danielle still cannot believe this is all happening to her.
"I must explain everything to you now Your High…..she stops ……Henry. First I must ask you something Danielle. Ohhh I love the way he says my name, she thought. "Did Le Pieu hurt you in any way", he asked.
"No, he didn't but if I were there any longer, he might have". "How did you escape", he asked her.
"My father was an expert swordsman and he taught me quite well. I had to be quick and I grabbed Le Pieu's sword and held it to his face. He then tried to kiss me and I took the sword and slashed his face. He fell down in his chair. There was a whole pile of larger swords on the table and I grabbed one. I told him that if he doesn't give me the key to the chains that were holding my feet, I would slash him from navel to nose. He was afraid, he was very afraid. He saw that I meant every word that I said."
Henry looked at her with such pride. "You are so brave Danielle; I never met any woman like you". "I must tell you something now Henry and you will listen to me", she said with a grin. "I have been trying to tell you this for the longest time and you just won't let me." "Alright my love, you may tell me anything", he looked at her so lovingly.
Danielle proceeded to tell him of her life and how she became a servant to the Baroness and her daughters. My father was Auguste De Barbarac and he married Nicole De Lancret. My mother died shortly after giving birth to me. My father and I were extremely close but he felt that I needed to have a mother and he needed a wife. I was 8 years old when he brought the Baroness and her daughter's home. I was so excited. I would have a new mother and two sisters. The next day my father had to go away on business. While all of us were watching him ride his horse down the driveway, he collapsed and fell off. That is when he died. Tears started to well up in Danielle's eyes. Henry pulled her close to him and she proceeded to tell him the rest.
About a week later the Baroness made me leave my bedroom and gave it to Marguerite and said that I had to sleep in the attic with the other servants. I listened to her because after all, she was my stepmother. I had to do whatever she and Marguerite or Jacqueline would tell me.
If I didn't, the Baroness would beat me. "She beat you?", asked Henry in horror and disgust, wondering how anyone could beat such a wonderful person let alone their stepchild. "Yes", Danielle said. Ohhhh this woman is going to pay for making you a servant and for beating you!!, he said with such anger. I endured all of it because I loved the Manor. It belonged to my family and my father loved it so much as well. So now you know my life story but I want to tell you why I pretended to be a courtier.
One of our servants, Maurice, who has been with my father since before I was born was sold by the Baroness. She needed money so she sold him. Money and power were her only loves. Maurice was like a second father to me. He was married to another servant named Louise. I couldn't let them be separated. So I decided to take the 20 gold francs that you gave me that day in the orchid and use it to buy him back. I knew that if I went to the palace as a servant I wouldn't get in, so I had to dress as a courtier. My best friend Gustave helped me get the gown. I was aware that the penalty for a servant dressing above their station was five days in the stocks but I did not care. I needed to free Maurice.
Henry looked at her with such love in his eyes. "You are the most wonderful woman in the world", he said. You are so caring. I truly never met anyone like you Danielle.
She smiled, and said, "I love when you say my name". Danielle, Danielle, Danielle, he said it over and over and they both started to giggle.
"Now let me tell you the rest", she said impatiently. Henry smirked. "That is the day that I met you in the palace courtyard", she said to him.
Henry's mind wandered back to that day remembering how she quoted Utopia. He was instantly enchanted by her that day. "I never intended to even talk to you and I certainly never thought I would see you again", she said. All I wanted was Maurice to come back home with me. Then by chance again, we met by the river. He was smiling, remembering how she was angry with him for being a snob. The day that you took me to the Monastery was the day that I fell in love with you. I knew that night in the gypsy camp that I must tell you the truth but when you took me home it was too late so I decided to tell you at Amboise the next day. My stepmother had beaten me that morning for not doing my chores and for coming home late. I was in terrible pain from the wounds on my back but I knew that I had to tell you the truth. I couldn't let you go on believing that I was a noblewoman. I wanted to tell you so badly Henry but then I just couldn't do it because you were pouring your heart out to me. When you kissed me I thought I would melt but then when you embraced me the pain from the wounds were just too much to bear.
"Was that why you pulled away?", he asked. She nodded her head yes. "I thought that my touch disgusted you", he said.
"Ohhh my love, never ever do you disgust me", she said. I wanted nothing more than to feel your arms around me, to have you kiss me so passionately. Henry took her face in his hands and began to kiss her, lightly at first. So gentle and loving. He wrapped his arms around her and the fire in him began to stir. Their kiss became more passionate for what seemed like an eternity until Danielle gently broke away from his embrace.
"There is more that I must tell you Henry", she said. " She laughed and said there will be plenty of time for us to kiss". "Please let me finish all of this." "Yes, please go on Danielle". If I just had listened to you at the Masque, none of this would have happened, he thought.
She continued, my stepmother locked me in the root cellar before she left for the ball. I had wanted to go so much and I think she figured out that I was pretending to be Nicole De Lancret. My friend Gustave went to the Masque to find Senore DaVinci to bring him back to free me from the cellar. I was so happy that I was going to get to go to the Masque and finally tell you who I really was. I was so nervous but I knew that I must speak with you about it. I wore my mother's wedding gown and her shoes, she happily said with a smile. And that is it Henry, that is my story. I never meant to deceive you in any way. I didn't fall in love with you because you are a prince, I fell in love with you because of YOU. If you were a servant, I would still love you. I will love you no matter what.
Henry took Danielle's hands in his and looked her in the eyes and said, "If it's possible to love you more than before, I do". I was an idiot, a fool. To throw away something so precious as you. Thank God that Leonardo knocked some sense into me and I realized that a life without love was no life at all. We must get back to the castle now, my love. I want to tell Mother and Father that you and I shall be married.
Ohhh Henry, what will your parents say? Will they believe me? Yes, I know they will and if I know my parents, they are already looking into the De Barbarac family in the castle library.
Henry please don't punish Jacqueline. She was never cruel to me. As a matter of fact, the other day after the Baroness beat me, Jacqueline tended to my wounds. Henry told her that Jacqueline was the one who told him who she was sold to. "She did"?, asked Danielle.
Yes, he said.
I think Jacqueline and I could have been friends, if not for the Baroness and Marguerite. I believe she was her victim too. The Baroness only paid attention to Marguerite. I think she only cared about her, she told him.
I think your stepmother and Marguerite should be shipped to the Americas, Henry said with anger in his voice.
"Ohhh no, said Danielle, not that, please not that!!"
"After what they did to you, you want to be lenient with them"?, he asked.
"Yes, because of Jacqueline. I don't want to hurt her." "Even though the two of them are so cruel, they are her family."
The prince touched Danielle's face and simply said, "you are truly an angel."
Danielle smiled and then realized "Ohhh I have nothing to wear to the castle". Look at me, I look like a peasant, she giggled.
You look beautiful Danielle. You would look beautiful in anything that you wear. We will go into the side door away from gossiping eyes and then one of the ladies in waiting will find you a lovely gown to wear. Is there anything in particular that you want?, he asked.
Yes, the first thing I want to do is have a bath, she answered.
You shall have it my love. Anything you want will be yours. She hugged him and layed her head on his shoulder and just said, "Henry, I love you so much".
He sighed and said, "those words are like music to my ears."
They stood up and he helped her onto his horse. He climbed on and she wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face into the warmth of his neck. He loved to feel her against him, her body so close to his. From now on there will be many more times like this, he thought happily with a smile. Danielle was thinking how she finally found happiness. Henry was thinking the same thing. They rode off towards the Castle.