A/N: Hello all! Many thanks for the kinds words being left for this story. You're all wonderful. Special thanks to Ashlanielle for her help with this chapter. She gets all the credit for "Sir Davies" and the quote that goes with "him." She's brilliant.
This chapter is for any of my lovely readers who may being going through some storms in their lives. I hope that, despite the rough times, this chapter can bring a bit of a smile to your face. At least for a little while. *hugs*
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, Ever After, or anything related. *Some lines belong are borrowed from the movie Ever After. Credit for those lines belong to their respective writers.*
"Have Courage and Be Kind."
― Jacob Grimm
"Sorry, did you just say you took a horse?!"
Prince James sighed. "Yes, Jakoby, I took a horse," he repeated, leaving out the part of leaving the servant girl with a bag of gold. If she chose not to share that with her master or mistress, the results could mean disaster for her and there was something about that brave girl that made him wan to keep her safe. "Honestly," he went on, "it's not as if they will suffer a great loss. The girl practically told me the beast is useless."
"That doesn't matter!" the guard snapped. "What is she tells her master, hm? We need to go and do damage control, and we must return the horse."
"Return the- No! I want to keep Tardis!"
The other man shook his head. "You just admitted he's useless."
"So! I still want him." He pouted.
"Fine. Then, you're giving them Arthur!"
The Prince opened his mouth to protest, but knew it was pointless. It wasn't like he was overly attached to Arthur. He'd only had him a couple of years and rarely chose to ride him. The only reason he took him when he ran away was because he was the closest on hand in the stable. In the long run it was a choice he regretted due to the broken shoe the horse ended up suffering from. Of course, if he hadn't chose Arthur than he would not have ended up with Tardis...
"Is this the place?" Captain Simmons asked, breaking James out of his thoughts.
"I believe so," he answered, looking around. He had been in such a rush that morning, he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings, but yes, this place did look familiar. "Do we know who lives here?"
"The Baroness Cassandra O'brian, my lord."
On cue, the Baroness made her way through the front door, falling instantly into a low curtsy. "Oh, your Highness. What a lovely surprise, to what do we owe this great honor?"
The Prince rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, you see, Baroness, I'm bringing you a horse."
"A horse? Were we in need of one?"
"It depends. See, I took the liberty of taking one of yours this morning. And I've taken quite the shine to him. I'm afraid I might have scared the wits out of one of your servants. A young lady," he told her, leaving out the bit about her attacking him. No sense in getting her in trouble.
Her eyes widened as she hastened to her feet. "She's mute, my lord."
"Really? She spoke clearly to me."
The Baroness chuckled nervously. "Well it comes and goes, but as always, your Highness is welcome to anything he wishes. Anything at all. No need to offer us anything in return."
"All the same, Arthur is a fine horse, and I think he will benefit your household nicely," James told her diplomatically. As he finished his statement, two young women, burst through the front door. One was tall and thin with a secretive smile on her face and a large broach adorning her chest. The other was a slightly plumper girl with a sweet grin. Both dutifully curtsied to him.
Cassandra gestured grandly towards her eldest daughter. "Your highness, may I present Reinette-Francoise-Louise of the house of Powell? And Lynda," she finished waving a hand at her youngest, who was desperately trying to add a feather in her hair. A clear attempt to look more seductive.
James had to hold back a laugh at the sight, but he didn't miss the appreciative look upon Jaokby's face. "You may indeed. Ladies, forgive me but you seem to have blossomed overnight," he responded in his most charming manner.
"We are so looking forward to celebrating the engagement to your own blossoming bride."
"Yes, well there have been several new developments with regards to... that." He looked down at the oldest of the two young women. She really was a sight to behold. He wondered what it would be like to sit and chat with her, perhaps share a dance... But as of right now, neither of those were an option. He realised he was staring at her in silence and cleared his throat, hiding his embarrassment. "I must say Reinette, that broach is stunning," he covered with a compliment.
She fluttered her eyelashes and answered daintily, "This old thing? You're too kind."
In an attempt to be noticed, Lynda took the feather from her hair and stuffed it down the front of her dress. Not wanting to leave her out he added, "And Lynda, that feather is very... feathery."
"Thank you, my lord!" she replied gleefully.
"These new developments, I trust, are for the best?" the Baroness asked coyly, ignoring her youngest.
The Prince exhaled heavily. "Let us hope so. Good day, ladies."
Running towards the palace, Rose desperately tried going over her plan in her head. Get in, get Rhys, get out. That's all she had to do. Simple, right? As long as she didn't cause a scene, she shouldn't encounter any problems. She hoped. As she approached the bridge leading to the front courtyard, she slowed to a jog. She was surprised when she heard a guard warn the surrounding peasants to make way for her. It came as a quite the shock, having momentarily forgot that she was no longer in her servant's grab. Bowing her head she walked hastily over the bridge, she kept her eyes peeled for any sight of Rhys. At last she spotted him on the far side of the courtyard being loaded into a caged cart.
"Lord give me strength," Rose quietly prayed as she straightened her shoulders, remembering Michael's advice about looking down to no one, and made her way across the courtyard. The horse leading the cart had just begun trotting away when she put her hand out and stepped beside the animal, drawing it and the cart to a stop. "I-I wish to address the issue of this g-gentleman, he is my servant and I am here to pay the debt against h-him," she stuttered, trying desperately to sound like she knew what she was doing. Pull yourself together, she told herself.
"You're too late, he's bought and paid for," the Cargo Master told her. He was a small man. The type of man in normal circumstances, Rhys could have easily overpowered. The sight of the whip at the Cargo Master's side was enough to tell Rose that Rhys had thought better of fighting the man
She held up the purse the Prince had given her. "I can pay you 20 gold pieces."
"Madame, you can have me for 20 gold pieces, now drive on," he ordered.
Rose grabbed the horses reins. "I demand that you release him at once, or I shall take this matter to the King."
"The King's the one who sold him. He's now property of Rassilon."
She scoffed. "He's not property at all, you ill-mannered baboon. Do you honestly think it's right to chain people like chattel? I demand you release him at once."
The Cargo Master leaned over his seat and shouted in Rose's face, "Get out of my way!"
Unbeknownst to either of them, the Prince had just arrived and heard the last bit of their conversation. "You dare raise your voice to a lady, Mitchell?"
Rose silently cursed, and turned to face the Prince keeping her head bowed the entire time. She could only hope her disguise would hold true and he would not recognise her form earlier in the morning. It seemed he had not been able to find the freedom he sought, but at least old Tardis seemed to like him.
"Your Highness? Uh, forgive me, sire," the man sputtered. "Uh, I meant no disrespect. Uh, it's just uh I'm following orders here. It's my job to take these criminals and thieves to the coast."
Unable to stand idly by Rose raised her head defiantly and snapped a silencing look to the Cargo Master. "A servant is not a thief, your Highness, and those who are cannot help themselves."
"Really?" the Prince asked with a wide smile. and gestured to the small crowd that had gathered around them. "Then by all means, enlighten us!"
She took a deep breath, praying the right words would come out. Her thoughts turned to her favourite book and immediately she knew just what to say. "A servant is not a thief, though such titles are ultimately insignificant. It is arrogance that demands a distinction between those beholden to another and those who are only to themselves. All are but dust compared to the Majesties of the world, and fade as such. Everything comes to an end. What, therefore, entitles a man to the name 'noble' or 'common' when their fates are decidedly equal?"
Silence fell for a brief few moments before the prince nodded. "That makes sense. Well done. Release him," he commanded the Cargo Master.
"But, sire-" he protested.
"I said, release him, Mitchell."
The small man made a displeased face, but agreed. "Yes, sire."
Rose sighed in relief and rushed to meet Rhys at the side of the cart. When he was finally free of his chains, he gripped her shoulders. "I thought I was looking at your mother," he said, remembering the woman from his youth.
"Meet me at the bridge," she replied in a whisper with a sly wink. In a louder tone she said, "Prepare the horses, we will leave at once." She moved to the Prince. "Thank you, your Highness."
Moving quickly past him, she attempted to maker her way to the bridge, only to be followed by the prince. "Have we met?" he asked, hurrying to catch up with her.
"I do not believe so, your Highness."
"I could've sworn I knew every courtier in the providence."
Rose smiled nervously. "Well, I am visiting a cousin," she lied.
His brow furrowed. "Who?"
"My cousin," she quickly replied.
"Yes, you said that. Which one?" he questioned through genuine laughter. Rose secretly thought to herself that it was a pleasant sound and she hoped for his sake he did it often.
She looked at him and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "The only one I have, sire."
The Prince smirked. "Are you coy on purpose or do you honestly refuse to tell me your name?"
"No! And yes... And to be fair you never actually asked for my name specifically. Not that I'm sharing," she hastened to add.
Skipping ahead to he could face her, he began a backwards trot. "Well, then, pray tell me your cousin's name so that I might call upon her to learn who you are. For anyone who can quote Sir Davies is well worth the effort."
Rose stopped in her tracks, shocked the he had actually recognised the quote she had used. "The Prince has read Bad Wolf?"
"I find it sentimental and dull. I confess the plight of the everyday domestics bores me." He shrugged.
"I gather you do not converse with many peasants?"
"No, not at all. Not for lack of wanting to," he was quick to assure. "It just comes with the territory of being royal I suppose. It's natural."
Rose frowned at his words. "Excuse me, sire, but there is nothing natural about it. A land's character is defined by its, 'everyday domestics' as you call them. They are the legs you stand on and that position demands respect, not-"
He cut her off. "Am I to understand that you find me arrogant?"
"Well, you're certainly not as impressive as you think you are."
"I am so impressive!"
"Are you?" she asked boldly. "You gave one man back his life, but did you even glance at the others?"
He paused in his tracks, looking throughly appalled with himself. "You're right," he muttered under his breath. Taking her moment to escape, Rose stepped around him and began hurriedly walking away. "Wait!" he called running to catch back up with her. "Please, I beg of you, a name. Any name," he pleaded. She was unsure of what her next step should be. At the moment he was merely asking for her name, but Rose knew at any moment he could demand it and she would have no choice but to answer. Her real name was out of the question, so the best choice would be to provide him with a name. Any name.
"I fear," she began carefully, "that the only name to leave you with is, Comtesse Andrea Prentice." There she had given him her mother's name, leaving off the Jacqueline. Hopefully that would make her harder to trace if the Prince wished to find her again.
"There now. That wasn't so hard." A small commotion was heard coming from the garden. Both the Prince and Rose turned and were surprised to see the Queen making her way to them.
"James! You're back! I'm so pleased you decided to grace us with your presence once more," she said in obvious false cheer.
His shoulders slumped under her gaze. "Hello, mother."
Rose took the moment of distraction to slip away, listening as the mother and son went back and forth.
"The King would like a word with you, several in fact. I may have a few of my own to add in."
"Nothing new there, Mother. Business as usual. I shall be right in."
Had Rose taken that moment to turn around, she would have seen the surprise and disappointment on Prince James's face when he realised she was no longer there. As it was, her own heart was racing wildly, unable to believe what had just transpired. She'd thought her first interaction with the Prince that morning would be the only time she would have faced him, but to truly have a conversation with him? She feared she may never be the same again.