#DISCLAIMER: Umm...let me see, I don't own anything except the scenes I made up.
A/N: My God, I can't believe this is only the third or fourth Ever After fan fic. Its such a great film, don't you think? But I guess you wouldn't be reading this fic if you weren't fans. Unless you were just looking for things to be mean about. Which would be odd. But anyway, nobody wants to hear my insane ramblings! On with the story...
Danielle ran towards her home. Rain poured down, soaking her dress and hair. The raindrops mingled with the tears running down her cheeks.
Lost in her private world of misery and despair, she sank to the ground. She bent her head to her knees and wept. She cried for herself, but most of all she cried for Henry. The way he had looked hurt, betrayed and...lost, when her step mother had told him the truth. She thought of his parting words to her. Just like them. She supposed she was. He had thought she was diferent, but the way her step mother had portrayed her she was more like Marguerite than Marguerite. He must think I lied because I wanted his crown, she thought. I would love him even if he was the poorest man in France.
For a few minutes more she let herself be carried away by a torrent of emotion. Eventually she sighed softly and rose to her feet. She knocked softly at the door of her home. No one came. She knocked again, louder this time. She heard footsteps approaching the door. Louise cautiously opened the door a crack, and peered. When she saw that it was Danielle, she gasped and opened the door wide. She half turned and called for Paulette. She turned back to Danielle and grasped her in a comforting embrace.
With some difficulty Louise and Paulette managed to get the soaked girl inside the house and sitting down. Paulette went to the kitchens to get Danielle a drink. Louise gently asked her what had happened. She got no answers. Danielle simply sat there, staring at the wall in silence.
Hours later, the baroness, Marguerite and Jacqueline came in. The baroness seemed to be drunk. Jacqueline seemed to be happier than she had been in months. Marguerite was just...Marguerite.
"Hello Danielle." the baroness slurred. "Did you have a nice evening?" With that both Marguerite and Rodmilla dissolved into helpless laughter.
"Mother!" Jacqueline cried. "I do think thats cruel of you!"
"So?" Rodmilla said. "Who's going to stop me? The prince?" Both her and Marguerite laughed again.
During this exchange Danielle hadn't moved a muscle. Until Henry was mentioned. She stood up from her seat, and slowly left the room. Behind her she could hear Marguerite and her step mother talking and laughing.
As she made her way to where she slept, she heard hasty footsteps behind her.
"Please wait!" she heard Jacqueline call. Danielle stopped and waited for her step sister to catch up.
"What do you want?" she asked flatly.
"Just to say...to say that I'm sorry." Jacqueline said quickly. "For the way Mother and Marguerite treated you at the masque and what they just said to you. It was wrong of them."
Danielle smiled weakly. "Thank you," she whispered.
Back at the palace everyone was immersed in wedding preparations, Except three people. Henry, Leonardo and Marie.
Henry spent his days locked inside his chambers. He wouldn't eat, nor see anyone except his mother and Leonardo.
He didn't tell anyone, but when Leonardo had left Danielle's glass slipper on the battlements in the storm, he had kept it. He had wiped it dry and placed it in an elaborate box. Late at night he would take it out and think of a lost love.
He hadn't been able to sleep since the ball and Danielle's or rather Baroness de Ghent's revelations. His mother had given him numerous potions and drinks to help but he had discarded them. He didn't want to sleep. He was scared of what he would dream.
-Marie was worried about her son. Henry wouldn't talk about what had happened at the masque so she said nothing and instead tried to distract him with tales of the courtiers. She and Leonardo had discussed many times about what to do about the matter. Leonardo's advice was to drop the subject and wait for him to talk about it. She wasn't quite sure that she believed the baroness about Danielle. The girl didn't carry herself like a servant, and certainly didn't speak or dress like one. What was her name again? Oh yes..de Barbarac. Where have I heard that before? Oh, of course! Auguste de Barbarac married the Baroness. Then he died suddenly. So if Danielle's father was Auguste that means that the Baroness is her step mother! So Danielle has to be a servant in her own home! Should I tell Henry?
Leonardo listened carefully to the Queen as she told him of Danielle's father. "So she isn't a servant then..." he mused. "Or rather, she is, but shouldn't be."
"Should we tell him?" Marie asked the wise old man. "I think he deserves to know." Leonardo nodded his agreement.
"I think it would be best coming from you," he said.
Marie hesitantly knocked on the door of Henry's chambers. There was no answer. Fearing he had run away again, she gently pushed open the door and entered. She smiled when she saw him. Exhausted, he had fallen asleep at his desk, with his head on his arms. She noticed something in his hand as she softly walked towards him. It was a shoe. Marie looked at it closely. It's made out of glass...she thought. She sighed as she realized where she had seen it before. He still loves her. She called his name softly and he awakened quickly. He seemed disorientated.
"Mother?" he asked.
"Yes, Henry, it's me. What a remarkable shoe. May I have a closer look?"
Henry reddened as he silently passed the shoe over. Marie marveled at the craftmanship. This is no peasant shoe. Just look at the stitching! She handed it back to her son. "Henry, I must tell you something," she said softly, sitting on the edge of his fourposter. "Its about...its about Danielle de Barbarac."
Henry turned sullenly away. "I don't want to hear it," he said flatly. Marie sighed and stood up. "I just thought that you might like to know that she is the Baroness's step daughter, not a servant." With that, she left his room and shut the door behind her.
Henry's mind was whirling. She is the Baroness's step daughter!! She also lied to you,remember? he thought bitterly. And besides the wedding to what's her name can't be cancelled now. But...I miss her.
Danielle was bent over some plants in the small garden, when she felt a prickling on the back of her neck. She spun around to see Marguerite watching her. "I suppose you know that Prince Henry is marrying Princess Gabriella. Looks like you are stuck with him, after all." Marguerite laughed cruelly.
Danielle had no time for Marguerite and Rodmilla's stupid intrigues. "Stuck with who?" she asked bluntly.
"Why, don't you know? He's waiting around the front of the house for you, why don't go and see him? I won't tell." Marguerite said with cloying sweetness. Danielle rose to her feet and walked to the front of the house. There was a carriage parked outside the door,and people were unloading things from it. As she moved closer she saw Pierre le Peau. So it was him that had all Papa's things!
"Ah, Danielle, you are here at last. Well she's all yours, monsieur." Rodmilla bid Pierre adieu and went back into the house.
"What did she mean, I'm all yours?" Danielle asked Pierre innocently.
"She means, dearest Danielle, that she has sold you to me." Pierre waved a hand and instantly Danielle's arms were grabbed and she was pushed into the carriage.
"Noooo!!!" she screamed. "No!"
A/N: My God, I can't believe this is only the third or fourth Ever After fan fic. Its such a great film, don't you think? But I guess you wouldn't be reading this fic if you weren't fans. Unless you were just looking for things to be mean about. Which would be odd. But anyway, nobody wants to hear my insane ramblings! On with the story...
Danielle ran towards her home. Rain poured down, soaking her dress and hair. The raindrops mingled with the tears running down her cheeks.
Lost in her private world of misery and despair, she sank to the ground. She bent her head to her knees and wept. She cried for herself, but most of all she cried for Henry. The way he had looked hurt, betrayed and...lost, when her step mother had told him the truth. She thought of his parting words to her. Just like them. She supposed she was. He had thought she was diferent, but the way her step mother had portrayed her she was more like Marguerite than Marguerite. He must think I lied because I wanted his crown, she thought. I would love him even if he was the poorest man in France.
For a few minutes more she let herself be carried away by a torrent of emotion. Eventually she sighed softly and rose to her feet. She knocked softly at the door of her home. No one came. She knocked again, louder this time. She heard footsteps approaching the door. Louise cautiously opened the door a crack, and peered. When she saw that it was Danielle, she gasped and opened the door wide. She half turned and called for Paulette. She turned back to Danielle and grasped her in a comforting embrace.
With some difficulty Louise and Paulette managed to get the soaked girl inside the house and sitting down. Paulette went to the kitchens to get Danielle a drink. Louise gently asked her what had happened. She got no answers. Danielle simply sat there, staring at the wall in silence.
Hours later, the baroness, Marguerite and Jacqueline came in. The baroness seemed to be drunk. Jacqueline seemed to be happier than she had been in months. Marguerite was just...Marguerite.
"Hello Danielle." the baroness slurred. "Did you have a nice evening?" With that both Marguerite and Rodmilla dissolved into helpless laughter.
"Mother!" Jacqueline cried. "I do think thats cruel of you!"
"So?" Rodmilla said. "Who's going to stop me? The prince?" Both her and Marguerite laughed again.
During this exchange Danielle hadn't moved a muscle. Until Henry was mentioned. She stood up from her seat, and slowly left the room. Behind her she could hear Marguerite and her step mother talking and laughing.
As she made her way to where she slept, she heard hasty footsteps behind her.
"Please wait!" she heard Jacqueline call. Danielle stopped and waited for her step sister to catch up.
"What do you want?" she asked flatly.
"Just to say...to say that I'm sorry." Jacqueline said quickly. "For the way Mother and Marguerite treated you at the masque and what they just said to you. It was wrong of them."
Danielle smiled weakly. "Thank you," she whispered.
Back at the palace everyone was immersed in wedding preparations, Except three people. Henry, Leonardo and Marie.
Henry spent his days locked inside his chambers. He wouldn't eat, nor see anyone except his mother and Leonardo.
He didn't tell anyone, but when Leonardo had left Danielle's glass slipper on the battlements in the storm, he had kept it. He had wiped it dry and placed it in an elaborate box. Late at night he would take it out and think of a lost love.
He hadn't been able to sleep since the ball and Danielle's or rather Baroness de Ghent's revelations. His mother had given him numerous potions and drinks to help but he had discarded them. He didn't want to sleep. He was scared of what he would dream.
-Marie was worried about her son. Henry wouldn't talk about what had happened at the masque so she said nothing and instead tried to distract him with tales of the courtiers. She and Leonardo had discussed many times about what to do about the matter. Leonardo's advice was to drop the subject and wait for him to talk about it. She wasn't quite sure that she believed the baroness about Danielle. The girl didn't carry herself like a servant, and certainly didn't speak or dress like one. What was her name again? Oh yes..de Barbarac. Where have I heard that before? Oh, of course! Auguste de Barbarac married the Baroness. Then he died suddenly. So if Danielle's father was Auguste that means that the Baroness is her step mother! So Danielle has to be a servant in her own home! Should I tell Henry?
Leonardo listened carefully to the Queen as she told him of Danielle's father. "So she isn't a servant then..." he mused. "Or rather, she is, but shouldn't be."
"Should we tell him?" Marie asked the wise old man. "I think he deserves to know." Leonardo nodded his agreement.
"I think it would be best coming from you," he said.
Marie hesitantly knocked on the door of Henry's chambers. There was no answer. Fearing he had run away again, she gently pushed open the door and entered. She smiled when she saw him. Exhausted, he had fallen asleep at his desk, with his head on his arms. She noticed something in his hand as she softly walked towards him. It was a shoe. Marie looked at it closely. It's made out of glass...she thought. She sighed as she realized where she had seen it before. He still loves her. She called his name softly and he awakened quickly. He seemed disorientated.
"Mother?" he asked.
"Yes, Henry, it's me. What a remarkable shoe. May I have a closer look?"
Henry reddened as he silently passed the shoe over. Marie marveled at the craftmanship. This is no peasant shoe. Just look at the stitching! She handed it back to her son. "Henry, I must tell you something," she said softly, sitting on the edge of his fourposter. "Its about...its about Danielle de Barbarac."
Henry turned sullenly away. "I don't want to hear it," he said flatly. Marie sighed and stood up. "I just thought that you might like to know that she is the Baroness's step daughter, not a servant." With that, she left his room and shut the door behind her.
Henry's mind was whirling. She is the Baroness's step daughter!! She also lied to you,remember? he thought bitterly. And besides the wedding to what's her name can't be cancelled now. But...I miss her.
Danielle was bent over some plants in the small garden, when she felt a prickling on the back of her neck. She spun around to see Marguerite watching her. "I suppose you know that Prince Henry is marrying Princess Gabriella. Looks like you are stuck with him, after all." Marguerite laughed cruelly.
Danielle had no time for Marguerite and Rodmilla's stupid intrigues. "Stuck with who?" she asked bluntly.
"Why, don't you know? He's waiting around the front of the house for you, why don't go and see him? I won't tell." Marguerite said with cloying sweetness. Danielle rose to her feet and walked to the front of the house. There was a carriage parked outside the door,and people were unloading things from it. As she moved closer she saw Pierre le Peau. So it was him that had all Papa's things!
"Ah, Danielle, you are here at last. Well she's all yours, monsieur." Rodmilla bid Pierre adieu and went back into the house.
"What did she mean, I'm all yours?" Danielle asked Pierre innocently.
"She means, dearest Danielle, that she has sold you to me." Pierre waved a hand and instantly Danielle's arms were grabbed and she was pushed into the carriage.
"Noooo!!!" she screamed. "No!"