Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Ever After. This is purely for personal reading.
Chapter 2
As Henry and Danielle were walking back into the Masque, Danielle stopped nervously.
"What's wrong, sweetheart"? He asked her.
"I'm very nervous Henry, I'm afraid that Rodmilla and Marguerite will make a terrible scene once they find out about all of this", she told him.
Henry gently lifts her face up, looks into her eyes and said, "Danielle, please do not worry, I will make sure that they do not hurt you. They won't be getting away with this. First, Rodmilla makes you a servant in your own home and then she lies to my mother. My parents will see that justice is done. They will also love you as I do", he tenderly told her with a smile.
"I hope you are right", she said nervously.
"I am, so let us hurry so we can punish Rodmilla and Marguerite and announce our engagement", he quickly said.
Henry and Danielle walked hand in hand back into the Masque. Henry had the biggest smile on his face, Danielle had a nervous smile.
"Ohh look, look I invited the gypsies!", Henry exclaims.
Danielle looks over and smiles at them.
They were walking towards the dais so Henry could introduce her to his parents. Meanwhile, Rodmilla sees all this with rage and grabs a hold of Marguerite's hand and starts pulling at her to move towards Danielle. "What are you doing"? Marguerite asks her mother. "Making you a princess"! Rodmilla exclaims.
All of a sudden Danielle feels a tug at her wings. "Uggghhh", she shouts.
"How dare you!! She is an imposter sire." Rodmilla shouts to Danielle and Henry.
"Baroness you are on dangerous ground. Danielle informs me that you not only made her a servant in her own home but you are also her stepmother", Henry shouts towards his parents and the crowd.
The crowd gasps in horror.
"What is the meaning of this"? The King demands.
Danielle looks to Rodmilla with anger in her eyes.
"If I may speak Your Majesty"?, Danielle asks the King nervously.
"Yes go ahead Mademoiselle, we must get to the bottom of this", Francis tells her.
"Your Highnesses, what Prince Henry just said is true. The Baroness Rhodmilla de Ghent is indeed my stepmother and has made me a servant in my own home for the past 10 years", she tells him.
"You insolent fraud"!!, Rhodmilla screams, as she lunges at Danielle.
Henry quickly moves in front of Danielle.
"Guards, seize them!!, Henry shouts. Two palace guards run up to Rhodmilla and Marguerite and hold them so they can't assault Danielle.
Henry looks over to Danielle and says, "Please tell my father and mother the rest of your story my love".
Danielle looks at the King and Queen and tells them everything that has happened to her for the past 10 years. She starts to cry as she tells them. Henry is right there holding her close. The King and Queen listen in shock and in horror, their eyes showing sympathy for Danielle. She also tells them about how she dressed as a courtier to save her friend's life and how she fell in love with Henry. They looked at her and smiled and thought that she is the perfect match for their son.
The Queen speaks, "Baroness De Ghent, you are forthwith stripped of your title and you and your horrible daughter will be shipped to the Americas on the first available boat".
"No!! No!!", yell Rhodmilla and Marguerite.
"Silence, both of you"!!, demands the King.
"Your Majesties, please do not ship them to the Americas. Please punish them some other way", Danielle pleads.
"Danielle, you want us to be lenient to them after what they did to you"?, the King asks her.
"Yes, Your Majesty I do, because of Jacqueline. They are still her family", she tells the King.
"I can see why my son loves you so much", smiled the king.
Henry looked over to Danielle and was smiling.
"What sort of punishment do you think would befit these horrible women"?, Francis asks Danielle.
Danielle looks over to Rodmilla and Marguerite with an icy cold look in her eyes and says, "I want you to know that I will forget the both of you after this moment and never think of you again. But you, I am quite certain, will think about me for the rest of your lives". She then looks to the King and Queen and says, "All I ask your Majesties, is that you show them the same courtesy that they have bestowed upon me."
"Rodmilla and Marguerite de Ghent, you should kiss the ground that Danielle walks on because I would not have been as lenient. I will do as she asks, and you will from this moment on, become servants in the castle laundry", the King tells them.
"Guards, take them away!!" the King demands.
The guards drag Rhodmilla and Marguerite away kicking and screaming.
"Children, please come here and tell me what is going on with the two of you", the Queen asks them.
"Mother, Father, I have made my choice. Danielle and I are deeply in love with each other and we want to be married", he beams, as he holds Danielle close to him.
Francis looks towards the crowd and says with a chuckle, "shall we try this again? It is my great privilege to announce the engagement of our son Prince Henry to Danielle De Barbarac."
Henry hugs Danielle and gives her a tender kiss. The audience applauds.
"I would like to say something", Henry tells the audience.
"For my whole life I have never wanted to be king, that is, until I met Danielle. She has taught me so much more in these last few days then my tutors have taught me in my whole life. Danielle, I thank you so much for that", he looks over to her with a loving smile. She smiles back. He gently takes her hand, looks lovingly into her eyes and says, "My love, you have made me the happiest man alive. I love you more than you can possibly imagine and I promise you that I will be the most loving of husbands. Of that you can be sure", he tells her.
They are both gazing into each other's eyes. He gently embraces her and gives her the lightest of kisses.
"Thank you Henry", Danielle lovingly tells him.
"Let the festivities begin", Henry announces to his audience.
Henry and Danielle are having a wonderful time. Danielle cannot believe that she isn't a servant anymore and that she is going to be Henry's wife. She pinches herself to see if it's all real.
"It's real my love", Henry tells her, while holding her close. "It seems like it's a dream", she tells him.
"Yes, I know it does. You are my dream come true." Henry lovingly tells her.
"You will be staying at the castle tonight Danielle and I will send a messenger over to the Manor to tell your friends. Tomorrow we shall start the wedding plans.", he tells her.
"I want to write a note to Maurice, Louise and Paulette to tell them the wonderful news", she informs Henry.
Danielle knew that tonight she would sleep contently for the first time in a very long time and have the most wonderful dreams. She would be dreaming of her Henry, the love of her life.
A new chapter was about to enfold in her life and she couldn't wait to experience it. Danielle knew that she and Henry would most certainly live happily ever after.
Note to readers: I don't know what else I could add to this story. I really don't want to duplicate it like I did in my other story; Love Lost Found. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know and if I have time, I will continue. I might even start a new short story, if time allows.
Thank you to those who left me reviews. I really appreciate it.