Title: Forever Yours
Author: rooster dawn
Pairing: see below
Alternative Universe
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended. Ever After is the property of Twentieth Century Productions, no copyright infringement intended.
Summary: This story is loosely based on the movie "Ever After"
Good feedback is good for one's soul and everyone's happiness.
Author's note: In the movie the time period covers five days between the time Prince Henry meets Danielle and the Masque Ball. I have tried to stretch out the story to almost two weeks to give them more time to get to know each other better. Besides I think it would be hard for two people from different stations of life to see each other every day and fall in love.
part 3 Agonies of Life
1100 hours, day 3
de Ghent's manor
The next day Henry and his squire returned the horse he had borrowed to the de Ghent's manor. He didn't want to be known as a horse thief. He had told the young woman that he was only borrowing the horse.
After listening to the long dissertation by Comtesse de Lancret about who was a thief and the how and whys, the last thing he was going to do was not return a horse he had borrowed.
As he rode up to the house he saw an older woman dressed quite nicely. She must be the Baroness he thought. He would apologized and make a hasty retreat. He really didn't like small talk. It could be so boring.
"Good afternoon Ma'am, I'm here to return your horse." greeted Henry.
Renee was surprised to see the Prince looking down at her from his horse. She hadn't heard anything about the prince's itinerary for today. He was the last person she thought she would see at her home.
Maybe the rumors she heard had been correct, the prince was looking for wife. He was a fine looking young man. If only she was twenty years younger. She would grab him and make him forget about all others.
"Was it missing?" she asked perplexed.
"I startled a young servant yesterday morning when I rode up. The young woman had quite a good aim." he replied as he felt the lump that was still present on his forehead.
"She's mute." Renee quickly replied.
So that was what Sarah was up to yesterday. She would have to scold her for her aim. But for now she would be joyful that the prince was here. Jordan would be able to make a first impression with the prince.
"Really? I thought she spoke rather forcefully." Henry replied wondering why the Baroness had lied. What was she hiding?
Henry heard a commotion coming from inside the house and a door opening. Out of the door came two rather fine looking young women. One was quite beautiful with long golden hair. It was like fine silk. The other ... maybe Laurent might like her.
The two young ladies came to a stop and smiled. Piranhas he thought as he studied their gaze.
"Prince Henry, I would like you to meet my two daughters Jordan and Henrietta." Renee introduced her daughters.
"It seems that you have blossomed over night Jordan." smiled Henry.
"Thank you your highness." smiled Jordan.
"What news of your engagement to the Spanish rose your highness?" asked Renee.
"There's been a new development. The king has allowed me the opportunity to find my own bride." he sighed. Why was it so important that he get married?
"I'm sure it's all for the best Sire." smiled Renee.
"Let's hope so." he said before leaving.
Later that afternoon Sarah returned from her walk in the woods. She needed some time to process what had happened yesterday. She had had two encounters with the prince.
The first one, she had physically abused him when she hit him repeatedly with the apples she had thrown. It had been rather amusingly after she had regained her composure.
But she had been mad when she saw him stealing her family's horse and he wasn't remorseful when he had been caught. It was one of the reasons she had quoted Thomas Moore to him in the first place.
She thought how could the prince think nothing of taking someone else's horse and then be critical of someone else for stealing out of necessity. It was rather funny to watch him flail away with his cloak as he tried to regain his composure.
Still it was unsettling that he took no notice of who she was. She could have been a small child or a boy for all it mattered to the prince. She knew this to be true because later in the day when she went to free Uncle Tom,
she stood right in front of him almost face to face. Yeah, right, face to face. He was so tall, she barely stood up to his chin. It was a nice chin to be sure set right below two delicious looking lips and a majestic nose.
And his eyes ... they were beautiful, even dreamy. They stared intently as he spoke. He was perfect. Stop! Stop thinking about him in that manner. He's a prince and you're only a lowly servant.
Anyway he didn't even recognized you, she sighed as she regained her thought process. It had only been a few hours. He couldn't be bothered to have her in his presence earlier that morning.
Then again it might have had something to do with the royal guard who were chasing him. She wondered what he had done. Ah, but when she put on a pretty dress, he couldn't take his eyes off her and she couldn't get rid of him. It was if he was attached to her hip.
He had to know everything about her, who she was, who she was living with. Did a pretty dress mean that much to him or did it signify the reality of life? Royalty didn't care about anyone but themselves.
Maybe the Baroness was right. The Prince could stand to be in her presence when she was dirty, but didn't want to be separated when she was clean and smelled nice.
The dress she wore made a statement about her station in life or the lack there of. It was amusing though. In the morning she had physically abused him. In the afternoon she had verbally abused him.
The amusing thing though, he seemed to like it. The more she abused him, the more he enjoyed it. In fact he cherished fighting with her. He was giving it back as well as she was giving it to him. He was so beautiful.
What! Don't think about him that way. He's an arrogant sob. He even admitted to you that he was. Don't be swayed by his good looks and charms. He needs a major attitude adjustment and you don't have enough time in the day to give it to him.
Besides do you really want to try. He's just like Jordan and you know how difficult she is most of the times. She's never going to change so why should you expect the prince to do so. They were a perfect match for each other.
She walked into the house carrying some firewood. It would be getting chilly soon. Might as well be ready to start a fire. Knowing Jordan she would be whining before dinner was over that it was too cold.
She walked into the parlor and saw Jordan and Henrietta playing backgammon. It looked like Henrietta was losing again because Jordan had a smug look on her face.
"Someone's in trouble." sang Jordan in her annoying little voice.
Sarah gave them a confused look. She hadn't done anything wrong. What was the cow talking about? She shrugged her shoulders and was ready to move on.
"Think Sarah." ordered Renee with a scowl. "How dare you do this do me, to Jordan. Think Sarah, think really hard."
Henrietta gave a motion with hands imitating galloping. She was trying to give her a hint of what she had done. But Sarah had decided to play dumb this time. She shook her head in confusion.
"You had an encounter with the prince yesterday morning." Renee stated.
"He was stealing one of our horses Ma'am." Sarah replied. She was surprised that the prince would even bother to return the horse himself. It surely must be beneath him to do something so mundane.
"The prince can have anything he wants Sarah, that is his right." Renee continued to explain to her. "You know that."
"Yes Ma'am, but I didn't know it was the prince until he fell off the horse and stood before me." Sarah replied wondering what kind of trouble she was in. Why was the witch upset with her?
"You poor country bumpkin." Renee shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"The prince told me not to tell anyone." Sarah replied.
"Well fortunately Jordan accounted herself very well. She made a good impression on the prince who by the way is looking for a bride. I need you to dress better Sarah. I need you to keep yourself clean.
You're old enough now to do it without being told. The prince may be by here again. I don't want anyone to give the prince a the wrong impression that might hurt Jordan's chances of becoming his princess." Renee informed Sarah.
Sarah sighed. Maybe the best thing she could do was to stay away from the manor. That way she wouldn't encounter the prince again. She would also stay away from the market and town common.
Later that night Henrietta was in Sarah's room. They were talking about why the evil Baroness didn't like Sarah and why she picked on her.
"I think it goes back to the time my mother married your father. She was looking to better her life along with Jordan and mine. We moved away from everything and everybody we knew. We were in a new world for us.
Unfortunately your father died shortly after they married leaving her with another child and no source of additional income that your father was capable of bringing home. Her life became much harder instead of easier.
I think she's been depress the last ten years. She lost two husbands in a little over two years. That's pretty hard to take. Seeing you just reminds her of that.
You know how hard it has been. When we came here, there were fifteen servants, now there are only three. She's stressed out about our futures and particularly hers. How will she live her remaining life if one of us doesn't marry well.
Jordan is her hope for a better future. If she doesn't marry someone of wealth, she's doomed to a hard and unforgiving life." explained Harriet.
"Maybe she should marry Pierre le Peu." laughed Sarah.
2100 hours, day 3
The Summer Castle
That night Henry had a long conversation with his mother, Anna. She knew the social hierarchy of the province. Surely she must know who the Comtesse de Lancret was, who her family was, whom she might be visiting.
He had to find out. He needed to see her again. She was so beautiful. She had a sharp though misguided mind. She had fire and spirit only few women possess. He needed to find her, to be with her, to make her his.
"Do you know the Comtesse Nicole de Lancret? She's the cousin of ... I guess I don't really know who her cousin is. You must have heard of her mother?" he pleaded.
"There are far too many courtiers to know them all by name Henry. Why do you want to know her?" Anna asked suspecting that she might be the one she had heard so much about this morning.
She suspected that Henry might have found his match. She was a woman who could stand toe to toe with him and love him anyway. She smiled at such a wonderful thought. Maybe he was awaking from whatever cauldron he had been in for so long.
"Never mind mother." sighed Henry as he left to go to bed. The last thing he wanted was for her to meddle in his personal life. He didn't want to spend the next hour telling her why he wanted to know about the Comtesse.
Knowing his mother as well as he did, she would try to arrange a meeting with her. Maybe at first it would include the Comtesse, him, and his mother. The next time though would be just the Comtesse and his mother.
They would spend time talking about him. His mother would find a way to embarrass him. Unfortunately what was needed at this time was for the Comtesse and him to spend time together by themselves so that he could get to know her.
1000 hour, day 4
les hives des bees
The next day Sarah and Louise went to the beehive to get some honey for the Baroness and Jordan. They liked everything they ate and drank to taste sweet. Heaven helped the fool who didn't have any honey available for their consumption.
Louise was so thankful of the prince. The prince had given Sarah the opportunity to find a way to free her Tom when he had given Sarah the gold coins. Later on she learned that even with the gold coins Sarah need the prince's assistance to free Tom.
As far as she was concern the prince was truly an angel. That he liked Sarah was even more wonderful. She wanted to encourage Sarah to take advantage of any opportunity in the future to be with the prince and to talk to him about anything and everything.
There weren't many people a servant girl like Sarah could talk to about her favorite book, Utopia and Thomas Moore. Since the prince was familiar with Utopia and didn't mind talking about the book or the author, he was that perfect person for Sarah.
She reminded Sarah that when a man liked a woman, he would sometimes take a contrary point of view to rile up the woman. Men believed that it made the woman more passionate, desirable, and beautiful.
"I wished I could have seen you dressed like your mother. You must have looked beautiful talking like a lady to the prince." wailed Louise.
"It was more like I was scolding him. He was being so impertinent. He's really insufferable. I can't believe that I gave in and gave him my mother's name. What makes you think I was beautiful?" Sarah asked.
"The prince wouldn't let you walk away from him. He wanted to be near you. You must have made quite an impression. Why would he have made such an effort if he didn't like you and think that you were beautiful?
Didn't you say he has read Utopia and even knew who wrote the book? Didn't he say that any woman who can quote Thomas Moore was worth knowing?" replied Louise.
"He's still insufferable." whined Sarah.
"The best ones usually are my dear. It's because they care so much. They take great interest in what ever interests you. I bet you he didn't once talk about himself Sarah. You wait and see. I bet he's quite charming once you get to know him." smiled Louise.
"I don't want to get to know him Louise. He and Jordan were made for each other." wailed Sarah fighting the urge to believe that the prince might actually like her and want to be with her. It was true though, the prince hadn't said anything about himself.
"God no Sarah! She's pretentious enough as it is. She doesn't have the make up to be a princess. A princess should care more about her subjects than herself. She cares for no one but herself." smiled Louise.
She could see that the prince and her Sarah would make a perfect match, if only they would allow themselves to be together and be themselves.
"It's true now as it was this morning. He's insufferable, but I have to admit it was nice to talk to someone who has read Thomas Moore and understand his writings. It could be he was only teasing me by being contrary." she replied with a small smile.